Sign up to get the Hello World newsletter in your inbox everySaturday. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Suppose you accept this rider request and [the] name is meow meow or daddy or number 8. . One was wearing a gold hoodie, the other was in a black hoodie; both had on face masks. Booked for a half-hour ride, the young insisted on vaping in his car despite signs prohibiting that and eating. Indiana resident Joe Schelstraete, 38, was working in Cicero, Illinois Monday evening when he. RELATED: Carjacking safety tips: What to do if you're approached by a carjacker, "I was getting scared," Sanchez said. ending in the death of the Uber driver. Geico, the Crosses insurance provider, didnt respond to a request for comment. Your gift lets us report the stories that help to build a better future. "They took everything out of my pockets: my keys, my wallet, my phone," he said. But thats not what were seeing now, said Lenny Sanchez, an Uber and Lyft driver in Chicago and co-founder of the Illinois chapter of driver advocacy group Independent Drivers Guild. "He lived for his daughter. They must use a government issued ID, go through background checks, and have their name and a photo of themselves in the app. Three of the carjackings happened. Joe Schelstraete, 38, was working Monday evening when he received . He had one child in New Jersey and four in Ghana, whom he was working on bringing to the U.S. When he moved here, he was just making a new beginning, said Elizabeth Hylton,his roommate and long-time friend, who created a GoFundMe for Newmans children. He had picked up two men from a nearby restaurant. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Woman claims Uber driver complained and sighed about her wheelchair, Pregnant woman in Uber killing argues to be freed because fetus is innocent while video reveals fatal shooting, Lyft shares skid 35% over fears that Uber is speeding ahead, Outraged: NYC restaurants blast Grubhub over phony lobbying push. Dara Kerr. Dash cams would additionally be a good deterrent, advocates say. Obviously, he's never been Tased before," the driver's son said. The driver's son belongs to several rideshare groups, and said he always fears what the next message will say from his fellow rideshare drivers. Shed worked for Lyft for almost two and a half years, gave 1,636 rides, and had the highest driver rating possiblefive stars. It was like a fist to the gut.. When those untraceable payment methods are linked to accounts with fake names and email addresses, it makes it easy for passengers to be completely anonymous. Chicago currently suffers from the most carjackings of any city in the United States. He had just delivered, was walking to his car, and two males appeared," the driver's son said. A probable cause statement obtained by The Markup said a Lyft light was affixed to the front dash and a bullet casing was next to Newmans body. The Chicago Police have arrested 323 carjackers as of March 10. "I'm just really thankful he was able to get out of it without any injuries.". Uber says it " continues to implement new processes and technology to identify and prevent user fraud.". Lyft driver Elijah Newman had just moved to St. Louis when he was attacked in an attempted carjacking in April. Last year, Chicago drivers were hijacked an astonishing 1,430 times more than double the number from 2019, records show. 7:00 pm. She reported what happened, then the police called an ambulance to take her to the emergency room, where she was treated for cuts, bruises, and an eye injury, which resulted in lasting vision loss. And at least 1,700 rideshare drivers agree with him, signing a petition asking Uber and Lyft to prohibit use of fake names. We were waiting for a response late Tuesday afternoon. Neither company responded to requests for comments on these cases. In each incident, a group of four men dressed in all black approached Uber drivers and other motorists and demand their vehicle and personal property at gunpoint, police said. "He's just upset that this happened to him because he was just trying to make an honest living and work hard," the driver's son said. The incident occurred on Feb. 17 when Jack Synder, who. The alleged assailant, who admitted to being at the scene of the shooting, was apprehended by St.Louis police a couple of days later and charged with first degree murder. It seems like a couple steps could be taken that would solve a lot of problems, Greening said. Bitch, this is a carjacking, get out, the man in the passenger seat replied. Roth said with the suspects still on the loose and having access to his phone, he hasn't gotten much sleep. "It, its sad. >> the black and white ball here on the bottom line. As the woman screamed, Sanchez said the 19-year-old male suspect got out to pay at the window, then returned to Sanchez' 2020 Ford Escape. It all started in North Lawndale and ended in suburban Stickney Township. Updated: Feb 26, 2023 / 06:25 PM CST. CBS 2's Shardaa Gray spoke with the driver, who was deeply shaken. Five days after the ordeal, 19 News reported a female Uber driver in Cleveland was attacked in a nearly identical incident that had the same red flags Norman noted. That case is ongoing. The companies apps make it fairly simple for people to create fake accounts with fake names and, oftentimes, use untraceable payment methods, like a gift card. The police recently charged a 14-year-old girl in four carjackings. "Under certain circumstances, the sentence for a class 1 vehincular hijacking or carjacking, can be extended to 15 to 30 years in prison." Protect Yourself Thirteen incidents involved guns, two involved knives or sharp objects, and 3 had the rideshare driver physically overpowered without a weapon involved. The driver's son said he is glad his father was not injured. All rights reserved, WATCH: Procession Escorts Body of Fallen Chicago Officer From Hospital, Storm System Could Bring Rain, Snow, and Gusty Winds to Chicago Area Friday, Chicago Police Officer Shot and Killed on Southwest Side, Chicago Police Release Details of What Led to Officer's Fatal Shooting in Gage Park. In a similar incident, less than a half hour earlier, a 29-year-old man was carjacked at approximately 1:44 a.m. in River North, authorities said. Fearing the worst - he instantly complied. I was lucky," said La Fountain, the victim of a carjacking early Thursday. Norman said she was out late driving because her husband was sick in the hospital and she figured they could use the extra money. 