New York teen feared the safety of her life when she was kidnapped by Uber driver, who the police say wastrying to sexually assault her. The teenage girl said she told the driver she had to use the bathroom and called 911 from the McDonald’s restaurant. What was supposed to be a 20 minute ride home, turned into an hour of horror. 15-year-old says she was abducted last summer and feared for her life.
Uber Ride Horror
What was supposed to be a 20 minute ride home, turned into an hour of horror. 15-year-old says she was abducted last summer and feared for her life. The moment she admits she’s changed who she is and made her distrust outsiders and lost trust in the people around her.
Authorities say that 32-year-old Sean Williams asked the teen to drink with him and ride to his home in Brooklyn. That’s where investigators suggest he was intending to sexually assault the teen. Williams, has been charged with multiple kidnapping charges including second-degree kidnapping as a sexually motivated crime. Endangering the welfare of the child, and unlawful imprisonment. He’s entered a plea of not guilty. He is currently out on a $150,000 bail.
Teen’s Advice
The young teen’s warning to other young people using the Uber app is that “there is no 100% guarantee that you will be safe while using Uber.”
Things riders could do to prevent being a victim of such crime,
Share your status with someone before you get in the car.
You can consider the pooling option to ride with others.
Be aware of unusual requests from the driver.
If you feel uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to use the Uber Safety Toolkit feature on the uber app. Uber Safety Toolkit gives access to important safety features like the emergency button and the safety centre from the Safety Toolkit. Uber also has some tips on their website to help riders enjoy their trip, safely.