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Seattle police seek driver after woman escapes car in Kent during mistaken rideshare pickup
A 25-year-old woman told police she got into a car she thought was her Uber in Seattle, then jumped out at a Kent intersection after her ride was canceled. Police are asking for information about the driver and a white sedan.
Seattle police are seeking help identifying a driver after a woman told officers she got into a car she believed was her Uber in Pioneer Square and later jumped out in Kent to get away.
The incident happened Oct. 10, according to police. The 25-year-old woman had been at a bar on First Avenue South and ordered an Uber when she was ready to leave. She asked the driver who arrived whether he was there to pick her up, and he said yes, police said. She did not check the license plate or the driver’s name against the app.
While she was in the back seat, the woman noticed the driver had passed her exit. She then received a notification that her Uber ride had been canceled, and told police the driver was following directions from Google Maps rather than using the rideshare app.
The woman said the car exited in Kent near Exit 156 and passed through three intersections. At a red light, she got out and ran, police said. Her friends later found her near Military Road South and Kent Des Moines Road.
She described the vehicle as a white, four-door sedan and the driver as a Black man between 30 and 50 years old. Police checked whether footage from the department’s Real Time Crime Center could help identify the vehicle, but cameras in the area were not working at the time.
Anyone with information can contact the Seattle Police Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
Police recommend confirming a rideshare driver’s name and license plate in the app before getting into a vehicle, waiting in a well-lit place and sharing trip details with a friend. Anyone who feels in danger can call or text 911, the department said.