Uber driver charged with fourth-degree sexual assault

Connecticut, USA — A woman identified only as “Jane Doe” is now filing a lawsuit against Uber after her driver allegedly sexually assaulted her during the ride.

According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred last November in 2017. Ms. Doe said she called an Uber for her and her friends after a night out in Bridgeport.

After a few minutes, 52-year-old Uber driver Wael Salem arrived and took their group in for the fare.

Little did they know, however, things will take an unexpected turn during the trip.

“During the course of the ride, the driver proceeded to sexual assault her, grope her, fondle her and things like that,” the woman’s lawyer Atty. Douglas Mahoney said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Salem is currently under police custody after State Police arrested him. Furthermore, he is facing a fourth-degree sexual assault charge.

A judge then granted Salem accelerated rehab. He was put on probation and opened up the possibility for the charges to be dismissed.

“If they’re going to market themselves as a safe form of transportation and they’re benefitting from this number of rides, they should take some real basic steps to protect their passengers,” Atty. Mahoney said. “If you install cameras like the ones you see in the New York City taxis, it might go a long way to reduce this problem.”

Moreover, Atty. Mahoney claimed that the ride-share company is aware that female passengers are vulnerable to sexual assault especially with the rising number of sexual harassment reports that Uber is currently handling. He hopes the lawsuit will force the ride-sharing app to increase its safety features.

Uber said they said they will not be commenting on the lawsuit as it is pending litigation.