Local
Pioneer Square camera outage leaves no footage in suspected rideshare impersonation case
A 25-year-old woman escaped from a car in Kent after realizing the driver who picked her up in Seattle was not her Uber, police say. Seattle police say nearby city cameras were not working and captured no video to help identify the driver or vehicle.
A 25-year-old woman escaped from a car in Kent after realizing the driver who picked her up outside a Pioneer Square bar was not her Uber, according to Seattle police. City surveillance cameras near the pickup location were not functioning and recorded no footage that could help investigators identify the driver, police said.
The woman reported the incident to police on Oct. 10. She said she had ordered an Uber after leaving a bar in the 400 block of First Avenue South. When a car arrived, she asked the driver whether he was there for her, and he said yes. She did not check the license plate or confirm the driver’s name, police said.
After she got into the back seat, the driver passed her exit. The woman then received an alert that her Uber ride had been canceled. She noticed the driver was following directions on Google Maps rather than using the rideshare app and began texting friends because she was afraid, according to police.
She believed the car left the highway at Exit 156 in Kent and crossed three intersections. When it stopped at a red light, she jumped out and ran; the driver sped away, police said. Friends later found her near Military Road South and Kent Des Moines Road.
The woman described the car as a white, four-door sedan and the driver as a Black man between 30 and 50 years old. She did not have the vehicle’s license plate number. Police have asked anyone with information to call the Seattle Police Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
Seattle police said they checked with the department’s Real Time Crime Center for possible video, but cameras in the area were not working and did not capture footage. The loss of surveillance video leaves investigators without that potential source of evidence as they seek information from the public.
Police advise rideshare passengers to wait in a well-lit place, verify the driver’s name and license plate, and ask the driver to confirm the passenger’s identity. They also recommend sitting in the back seat, sharing trip details with someone, monitoring the route and contacting 911 by call or text if they feel in danger.