Doorman Takes Cab For Short Joyride Onto Sidewalk!

Yesterday was cabbie Joseph Horvath's first day on the job, and he learned an important lesson: Never walk away with the keys in the ignition. Horvath had gotten out of his taxi around 12:45 p.m. to help his elderly passenger into a building at Fifth Avenue and 51st Street, across from St. Patrick's Cathedral. But seeing that Horvath was double parked, an unidentified doorman decided to "help" by jumping behind the wheel and moving the vehicle. That's when he clipped an oncoming Mercedes-Benz and careened onto the crowded sidewalk, where tourists were thronged because of Holy Thursday services. Luckily, he only grazed one pedestrian, a woman from Arkansas, who suffered a minor leg injury and refused medical treatment. Police are investigating the incident but have not charged the doorman yet. As for Horvath, he tells the Daily News, "It's embarrassing [and] I have to explain it to my garage. It's a good thing it wasn't my fault. I hope they don't give me the boot."

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By John Del Signore in News on April 10, 2009 11:30 AM

Comments [rss]

jaycjay

That Post article could use some editing. It reads more like a Gothamist article.

IvoryJive

Come on - why wasn't the doorman helping the old lady, and the taxi driver driving the taxi? It's like having a waiter burn your food trying to cook it, and then having a cook drop it on you trying to serve it. Just stick to your jobs and we won't have pedestrians getting hit on the sidewalk.

My question is - did he leave the car idling when he got out or was the engine still on? That's how those kids were killed in Chinatown, with the van left in reverse instead of park. Lucky this occasion did not add to list of hundreds of pedestrians that get killed by vehicles in NYC every year. I'm glad the taxi driver was trying to do a nice thing, but he was double-parked as it was. The disregard for traffic rules by the average driver in New York is staggering.

Spirit of 76

Instead of a stock shot of St. Pats, you should use a cropped section of the Post photo showing the doorman looking mighty embarrassed. He's lucky he wasn't arrested. Wouldn't getting behind the wheel of someone else's car without permission be considered grand theft auto?

John Del Signore

I know; that photo's hilarious. But we can't use it, even as a thumbnail.

Geoelh

"Horvath had gotten out of his taxi around 12:45 p.m. to help his elderly passenger into a building"

Wow, have you ever seen that happen in New York? Cabbie gets out of seat to be helpful? It's like middle America has collided with Gotham and the result is not Armageddon!

Hoppy Easter, you krazy town!