Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycle Infrastructure

Cabbie Blames Cyclist He Hit and Bike Lanes for Midtown Curb-Jump Crash

The Post is doing its best to assign partial blame to the cyclist who was struck by cab driver Mohammed Himon in Tuesday morning's crash on Sixth Avenue, but the paper got Himon to confess that he intentionally stepped on the gas before mounting the curb and hitting Sian Green, the 23-year-old tourist who lost part of her leg.

Cab driver Mohammed Himon blamed a cyclist and bike infrastructure for Tuesday's crash, but a protected bike lane might have kept him from driving on the sidewalk and maiming a bystander. Photo: Post

Himon has a history of reckless driving, according to multiple reports, including another crash that resulted in injury. During an interview in which he said he needs to find a different job, Himon described the crash:

Himon, a native of Bangladesh who has been in the United States for nearly five years, admitted he flew into a fit of road rage when he and bike messenger Kenneth Olivo crossed paths.

"He was in my way and I got upset, so I gave him notice that I wanted to pass through," he said, meaning he leaned on his horn.

"He started pounding on my car with his hands and was yelling things at me. I suddenly felt like I had to get out of there. It was becoming a bad situation. So I accelerated to get in front of him."

Himon's narrative, which the Post does not question, is that after laying on the horn, he became afraid of the cyclist and attempted to get away.

"I personally feel that if that man on the bike didn’t bang on my car, maybe this would not have happened,” Himon said. "I didn’t yell at him. I had my windows up and my A/C on. I could barely hear what he was saying.

"I thought to myself, ‘This guy isn’t any good. I need to speed up to get away from him.’ I accelerated, and the rest is hard to remember."

So according to Himon, he was so frightened by a cyclist in front of his cab, whom he could barely hear, that he hit the accelerator. As a result of that decision, he rammed the cyclist and continued driving onto the sidewalk, permanently maiming Green.

The Post doesn't bring this up, but if Himon was trying to turn left, there would have been a crosswalk full of pedestrians "in his way" just behind the cyclist. “We were crossing right in the middle of the crosswalk -- we had the crossing signal -- and as we were crossing with other pedestrians, the cab started to pull into the crosswalk,” said one witness to Fox News. "[There] was a man riding along this way on his bicycle with a backpack and he got picked up by the cabbie and was thrown up on the hood and up on his windshield. The cab really accelerated at a great speed."

Still, according to the Post, at least, Olivo could be charged. "Authorities blamed the accident on a road-rage beef between a cabby with a checkered driving record and a bicycle messenger with a lengthy rap sheet," the Post wrote, in a story about Green and her family. A possible charge is criminal mischief, according to attorney Steve Vaccaro.

Himon also claimed that the bikes lanes the Bloomberg administration installed in recent years contributed to the crash.

"A lot of bikers disregard the bike lanes and drive wherever they want," he griped.

"The city wastes a lot of money by giving them all these bike lanes, and for what? Honestly, I have no problem with bikers. They should just stay in their lane and I’ll stay in mine."

The Post is probably delighted to print his ignorant views on bike infrastructure, but a protected bike lane on the left side of Sixth Avenue might have meant Himon would have been stopped by a bell bollard after a few feet, and Sian Green might still be enjoying her first trip to New York.

Unlike thousands of non-fatal incidents of vehicular violence that happen every year and don't get international attention, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance and NYPD are investigating this crash. The Taxi and Limousine Commission is moving to suspend Himon's hack license for 30 days.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Ugly Truth: Feds’ Canal Street Raid Pushed Aside NYPD, Safety and Free Speech

President Trump's heavily armed and masked immigration troops are turning American cities into battlegrounds — and eliminating accountability and free speech in the public realm.

October 27, 2025

Bikelashers Beware! Court Street Redesign Has Turned Chaos to Safety

Court Street's protected bike lane already shows a lot of promise. But that doesn't stop the hate.

October 27, 2025

Adams Administration Has Made It Nearly Impossible To Build Safe E-Bike Charging Stations

It's impossible to build an e-bike charging cabinet in NYC, despite city initiatives meant to boost the industry.

October 27, 2025

That’s Rich! DoorDash Supports E-Bike Speed Limit

DoorDash supports a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit, but that's easy for them to say, given that under-pressure workers will be the ones getting tickets.

October 27, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Everybody to the Limit Edition

Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani wants to keep the 15-mph Citi Bike e-bike speed limit. Plus more news.

October 27, 2025

Friday Video: Amtrak Is Way More Successful Than You Think

Why do so many people still treat Amtrak as a failure — and what would it take to deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve?

October 24, 2025
See all posts