Uber driver recovering after being beaten, having car stolen during drop off in Lake County
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (CBS) -- An Uber driver found himself the victim of a carjacking in Lake County early Thursday morning.
Now, his loved ones tell CBS 2 that not only is he out of work but he is being monitored for a possible brain hemorrhage.
CBS2's Sabrina Franza reported from the Uber offices in Bucktown with the story 'Only on 2.'
The Uber driver relies on his second job to support his wife and seven children. He's a musician who drives to supplement that income.
Now he's out of work and just out of the hospital.
The car was called around at 12:10 a.m. Someone ordered an Uber to Elizabeth Avenue in Zion. The driver, 56-year-old Vasilije Stankovic, answered the call.
His friend Joe Kirin says he uses Uber to help support his family, though his real passion is music.
The two perform together. Joe calls him Vasco.
"Vasco is somebody I know I can count he's a gentle soul," Kirin said.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said four people got into the car and when they got to their destination on Stoneywood Drive in Beach Park, the men started to beat Stankovic before taking his 2010 Mercedes and driving off.
He suffered multiple facial injuries and had to walk to a nearby gas station to call 911.
"It's like, oh call victim. It's like 1-800-CALL-VICTIM. You can literally call somebody up and have them come to you so that you can take advantage of them," Kirin said.
Police later found his phone tossed on the side of the road, but no word yet on where his car might be.
CBS 2 spoke to his wife, Ivana Stankovic, who is now taking care of him and all seven of their children while he recovers.
"In some way, my amazing strong husband is, in some way, mentally broken from this," she said.
Ivana just brought her husband home from the hospital.
His face, beaten and battered, by the men who called for an Uber. Stankovic happened to answer the call. He greeted them with a smile.
"We feel like Christians and we offer our hospitality are kindness good, good manners to all people around us. that is our primary role in this world," Ivana said.
Kirin set up a GoFundMe for the family of his friend who currently can't sing, play guitar, much less drive an Uber for the time being.
"Just that one thing that happens creates an incredible altitude of problem."
We've reached out to the Lake County Sheriff's Office for an update on the case. So far, no arrests were made and the whereabouts of the car are still unknown.