Uber Eats delivery worker wanted for attacking jewelry store owner and stealing her order

WCBS

By Derick Waller

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Police are on the lookout for an Uber Eats delivery worker who they say was caught on camera in the Bronx punching one of his customers repeatedly and stealing her order.

Uber says the man has been kicked off the platform. However, so far he has not been arrested.

The victim said she’s now terrified to go to work.

Jazmin Abreu spoke to CBS News New York behind bulletproof glass inside her namesake jewelry store on Monday night, days after she says the man delivering her $89 grocery order knocked her out and stole the order.

“That’s not happening again. No Uber Eats, no nothing,” Abreu said.

Tensions escalated after she asked the man to deliver the order inside the store last Wednesday afternoon and he refused.

“Uber Eats, I always order from them and they just come, put the food here and that’s it,” Abreu said.

Abreu said when she came outside to confront the worker, he punched her.

Still images were taken from her store’s surveillance cameras, showing the moments before the attack. Another image shows the man the NYPD is looking for.

“He punched me like four times, actually. I get into the floor. I don’t remember anything. He punched my sister, too,” Abreu said.

Abreu said her attacker wanted to steal the keys and rob the place.

“He punched my hands and the keys got into the bags. He takes the bags. My sister goes for him. I go to take the keys,” she said.

There is a doorbell at the entrance because the door is locked even during business hours. Clearly, security was already a concern.

It begs the question: what kind of protocols and background checks do these delivery apps have in place to keep violent people off their platforms?

In a statement an Uber spokesperson said, in part, “Violence of any kind is not tolerated on the Uber platform. We have been in touch with the customer, and have removed the driver’s access to the platform. We are supporting law enforcement with their investigation.”

But while the suspect remains free, Abreu said she is afraid for her life.

“He said that he will come back and he will kill me. That’s what he says,” she said.

Abreu said she is scared for her life, but has no choice but to continue to go to work.

“We have to do it, but it’s not … I mean, I’m scared, but we have to work,” she said.

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