Boston police say the three victims of alleged sexual assaults on Sunday morning—who reported the incidents separately during a two-hour span—all requested rides through Uber’s ride-hailing app.
“In each instance the victims reported that they contacted Uber,” Boston police spokesman Mike McCarthy said in an email.
There’s no evidence an Uber driver actually did commit any of the reported sexual assaults; however, each of the victims did believe their assailants worked for a rideshare service, and the alleged assaults took place inside a car that the victims’ believed they had summoned, police said.
Update: Boston police spokesperson Mike McCarthy confirmed Wednesday morning, “All three [victims] had contacted Uber.”
A story in the Boston Globe quoted police spokesperson James Kenneally who said, “The victims in two or more of the cases indicated that they had utilized the Uber app to secure transportation.” Both stories are accurate, however, it’s important to note the use of the words “contacted” and “utilized”; one of the victims, according to an initial police report, told officers that she received a text from her real driver while inside what appears to be an imposture’s car.
Earlier: It appears the victim in the first instance – which was reported at 12:58 a.m. Sunday morning – may have entered a vehicle driven by someone posing as an Uber driver. According to the police report, the victim said she received a text from her actual driver while inside the car driven by her alleged assailant.
Victims said the two other alleged incidents took place at 2:34 a.m. and 2:50 a.m., police said.
Victims in both cases told police they were were sexually assaulted by the driver they thought worked for a ridesharing company, which we now know was Uber.
Police would not say whether they had attempted to contact Uber Boston or any of the accused drivers. “The investigations are ongoing,” McCarthy said.
One thing that’s important to note: When an Uber user’s requested trip is accepted, users are provided a picture of the driver coming to get them, along with the make and model of the vehicle. Users are also provided an emailed copy of a trip receipt, which notes how long the ride took, pick up and drop off locations, and the first name of the driver.
In response to the alleged assaults, Uber has issued the following statement:
First and most importantly, no one should hail or get into any vehicle on the street that is not a clearly identifiable pre-arranged transportation provider or licensed taxi. There are strong reasons why doing so is unsafe, and therefore illegal, in the city of Boston. And that’s why we have safeguards built right into the app that bring additional layers of safety and security to getting a ride in Boston. Our technology has brought an unprecedented degree of accountability and transparency to the transportation industry — with driver and vehicle information provided in-app, detailed email receipts sent after each ride, a 24/7 feedback loop, and the ability to share your journey in real time using our Share My ETA feature.
The bottom line: While the victims say they did request Uber rides, it’s entirely possible the victims each actually got inside a car driven by someone posing as an Uber driver.
Screenshot via BPD.
