Uber driver, passenger escape armed carjackers after stopping for tree branch

By Brandon Truitt

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    LANCASTER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — An Uber driver was about to drop off his last passenger of the night when he pulled up on a tree branch laying across the road in Lancaster, Massachusetts.

Esmelky Acevedo, 33, said he was driving down the tree lined Seven Bridges Road around 1 o’clock Thursday morning. Acevedo said he got out of his car to move the branch when two men suddenly jumped out of the woods and ran for his car. The passenger was still inside.

“I don’t know if they wanted to rob us but what I can see is that they wanted the car so bad,” Acevedo told WBZ-TV. “To be honest it went so fast I just reacted to the situation. I was there but it wasn’t me. I could tell it was God taking control of the situation.”

Man pointed gun at passenger

Lancaster police said one of the two suspects jumped in the driver’s seat, and the other ran to the back of the car to pull the Uber passenger out of the car. Acevedo said that man pointed a gun at the woman and demanded her cellphone and other belongings.

In the meantime, Acevedo said he pulled the suspect out of the driver’s seat. A struggle ensued but Acevedo said he was able to regain control of the car. In bit of quick thinking, Acevedo decided to put the car in drive. An attempt, he said, to distract the suspects so his passenger could run away.

“I kept moving, doing that same process, keep moving, keep moving, so that they could have a good distance between [the passenger] and the two guys,” he said. Acevedo said he then put the car in reverse and accelerated quickly to catch up to the passenger who jumped in the car. The pair called 911.

Police say branch was a setup Lancaster police said the suspects used the branch as a setup. Investigators described the men as, “Hispanic males of smaller stature.” Acevedo said police had possession of his car after he noticed fingerprints on the side of it.

The Uber driver of four years said he’s never had anything like this happen to him and was thankful his instincts kicked it. “I did the best that I can to protect [the passenger] and to face the situation because I don’t want to happen to anyone else.”

Lancaster police said they are continuing to investigate but noted there was no ongoing threat to the public.

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