A good Samaritan helped to stop a driver who was allegedly under the influence of drugs as her out-of-control vehicle wove in and out of traffic on Staten Island over the weekend.
Aiman Youssef was driving behind the allegedly impaired driver in Midland Beach when he and his passenger noticed the car drifting over double lines and narrowly missing other vehicles on the road, he told NBC 4 New York.
"She was extremely dangerous. She was jumping on other cars, and other cars were trying to avoid her," he said.
"She put a lot of people in jeopardy," he added.
Youssef's dash cam captured the woman's car swerving on the road as he followed closely behind her. His passenger called 911, and when they reached the corner of Rockland Avenue and Richmond Street, he said he knew he had to make a daring move to stop the driver.
As the driver slowed down at a red light, Youssef cut her off and boxed her in.
"I stopped, jumped out, took off her keys, and she said, 'It's OK, I'm not going to drive anymore,'" he said. "I said, 'You're drugged out, you can't drive anymore.'"
U.S. & World
Seconds later, police arrived, and the 30-year-old woman behind the wheel was arrested and charged with driving while impaired by drugs.
No one answered the door at the woman's listed address Monday.
Youssef runs Half Table Man, a charity that's grown out of his makeshift donation tent on Midland Avenue days after Sandy hit Staten Island, and was out picking up produce and other donations for local Sandy survivors when he encountered the allegedly drugged driver. He said he never thought twice about stepping up.
"I'm not a hero. I'm just a regular human being who cares," he said.
