By Howard Koplowitz
Hundreds of mourners packed into a Cambria Heights church Monday, attempting to make sense of the senseless murder of an MTA bus driver who was stabbed to death last week over a transfer.
Edwin Thomas, a seven-year MTA veteran who worked out of the Flatbush Bus Depot in Brooklyn, was killed Dec. 2 on his B46 bus in Flatbush after a fare-beating passenger became irate when Thomas did not give him a transfer. Brooklyn resident Horace Moore, 20, of 1327 Park Place, was charged with killing the 46-year-old Thomas.
The Rev. Brian Paterson, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Cambria Heights, compared Thomas’ death to that of Jdimytai Damour, the Jamaica resident and Wal-Mart employee who was killed on Black Friday by overzealous shoppers who stampeded into the store looking for bargains.
“Now we find ourselves in a similar situation,” Paterson said, referring to Thomas. “Doing what the law required of him ended in his untimely death.”
Hundreds of bus drivers turned out to pay their respects to Thomas, who was raised in Haiti by his aunt.
George Nieuenkirk, a bus operator who worked at the Flatbush depot with Thomas, said his colleague’s murder hit particularly close to home.
“It was déjà vu for me,” he said, noting that he was stabbed 10 years ago by a passenger who tried to beat the fare on his bus.
He called Thomas a fun-loving man who worked hard and was dedicated to his family, which included two teenage children.
Nieuenkirk suggested roving patrols should be placed at different bus routes throughout the city to look out for and arrest fare beaters.
He said buses should also be fitted with glass partitions, much like the ones seen in taxi cabs.
“For 10 years, I’ve been advocating for us to have plexiglass protection,” Nieuenkirk said, noting that buses in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and London have the safeguards.
The bus operators and Transit Workers Union members who paid their respects were joined by MTA President Eliot Sander, New York City Transit President Howard Roberts and Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott — a Cambria Heights resident and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s point person on education issues.
Sander said Thomas was with the MTA for seven years and “operated some of the most challenging bus routes in the city.”
He said Thomas received four commendations that recognized his patience and professionalism.
“He earned the respect of all his colleagues,” Sander said. “They all told me of the pride they shared working with him.”
“Many of us will be deeply affected by his loss. We will miss him,” he said. “Edwin Thomas made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.”
Following his remarks, Sander gave Thomas’ family a plaque in his honor, his badge and a picture of the slain bus driver.
Roberts was met with a round of applause when he pledged to push for a “more secure and safer environment for bus operators.”
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
