An Uber driver was assaulted allegedly for 90 minutes by passenger

In Tennessee, an Uber driver was raped allegedly by a passenger who was drunk, in an attack that happened for 90 minutes because first responders were unable to find the victim’s location.

An affidavit stated that Zachery Johnson, 36, got an Uber around 9 p.m. by an employee at a Chili’s in Chattanooga, Tennessee, because she believed the restaurant regular had too much to drink to drive himself home.

The court documents says the suspect had “become aggressive with her and came out of his seat and began assaulting her. He wrapped his arms around her, grabbed her by the throat and began kissing her face.”

The victim’s boyfriend called 911 after the assault happening over the phone, but the arrest affidavit said that it took law enforcement close to 90 minutes to find her vehicle, finding both the suspect and victim still inside.

The first responders were unable to use any Uber app info or cell phone data to find the driver’s exact location. They even worked with Hyundai, the maker of the man’s vehicle, in an attempt to locate and help figure out where she was at.

However, all these attempts failed.

Jeff Carney with Hamilton County 911 said “This is an unusual call. I’ve not seen anything like this before, Even, you know, 2022, the cell phone accuracy is just really not what people probably think it is.”

Finally, the victim was able to call 911 herself, where dispatchers were able to hear her crying. She told the first responders that she was in a cul-de-sac in East Brainerd, where she was located. The location was about 3 miles from the Chili’s where she originally picked Johnson up.

Carney said, “They were out searching really relentlessly for an hour and a half until they were able to find this victim. Nobody gave up. They tried every avenue they could.”

Johnson was arrested and charged with aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and carjacking.

Uber said that the driver’s reported incident is “gut wrenching.” Uber reached out to offer her support and is ready to cooperate with investigators however they are needed. The company also removed the suspect’s access to the rideshare app.