- February 12, 2025
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What was originally reported by the Ormond Beach Police Department as a potential scam, turned out to be just a miscommunication between two Uber drivers with the same first name.
OBPD received a report that a person claiming to be an Uber driver approached a group of several women who were waiting for a ride outside The Grind.
Though the driver gave the same name as the Uber they were waiting for (Ron), one of the women checked her Uber app and noticed that his vehicle information didn't match. Almost immediately after, the driver shown on her Uber app pulled up, and they got in his car instead. The incident happened around midnight Sept. 9 but wasn't reported until Sept. 11.
Detectives found a confirmed Uber driver named Ron, who drives a car that matched the description provided by the women. He told police that he received a ride request at The Grind at the date and time in question.
When he arrived, he saw several women who appeared to be waiting for a ride. He asked them if they requested Uber. One of them replied, "Yes, are you, Ron?” He said that he was.
At that point another vehicle arrived, possibly a Kia Soul, with its driver also asking people nearby if they called Uber. The women got into the Kia and drove off.
Ron then drove around the block a few times to see if anyone else may have called him. He eventually left the area with no fare.
He provided detectives with a screen shot from his Uber account that showed he had a cancelled ride for that time and location, consistent with his account of the incident. The detectives have provided Uber with this information to clarify the situation.
Although OBPD originally reported the incident as suspicious and possibly a scam, no crime was committed.
