A taxi driver from Queens was taken into custody on Saturday, accused of hitting and dragging a man who had escaped from Rikers Island last year.
Police reports state that Abdul Hakim, who is 71 years old, allegedly struck 36-year-old James Mossetti.
The NYPD said that Mossetti was caught and pulled along for several blocks while he remained stuck in the 2021 Toyota RAV4.
Sadly, he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Weil Cornell Medical Center in New York Presbyterian.
Hakim was arrested just a few hours later.
During questioning, Hakim admitted to being behind the wheel at the time of the accident.
He mentioned hearing a loud sound, possibly from hitting something, and felt that the taxi was moving more slowly, like something was being dragged.
Yet, instead of checking on the situation, he handed the vehicle over to another driver, who soon noticed damage on the taxi’s hood.
This driver later reported what had happened, and it became clear that Hakim had not mentioned the incident to anyone at that time.
He was charged with leaving the scene without reporting an accident, a misdemeanor, but this may be elevated to a felony due to Mossetti’s death.
With a bail set at $100,000, Hakim is scheduled to appear in court on September 5th.
It’s worth noting that Mossetti had a troubled past; he had previously escaped police custody while being treated at Bellevue Hospital last July. Rather remarkably, he managed to get out of his handcuffs but was soon apprehended on an MTA bus just a couple of miles away.
His arrest related to various misdemeanors including assault and theft of service, stemming from an allegation of not paying a $36 taxi fare in Lower Manhattan in August 2023.
On social media, Mossetti’s family fondly recalled him as a cherished father, brother, and uncle, claiming he had “more lives than cats.”
