Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Cabbie Slasher Rants: "Do You Like Salami and Bacon?"
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 22, 2010
Modified Sep 22, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 22, 2010
Modified Sep 22, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Today, a State Supreme Court Judge denied bail to Michael Enright, the 21-year-old student charged with attacking a Muslim cab driver because of his race earlier this month. As Enright was ordered to remain in custody at Bellevue Hospital Center until he was given medical clearance, new filings by prosecutors revealed a more detailed portrait of Enright the night he attacked cab driver Ahmed Sharif, captured through some of his less-than-admirable rants to police, in which he insults them, alleges he was in the army, and claims religious persecution for two different religions.
After confirming that Sharif was Muslim, Enright ranted at the driver, then slashed and stabbed him with a knife, but Sharif was able to lock him in the back of the cab. When police took him into custody, they said that Enright was "highly intoxicated." According to the Times, first he told police that he had been attacked and was only defending himself. He said he was a patriot and had been in the army (he hadn't; he had filmed a documentary about a Marine unit in Afghanistan), then ranted: “I have to go home and see my mother. A friend of mine who works for the M.T.A. is going to help me out. My aunt is dying. You’re persecuting me because I am Irish Catholic.”
He called one cop a "coward," asked another if they were going to beat him up, and then said: “You are a stupid broad. You allow them to blow up buildings in this country. Are you going to bang my head on the door?” After they got to the 17th precinct, he changed his mind about his religion: “I’m Jewish. You are going to ruin the entire Jewish race by locking me up.”;
He also admitted to drinking a pint of Scotch earlier that day (he was caught with an empty bottle of Scotch in his back pocket). In an ambulance, Enright offered an Arabic greeting and then chimed in, “Do you like salami and bacon?” He followed that by asking an officer, “Have you ever left the country? You are a coward. You weren’t over there.”
Tagged
ahmed sharif
attack
cab
cabbie slasher
michael enright
muslim
taxi
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Person found dead with stab wounds in Queens building, NYPD says
Police hadn't yet named and suspects or identified the victim Friday.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Nov 6, 2026 at 8:34 p.m. ET
Amtrak's Penn Station plan could funnel taxpayer money to new venue for James Dolan
The federal government's plan to rebuild Penn Station would require the purchase of a theater attached to the west side of Madison Square Garden.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Amtrak's Penn Station plan could funnel taxpayer money to new venue for James Dolan
The federal government's plan to rebuild Penn Station would require the purchase of a theater attached to the west side of Madison Square Garden.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Intoxicated Queens driver killed baby after running stop sign, indictment says
By
Giulia Heyward
Man arrested in NYC on accusations of sexual assault, rape on Cape Cod, officials said
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Service upgrade coming to On The Way: An hour-long radio show on all things NYC transit
By
Stephen Nessen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .