NY1
Updated 3:14 PM
Police Question "Person Of Interest" In Bus Driver Stabbing
Police this afternoon continue to question a "person of interest" in the stabbing death of a city bus driver.
The incident happened around noon yesterday on the B46 bus on Gates Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Investigators say a man boarded the bus and tried to swipe an invalid MetroCard. The driver, Edwin Thomas, allowed the man to board, but the two soon began arguing when the passenger asked for a free transfer.
Thomas, 46, refused to give him one, since the man had not paid. The man then punched and stabbed Thomas in the head and stomach before running off.
Thomas was taken to Woodhull Medical Center where he died. He had worked as a bus driver for seven years.
"Mr. Thomas was a faithful employee," said fellow Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker Louretha Carter. "He was never out sick.
He was quiet. He came to work. He picked up his work. You didn't hear anything out of him."
"Bus operator Thomas was killed in the line of duty serving the people of New York City," said MTA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Elliot "Lee" Sander. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Thomas family and this is an extraordinary tragedy for the city and for the MTA."
Thomas is the first bus driver to be killed on the job since 1981.
In September, the MTA revealed the B46 route had the most fare evaders of any route in the city – with an average of 4,000 people a week boarding without paying.
His death is leading for calls for more protections for drivers – including more surveillance cameras and an increased police presence on city buses.
"We're calling on the New York City Transit Authority, we're calling on the mayor of New York City, and we're calling on the governor to institute policies that will offer up opportunities for our bus drivers and conductors on trains to be safe," said Anthony Herbert of the Urban Community Council at a news conference today. "We're asking for you to activate initiatives that will allow police officers to ride the bus a couple of stops so there is a presence given."
The NYPD, the MTA, and the Transport Workers Union are offering rewards totaling $36,000 for any information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, by texting TIP577 to CRIMES, or by going to NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.
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