2023 FOX Television Stations, is in effect, LaSalle County, Lake County, Kenosha County, from FRI 6:00 AM CST until FRI 11:00 PM CST, Central Cook County, DuPage County, Eastern Will County, Grundy County, Kane County, Kankakee County, Kendall County, La Salle County, Northern Cook County, Northern Will County, Southern Cook County, Southern Will County, Lake County, Newton County, Porter County, Jasper County, 1700 block of West 21st Street at 12:45 a.m. in, 1100 block of West Adams Street at 1:51 a.m. on the, 2800 block of North Richmond Street at 1:51 a.m. in, 2000 block of North Orleans Street at 2:23 a.m. in, 400 block of West Fullerton Avenue at 2:38 a.m. in Lincoln Park, I didnt realize: Woman mistakenly eats heart-shaped chip that could have won her 100K, Lightfoot loses re-election bid, this is the date she will leave office, 2 Chicago men charged in Douglas Park murder, Winning $1 million Powerball ticket sold in Chicago, Man faces charges in 2 fatal South Side shootings, Chicago mayoral election: Vallas rips Johnson's 'destroy Chicago's economy plan', Chicago police officer fatally shot on Southwest Side, Suspects robbing victims in Chicago who are withdrawing money from ATM: police, West Town building collapses after catching on fire, Chicago area scores No. Like God forbid, but I'm scared of that," he said. Now Chicago Police say that gun was used in several robberies. Ubers Page said its optional for riders to upload profile photos, and that for payment methods, not everyone has access to a bank account or a credit card. Neither company responded to requests for comment on why they dont require valid IDs. A total of 744 carjackings have been reported since the beginning of the year in Chicago, according to police data. All Rights Reserved. At 13 and 15, the girls are obviously too young to drive legally. But after he was carjacked in February by two men with an assault rifle who stole his 2021 silver Honda Accord, according to an incident report from the Atlanta Police Department, he said he changed his habits. Whatever they want, I'm doing," Naftali Roth said. In both cases, the women were reportedly beaten and the carjackers were able to make off with their cars, cellphones, and wallets. The Uber driver's son said once his father picked the men up in his black Toyota Highlander, he was attacked with a stun gun a block into the ride. One of them put a gun against my head.". Authorities say they were involved in several armed robberies -- including nine in Chicago, as Roth said he was told. By the end of 2021, the city was on pace to set a new record for carjackings by upwards of 44%. The Markup spoke with three drivers who were victims of carjackings, and with friends and family members of two additional drivers. Someone has to do something," he said. Here are our tips for looking intoit, An investigation by The Markup found racial disparities in L.A.s intake system for unhousedpeople. "A few of them pull out guns. "This is my only form of employment right now, its how I make my money.". ABC7 Eyewitness News has talked to other rideshare drivers who said they were carjacked by their own. "We are devastated. "I start driving, everything is normal," he said. (January 7) The Aurora Police Department is investigating a shooting stemming from a domestic violence argument that left two people dead in District 3. Ubers Page said drivers are free to install their own cameras, so long as they comply with local law. The group hijacks a vehicle, often an. Hes also using a rental car through Uber, even though it costs around $300 a week. As the two men ran off, Norman said she sat there trying to catch her breath and wrap her mind around what had just occurred. Those usually involve people taking advantage of ride-hail drivers who are waiting for a ride or just finishing dropping off passengers. There's a cluster on the West Side, a smaller amount on the South Side, and few more all over the city. Chicago Police said there were a total of four carjackings that took place in about three and a half hours in three different police districts Tuesday night. "I'm scared because we don't know who this passenger is," said Brandon Franklin, a rideshare driver who signed the petition. Two boys in Michigan are facing felony murder charges after fatally shooting a 17-year-old honor roll student during a failed carjacking. In both cases, a rideshare driver was tased by two male suspects in the back seat of his vehicle, Chicago police said. 01:15 As an Uber Eats driver lay dying on a Washington, DC, sidewalk, the two teen girls who allegedly stun-gunned and carjacked him easily climbed from the wreck and even tried to run away,. "He told me he felt shocked when they Tased him. Uber says it has sent . "Yesterday when I drove over there, and every time I was at a stop light, I was looking in my rearview mirror, getting nervous, this guy is pulling up, is it going to happen again? You wouldnt believe how many fake names we see almost everyday, the petition reads. Working for an Algorithm and Were happy to make this story available to republish for free under the conditions of an AttributionNonCommercialNo Derivatives Creative Commons license. Gig workers guards are down in a way that normal drivers wouldnt be because they have strangers getting in and out of their cars, said Greening, the lawyer. The carjackers were described as three Black males who wore white face masks. The carjackings were very, very similar. He was lured in through the app, Sanchez, the Chicago driver organizer, said about Schelstraete. today in south carolina. It didnt even cover towing; they billed me for that too, she said. Neither company responded to allegations that they failed to help the drivers we spoke to after they were carjacked. Dillbeck, 59, is slated to be put to death at 6 p.m. local time at the Florida State Prison in Raiford. "I got carjacked from a passenger who stole somebody's phone and requested a ride," Angel Haralson said. Big Tech Is Watching You. 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