Police: Fare jumper attacks bus driver in the Bronx

BELMONT (WABC) -- Nelson Diaz, 53, was driving a city bus Thursday morning when police say he was attacked from behind by a passenger trying to beat a $2.25 fare.

It happened just after 8:00 a.m. in the Melrose section of the Bronx at East 162nd Street and Melrose.

Police say a black man in his 20's stepped on the BX-41 bus through a rear door without paying the fare. When Diaz called him on it, the suspect pounced on him.

Surveillance video shows police arriving just minutes after the incident. Investigators said the suspect beat Diaz in the face, slammed his head against a window, and choked him until he nearly lost consciousness.

The suspect ran off, so investigators spent part of the day searching nearby stores that might have caught a glimpse of the man who brutalized a bus driver of 24 years.

As of Thursday evening, the suspect remains at large.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

Get more New York News »

new york city, bronx, bus, assault, new york news, darla miles

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•