EXCLUSIVE: College Student Says Driver Attacked Him With Baseball Bat in Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Road Rage

A Queens college student says he was beaten with a baseball bat by a man in an MTA uniform during a traffic skirmish on a New York City highway Monday morning. 

Andrew Tejada, 23, of Woodside, told NBC 4 New York that he was headed to school and driving on Astoria Boulevard in Woodside when he merged onto a ramp to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. A driver tried to cut ahead in front of him and became angry when he couldn't get in. 

That driver got out of his car and approached Tejada.

"All I said to him was, 'There was nowhere to go, there's traffic, what do you want me to do?'" said Tejada. "He was so riled up. This man carried a baseball bat in the front seat of his car and tried to beat me out of nowhere."

Cellphone video taken by a witness and obtained exclusively by NBC 4 New York showed part of the confrontation as Tejada is heard shouting, "Stop it, stop it, please don't do this," while the assailant appears to drag him. 

"He just put his hand on my face and went like that, like a cat, and just pulled the skin off my face," said Tejada, who was on crutches and scratched and bruised Monday evening.

"I was in shock," he said. "I was fearing for my life." 

Tejada was taken to the hospital with severe bruising, a broken ankle and scratches. 

Tejada said his attacker was wearing an MTA uniform, although it's not clear in the video. The MTA hasn't confirmed to NBC 4 New York whether the man may be an employee. 

The victim's mother, Julixa Tejada, said, "This is ridiculous. What could we expect of people who work for the city?"

Police responded to the assault and said investigators are looking to identify the man. The cellphone video did capture a shot of the driver's license plate. 

"I hope they catch this guy," said Julixa Tejada. "I want them to catch him and serve justice." 

Tejada said he's never witnessed road rage close to what he experienced. 

"In New York City, you see people cursing at each other, you even see the finger, but at the end of the day it never escalates to more than that," he said.

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