A West Hollywood woman said an Uber driver stole her expensive bag with her passport, house keys and iPhone, which she used in an effort to track down her belongings.
Even though her iPhone location has been showing up at a home in Los Angeles, she hasn’t been able to get any of her belongings back five days later.
Julie Miller said she filed a report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and has tried reaching out to Uber for help. NBC4 interviewed Miller from a hospital bed as she continues to battle an infection.
“I had a catheter in my chest that got infected that they took out yesterday,” Miller told NBC4. “It's scary to think he has the keys to my house and he knows where I live.”
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She said it happened Thursday morning at 10:15 when her car dealership ordered an Uber to pick her up at her condo building in West Hollywood.
“My dog here was coming with me. I had a big bag. It was a Gucci bag, which I think is why I was a target,” Miller explained. “She shimmied out of her harness. I put the purse in the back of the car, and I said, ‘Can you wait a second?’ And, he said ‘No problem.’"
She said when she went to grab her dog, the driver, with a 4.99 star rating on the app, took off.
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“And within an hour, he had siphoned almost $1,000 out of my bank account,” she said, adding that he also took her passport, key, and iPhone.
“He's an idiot. He has my phone still on, so I've tracked him to this address a couple of times,” Miller showed NBC4 on her iPad.
Miller said she filed the report with the West Hollywood Division of LASD, but the address her iPhone frequently shows up at is in the LAPD’s jurisdiction.
“I called LAPD, staked out the joint like I was one of Charlie's Angels, and knocked on doors with my collie stick just in case. Showed the neighbors pictures, went down every driveway looking for his car,” Miller said.
It’s been five days, and she still hasn’t been able to find him. Before the interview, she said she had not been able to speak with a representative from Uber.
“Maybe he thought I had a lot of money because I had a Gucci bag or whatever, which I don't… and that he can just go about his business… and nobody’s doing anything,” Miller said fighting tears.
A spokesperson for Uber told NBC 4 in an email, “We have a 24/7 customer support team ready to help with any issues, including lost items, and we are continuing to look into the rider’s report."
NBC4 is also waiting to hear more details from police and the sheriff’s department.
