Woman Awoke To Lyft Driver Sexually Assaulting Her In Union, Docs Say

UNION TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Lyft driver sexually assaulted a passenger who called him for a ride from a New York City club to a Union Township apartment complex early Saturday, officials said.

Police charged 39-year-old Yiduo Ding of Queens, N.Y. with second-degree sexual assault earlier this week. According to documents filed with his arrest, Ding picked up the 26-year-old woman in his vehicle and then assaulted her at the destination after she either fell asleep or passed out from drinking alcohol.

The victim called 911 at around 5:39 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9. from the Vermella Complex, a luxury apartment complex on Morris Avenue.

According to police documents, the woman said she had scheduled a Lyft to pick her up from the club, after a night of drinking with friends. When a car arrived, she checked the name and vehicle information to make sure it was the right driver. She had been planning to meet a friend at the Vermella Complex, she told police.

On the way back to New Jersey, the victim said she either fell asleep or passed out in the driver's Tesla. When she woke up, her dress was pushed up "all the way to her neck," her underwear were pushed aside, and the driver was touching her genitals, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed with Ding's arrest.

She yelled at the driver to get off of her, got out of the car, and ran to hide in the bushes until he left, also calling 911.

The victim showed her Lyft app to responding officers, who were able to get information about Ding and the Tesla he picked her up in, records show. Police were able to confirm Ding had been in the area from surveillance footage at the Wawa on Route 22 in Union, according to the affidavit.

Ding was arrested and is being held in New York City pending extradition to New Jersey, per an NJ.com report.

In a statement, a Lyft spokesperson said the platform banned Ding's account.

"Safety is fundamental to Lyft," the company said in a statement. "The behavior described is reprehensible and has no place in the Lyft community or anywhere in society. We have permanently banned the driver's account, have reached out to the rider to offer our support, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation."