By Carol Tannenhauser
An unmarked police car collided with a yellow cab at the corner of Amsterdam and West 82nd Street at around three o’clock on Friday afternoon. Cab driver Huzaifa Akram, 30, was unhurt and gave WSR the following statement:
“I was going uptown. I had a passenger with me. I had the green light. The car that hit me, he was an undercover cop. He was coming from 82nd Street. He had the red light, but he just turned on his siren — he didn’t wait for the traffic to pass — he just took off and smashed me. He spun me around. It was scary. I’ve been shaking for 30 minutes now.”
Captain Timothy Malin, of the 20th precinct, confirmed by email that “a police car driven by a lieutenant from the Detective Bureau” was involved in the accident. However, he added, “the cabdriver said he was going north on Amsterdam and had the green light. The lieutenant said he was going west on 82nd St. and had the green light. We don’t have any video of the intersection to confirm either story. Thankfully, there were only minor injuries.”
“This is the first time I had an accident,” Akram said. “Because I was wearing a seat belt, I didn’t get hurt. The seat belt saved me. The customer who was with me wasn’t wearing a seat belt. I think his nose was broken.”
Police should take responsibility ! I believe the cab driver.
With the way the NYPD black cars drive I am not in the least surprised…only that such crashes don’t happen more often.
On 82nd Street you can only drive going east.
82nd is an eastbound streeet so a car coming into that intersection from the east would already be unexpected and dangerous
The police car was driving east. The cab was hit on the left side.
I also believe the cabbie. Years ago, I personally witnessed an ambulance driver who turned on his siren to run a red light at the last second because his bag of McDonalds (on his lap!) might have been getting cold before he could chow down. Power corrupts.
Interesting since 82nd Street goes East. You know the saying – even East odd West. So wonder why the unmarked car was going West.
Interesting, when a drunk driver crashed while driving up Amsterdam Avenue in January 2016, there was a surveillance video taken from the south side of 82nd Street looking up Amsterdam Avenue.
Wear your seat belts…especially sitting the back of a taxi!
Don’t one of the parties have a dash cam to confirm who’s telling the truth?
Wasn’t a young man just hit and killed by a car on 82nd & Amsterdam? Does anyone think the bike lanes are causing any of these accidents? What’s next?
My apologies… typo on my part- the unmarked police car was heading east, not west on 82nd St.
I would believe the cab driver! NYPD is notorious for cover up.