NEW YORK — An Uber driver from West New York died after a man allegedly hit him with a hockey stick in Manhattan on Saturday, per an NYPD statement.
Around 11:58 p.m. Nov. 11, officers responded to a 911 call of a vehicle collision at West and Horatio streets in Chelsea.
When they arrived, they found a collision involving Randolph Tolk, 68, an Uber driver. EMTs took Tolk to Lenox Hill Health Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the report said. Tolk had previously resided on Boulevard East in West New York, the NYPD says.
Tolk was driving a Toyota Camry livery cab at the time, per the report.
The police report said that at an intersection, a man in his thirties had an altercation with the driver. The younger male allegedly struck Tolk in the head with a hockey stick before fleeing, the report states. The incident was caught on video, according to a media report.
Tolk continued driving until he crashed into a center divider at West and Horatio streets.
Officials later identified the suspect as Kohji Kosugi, 39. They arrested him Nov. 12. He is charged with manslaughter.
Tolk had raised two sons in West New York, including comedian/comedy writer and former Hudson Reporter beat reporter Prescott Tolk. In internet posts, Tolk described his father as a “gentle” family man.
The Tolk family started a GoFundMe.com fundraiser to raise money for the burial, which as of Wednesday exceeded its goal.
Tolk’s younger son, Andrew, told the media, “He put everybody before himself, to a fault. He was a smart man. I know he was an Uber driver, but he was highly educated. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1971. He got a master’s degree in textiles in Leicester, England, and worked in the textile industry.”
The suspect’s attorney has told the press that he was not the aggressor.
The investigation is ongoing.
