Family and friends Sunday stepped up efforts to find a 29-year-old man who went missing a week ago while working as a rideshare driver near downtown Los Angeles.
Joshua Thiede was last seen driving a black 2014 Nissan Altima in the 1000 block of Wilshire Boulevard at 11 a.m. last Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The car has a California license plate, 7CSD450, police said.
His friends returned to the area Sunday to pass out fliers and look for clues.
Thiede worked as a driver for both Uber and Lyft to earn extra money while planning a line of organic shoes, relatives explained on Facebook. They said his last fare was a 15 minute trip for Lyft on Sunday, Feb. 11.
Yokeena Jamar, Thiede's close friend, said Lyft has not given them any information about the last passenger Thiede may have driven.
His mother, Janet Thiede, said her son, or someone using his phone, made a 911 call at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12, but hung up without saying anything. The phone was later traced to Venice Boulevard and Burlington Avenue, but is no longer active.
Kevin Young, another of Thiede's friends, said he hasn't heard from him since receiving a text message last Sunday, Feb. 11. "The last message I got from him was him saying he was sick with the flu, so he couldn't get together over the weekend," Young said.
Thiede is white, with brown hair and blue eyes, police said. He stands about 6-feet tall and weighs about 170 pounds.
News
Top news of the day
Anyone with information on his whereabouts was asked to call the LAPD's Missing Persons unit at (213) 996-1800 or (877) 527-3247 or 911. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
