News (10.29.20): NYC Yellow Cab Drivers Shut Down Times Square To Demand Debt Relief, NYC Taxi Driver Accused in Pair of Sex Attacks in Greenwich Village, Midtown Crane Spins Out of Control
Select news headlines for Thursday, October 29th 2020
New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) Alliance Shut Down Times Square To Demand Debt Relief (Twitter)
NYC cabbie accused in pair of sex attacks in Greenwich Village; police seek other possible victims (NY Daily News)
A yellow taxi driver is accused of sexually assaulting two women in Manhattan.
Muhammad Wasim, 36, was charged on Monday with attempted rape and sexual abuse for the two attacks in Greenwich Village.
One victim is said to have hailed Wasim’s yellow cab at the corner of Houston and Thompson on Oct. 11 at 1:30am. Mr. Wasim is then said to have locked the back doors, had the passenger get into the front passenger seat, and instead of driving the passenger home offered her shots of alcohol.
Finally, when the passenger tried to get out of the cab, Mr. Wasim is accused of of assaulting her and that attack is reported to have been recorded by a camera in the cab. After 15 minutes the passenger called a friend who arranged an Uber.
The second attack is said to have occurred 9 days later on October 20th at 4:30am when Mr. Wasim is accused of attacking another woman. He is said to have jumped behind her and “grabbed her breasts and knocked her to the ground — but fled because he thought someone else on the street saw him”. That incident, according to sources, was also caught on video.
Wasim was arraigned Tuesday in Manhattan Criminal Court and ordered held on $30,000 bond or $10,000 cash bail. Public records show he paid his bail and was released Thursday. Police said they are seeking other possible victims.
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Debris Comes Crashing Down Onto Midtown Streets During High Winds (NBC NY / CBS NY)
An investigation is underway after large debris fell from a spinning crane in Manhattan Thursday night.
The incident was reported at an 84-story high-rise condo under construction near 57th Street and 6th Avenue around 7 p.m.
"Maybe a 20-foot-long piece of railing and glass, looked like an enormous window, came out of nowhere…It kind of wind milled down and split off in one section one crossways and one lengthways." - Tove Nord , local restaurateur
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NYC Weather from The Weather Channel
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