Bloomfield Man Convicted After He Stabbed Lyft Driver, Passenger: PD

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A Bloomfield resident was convicted of several criminal charges, including attempted murder and carjacking, in connection with the stabbing of a Lyft driver and passenger in 2019, authorities announced last week.

Farrakhan Howard, 31, of Bloomfield, was found guilty of six counts at the conclusion of a criminal trial on Nov. 16, the Clark Police Department stated.

Police previously said that the victims – a 20-year-old female passenger and the 47-year-old male driver – were found in Clark after an attempted carjacking.

According to the Clark Police Department, the Lyft driver picked up Howard and the female victim in Bloomfield, with a final destination in Rahway. While passing through the town of Clark, Howard allegedly started to attack both victims with a screwdriver.

Howard then took off in the stolen car, eventually crashing on the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge where he was taken into custody, authorities said. Clark police officers found the injured driver around 1 a.m., lying in the middle of Westfield Avenue and bleeding from stab wounds and lacerations to his face, head and neck. Officers also found the female victim with stab wounds and lacerations to her face and head. Read More: Bloomfield Man Attacked Lyft Driver With Screwdriver, Police Say

Howard was found guilty of the following charges, Clark police said: 1st degree attempted murder, 1st degree carjacking, 2nd degree aggravated assault (male victim), 3rd degree aggravated assault (female victim), 3rd degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, 4th degree unlawful possession of a weapon (screwdriver).

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