NJ Lyft Screwdriver Attack Trial Ends In Guilty Verdict: Clark Police

CLARK, NJ - A Bloomfield man was found guilty this week of attempted murder, carjacking and related offenses in connection with a 2019 attack on a Lyft driver and passenger following the conclusion of his criminal trial on Wednesday, authorities said.

Farrakhan Howard, 31, of Bloomfield, was also found guilty of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, Clark police said.

Howard and a woman were in a Lyft ride on April 24, 2019, when he began attacking both victims with a screwdriver while driving through Clark, only to flee the scene in the Lyft vehicle before getting into an accident on the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge, Clark Police Chief Pedro M. Matos said at the time.

The Lyft driver had picked up the woman and a man from the Bloomfield area en route to Rahway, Matos added.

At around 1 a.m. on April 24, 2019, Clark police found the 47-year-old driver lying in the middle of Westfield Avenue bleeding from stab wounds and lacerations to his head, face and neck. The 20-year-old female passenger was also located on Westfield Avenue suffering from stab wounds and lacerations to her face and head, Matos said.

Woodbridge Police arrested Howard and both victims were transported to University Hospital in serious condition, Matos said.

Sentencing information was not immediately available as of Monday morning.

–With reporting by Alexis Tarrazi.