UPDATED 6/18, 1:04 p.m. ET: The GoFundMe started for taxi driver Noureddine Bitat has raised over $74,000 of its $75,000 goal.
UPDATED 6/15, 5:18 p.m. ET: The taxi driver from the viral video has been found, and a GoFundMe has been started.
Per GoFundMe, the driver is 59-year-old Noureddine Bitat, and his cab was “severely damaged” during celebrations after the Knicks’ Game 4 win. He was also “reportedly assaulted and dragged from his vehicle by a crowd.”
French Montana, upon hearing about that, brought it to the attention of Zachery “MDMotivator” Dereniowski, a content creator who focuses on “mental health-related material.”
Partnering with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, the pair launched a GoFundMe to “[get] Noureddine back on his feet and back to work.” You can find it here.
See original story below.
French Montana extended a generous offer to a cab driver whose car was caught up in celebrations of the New York Knicks’ Game 4 win.
After the team took home the championship title over the San Antonio Spurs during the NBA Finals on Saturday (June 13), Knicks fans went from Madison Square Garden and local watch parties to literally flooding the streets.
Caught in the middle of the frenzy was a cab driver whose vehicle was being danced on top of, which prevented him from working. A video of the scene went viral, with the Out of Context Humans account claiming that the car was “destroyed” and that, as a result, the driver “can no longer make a living” — evidence for which is not seen in the clip.
The video and caption caught the attention of French Montana, who offered to help the driver, if he could be located.
“Somebody find him for me so we can help him get back on his feet,” tweeted the “Handstand” rapper.
As CNN reported on Sunday (June 14), 63 people were arrested during the mayhem, while five school buses in Times Square were set on fire, along with five police cars being damaged on Sixth Avenue. Charges for those arrested included assault on a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal mischief. Violent attacks also reportedly happened after the Knicks’ win, including 10 NYPD officers being injured and a 17-year-old boy being shot in the foot.
The team’s NBA Finals win has finally arrived after the Knicks’ 53-year drought. They last won a championship title in 1973 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Before tweeting a callout fo the cab driver, Montana was in a celebratory mood ahead of the win. Last week, he dropped a “Knicks Edition” remix of
“Ever Since U Left Me,” featuring Remy Ma and Max B.
