An Algerian man faces allegations stemming from two incidents involving assaults on women in a New York taxi. He’s also accused of extorting their fares after reaching a plea deal with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Records reveal that Mohamed Berebia, 34, managed to plead guilty to a lesser charge in at least one incident.
The first reported victim, 23-year-old Maire Bartow, got into a Yellow Cab minivan with Berebia around 2 a.m. last November, following a night out with friends.
What was meant to be a simple ten-minute ride to her home in the Lower East Side grew into a frightening ordeal as she traveled through dark streets.
Berebia, who reportedly struggled with English, started touching her feet during the ride.
According to a lawsuit she filed against both the driver and the taxi company, named “Silent Taxi,” the driver not only ignored her requests to stop but also assaulted her sexually.
Bartow reportedly tried to document the assault by taking photos, but Berebia took the pictures from her and deleted them. She then attempted to capture audio of her pleas for him to stop.
“I began pleading with him, ‘Please let me out!'” Bartow recounted. “I didn’t want to provoke him further. I was terrified he might abduct me or even worse.”
Eventually, another taxi stopped for her, and she had to call a ride-hailing service to make it home. Originally from California, she was working as a social media marketing specialist in New York.
The next morning, she reported the incident to the New York Police Department.
In December, Berebia picked up a second passenger at 2 a.m., groping her legs during the ride and attempting to remove her underwear, according to law enforcement.
His car did not have a partition or a camera system, which is somewhat concerning.
Berebia was arrested on December 19, 2024, facing charges in both incidents. He was charged with misdemeanor counts of forcible touching and sexual abuse in Bartow’s case. If found guilty, he could have faced anything from probation to a year in prison.
However, he instead pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in March and received a “conditional release,” allowing him to avoid jail unless he faces new legal issues.
The details surrounding the second allegation remain sealed; no additional information is available.
Bartow, who has moved away from the city since then, expressed surprise about the second assault, which she was oblivious to due to the lack of communication from the district attorney’s office.
“Oh my god,” she reacted upon learning about the second incident.
She only became aware of Berebia’s plea deal when she contacted the police. Although his taxi license was initially suspended after the incidents, it was reportedly reinstated in March.
“He’s back on the road driving the same taxi,” Bartow noted. “I wasn’t involved at all in the decision-making. They never consulted me.”
The newspaper attempted to reach the driver for comments, but he seemed unaware of the lawsuit. During an attempted interview, he requested a friend to translate, but the friend opted not to comment further. When pressed, the driver ended the call upon being asked about his immigration status.
Due to the nature of the charges in Bartow’s case, they were not eligible for bail, as confirmed by a Manhattan police spokesperson. The driver reportedly had no prior criminal record.
“Survivors require clear communication during the prosecution process, and we have reached out to apologize for our shortcomings in this case,” the spokesperson stated.
