Police are investigating after a 12-year-old was allegedly taken several miles away from his destination before being dropped off during an Uber ride.
an indianapolis mother explain She claims she will never use Uber again after a driver canceled her 12-year-old son’s trip to school and took him across town instead.
Geralyn Alexander said her son was scheduled to be sent to a middle school in Indianapolis on Wednesday. Instead, she said, the trip was canceled midway and her son ended up miles away on the other side of the city.
Alexander said the series of events began when her son’s school bus didn’t arrive. She then used Uber’s teen ride option to take him to school.
At first, she said everything looked normal. But about 11 minutes into the trip, she received a notification that the trip had been cancelled. Alexander said she immediately checked her son’s location using Apple’s AirTag tracking technology and realized he was no longer near the school.
“I saw him far away from school,” she said.
She said the school was only a few miles from their home, but her son was about 10 miles away and was going in the wrong direction.
Alexander said she had a video call with her son while he was still in the car and asked what was going on. According to her, the driver said the school was not the address listed on the application.
She also said the driver did not match the profile photo shown on the app. Alexander said there appeared to be a language barrier and the driver did not respond when her son repeatedly asked him where he was taking him.
Alexander said she called 911 and a short time later, the driver dropped her son off and left.
“I’ve been crying since Wednesday because I feel like I can’t protect my baby,” she said.
Local police confirmed they were investigating the incident.
In a statement to 13News, Uber said it was “appalled by the situation described.”
“We can’t imagine how horrific this experience must have been, and we are continuing to investigate this report,” an Uber spokesperson said. “We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigations.”
Alexander said she wants the driver to be held accountable.
“I will do everything in my power to ensure that those responsible are held accountable,” she said.
According to Uber policy, riders using a teen account must be 13 years or older.
