RAMAPO- A Brooklyn man was arrested Wednesday after a dispute over payment for a rideshare service allegedly led to a stabbing at the Suffern Tandem Lot on the New York State Thruway in Ramapo, State Police said.
Joel A. Guzman, 32, was charged with second-degree assault, a felony, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor.
Troopers responded to the lot shortly before 7 a.m. September 16 following a 911 report of a stabbing. According to police, the victim, a 32-year-old California man, had been transported by Guzman, the rideshare driver. The victim was initially dropped off at the Sloatsburg Service Area, although his intended destination was the Suffern Tandem Lot, about a half-mile away.
Police said Guzman drove the victim to the Suffern lot, where the two became involved in a dispute over payment. Guzman allegedly attacked the victim with a knife before fleeing.
The victim was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with defensive lacerations to his arm that were not considered life-threatening.
A “be on the look out” alert was issued for Guzman’s vehicle, which was later located by Metropolitan Transportation Authority police on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City. A knife was found in the vehicle, according to State Police.
Guzman was returned to State Police in Tarrytown and later arraigned in Ramapo Town Court. He was released after posting $1,000 cash bail, with additional bail options including a $5,000 bond and a partially secured $20,000 bond.
He is due back in Ramapo Town Court later this month. An order of protection was issued for the victim.
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