NYC Uber driver says passenger pepper-sprayed him over skin color: ‘This is a hate crime’

A young woman who allegedly assaulted her Uber driver with pepper spray in Midtown this week said she did it because of his skin color, the driver claimed to The Post Saturday.

“Her friend, she is yelling, ‘Jen, Jen, what the f–k, what are you doing? What’s going on?’” driver Shohel Mahmud recalled of the Wednesday attack. “Her friend is asking ‘Why did you do that?’ And she say, ‘He’s brown.’”

Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, was riding in the backseat with another woman at Lexington Avenue and East 66th Street around 11:30 p.m. when she suddenly sprayed the 45-year-old driver in the eyes with the noxious substance, video that circulated on Reddit, Instagram and YouTube showed.

Disturbing video shows woman unleash pepper spray in NYC Uber driver’s eyes: ‘What the f–k!’

Mahmud said he picked up the women in Midtown and didn’t speak to them before the attack.

“They are talking to each other,” he said. “I’m not talking to them, my job is to drive them. I start going straight down the Central Park Traverse, straight down to 65th and Lexington. Suddenly, this girl for no reason spray me with pepper spray.”

The driver, who thought the women wanted to take his car and phone, jumped out after the attack began but the car kept moving at a slow speed so he hopped back inside, where she continued spraying him, he said.

With assaults up in NYC, community activist offers pepper spray in Chinatown

“I mean this is totally ridiculous,” he said. “I do nothing and she spray me. Pepper spray is illegal. She assault a driver for no reason. This is a hate crime.”

The 45-year-old driver, who lives in Elmhurst, Queens, called 911 but his attacker began to flee, he said.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR METRO DAILY NEWSLETTER

“She try to escape,” he said. “But her friend she not going anywhere, she calling, ‘Jen, come over here.’ She go one block away, and police show up.”

Guilbeault was hit with a desk appearance ticket for assault and will have to appear in court at an unknown date, cops said. Police aren’t investigating the assault as a hate crime, a police spokesman said.

Mahmud told his family a little bit about the attack but it made his daughter very upset, he said. It’s also taking a toll on him.

“Mentally I’m not 100% OK, but I have to work,” said the driver. “I have three kids, my wife, my mother live with me.”

The driver, whose children are 17, 14, and 1, wants to tell his attacker to treat people better.

“This is 21st century,” he said. “The world is smaller. People can work from anywhere, you can see video from anywhere.”

For the latest metro stories, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/metro/