BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston Police confirm it was a "misunderstanding" that led a woman to report being kidnapped by a man she believed was her rideshare driver.
The initial report came in at 3 a.m. on Sunday, about two hours after the woman had ordered a Lyft from a bar near Faneuil Hall to her home in Allston. The woman said her phone had died before her car arrived, so she got into the back of a sedan thinking it was her driver.
After the man had driven her 30 minutes in the wrong direction, he stopped at a gas station. The woman told police she kicked the car door open and managed to escape, flagging down another driver who took her home where her boyfriend called 911.
However, Boston Police confirmed to WBZ NewsRadio on Monday that the entire event had been a "misunderstanding," furthered by a language barrier.
(Getty Images)
Upon investigation, police discovered the man was in fact an Uber driver who was meant to pick up a customer in the Faneuil Hall area, when the woman got in the back of his car—the wrong car.
Because of the language barrier, neither the driver nor the passenger realized at first that they were in the car with the wrong person.
After the initial report, Mayor Marty Walsh commented that people going out at night in Boston should make sure the driver's photo and car description in the rideshare app matches the actual vehicle they get into, cautioning people to "be careful."
Police say no charges are being pressed, calling it "case closed."
WBZ NewsRadio has reached out to Lyft's press office.
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