The head of the Taxi & Limousine Commission is condemning the behavior during the Knicks celebrations, saying there's no excuse of this kind of behavior.
New York City taxi driver Noureddine Bitat will never forget the violent night and says he's still traumatized.
"He was scared to lose his life in the way that they attacked him," said Said Aizah of the Taxi Workers Alliance.
Speaking through a translator, Bitat, the 59-year-old husband and father of three, originally an Arabic language elementary school teacher from Algeria, says he was at a red light at Seventh Avenue and 36th Street.
It was the end of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, after the Knicks' historic comeback win, when crazed Knicks fans came out and started damaging his cab.
"They grabbed him from his neck; someone punched him on his head," said Noureddine Afsi of the Taxi Workers Alliance.
Surrounded by his colleagues in Long Island City, Queens, with the Taxi Workers Alliance, Bitat says he wound up in the hospital.
"He has had a dizzy spell, back pain, his glasses were broken," said Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of the Taxi Workers Alliance.
Rowdy fans even tried to tip the cab over and set it on fire. The police came first.
"Cab drivers are among the New Yorkers that keep people the safest on our streets," Desai said. "All we ask for in return is for you to also think of the safety of the drivers."
With the help of a tweet from super star Moroccan-born and Bronx-raised French Montana, a GoFundMe page is circulating, raising $68,000 to help support his income.
"When we lose one day. We lose money because we don't have anything that backs us up, so thank god for all of your support because it couldn't have gotten worst," Aizah said.
Police have arrested one man, 21-year-old Saul Vargas, who turned himself in on Monday.
He was one of three suspects captured on camera, destroying Bitat's vehicle.
"He's really happy for the win for the Knicks after 50 years, and he's hoping that the crowd is going to celebrate in the right way," Afsi said.
Bitat says he no longer wants to be a cab driver.
He says Mayor Zohran Mamdani called and spoke with him. He says the mayor's office is now working with his union to provide him with groceries.
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