Uber Driver Drives Off With a Sleeping 5-Year-Old
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TORONTO — May 9, 2024 — A frightening situation unfolded when an Uber driver in Toronto unknowingly drove off with a sleeping 5-year-old child still in the car. The incident, involving a mother named Julia, has sparked concerns regarding the safety measures in place by the ride-sharing service. On a cold winter night, it took authorities hours to locate the child. For more, keep reading.
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uber ride turns into nightmare: driver unknowingly drives off with sleeping 5-year-old
a toronto mother, identified only as julia, faced a terrifying ordeal when an uber driver unknowingly drove away with her 5-year-old daughter still asleep in the car. the incident has raised serious questions about uber’s safety protocols and emergency response procedures.
the ordeal unfolds
after attending a toronto raptors game during march break, julia, her boyfriend, and their four children took an uber due to a flat tyre. during the ride back to her boyfriend’s place, julia’s 5-year-old daughter fell asleep in the back seat.
upon arrival, julia and her boyfriend discussed their unloading plan. julia was to retrieve the garage door opener, while her boyfriend began unloading the other three children, car seats, and winter coats. julia then planned to carry her sleeping daughter out of the vehicle.
though, chaos erupted when julia returned to find the uber gone.
i’m returning to the road and i realized the car, it’s gone.
julia recounted the harrowing moment, saying she looked up and down the street but couldn’t find the vehicle. the other children were in hysterics, wondering why the driver had left with their sister.
did you know?
uber’s “uber for teens” program, while offering a safety onboarding experience, also highlights the company’s concerns about minors riding with adult drivers [[3]].
uber’s response and police intervention
julia’s distress compounded when she says uber representatives allegedly refused to help them or toronto police contact the driver.
all we wanted was for them to contact the driver — that’s it — and they refused.
she emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating it was no time for bureaucratic red tape.
this was not a purse or a phone left behind. it was a five-year-old child on a winter night.
julia called 911,and police arrived quickly. when an officer contacted uber for the driver’s details, they were reportedly told to fill out a form. uber’s guidelines for law enforcement state that emergency disclosure requests must be submitted through their public safety response portal or via an emergency disclosure form.
pro tip
uber drivers undergo background checks and screenings [[2]]. parents can also report issues about underage customers and car seats through the uber app [[1]].
toronto police confirmed they received no direct assistance from uber.though, spokesperson stephanie sayer said officers were able to locate the driver independently.
the driver was unaware that the child was still in the vehicle. when officers arrived, the child was found in good health. paramedics were called as a precaution.
stephanie sayer, toronto police spokesperson
it took police 1.5 hours to find julia’s daughter, who was found unharmed but in distress about 20 kilometers from her boyfriend’s home. julia’s boyfriend later received a $10 uber credit, which she called a massive slap in the face.
uber’s perspective and the gig economy
an uber spokesperson stated that the safety of everyone using the platform is the company’s top priority.
we recognize how distressing this situation was for the family involved and are thankful that the child was safely reunited with their parent.we instantly began reviewing the details of this incident internally to identify opportunities to improve our processes and support systems.
uber maintains that its support team followed standard protocols designed to protect user privacy and safety. the company says it advised the rider to contact law enforcement and shared its protocol for expedited requests when police reached out, claiming they supported the resolution once the request was received.
