Police have charged the man accused of stabbing a Lyft driver during a wild botched carjacking attempt on Manhattan’s FDR Drive that ended with the suspect breaking both legs jumping off the overpass, police said Wednesday.
Ismael English is facing attempted murder, attempted robbery, reckless endangerment and weapons possession charges for Tuesday’s chaos on the southbound FDR Drive approaching the Manhattan Bridge exit.
The 21-year-old East Harlem resident was previously arrested on criminal possession of a firearm charges on July 14, 2021, according to court documents. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge but never showed up at his sentencing.
After cops picked him up on a warrant on June 27, 2022, he made his $10,000 bail. He is due back in court Oct. 6 in the weapon possession case.
English was riding in a Lyft when he pulled a knife and attempted to carjack the 36-year-old driver of his Tesla about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to cops.
He allegedly stabbed the driver multiple times, causing the wounded Lyft driver to crash his Tesla into another vehicle.
As witnesses called 911, English exited the crashed Tesla and jumped through the open window of a passing four-door sedan, said Serge Velbovets, whose Nissan was badly damaged in the fender bender.
“He jumped in right through the driver’s side window,” Velbovets told The Daily News Tuesday. “I looked in the driver’s side and both guys were wrestling. I shouted, ‘What’s going on here?!’”
When the startled second driver slammed on the brakes, English jumped out and ran off down the highway, witnesses told police.
In video viewed by The News, the suspect is seen tossing his black knapsack from the FDR Drive overpass down to South St. near Rutgers Slip more than 50 feet below.
Then, seeming to contemplate the jump, he sat on the ledge before dangling by two hands. Eventually he let go, plummeting to the street and breaking both his legs, cops said.
“Boom! He hit his head. I thought he was…
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