Authorities have identified a suspect in the tragic shooting of a Bronx Uber driver, killed during a heated altercation following a minor car accident. This announcement came from the police on Wednesday, as they intensified their efforts to bring the perpetrator to justice.
The suspect, 24-year-old Ehinel Troncoso, is now the focus of a manhunt in the investigation into the death of Issa Mbolo Isac, a 55-year-old driver who was fatally shot inside his blue Toyota RAV4 on January 1. Law enforcement officials have shared images of Troncoso with the public, seeking assistance to locate him.
The incident came to light when FDNY firefighters, responding to an unrelated vehicle fire nearby, stumbled upon Mbolo Isac’s damaged Toyota. The car, bearing Taxi & Limousine Commission plates, had collided with a parked white sedan on Morris Avenue, near the Cross Bronx Expressway service road, shortly before 7 a.m.
After being notified by the firefighters, police arrived at the scene and discovered that Mbolo Isac had been shot twice in the head. This grim discovery prompted an urgent investigation into the events leading up to the shooting.
Surveillance footage from the area revealed that the Uber driver had been involved in a minor collision with the suspect’s vehicle just moments before the violent encounter unfolded. The police are continuing to piece together the sequence of events in hopes of apprehending Troncoso and bringing closure to a shocking start to the year.
Courtesy NY State Federation of Taxi Drivers
For-hire driver Issa Mbolo Isac, 55, was found dead in his crashed SUV in the Bronx on Jan. 1, 2025 after being shot in the head. (Courtesy NY State Federation of Taxi Drivers)
Surveillance footage recovered from the scene showed the Uber driver got into a fender bender with the assailant shortly before the confrontation.
“(They) crashed at the corner right there,” an area worker who reviewed the surveillance footage told the Daily News. “After that the guy in the Mercedes, he stopped, he parked over there. The guy in the taxi, he parked.”
The Mercedes driver goes off camera for a few minutes, then comes back and begins arguing with the Uber driver, said the worker, who asked not to be named. The gunman then disappears again and returns with a woman. Mbolo Isac remains parked at the scene during the entire ordeal, the worker said.
“Like 10 minutes the guy in the taxi (was) parked over there,” he said. “He stayed there a couple minutes and after that the (shooter) comes back.”
This time, the suspect pulls a gun and opens fire on Mbolo Isac, who tried to drive away, the worker said. Ballistics evidence recovered at the scene confirms the gunman shot from the street toward the Uber driver’s car.
“I counted 17 shots,” the worker said. “He just kept going.”
The victim previously drove a yellow cab, but sold his taxi medallion to fund the purchase of a house in Africa for his family, said Fernando Mateo, president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers.
Mbolo Isac split his Toyota with a friend, who drove the SUV for Uber during the day, while the victim used the vehicle evenings and nights.
“He started working at approximately 7 p.m. (on) New Year’s Eve,” said Mateo. “New Year’s Day is a very profitable day, because there aren’t that many drivers willing to work. So we do know that it was a profitable day for him, and he was probably on his way home.”
Members of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
