FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Police arrested a man accused of posing as an Uber driver, picking up a woman and sexually assaulting her.
The victim is an 18-year-old woman who was in town for spring break.
She was with a group of friends at America’s Backyard on Southwest 3rd avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
She requested an Uber but ended up jumping into the wrong car.
Police said the driver identified, as 37-year-old Shapsly Silencieux, played along, making her think he was an Uber driver and telling her he would take her home.
According to authorities, Silencieux told her he needed to stop by his Fort Lauderdale apartment to grab his wallet and get gas.
The young woman ended up in his apartment, where detectives said he raped her.
The woman told police after she was raped, the suspect drove her to where she was staying in Bal Harbor.
Police said she was able to memorize the man’s license plate and that’s how officers were able to find him and arrest him.
After being contacted by Local 10 News in regard to this story, Uber released the following statement:
“Everyone has the right to travel safely and our thoughts are with the victim after this horrific experience. While this trip did not take place on the Uber app, we immediately removed the driver’s access to the app as soon as this was reported to us.”