A photo the agent took of the Nissan (Photo: DCPI)
July 24, 2018 By Tara Law
Police are searching for a disgruntled man who allegedly threw liquid at an NYPD Traffic Enforcement Agent on Steinway Street last Friday after getting a ticket.
The suspect, 35-year-old Haytham Salama, attacked a female traffic agent about 25 minutes after she ticketed his Nissan Rogue SL for double parking near 30-90 Steinway St., police said.
Salama was walking back to his car at around 4:55 p.m. when he saw that the agent was writing the ticket, police said. He started to scream profanities at her and got into the passenger seat of the car. An adult woman was behind the wheel.
The agent, 55, placed the ticket on the Nissan’s windshield and walked away to patrol other parts of the street. The pair then drove off.
Salama’s car pulled up to her again at 5:20 p.m. He stuck a plastic bottle out of the vehicle’s passenger window and doused the agent with clear liquid, hitting her on the back.
Emergency responders brought the agent to Mount Sinai Queens Hospital, where she was treated for “irritation to the skin” and then released. Police did not say what type of liquid Salama used to attack the agent.
Salama is described as a 35-year-old man. He is about 5 foot 6 inches tall and about 180 pounds, with black hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt.
The dark-colored Nissan had a New York license plate with the number HMM-9542.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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12 Comments
I don’t think you understand what you’re talking about. Traffic officers play a large role in society. People double parking create accidents and can lead to heavy traffic. If there aren’t any traffic officers patrolling the area, then you’ll see a massive amount of people disregarding parking rules and doing as they please. Driving in NYC is tough enough as it is. While I do understand the need to double-park at times, in Steinway, it’s not only dangerous but people tend to leave their vehicles there while they dine at a restaurant. I found that for almost all parking tickets I’ve received, about 90% of them were because I simply took the risk. The one time where it wasn’t my fault was due to my vehicle losing electricity and I had to call for road service. I wrote on a piece of paper not to ticket my vehicle and they did it anyways. Ended up doing an e-report and they threw away the ticket. But yeah, the other 90%, I disregarded the rules and ended up paying anywhere from $75 to $250. You may hate them but they are a large reason as to why society flows the way it does.
I’m one of “these people” that you talk about.
I ALWAYS go through the touble of not double parking. I do notice ALL types of people in New York City in general double park all the time, even when there is a nearby parking space.
Some of the readers who like to stereotype can only do it because they see the name of the lowly assaulter. Unfortunately, people like the awful attacker cross all racial lines in my experience.
The name of the man could easily be of any ethnicity and you all know it. Those who don’t, start looking at who is double parking. It is all types.
Comments like these always get approved by the AP moderators and anything rebutting them don’t. Scary to realize you moronic, bigoted idiots walk around on the same streets I do.
Please stroll along Steinway along ‘tween 28th Ave and Astoria Blvd. Bunch of charm school graduates, loitering, littering, harassing women, and double parking. Real cozy part of town…
They need to throw more liquid at traffic enforcers lol those officers are pieces of shit looking for a way to make uncle sam more money.. they even ticket you while in the car which is absurd
This comment section has more bigots than a Trump rally!
Sounds like one of the peace-loving denizens from Steinway and 25th Ave…
Total dirtbag. Then again Steinway street is fast becoming a shithole and a haven for the homeless and drunks. A shame.
Potential acid attack. I bet if he’d had acid, he would have used it. Find and prosecute this jerk for aggravated assault. If he’s an immigrant, which would not surprise me, revoke his US citizenship and deport him to his native country after serving his sentence.
Doug, I don’t think it’s a question of “if” he’s an immigrant. Betcha he is.
If the car was on Steinway St. between 28th ave and Astoria Blvd S no ticket would of been given. These people are used to not being ticketed in Astoria.
That is 100% correct