NEW YORK—Honesty goes a long way. For one New York City taxi driver, this was certainly true when he returned $100,000 worth of cash and jewelry left behind by a passenger.
On Tuesday Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined the staff at the National Arts Club to honor taxi driver Zubiro Jalloh for returning the pricey jewelry.
John James, a short story writer, is the owner of the cash and jewels and was in Jalloh’s cab on Sunday Feb. 13, among his many bags was a small ladies tote bag containing the cash and jewels. James accidentally left the tote behind. Jalloh, in a bit of sleuth-work, tracked James down through his credit card receipt.
James recalled the initial moments when he found that the cream-colored ladies tote bag was missing. “When I lost the bag, it was a traumatic moment,” said James.
“I have the honor of working here with the National Arts Club, and Mr. James here, but certainly the cabby is a hero to us in New York City and in Brooklyn,” said Markowitz.
“How proud he [Jalloh] is of being a New Yorker, [and] an American. ... We want to elevate this and make him an example for all of us to follow,” said Markowitz, adding that it was a delight to speak to Jalloh.
Present at the event was James and his twin brother, Aldon James Jr., National Arts Club president, and Arnie Segarra, vice president of Public Affairs and Special Events. Jalloh was unable to attend the event because he was caught in traffic, as Tuesday is his regular shift.
Together, the twin brothers recollected the circumstances leading to the recovery of the bag. Aldon James explained that the cab driver had notified them from the credit card details upon discovering the contents in the tote bag.
Jalloh was given a reward of $1,000 for returning the items.
“It’s an example … of the decency, which really runs this city and makes it work. And he [Jalloh] said, ‘I know you’d have done it for me,’ and he didn’t even want to take the reward. My brother’s reward was initially turned down,” said Aldon James.
The twins hope to have an on-going dialogue with Jalloh. “It will strengthen our tie to the great cultural community and the great group of people in this borough of Brooklyn,” said Aldon James.
This act of honesty cast light on a larger topic, which is “the importance of immigration in the United States, and in New York, and in Brooklyn,” stated Markowitz.
“It is an example of the best, the crème de la crème. Here is somebody who is contributing unbelievably to the quality of life in our city. He is someone, who is by his own example, we should all be following,” said Markowitz.
“I just want to emphasize that he’s our Muslim brother. And there are times when they don’t exactly get credit [because of] their religion,” said Segarra.
When asked how they are going to honor the taxi driver, Markowitz said, “We will present him with an official proclamation on behalf of 2.6 million Brooklynites as a proud resident of Brooklyn, plus little Brooklyn paraphernalia, hats, T-shirts, and things like that for his family.”
The ceremony has been rescheduled for Friday, March 4 at 10:30 a.m. at the Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St.
On Tuesday Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined the staff at the National Arts Club to honor taxi driver Zubiro Jalloh for returning the pricey jewelry.
John James, a short story writer, is the owner of the cash and jewels and was in Jalloh’s cab on Sunday Feb. 13, among his many bags was a small ladies tote bag containing the cash and jewels. James accidentally left the tote behind. Jalloh, in a bit of sleuth-work, tracked James down through his credit card receipt.
James recalled the initial moments when he found that the cream-colored ladies tote bag was missing. “When I lost the bag, it was a traumatic moment,” said James.
“I have the honor of working here with the National Arts Club, and Mr. James here, but certainly the cabby is a hero to us in New York City and in Brooklyn,” said Markowitz.
“How proud he [Jalloh] is of being a New Yorker, [and] an American. ... We want to elevate this and make him an example for all of us to follow,” said Markowitz, adding that it was a delight to speak to Jalloh.
Present at the event was James and his twin brother, Aldon James Jr., National Arts Club president, and Arnie Segarra, vice president of Public Affairs and Special Events. Jalloh was unable to attend the event because he was caught in traffic, as Tuesday is his regular shift.
Together, the twin brothers recollected the circumstances leading to the recovery of the bag. Aldon James explained that the cab driver had notified them from the credit card details upon discovering the contents in the tote bag.
Jalloh was given a reward of $1,000 for returning the items.
“It’s an example … of the decency, which really runs this city and makes it work. And he [Jalloh] said, ‘I know you’d have done it for me,’ and he didn’t even want to take the reward. My brother’s reward was initially turned down,” said Aldon James.
The twins hope to have an on-going dialogue with Jalloh. “It will strengthen our tie to the great cultural community and the great group of people in this borough of Brooklyn,” said Aldon James.
This act of honesty cast light on a larger topic, which is “the importance of immigration in the United States, and in New York, and in Brooklyn,” stated Markowitz.
“It is an example of the best, the crème de la crème. Here is somebody who is contributing unbelievably to the quality of life in our city. He is someone, who is by his own example, we should all be following,” said Markowitz.
“I just want to emphasize that he’s our Muslim brother. And there are times when they don’t exactly get credit [because of] their religion,” said Segarra.
When asked how they are going to honor the taxi driver, Markowitz said, “We will present him with an official proclamation on behalf of 2.6 million Brooklynites as a proud resident of Brooklyn, plus little Brooklyn paraphernalia, hats, T-shirts, and things like that for his family.”
The ceremony has been rescheduled for Friday, March 4 at 10:30 a.m. at the Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St.
