Man says Uber driver took off with his bag containing priceless family jewelry

Ken Straka and his wife Sadia tied the knot this past December overseas. Sadia’s wedding ring belonged to Ken’s grandmother. 

“She really wanted us to have the ring to continue the tradition,” said Straka.

Traveling back home, the couple stowed the ring along with Straka’s wedding band and other family jewelry in Straka’s backpack.

“I didn’t even put it in the overhead compartment. I wanted eyes on it the whole time,” he said.

At LAX, the couple paid an Uber driver $188 for a ride to their Santa Barbara home. Straka said he put their suitcases in the trunk and his backpack in the front passenger seat. Two hours later, they unloaded the trunk, and the driver took off. 

“It’s one of those points where you’re standing there, and it feels like you’re missing something. And so then I realized very quickly that my backpack is still in the car,” said Straka.

Straka immediately called the driver -- twice -- but said he didn’t pick up. Straka contacted Uber, and the company called the driver, too. But the driver still didn’t answer. 

Straka told Uber he wanted to call the police, but Uber representatives asked him to “please allow your driver some time to respond.” Eventually, Uber told Ken the driver said he didn’t have the bag. 

“You almost don’t know what to say,” Straka said. 

Uber’s policy is clear: It is not responsible for items left in the car. Lyft has the same policy. But the I-Team wanted more information from Uber. How many people report lost items and how many of those items are returned? What does Uber do with lost, unclaimed items?

After all, airlines collect lost items. And they’re auctioned off if they’re not claimed. LA Metro does the same thing. But Uber didn’t answer our questions. We also asked if Straka’s driver is still on its platform, but it didn’t answer that, either. 

“If you’re not responsible for the driver’s actions, how can anyone feel safe when you’re taking an Uber?” said Straka.

Straka’s been poking around pawn shops, hoping to find his grandmother’s ring. 

“It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” he said.

Straka eventually filed a police report, but hasn’t received any updates. His last hope is for someone to see this story and help him get his rings back. 

“It was invaluable to us.There's no price that we could assign to those items that we lost,” he said.

Tips when unloading bags from any rideshare or taxi

• Open all car doors while you unload, and don’t close them until you’ve checked that you have all your belongings.
• Ask the driver to step out of the car while you unload your bags.
• Place an air tag in your bags to help you locate them if they’re lost.