Daily Beast Reporter Ditches Uber Driver After Being Harassed at Rest Stop

Olivia Nuzzi detailed the incident on Twitter.

A journalist was the latest victim of harassment by an Uber driver.
The latest victim of harassment by an Uber driver was a journalist.

Reporters descended on Philadelphia this week to report on the Democratic National Convention and Hillary Clinton, the party’s historic nominee. But for one journalist, the drama didn’t end after she left the Wells Fargo Arena.

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

See all of our newsletters

Olivia Nuzzi, a reporter for The Daily Beast, decided to take an Uber (UBER) from Philadelphia to her home in Washington, D.C. The trip began uneventfully, but at a rest stop in Maryland, the driver began harassing her. Nuzzi detailed the incident on Twitter:

After this blow-by-blow account of her traumatic experience, Nuzzi, who has 49,000 followers on Twitter, turned her attention to the ride sharing company itself:

Uber finally responded to Nuzzi’s complaint, leading to a testy exchange:

https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/759101296347607040

A representative for Uber told the Observer that the driver’s access to the platform had been suspended and the company was looking into the incident.

The Observer has extensively reported on Uber drivers who have groped and harassed passengers who presumably did not have big Twitter followings. Many of these incidents have also turned violent—drivers have been charged with sexual assault, rape and attempted murder.

There’s also been a lot of scrutiny of Uber’s background check policy, such as it is—the company does not require drivers to be fingerprinted, which has led to the hiring of convicted sex offenders.

Nuzzi did not respond to an Observer request for comment.

Daily Beast Reporter Ditches Uber Driver After Being Harassed at Rest Stop