# Uber Boston Driver - Charged with Kidnapping and Sexual Assault



## PartTimeUberBoston (Sep 30, 2014)

A Boston man who works as a driver for the Uber rideshare service now faces charges after he allegedly beat, strangled and sexually assaulted a young Cambridge woman he picked up earlier this month.

Investigators said it was not clear if Alejandro Done, 46, used the information obtained in his capacity as an independent contractor employed by Uber to carry out his alleged attack. A company spokesperson confirmed Done was an Uber driver but that he was not on call when he allegedly picked up the victim. Done passed an employment background check, according to the spokesperson.

The victim told police Done picked her up outside of a Tremont Street residence in Boston around 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, where she was waiting for an ordered Uber car. A statement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office said the company was cooperating with their investigation.

Done reportedly told her he needed cash for the ride-outside of normal Uber protocols, which require credit card payments-and drove her to an ATM. After the victim returned to the car, authorities said Done drove to a secluded area, where he got in the backseat with the woman and attacked her.

The victim told police Done struck her with his hands, strangled her, locked her inside the vehicle, and covered her mouth. Done sexually assaulted her during the struggle, authorities said.

"This is a despicable crime and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim during her recovery," Uber spokesperson Kaitlin Durkosh wrote in a statement to Boston.com. "Uber has been working closely with law enforcement and will continue to do everything we can to assist their investigation."

Done was arraigned on charges of rape, assault to rape, kidnapping and two counts of assault and battery, according to a statement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office. He was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing later this month.

It's not clear if the attacks were related to a string of similar sex assaults reported by rideshare customers last weekend. Those remain under investigation by Boston Police.

"While these services are a convenience, and often a necessity of modern urban living, we urge everyone to take precautions to ensure they are as safe as possible," District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement. "Confirm that the car you are getting into is the particular one you have ordered. Be cautious if the driver is asking you to do something that you understand to be against company policy, as when they request you pay by cash when you understand that the company receives payment by credit card."

_Editor's note: An earlier version of this story referred to Done as an Uber employee. The company classifies its drivers as independent contractors._


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## JaxBeachDriver (Nov 27, 2014)

Wow.


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

PartTimeUberBoston said:


> A Boston man who works as a driver for the Uber rideshare service now faces charges after he allegedly beat, strangled and sexually assaulted a young Cambridge woman he picked up earlier this month.
> 
> Investigators said it was not clear if Alejandro Done, 46, used the information obtained in his capacity as an independent contractor employed by Uber to carry out his alleged attack. A company spokesperson confirmed Done was an Uber driver but that he was not on call when he allegedly picked up the victim. Done passed an employment background check, according to the spokesperson.
> 
> ...


I guess he's Done


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## Jackie murphy (Dec 10, 2014)

Uber cars need to be labeled just like taxis there were earlier assaults with people pretending to be Uber drivers place signs top lights on our illegal taxis taxi sign in taxi Uber on uber lyft for lyft even gypsie on gypsie There is such stuff as bad publicity ask Bill Cosby


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

Jackie murphy said:


> Uber cars need to be labeled just like taxis there were earlier assaults with people pretending to be Uber drivers place signs top lights on our illegal taxis taxi sign in taxi Uber on uber lyft for lyft even gypsie on gypsie There is such stuff as bad publicity ask Bill Cosby


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

*This guy worked for uber, do you think a sign would have helped? Besides, they have "U " that is put in the windshield. 
You can get yourself a uber sign rooftop light like domino's *


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## Jackie murphy (Dec 10, 2014)

My point might be a little confusing I use to drive taxi basically we r a taxi put a sign on it Uber is an illegal taxi they are in the transportation business not hiding behind I'm a geek we r an app The app is Louie Depalma from Taxi rememember him I hate working for Uber long hours just like taxi 12 hours I do if you r going to make any money now Mr Uber every week puts more cars/ illegal taxis on road


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

Jackie murphy said:


> My point might be a little confusing I use to drive taxi basically we r a taxi put a sign on it Uber is an illegal taxi they are in the transportation business not hiding behind I'm a geek we r an app The app is Louie Depalma from Taxi rememember him I hate working for Uber long hours just like taxi 12 hours I do if you r going to make any money now Mr Uber every week puts more cars/ illegal taxis on road


Uber is just as bad as driving a cab, maybe worse. **** uber. 
They have too much control over you, they sell the bullshit line, work when you want. A lot of people who post here have drunk the uber kool-aid


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## KeJorn (Oct 3, 2014)

Jackie murphy said:


> ...to be Uber drivers place signs top lights on our illegal taxis taxi sign in taxi Uber on uber lyft for lyft even gypsie on gypsie...


Say what??


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## JaxBeachDriver (Nov 27, 2014)

PartTimeUberBoston said:


> A Boston man who works as a driver for the Uber rideshare service now faces charges after he allegedly beat, strangled and sexually assaulted a young Cambridge woman he picked up earlier this month.
> 
> Investigators said it was not clear if Alejandro Done, 46, used the information obtained in his capacity as an independent contractor employed by Uber to carry out his alleged attack. A company spokesperson confirmed Done was an Uber driver but that he was not on call when he allegedly picked up the victim. Done passed an employment background check, according to the spokesperson.
> 
> ...


