A deadbeat passenger who boarded a Brooklyn bus without paying became enraged when he was denied a free transfer yesterday – and then fatally stabbed the driver as horrified passengers looked on, police said.
“The driver said, ‘I can’t [give the transfer],’ and then a moment later, the guy pulled something out of his pocket and started stabbing the driver,” said a stunned rider who was aboard the B46 bus in Bedford-Stuyvesant, when the attack occurred at about 12:30 p.m.
Police are questioning a man in the killing. No charges have been filed, but a person of interest is being interviewed at a police precinct.
The driver – father-of-two Edwin Thomas – was the first city bus operator murdered while on duty since 1981, transit officials said.
The previous killing, of driver Harvey Shild, 27, also occurred in Brooklyn and it, too, was sparked by his refusal to provide a free transfer to a passenger.
“Edwin Thomas was a good man who was good at his job of helping move New York City,” Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday, as the NYPD and the Transport Workers Union posted a $24,000 reward for the capture of the killer.
“An attack like this is so shocking because it has become so rare in our city.”
Yesterday’s tragedy began minutes after the killer boarded the bus, a police official said.
The passenger, described as in his 20s and wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans, swiped a MetroCard several times in the fare reader, but it did not register.
The man then sat down without Thomas challenging him, and the bus pulled away.
Shortly afterward, the man stood and asked for a transfer.
Thomas, a seven-year MTA veteran, chided, “You didn’t even pay to get on the bus,” which prompted the deadbeat to punch the driver in the head, police said.
The thug stalked off the bus, but turned around before Thomas could close the door. He pulled out a knife and made a slashing motion as he reboarded, police said.
The man then stabbed Thomas repeatedly in the chest and stomach before fleeing on foot. Another passenger gave chase in vain.
Thomas died at Woodhull Hospital.
His grieving 18-year-old son, Jeffrey Jupiter, said last night that his dad “loved his job.”
“He never missed a day’s work.”
The teen said it wasn’t the first time his father chided a fare beater, “but this time, he got killed for it”.
“My dad died for $2,” he said. “We were best friends. We loved each other.
“We were always connected. We shared a lot of secrets. We laughed and cried together. We were very close.”
Thomas’ daughter, Edley Thomas, 16, said, “I’m trying to hold on right now. He loved me and I loved him and I’m going to miss everything about my dad.
“I will cherish all the times we spent together.”
Nadege Thomas, 31, who once dated the driver, called him “a hard worker” who “always tried to help people.”
“I’ve been calling his phone just to listen to his voice. I would like to know why. What kind of person would do this?” she asked.