Road rage: Bus driver accused of spitting at woman, calls cabbie N-word

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“It was like Birmingham in the 1950s," a shocked taxi cab passenger claimed, when asked about an MTA bus driver's alleged racist rant.

 

 

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A city bus driver has been accused of using the N-word against a cabbie — and spitting in a woman’s face — in a fit of road rage, the Daily News has learned.

The MTA suspended the hotheaded motorman without pay on Friday and is taking steps to fire him, officials said.

A transit source identified the driver as Manuel Zeas, a 35-year-old Staten Island resident.

Cabbie Omar Abraham, a Ghanese immigrant, said the bus tailed him the night of Nov. 10 from Houston St. to the 50s.

“He was driving recklessly, tailgating me bumper to bumper,” Abraham said.

Apparently angry the cabbie was driving too slow, Zeas pulled his off-duty bus next to the taxi at a red light and unleashed a revolting racist tirade.

Zeas yelled, “Learn to drive,” the backseat passenger, an advertising exec, told The News.

“He then said the N-word at least a dozen times. It was really visceral and disgusting,” said the passenger, who asked that her name be withheld because she’s afraid of the “unhinged” man.

“It was like Birmingham in the 1950s. I thought something like that would never happen in New York City."

Zeas hocked a loogie at the woman’s face, and another that landed on the driver’s window.

“His actions are unconscionable,” said MTA Chairman Joe Lhota.

The woman filed a police complaint and gave transit officials photographs of the driver covering his face. She was interviewed last week by a director of MTA labor relations and agreed to testify at disciplinary proceedings.

Zeas didn’t respond to a request for comment.

“He’s a nice guy,” neighbor Hector Robles said. “I never heard him scream at his wife or children. This is terrible. He could lose his job.”

A transit source said Zeas has been a driver since 2006. He has one prior warning and one suspension, but “nothing serious and nothing like this.”

Another transit source said Zeas twice filed an internal report claiming to be an assault victim. He said he was spat upon both times. With Oren Yaniv

pdonohue@nydailynews.com

 

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bus-driver-accused-spitting-woman-calls-cabbie-n-word-article-1.1205405#ixzz2CxJO0QF9

[QM1to6Ave 1,688]

Well that's just lovely. Sounds like this B/O was a real winner.

[Gorgor 733]

This is absolutely unacceptable and there is no excuse for this. He deserves to be fired.

[4P3607 1,108]

I love the minature effect on those Orion Vs at CS... looks them make like model buses lol.

 

If the car infront of me was driving slow I would get pissed off too... but there is no reason for that B/O to use the N word on the taxi driver...

Edited November 22, 2012 by 4P3607

[B35 via Church 9,407]

Oh, You're gonna start hearin the word n***er like it's goin out of style from here on in, now that obama's in for another term.....

 

Lol @ "I never heard him scream at his wife or children".... Doesn't mean that he wouldn't treat someone outside his immediate family with less respect....

 

Anyway, what are you doing tailgating a cab, driving a bus - and from houston st to the 50's? that's at least 2 miles... This was someone clearly lookin to start some shit, and then goin spit in someone's face too (which is an assault... which exemplifies the lowest form of class & the worst form of disrespect IMO)..... Doesn't help that this particular b/o already has a suspension (and a "warning") to his name either....

 

A real winner indeed... Get rid of this guy.....

[checkmatechamp13 2,272]

If the B/O was going on a north-south avenue, the street is probably wide enough for him to pass the cabbie without having to tailgate him. If he resorted to tailgating him, his primary concern wasn't getting where he needed to go.

 

On a side note if anybody was thinking that minorities can't be racist, well, you need to look no further than this. With a name like Manuel Zeas, he was probably Hispanic. (Of course, this isn't intended to push any sort of agenda or anything, but I'm just throwing it out there).

[B35 via Church 9,407]

If the car infront of me was driving slow I would get pissed off too...

Right, I'd get annoyed too.... However, I wouldn't sit there & actually follow someone who I thought was driving rather slow... I'd do everything I could to overtake that person....

 

Like Checkmate said, the north-south streets in manhattan are well wide enough.... Zero reason for that b/o to tailgate that cab driver from bumper to bumper - especially for that long a distance.... That b/o strikes me as the clear instigator in all this; The last thing I'd want to do is tailgate a slow ass driver (which is rather ironic, b/c yellow cab drivers are known for being highly aggressive/offensive while out on the roads)....

 

 

On a side note if anybody was thinking that minorities can't be racist, well, you need to look no further than this. With a name like Manuel Zeas, he was probably Hispanic.

(Of course, this isn't intended to push any sort of agenda or anything, but I'm just throwing it out there).

 

I'm more miffed that the b/o took it upon himself to spit at/spit on the damn female passenger (especially after him having filed a report of him being assaulted prior [spat on too, to boot]), but yes minorities can absolutely be racist... You don't have to be an oppressor to be racist; I don't know where people get the contrary from.....

[Turbo19 2,509]

Of course he had to be from freaking Staten Island. SMFH.

Edited November 22, 2012 by Turbo19

[QM1to6Ave 1,688]

Unless the B/O actually got off of the bus, his long-range spitting ability is pretty impressive lol. I'm sure that will serve him well in jail.

[Grand Concourse 2,690]

I love the minature effect on those Orion Vs at CS... looks them make like model buses lol.

 

Was gonna mention that, yes I agree.