Uber driver in coma after being attacked by five passengers

Three men and two women wanted in connection with New York attack

New York police are searching for five people allegedly involved with an attack that put an Uber driver in a coma. (New York Police Department)

A 54-year-old Uber driver in New York is in a coma following a 5 February fight with several passengers that left him on the pavement.

Five people are wanted in connection with the attack, according to the New York Police Department. Police released surveillance footage that captured part of the beating along with photos of five passengers who were riding in the car at that time.

The driver reportedly picked up three men and two women from a gentlemen's club in Queens around 2.45am on 5 February, according to NYPD.

Around 4.30am, the driver got into an argument with the passengers that escalated to a physical fight outside the car after it arrived in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, police said. One of the passengers then allegedly closed their first and knocked the driver to the ground.

He is listed in stable but critical condition, police said.

The passengers reportedly fled after the attack.

Police said the driver was rushed to a nearby hospital and placed in a medically induced coma.

Uber recently developed several safety features for drivers and on its app, including an "emergency button" and automatically transmitting car information when a call is placed to a 911 dispatcher.

In the company's first-ever report documenting sexual assaults involving Uber ride, roughly 42 per cent of reported assaults in 2018 came from Uber drivers. The company did not reveal the numbers of physical assaults involving drivers.

NYPD Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information on the suspects.