January 2, 2026 New York City’s first sunrise of the year was met with a gruesome scene that has sent shockwaves through the five boroughs. What was supposed to be the end of a long, profitable shift for one immigrant father turned into a senseless execution in the heart of the Bronx.
An Overnight Shift Ends in Tragedy
Issa Isac, a 55-year-old African immigrant and dedicated Uber driver, had just finished a grueling 12-hour overnight shift. He was minutes away from his home, likely thinking of rest, when a minor traffic mishap on Morris Avenue in Mount Hope turned into a death sentence.
Just before 7:00 a.m., while the city was still shaking off the New Year's Eve fog, firefighters responding to a car fire made a grim discovery: Isac was slumped inside his Blue Toyota RAV4 with two gunshot wounds to the head.
The Chilling Surveillance Footage
Investigators have recovered grainy, snow-blurred surveillance video that captures the final, terrifying moments of Isac’s life. The footage reveals:
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The Confrontation: A man approaching Isac’s window, violently banging on the glass.
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The Escape Attempt: Isac throwing the car into reverse and speeding off to save himself.
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The Pursuit: Two men seen sprinting after the vehicle.
According to Fernando Mateo of the NYS Federation of Taxi Drivers, the suspects tried to drag Isac out of his car. When he refused and stepped on the gas, they didn't let him go—they fired through the window, striking him twice in the head.
"I Just Spoke to Him"
The tragedy is compounded by the timing. Isac had been on the phone with a friend just minutes before the shooting. "He said, 'I'll speak to you later, I'm going into the mosque now,' and never heard from him after that," Mateo shared.
Isac was a man who lived the American dream the hard way. He had recently sold his taxi medallion to buy a home for his family and had been
