Cab driver returns 4 million dollar violin
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- danieldewinter
- added this
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An honest cab driver from Newark, New Jersey received a special city medallion on Wednesday from Mayor Cory Booker, for reuniting a Grammy-nominated violinist with a 4 million dollar violin he left in the back of his taxi cab.
Mohamed Khalil the cab driver who found the violin said: "It's something not belonging to me, and I have to return it to the owner."
Meanwhile, Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark added that: "This is a moment where a cab driver in our city saw something awry and did not take personal advantage, but did the right thing, showed character, showed ethics, showed values, showed a sense of love for his fellow man or woman."
Violinist Philippe Quint exited a minivan cab at New York City's Battery Park early on Monday, leaving the 1723 Antonio Stradivarius inside.
The violin spent the remainder of the night on the seat of the cab, which Khalil parked on a Newark street. By the morning, he was still unaware of what he was carrying.
By then, the frantic Quint was calling the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Newark's Taxi Commission, which put the word out that the violin was missing.
On Monday afternoon, Khalil checked his taxi while at Newark Liberty International Airport and discovered the violin case with the instrument inside.
Quint soon arrived, dropped to his knees and shed tears of joy. He gave Khalil 100 dollars for his honesty.
Mohamed Khalil the cab driver who found the violin said: "It's something not belonging to me, and I have to return it to the owner."
Meanwhile, Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark added that: "This is a moment where a cab driver in our city saw something awry and did not take personal advantage, but did the right thing, showed character, showed ethics, showed values, showed a sense of love for his fellow man or woman."
Violinist Philippe Quint exited a minivan cab at New York City's Battery Park early on Monday, leaving the 1723 Antonio Stradivarius inside.
The violin spent the remainder of the night on the seat of the cab, which Khalil parked on a Newark street. By the morning, he was still unaware of what he was carrying.
By then, the frantic Quint was calling the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Newark's Taxi Commission, which put the word out that the violin was missing.
On Monday afternoon, Khalil checked his taxi while at Newark Liberty International Airport and discovered the violin case with the instrument inside.
Quint soon arrived, dropped to his knees and shed tears of joy. He gave Khalil 100 dollars for his honesty.
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- danieldewinter
- 9 days ago
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$100??!! that's it? what an insult!
a medallion?? this guy should get a key!-
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- pressrecord
- 9 days ago
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In a world full of liars, crooks and swindlers, that guy is lucky he came across one of the good ones. I agree with pressrecord, they should have gave him more than that.
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- lifestudentno83
- 9 days ago
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I'm going to have to disagree. Why should people be compensated for being honest? Isn't that something we should all be doing, without expectations of money or glory? I think $100, a medallion, and all this grateful recognition is a perfectly fine reward. In his position, I'd be stunned and flattered I got anything at all simply for returning something that wasn't mine, no matter how much that particular item was worth.
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Aww..it is always so nice to see a fellow american being honest and doing something good for someone else..we often only see the bad things that people do on the news...why can't we have a news station with all the good that people are doing
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- JenIllescas
- 9 days ago
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If it was that important to the violinist they why would he have forgotten it in the back of a cab?
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Quint played a special free performance for a few hours in the area in front of the EWR taxi stands, as well.
People forget things all the time, they don't do it on purpose, jeez. -
$4 Million!!! Is the violin made of Diamonds?!
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- HollybyGolly
- 9 days ago
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I agree he is a good man, at the same time though my mind keeps on running through the fact that he might not have been a 'good guy'.
Maybe the taxi company would've figured it was him through the violinists memory.
If he figured it was 4 Million he might not have returned it.
Maybe he is playing up the 'good guy' role.
I'm just trying to bring another viewpoint. -
Let's not be jaded about this for a second and just enjoying that he returned something that wasn't his. I think a lot of cab drivers would probably have just given the violin to someone else, like their kids
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- StuntBunny
- 9 days ago
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allsunday, do you tip bartenders? waiters? even if they're rude? just curious.
if i lost a $4M dollar item and it came back to me under circumstances that normally wouldn't, i not only would tip the man for his honesty, i'd also pay for his kid's education, if he had any. but, that's just me. (unless he had 12 kids or something).
and i always tip servers even if they're just doing their job. that's probably why i'm broke half the time.-
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- pressrecord
- 9 days ago
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Pressrecord -
You're assuming that this violinist could afford to pay for someone's education just because they have a $4m violin. It's doubtful he actually owns the piece - it's likely on long-term loan. I can't name one full-time classical musician in all my knowledge who could afford a $4m instrument on their own.
That said, $100 is perfectly generous and I think it was nice of him. To say that $100 and public thanks is not enough is insulting to both the man who was honest enough to give the violin back without thought of reward, and to the man who was thankful enough to praise him for the safe return.
I always tip unless the service was completely abhorrent. -
this man has , without even knowing it , contributed more to the future of "civilization" and "culture" than 95% of the assholes in the "music industry" - he's a freaking saint .
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I wonder if anyone on the black market would have shown interest in that sort of purchase...
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- MissJonaLyn
- 8 days ago
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If the guy hadn't returned it, he wouldn't be able to sell it. Any vendor of stringed instruments would see it for what it is, and then he would be caught trying to pawn it off.
I mean don't get me wrong, the guy did the right thing and should be commended, but $100 is probably more than he would have gotten out of it anyway. -
Wait a minute. Something sounds really fishy with this story.
According to the Republicans and my brain damaged friend, with a name like Mohamed Khalil, he must be Muslim and want to kill the infadel. So, shouldn't the story read: Muslim taxi driver murders innocent "infadel" and makes off with $4 million dollar violin to purchase terrorist equipment from ACME Terrorist Supply of
New York, who's slogan reads - "We Keep America On It's Toes!"?
Now mind you, had McCain been the fare in the taxi, he'd probably blamed his own "loss of bearings" on Mr. Khalil and had his cab bombed. In a press release on Fox News they would say McCain, heroic Presidential hopeful paid a huge price defending our country today when he made the decision to sacrifice his 'walker' (insured for $3.5 BILLION just six months after paying $200 million for it) and bomb the terrorists thereby depriving the terrorists of additional funding to "kill Americans".
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- VoyagerFilms
- 7 days ago
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