Lyft Driver Kidnapped At Gunpoint In Newark, Forced To Make Several Stops

Police in Newark are looking for a group of people who forced a ride share driver at gunpoint to take them to various locations in the area before robbing the driver, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

A Lyft driver was forced at gunpoint to shuttle a group of people around Newark and Elizabeth before he was robbed.

Paul Milo

04/24/2019 2:48 p.m.

The Lyft driver picked up a fare on the 700 block of S. 18th Street around 3:30 p.m. April 7. Three passengers, who may have been juveniles, entered the vehicle and one pulled the gun.

They first ordered the driver to take them to Capital One bank at 487 Springfield Ave., where two of the passengers entered as the third continued to hold the driver at gunpoint.

Next they drove to the 700 block of Hunterdon Street, where a female who may also be a juvenile got in. They drove to Walgreens at 361 Bergen St. and let the female out.

They then drove back to Hunterdon, where one of the suspects got out before the remaining two suspects forced the driver to go to the Stop & Shop on Newark Avenue in Elizabeth. There they robbed the driver and deducted the earnings from his ride share app before leaving.

In a similar but separate incident Wednesday morning, a Bloomfield man was arrested after he attacked a Lyft driver and a fellow passenger as the vehicle traveled through Clark early Wednesday morning, Chief of Police Pedro M. Matos said.

Anyone with information about these suspects is asked to call the department's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). All anonymous Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential and could result in a reward.

Anonymous tips may also be made using the Police Division’s website or through the Newark Police Division Smartphone App available at iTunes and Google Play.

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