Hilton Head tourists ‘escape harm’ after getting into what they thought was an Uber, police say

Two tourists waiting on their Uber ride early Friday morning outside of Reilley’s Plaza on Hilton Head Island got in the wrong vehicle and an unknown driver took them to a dirt road on the north end of the island, according to a release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies are searching for a man described as having a dark complexion — possibly Hispanic or Indian — and approximately 5-foot-3-inches tall, medium build, with dark hair who drives an SUV that is “black or dark colored with three rows of seats, similar to a Chevrolet Suburban” after the reported incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Friday in an area known as the Barmuda Triangle on the island’s south end.

Although the women, both from New York, were aware the SUV was not the Uber they had been waiting for, they thought they saw an Uber sign in the vehicle’s window and got in, one in front and one in back, according to the release.

When the driver began heading to the north end of the island, the two women weren’t immediately concerned as they were reportedly tired at the time and unsure of the directions to their south-end vacation rental.

But when the driver began to head down a dirt road, the women “knew something was wrong,” the release said.

They asked where he was taking them, and the woman in the front seat told him she was calling 9-1-1, the release said. The driver then grabbed the phone from her hand.

The vehicle came to a stop and both women escaped, according to the release. The driver, however, also got out and approached the women.

One of the women grabbed the man, took the telephone back and immediately called 9-1-1, the release said.

“Realizing the woman had called 9-1-1, the driver got back into the SUV and sped off, leaving both women on the dirt road, which was later identified as Mitchellville Road,” the release said.

Deputies responded and arrived within minutes of the call, but did not locate the SUV or its driver.

Investigators do not know if the man was a “legitimate Uber driver or a driver from a similar transportation company,” according to the release.

“Although the driver’s intention in offering the women a ride is unknown, it is clear that both women were very fortunate to escape harm,” the sheriff’s office release said.

The sheriff’s office is encouraging anyone with information on the driver or his whereabouts to contact Sergeant Seth Reynells at 843-255-3709.

The incident comes two months after University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson was murdered after getting into a car she thought was her Uber in Columbia.

Josephson’s murder has sparked legislative change to make rideshare programs safer both in the South Carolina statehouse and across the nation.

At least two dozen incidents in which women were lured into vehicles with drivers posed as rideshare drivers have happened across the country, The New York Times reports.

In March, a New York woman ended her Uber ride to Okatie abruptly when she noticed the driver was ignoring the GPS, had a video camera aimed at the backseat and asked her questions that made her “uncomfortable,” according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.

Officials encourage rideshare users to follow the safety tips listed on Uber’s website.

An incident report wasn’t immediately available Friday afternoon, according to the sheriff’s office.

This story was originally published June 21, 2019 at 5:19 PM.