Straphanger douses MTA bus driver with lighter fluid in Brooklyn

NYPD cops are seeking a crazed commuter who thrashed an MTA driver and left him drenched in lighter fluid after service was suspended along his Brooklyn bus route, police said Monday.

The victim was operating a Sheepshead Bay-bound B44 around 6 p.m. Saturday, when a service interruption forced him to pull over and let out passengers on Nostrand Ave. near Empire Blvd. in Crown Heights.

All passengers disembarked as instructed — save one. When the driver approached his sole remaining passenger to offer assistance, the suspect launched his assault, cops said.

The man viciously beat the driver before pouring lighter fluid on him and fleeing the bus, according to police.

Before the madman could make his escape, the driver managed to snap a picture of him.

The victim was later treated by paramedics, who took him to Kings County Hospital in stable condition, cops said.

Anyone with information related to the assault can call the NYPD’s anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477.