Uber rider shot dead by cyclist

An Uber passenger was shot dead by a man on a bicycle in a Brooklyn neighborhood where the NYPD this week added more cops to help stem the city’s surging murder rate, police said Wednesday.

Jorge Vasquez, 26, had just gotten into the Uber on Bedford Ave. near Clifton Place in Bedford-Stuyvesant when the shooter rode up on a bicycle about 11:20 p.m. Tuesday, cops said.

The killer opened the rear passenger door and fired three shots into the vehicle. Vasquez was struck in the neck and chest, cops said. EMTs rushed him to Brooklyn Hospital Center, but he could not be saved.

Vasquez lived about a mile from where he was shot. He had just bought a bouquet of flowers before getting into the cab.

“I was shocked when I woke up to this. It’s not a great neighborhood, but these things aren’t supposed to happen,” said neighbor Robert Pawlikowski, 55. “It has gotten much better than it was. I am just shocked.”

“We are shocked and saddened by this terrible incident,” Uber spokeswoman Jodi Page said. “Our thoughts are with the rider’s family and everyone affected during this difficult time. We will work with police to assist with their investigation.”

Detectives from the 79th Precinct are investigating the shooting. The command was one of four to get eight more officers this week as the NYPD grapples with a 37% spike in the murder rate citywide so far this year compared with the same period last year.

There were 52 killings this year through Sunday, compared to 38 at the same time last year.