Lyft Driver Admits To Sexually Abusing Passenger In Hudson Valley

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — A Lyft driver has admitted to driving a woman from Manhattan to a secluded area in Westchester County and forcing himself on her.

Bronx resident Ahmed Alzakaria entered a guilty plea to felony attempted sexual abuse. The 51-year-old faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison, Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced on Friday.

On January 6, 2019, at approximately 11 p.m., Alzakaria was working as a Lyft driver when he picked up a woman in Manhattan and offered to show her the sights of New York City during the ride. The woman, who was a foreign student, agreed and moved to the front seat. Alzakaria drove out of Manhattan to a secluded parking lot in the southern region of Westchester County. Despite the woman expressing her discomfort, he parked the car, placed his hand on her thigh and forced his tongue in her mouth.

The woman struggled to get the defendant to stop and asked him repeatedly to drive her home, prosecutors said. Alzakaria instead tried to engage her in a sexually explicit conversation and also tried to convince the victim to lay down in the back seat. When she refused, Alzakaria drove the passenger back to Manhattan, but continued to harass her during the drive.

Once the ride was over, Alzakaria reportedly demanded the woman not report what happened.

The Westchester County Department of Public Safety arrested Alzakaria on December 3, 2019, after an investigation.

Alzakaria is scheduled to be sentenced on February 9.