A heartbreaking scene unfolded in New York City as the family of an Indian-origin Sikh taxi driver, who was found dead inside his cab, gathered for vigil at the West Villages spot where he was discovered. The deceased, identified as Jagjit Singh, a 53-year-old immigrant taxi driver from India, was found dead inside his yellow cab on September 11.

Indian Driver Found Dead In NYC

According to reports, Singh had pulled over at 7th Avenue and Charles Street on Friday evening after dropping off passengers. However, hours later, he was discovered dead by his friends, who tracked him down after he failed to return their calls for long. Singh’s friends were able to locate him by contacting his taxi medallion broker, who used a GPS tracker attached to the cab’s meter to trace the vehicle to the West Village intersection.

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Upon arriving, they noticed the cab was still running with the air conditioning on. According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), they found the driver unresponsive and immediately called emergency services. First responders attempted to resuscitate him, but he was unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene.

“The broker found that he had done a drop between 5 and 5:30, and the car had not moved since then. So, then the friends drove there immediately and got there around 11, and that’s when they saw that he was just inside the car,” said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) as quoted by Amny. Singh’s cause of death is still under investigation, however, it is speculated that he had a heart attack.

Family's Tribute Video Goes Viral

A vigil was held for him on Tuesday, where his friends and family gathered to pay him tribute and laid flowers. A video of his family mourning and paying tribute has also gone viral on social media. Singh’s passing has deeply shaken the community as it further highlights a devastating trend, where taxi drivers are found dead. According to New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Singh is now the third NYC driver found dead in his cab in just three months.

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