I wonder if this will get the coverage the New Delhi assault got.


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## Long time Nyc cab driver (Dec 12, 2014)

*No, Only third world people matter, didn't you get the memo ?*


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## u-Boater (Oct 27, 2014)

I've been on this planet long enough to not necessarily believe every printed and spoken word from the agenda-driven news media. Regardless of the validity or accuracy of this story however, this is the kind of bad publicity that will stop uBer from attaining its goal of world domination. I foresee fewer riders signing up and more riders deleting the app in the near future. Also, get ready for some serious regulatory blowback. For the record, if Mr. Done is found guilty in a court of law by a jury... well than I hope he gets his up at Walpole.


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## djnsmith7 (Aug 10, 2014)

http://www.cnet.com/news/boston-uber-driver-charged-with-sexual-assault/

I particularly like this part: "We have more work to do, and we will do it," Phillip Cardenas, head of global safety at Uber. Yea, as in, stop hiring criminals. That would be a good start. I wonder when these Uber-crimes will be taken seriously. The list is growing rapidly. At some point, the passengers won't feel safe using the service.

The scary part of that is, it probably won't really kick in until it happens to someone they know. The level of convenience the service offers seems to outweigh the general concern for safety.

So far, the general perception seems to be, "it's only happened a few times. It won't happen to me."


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## LA Cabbie (Nov 4, 2014)

I knew this would happen on a mass scale once i found out about uber's hiring process. First it takes a different type of person to do cab. There's a reason why most cab drivers are foreign and old, it's an honorable job that brings in money. Period. With most uber drivers they don't see this as a profession but fun. Just check out the comments from male drivers on glass door.com who say this is a great way to meet chicks. Which brings us to number two, since I came back to driving cab in Los angeles after a 3 year hiatus I have not had once the party time gal I used to get all the time on weekends. Where are they? Taking uber! So you get one of the young and beautiful women they're hot. I don't mean beauty wise, but they are in heat. In plain speak, horny. The first human sense to go when drunk is judgement. To an unprofessional driver with issues, this is an open invitation for rape.

This is one segment of passengers that I am happy uber took!


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## unter ling (Sep 29, 2014)

LA Cabbie said:


> I knew this would happen on a mass scale once i found out about uber's hiring process. First it takes a different type of person to do cab. There's a reason why most cab drivers are foreign and old, it's an honorable job that brings in money. Period. With most uber drivers they don't see this as a profession but fun. Just check out the comments from male drivers on glass door.com who say this is a great way to meet chicks. Which brings us to number two, since I came back to driving cab in Los angeles after a 3 year hiatus I have not had once the party time gal I used to get all the time on weekends. Where are they? Taking uber! So you get one of the young and beautiful women they're hot. I don't mean beauty wise, but they are in heat. In plain speak, horny. The first human sense to go when drunk is judgement. To an unprofessional driver with issues, this is an open invitation for rape.
> 
> This is one segment of passengers that I am happy uber took!


Cab drivers also have the benefit of cash money, although sometimes that can add a element of danger.


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## LA Cabbie (Nov 4, 2014)

You're welcome!

It is important for male drivers alone with women passengers to realize that if a woman even accuses you of rape you are in major legal, employment and criminal troubles. This is the reason we cabbies have industry grade recording cameras in our cabs. Coincidently this is the reason we don't get mugged as often as people think.


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## BostonTaxiDriver (Nov 23, 2014)

LA Cabbie said:


> You're welcome!
> 
> It is important for male drivers alone with women passengers to realize that if a woman even accuses you of rape you are in major legal, employment and criminal troubles. This is the reason we cabbies have industry grade recording cameras in our cabs. Coincidently this is the reason we don't get mugged as often as people think.


Here in Boston, we cab drivers do not have cameras for safety...just partitions. I leave the sliding door on the partition open, even driving nights, so I can communicate better. Some drivers lock it.


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

djnsmith7 said:


> http://www.cnet.com/news/boston-uber-driver-charged-with-sexual-assault/
> 
> I particularly like this part: "We have more work to do, and we will do it," Phillip Cardenas, head of global safety at Uber. Yea, as in, stop hiring criminals. That would be a good start. I wonder when these Uber-crimes will be taken seriously. The list is growing rapidly. At some point, the passengers won't feel safe using the service.
> 
> ...





PartTimeUberBoston said:


> "This is a despicable crime and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim during her recovery,"


Uber already said the above. You want them to quit hiring criminals too?

They say the same thing everytime someone is raped. Seems like they'd be out of thoughts and prayers by now.


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## DjTim (Oct 18, 2014)

u-Boater said:


> I've been on this planet long enough to not necessarily believe every printed and spoken word from the agenda-driven news media. Regardless of the validity or accuracy of this story however, this is the kind of bad publicity that will stop uBer from attaining its goal of world domination. I foresee fewer riders signing up and more riders deleting the app in the near future. Also, get ready for some serious regulatory blowback. For the record, if Mr. Done is found guilty in a court of law by a jury... well than I hope he gets his up at Walpole.


