French Montana stepped in to help save a New York City taxi driver after a post-Knicks win celebration near Madison Square Garden last weekend left his livelihood in ruins.
On Wednesday (June 17), 59-year-old Algerian immigrant and father, Noureddine Bitat, was presented with a check for $75,000 from French, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance and digital creator Zachery “MDMotivator” Dereniowski after his story went viral.
Bitat had just finished a 13-hour shift behind the wheel when chaos erupted following the Knicks’ historic Game 5 NBA Finals win on June 13. According to viral footage circulating online, an overzealous crowd surrounded his yellow cab, forcibly pulling him from the vehicle before smashing the windshield, stomping the roof and completely totaling the car.
Upon seeing the video, Montana immediately stepped in, hitting X with a call-to-action: “Somebody find him for me so we can help him get back on his feet.”
The GoFundMe page was launched the same day. The campaign ultimately raised $75,000 and secured additional support covering six months of living expenses for Bitat.
Speaking to CBS Mornings on Wednesday, French explained why the story hit close to home.
“When I first came to America with my father, he was trying to open up his own businesses and him driving a taxi was one of them,” he shared. “And I just saw a man try to feed his family. I asked him do he even watch the Knicks. He said, ‘I don’t know. I don’t even know what the Knicks is.'”
“So, he would just happen to be working around the place when things unfortunate happened to him, he don’t deserve it,” he continued. “So, we all came together to help him.”
Looking ahead, French said Bitat has expressed uncertainty about returning to driving after the ordeal.
“He said he doesn’t want to drive anymore,” he added. “And I just told him I will personally assist him until he finds out what’s the next thing he will do.”
Check out the full interview below.
