There’s some sad news to report today about a Lower East Side business owner. Mehdi Kabbaj of the men’s clothing store, “20 Peacocks,” was killed in an accident on FDR Drive Wednesday night.
According to the Daily News, he had caught a cab outside a bar at Avenue B and 6th Street and asked to be taken uptown. At about 96th Street, he apparently became impatient as traffic ground to a halt. The cab driver, Rejaul Karim, said Kabbaj suddenly got out of the cab (without paying the fare), crossed the roadway to the southbound lanes of the FDR and was struck by a minivan.
The Daily News said Kabbaj suffered severe brain injuries. He was rushed to Metropolitan Hospital, where he died yesterday afternoon. The cab driver and another witness said he seemed to be intoxicated.
Kabbaj lived on West 162nd Street. He opened 20 Peacocks (20 Clinton Street) with partner Adriane Birt in 2006. The store is known for its stylish European shirts and ties. Kabbaj was 45.
