Law professor says Uber driver abducted her en route to airport
Nancy Leong tweeted about the incident
A University of Denver constitutional law professor has accused an Uber driver of locking her car door and telling her he was taking her to a hotel instead of Denver International Airport.
“Hey @Uber your driver was taking me to the airport. He said he was going to ‘take me to a hotel’ and got off the highway. … I started yelling ‘let me out of the (profanity) car’ and he wouldn’t unlock the doors,” professor Nancy Leong tweeted at 9:41 a.m. on April 17.
In a series of tweets, Leong demanded a reply from Uber.
“Hey @Uber I really need you to understand how terrifying this was. I was about 10 seconds from putting my foot through the back passenger window. I’m getting on a flight but I expect a response ASAP,” Leong wrote.
Uber replied to Leong, a Stanford Law School graduate, the same day.
“We take this seriously, Nancy. We’re ready to look into this right away. Please send us a DM with your information so we can look into this immediately,” Uber tweeted in reply.
Emails left with Leong and Uber seeking comment were not returned. DU spokesman John Stone said Leong has declined to comment. She is working with Uber to get answers about what happened, Stone said Tuesday.
According to Leong’s tweets, the Uber driver exited a highway and stopped at a light. She started pounding on the windows.
“He unlocked the doors and I jumped out but my suitcase was in the trunk,” Leong tweeted. “I started screaming and pounding on the trunk until he popped it open.”
The driver got out of the car and started walking toward her.
“Remember we are at a stop light at the bottom of a highway off ramp. There’s nothing around. Thank God there were construction workers there,” Leong tweeted.
And then the Uber car began rolling away. “He apparently forgot to set the brake. … He ran and got back in the car to stop it. Some construction workers started over to see what was going on. He drove away at high speed,” she tweeted.
Not knowing any other option, Leong called Uber again and a second driver picked her up and took her to the airport.
“The second Uber driver was lovely. I didn’t call the police yet because I didn’t have time. I would have missed my flight,” Leong tweeted.
Leong noted that the picture of the driver that she got from Uber didn’t look like the man who picked her up.
Leong clerked for Judge Kermit Lipez of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Last week, Leong gave a series of speeches presenting her research before law faculties at three universities including Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tenn., according to a tweet.