Lyft driver, passenger stabbed with screwdriver in carjacking in New Jersey
CLARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A Lyft driver and his passenger were found stabbed and lying in the street following an apparent carjacking in New Jersey early Wednesday.
It happened on Westfield Avenue in Clark around 1 a.m.
Police say they found the 47-year-old Lyft driver with screwdriver stab wounds and cuts to his head, face, and neck.
A 20-year-old woman, the passenger, was found with stab wounds and cuts to her face and head.
Police say the female victim and the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Farrakhan Howard, were picked up in Bloomfield and were on their way to Woodbridge when Howard suddenly started stabbing the woman and the driver with a screwdriver.
The woman and the driver got out of the car, and Howard allegedly took off in the vehicle but crashed on the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge.
That's when police managed to place Howard under arrest.
The victims were taken to University Hospital in serious condition.
Howard has been charged with first-degree carjacking, second-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, and fourth-degree possession of a weapon.
He's also charged with receiving stolen property, obstruction, and narcotics possession in Woodbridge.
"The safety of our community is our top priority, and the incident described is horrifying," a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with those injured. We've reached out to express our sympathies and support, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation."
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