'One of them put a gun against my head': Uber driver recounts terrifying carjacking incident
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Uber driver is speaking out after a gun was put to his head while on the job. It all started in North Lawndale and ended in suburban Stickney Township. Now Chicago Police say that gun was used in several robberies.
CBS 2's Shardaa Gray spoke with the driver, who was deeply shaken.
He has been an Uber driver for five years, and nothing like this has ever happened. He was not injured, but he feels like had he not done what the carjackers wanted, he would not be here to tell his story.
"I just got to do whatever they say. Whatever they want, I'm doing," Naftali Roth said.
He gave up everything, including his car, as he was being carjacked at gunpoint.
"They took everything out of my pockets: my keys, my wallet, my phone," he said.
Roth said last Tuesday he picked up four men near 21st and Christiana in North Lawndale.
"I start driving, everything is normal," he said. "A few of them, they were actually sleeping. I was like, 'OK, it seems suspicious,' but I was like, 'You know what, maybe it's not. Maybe it's all good.'"
But when he got to his destination in the 4700 block of South Lotus in Stickney Township, that's when things went south.
"They grab my phone. They say, 'Don't move,'" Roth said. "A few of them pull out guns. One of them put a gun against my head."
The Cook County Sheriff's Office said Roth's car was found in the 1900 block of South Christiana Avenue, not too far from where he picked up the suspects.
Authorities say they were involved in several armed robberies -- including nine in Chicago, as Roth said he was told.
"They went on a rampage. I mean, like, really fast," he said.
Uber said in a statement, "The details reported by Mr. Roth are terrifying, and as soon as he reported the incident, we deactivated the rider. We are working with law enforcement on their investigation."
Roth said with the suspects still on the loose and having access to his phone, he hasn't gotten much sleep.
"I'm actually like, scared at night right now because I don't even know, are they going to come to my house. Like God forbid, but I'm scared of that," he said.
Roth said since the sheriff's office still has his car, he is hopeful they will find some evidence that will link it to the carjackers. He is raising money to replace the items he lost.
Uber said it has pioneered several safety features for drivers, including an emergency button that enables them to call or text 911.