Lyft driver grabs, sexually assaults teen when she asks for phone charger, CA cops say
A Lyft driver is accused of forcing a teen into his car and sexually assaulting her after she flagged him down to ask to borrow a phone charger, California police said.
In April, Fredi Rojas, 30, of Orange, was slowly driving by the 15-year-old in Santa Ana when she stopped him to ask for a cell phone charger, the Santa Ana Police Department said in a May 11 news release. Detectives said they believe the girl was not a Lyft customer.
He stopped his rental car and “offered to help,” police said.
When the teen got closer, however, Rojas forced her into the car “drove her to a nearby parking lot, where he sexually assaulted her” while still in the car, according to police.
After assaulting the teen, Rojas dropped her off in a different part of the city, police said.
In an email to McClatchy News, Lyft called the allegations against the driver “reprehensible.”
“We’ve immediately removed the driver’s access to the Lyft platform and have reached out to law enforcement to offer our assistance with their investigation,” Lyft said in the email, adding that the driver had no prior allegations against him.
Rojas was arrested May 10 on counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, according to online jail records. He is being held on $1 million bail.
Police said “given Rojas’s capacity as a Lyft driver,” he may have additional victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 714-245-8363.
This story was originally published May 12, 2023 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Lyft driver grabs, sexually assaults teen when she asks for phone charger, CA cops say."
