Friends Say Missing Uber and Lyft Driver Found Alive
KOREATOWN (CBSLA) — CBS2's Jeff Nguyen reports tonight that missing Uber and Lyft driver Joshua Thiede has been found alive.
Two of Thiede's friends texted Nguyen that Thiede is in Good Samaritan Hospital in downtown Los Angeles, where he was taken to be evaluated as a precaution.
Earlier on Monday, police found Thiede's car and towed it away.
The LAPD says the Nissan Altima was found around 12:30 p.m. but investigators aren't saying how.
At this time, police say no foul play is suspected and the missing persons unit will continue the investigation.
Related: Uber Driver Goes Missing In Downtown LA
The Uber and Lyft driver, Joshua Thiede, 29, had been missing since February 12.
Thiede was last seen in the Westlake District on Wilshire Boulevard just north of the 110 Freeway.
His mother in Ohio says his last phone call was to 911 last Monday around 11 a.m., but the call disconnected before a dispatcher picked up.
Monday morning a neighbor on the 100 block of South Kingsley Drive in Koreatown noticed Theide's car parked near his home.
The Nissan had a parking ticket on the windshield. And around 3:30 Monday afternoon police got there.
"When the alarm was blaring I looked out. I saw about seven or eight police officers, somewhere in that number, doing an investigation, with a bloodhound in the car. Bloodhound went in. Bloodhound went out. And then the bloodhound walked around a bit," said witness Ross Stracke.
"But not finding his car, that is a major piece of the puzzle that was missing," said friend Kevin Young. "I'm sure that LAPD, they've towed the car away now. I'm sure they'll be able get some sort of information from that."