Uber Driver Accused Of Raping Woman Near Esplanade Arrested
BOSTON (CBS) -- Mass. State Police said they arrested an Uber driver after a woman reported being raped by a man near the Esplanade early Saturday morning. Mayanja Daudah, 37, of Waltham, was charged with two counts of rape.
State Police received the report around 1:15 a.m. The woman was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
"State Police Crime Scene Services personnel and an MSP chemist collected potential evidence for forensic analysis," said a statement from State Police said.
The news has some rideshare users shaken.
"I think it's shocking, and it's really scary because we are young college students and we do take Ubers or Lyft frequently," said one local college student.
One local college student said she takes precautions when using a rideshare service. "I usually just tell people where I'm going or pretend to be on the phone telling someone where I'm going."
Another local college student said she's frustrated that she has to worry about the issue. "I think it's sad, like literally, because we don't have cars here so Uber is a huge, like, way that we get places. So just, like, thinking that we even have to worry about something like that, it's sad and it's frightening."
Uber said in a statement, "What's been reported is horrible and something no one should ever go through. We stand ready to support law enforcement with their investigation."
The news has rideshare customers thinking about safety when they get into a drivers vehicle.
That's where Ernie Corrigan comes in. He's just released a free phone app called Best Rides.
"This app provides the user the ability to have friends and family track their ride once that program has been started," Corrigan said. "Your friends and family know when your ride begins. They know when it's expected to end, and they're alerted when you arrive safely."
Uber's app does have a 911 integration feature, which allows riders to connect directly with 911 through the app with this feature, which shows real-time location, both on a map and as an address. Uber's app also features a shared trip status that will alert up to five people in a person's contact list of the expected arrival time and share the driver's first name and vehicle information, plus the passenger's map location in real time.
Daudah is being held on $25,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court Monday.