DAMN IT - I can't read any of your posts. Cause everytime I see your avatar of Sean Connery, I start reading it in his voice. You tag line should be "One, One ping only please!"


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## jsixis (Dec 14, 2014)

PartTimeUberBoston said:


> A Boston man who works as a driver for the Uber rideshare service now faces charges after he allegedly beat, strangled and sexually assaulted a young Cambridge woman he picked up earlier this month.
> 
> _Editor's note: An earlier version of this story referred to Done as an Uber employee. The company classifies its drivers as independent contractors._


millions of rides provided every hour and 1 guy is a degenerate. Pretty good odds.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

DriverJ said:


> Uber already said the above. You want them to quit hiring criminals too?
> 
> They say the same thing everytime someone is raped. Seems like they'd be out of thoughts and prayers by now.


See, they have canned responses for everything,


jsixis said:


> millions of rides provided every hour and 1 guy is a degenerate. Pretty good odds.


According to Boston Globe there were 3 separate sexual assaults that night. By ride share companies. Two of which were uber drivers. Third not yet known which company.


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

jsixis said:


> millions of rides provided every hour and 1 guy is a degenerate. Pretty good odds.


Not for the women being raped.


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## Jackie murphy (Dec 10, 2014)

I hate uber but the sad thing is this is bad for everyone if this is true give guy day in court just cause cops say he did it may be consensual lots of girls come on too me there drinking taking Drugs E the big one I'm old enough to be there grandfather in some instances they don't care silver haired fox I keep it above board all the time anyone can record at all times plenty of times wanted to tell people off figure if they complain I'll deny say they drunk but recording you can't anyway let's give guy benefit of doubt


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## CityGirl (Nov 29, 2014)

PartTimeUberBoston said:


> A company spokesperson confirmed Done was an Uber driver but that he was not on call when he allegedly picked up the victim.


How did he manage to pick her up, I'd like to know? Just coincidence? Curbside hail? If she'd used the app, she would have had license plate and picture. It's so random he actually WAS an Uber driver, because anyone could pull this off--just print out the logo and go around waiting to get hailed. Riders have to use the safeguards put in place for them, for sure! And if he passed a criminal background check, how could Uber (or any employer) have known what he would do? Any man is a potential rapist, no? Just like any gun is a potential murderer, right? All our background checks mean is that we have not been caught and convicted...yet.


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## suewho (Sep 27, 2014)

Jackie murphy said:


> I hate uber but the sad thing is this is bad for everyone if this is true give guy day in court just cause cops say he did it may be consensual lots of girls come on too me there drinking taking Drugs E the big one I'm old enough to be there grandfather in some instances they don't care silver haired fox I keep it above board all the time anyone can record at all times plenty of times wanted to tell people off figure if they complain I'll deny say they drunk but recording you can't anyway let's give guy benefit of doubt


could you go mad perhaps throw in a fullstop your posts are very hard to read make no sense?


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## Lou W (Oct 26, 2014)

I thought the safe ride fee would protect against rape.


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## grUBBER (Sep 11, 2014)

http://touch.metro.us/local/yellow-...20-years-for-2011-rape/tmWnel---31NaQU8SCtjQ/


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## suewho (Sep 27, 2014)

Lou W said:


> I thought the safe ride fee would protect against rape.


dont be so naive.


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## u-Boater (Oct 27, 2014)

DjTim said:


> DAMN IT - I can't read any of your posts. Cause everytime I see your avatar of Sean Connery, I start reading it in his voice. You tag line should be "One, One ping only please!"


My favorite Connery quote: "You wanna get Capone? Here's how you get him. He pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue! _That's_ the _Chicago_ way, and _that's_ how you get Capone!"
You're move Travis, the Boston Globe just pulled a gun. Man uBer's getting hammered by the press (pun intended)


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## UL Driver SF (Aug 29, 2014)

grUBBER said:


> http://touch.metro.us/local/yellow-...20-years-for-2011-rape/tmWnel---31NaQU8SCtjQ/


I've posted that before in other threads on here along with many, many more. It's rampant with the cab industry.

That being said....there is a reason riders get the information they do. If the information doesn't match don't get in the car. That simple. It won't prevent every issue but it will prevent ones like this.

My car was in the shop for a few days. I was given a loaner car similar to my car. Did I go out and drive? Nope. Many people do this but I don't. Some drivers will even loan out their accounts to people not registered with uber and not driving a vehicle registered with uber. What astounds me is....people...women more to the point....still get in those cars.

I tell people all the time.....verify the car and driver every time. No exceptions.

Uber showed my vehicle as a convertible when I first started. Uber doesn't take 2 door convertibles. Same make vehicle though. When people would ask I would explain it to them. I would also offer to cancel the ride at no cost to them and wait while another vehicle showed up for them. No one ever took me up on it.

Problem is....you never know when someone is gonna go off the reservation.


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