Current:Home > reviews'Call 911': Rescued woman was abducted by man posing as Uber driver, authorities say -Aspire Money Growth
'Call 911': Rescued woman was abducted by man posing as Uber driver, authorities say
View
Date:2025-04-16 20:39:56
An Arizona woman is safe after passing a handwritten note to a gas station customer during an alleged kidnapping.
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office says the woman was abducted from a car dealership in the Phoenix area on Monday morning by a man wearing a wig and pretending to be an Uber driver. The woman, who the office declined to name, gave a Chevron customer a note on Tuesday around 5 p.m. local time pleading for help.
She told the customer she had been kidnapped.
"Help, (redacted) call 911. Blue Honda van. (redacted) Going to Kingman and Las Vegas," the woman wrote. Authorities redacted the woman's name and a phone number.
Authorities charged 41-year-old Jacob Wilhoit with harassment, threatening and intimidating, aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping and other assault charges after locating the woman and Wilhoit on Interstate 40, 167 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
Authorities said multiple firearms were found in Wilhoit’s car in plain view.
Man impersonates Uber driver at car dealership, authorities say
Detectives said in a Facebook post Wilhoit allegedly abducted the woman from a car dealership in the Phoenix area on Monday morning at about 7 a.m. He wore a wig and pretended to be an Uber driver, the sheriff's office said.
Wilhoit allegedly restrained her and drove to Las Vegas where they spent the night at Lake Mead Park.
The woman had been reported missing by her mother and entered as missing/endangered earlier that afternoon, according to 911 dispatchers. The entry mentioned Wilhoit as a person of interest.
The woman passed the note to a customer the next day at about 5 p.m. The sheriff's office said the customer called police and said the van had left westbound on I-40 and gave descriptions of what the woman and the man she was traveling with were wearing.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety assisted the sheriff's office in locating the van.
Last month, a 13-year-old Texas girl used a similar method to get help in California by holding up a "Help Me!" sign inside of a parked car, authorities said.
Safety tips from Uber
Uber said riders are urged to double-check car makes and models, license plates, driver names and photos before entering a car.
The company launched a push notification and in-app feature in April 2019 that reminds riders about performing safety checks. Drivers receive similar notifications in verifying their riders.
Additionally, Uber said riders can opt-in to require drivers to enter a PIN before starting a ride.
The rideshare company encouraged riders and drivers to ask one another for details about occupants before proceeding.
"If the information doesn’t match up, do not get into the car," the company said in a July 2019 press release. Go to a safe place and wait for the right car to arrive, or cancel the ride and report it to us."
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY.
veryGood! (4492)
Related
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Spanish officials to hold crisis meeting as 40th gender-based murder comes amid backlash over sexism
- More small airports are being cut off from the air travel network. This is why
- Grand Slam tournaments are getting hotter. US Open players and fans may feel that this week
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- A Georgia trial arguing redistricting harmed Black voters could decide control of a US House seat
- A driver crashed into a Denny’s near Houston, injuring 23 people
- Russia moon probe crash likely left 33-foot-wide crater on the lunar surface, NASA images show
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Southeast Asian leaders are besieged by thorny issues as they hold an ASEAN summit without Biden
Ranking
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Disney wants to narrow the scope of its lawsuit against DeSantis to free speech claim
- Smash Mouth Singer Steve Harwell Is in Hospice Care
- Jordan Travis accounts for 5 TDs and No. 8 Florida State thumps No. 5 LSU 45-24 in marquee matchup
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- What is melanin? It determines your eye, hair color and more.
- 'The Equalizer 3' surprises with $34.5M and No. 1, while 'Barbie' clinches new record
- What to stream this week: Olivia Rodrigo, LaKeith Stanfield, NBA 2K14 and ‘The Little Mermaid’
Recommendation
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Breastfeeding With Implants? Here's What to Know After Pregnant Jessie James Decker Shared Her Concerns
Gen. Stanley McChrystal on what would close the divide in America
Kristin Chenoweth Marries Josh Bryant in Texas Wedding Ceremony
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Robots are pouring drinks in Vegas. As AI grows, the city's workers brace for change
Louisiana's Tiger Island wildfire ruled arson, officials say
Thousands still stuck in the muck at Burning Man festival; 1 death reported: Live updates