Police are searching for a suspect who posed as a ride-hailing driver and robbed a Bethesda, Maryland, woman late last month.
Montgomery County police said that just before 5 a.m. on March 30, officers responded to an apartment building on Wisconsin Avenue, near Bradley Boulevard, for a report of a home invasion robbery.
The victim said she had been out with friends and had ordered a ride home. The woman, who asked not to be identified, told ABC News that the driver “said your address is not registering, which should have been alarm bell number one.”
When the car arrived at the woman’s apartment, the driver demanded payment, even though the woman said she had paid through the ride-hailing app.
“I said you can call the police on me but you need to get away,” the woman said.
She then went into her apartment building. “There is a delay in the door so it doesn’t close immediately, so he was able to follow me into my building,” she said.
The suspect then unsuccessfully tried to take her purse, but followed her into her apartment where he stole items and ran off.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered.
The Bethesda incident happened just a day after the kidnapping and killing of a college student in South Carolina, who mistakenly got into a vehicle she thought was her Uber ride.
That incident prompted law enforcement agencies and ride-hailing companies to intensify efforts to warn passengers against getting in without checking to ensure both the vehicle and driver are legitimate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
