MIAMI – Two women leaving a nightclub in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood thought they were getting into an Uber, but, according to police, one of them was about to get robbed and the other was about to get sexually assaulted by the man they assumed was a real rideshare driver.
But he wasn’t, authorities say. Instead, they say he was a 39-year-old northwest Miami-Dade man who had been released from bond on a strong-armed robbery charge less than two weeks prior.
In court Thursday, Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer said cops accused Yadir Alejandro Gongora of pretending to be an Uber driver — and then taking advantage of the two victims after driving them to South Beach, near the hotel they were staying at during their visit to South Florida.
According to an arrest report from the Miami Beach Police Department, the pair got into Gongora’s black SUV on Sept. 30 after leaving the club at around 3 a.m., thinking it was their Uber.
With one of the women asleep in the back seat, Gongora pulled over somewhere in Miami Beach, went around to the back of the SUV, opened the door and took her purse, quickly handing it off to someone else who fled the area in another vehicle, police said.
According to police, the woman’s purse had her credit cards, ID, iPhone and Ecuadorian passport.
Gongora then “re-entered the SUV and began to sexually batter her by penetrating her with his fingers and possibly his penis,” police wrote, saying the woman “pleaded with (him) to stop on multiple occasions to no avail.”
“(Gongora) attempted to pull (the victim) into the third-row seats of the SUV, however, victim (she) braced herself and held onto her seat to keep from getting pulled,” police wrote. “(He) eventually stopped after he was unable to pull her into the third row of the SUV...then got back into the driver’s seat and drove to the victims’ hotel.”
After getting to the hotel, located in the 800 block of Collins Avenue, police said Gongora “physically removed” the pair from the back seat.
The sexual battery victim tried to dial 911 to delay Gongora from leaving as she tried to get the stolen items back, police wrote.
Gongora “appeared to realize that (she) was attempting to call for help and quickly returned to the driver’s seat,” the report states. Police said he then fled south on Collins Avenue “with the right rear passenger door still completely ajar.”
Police said surveillance video and information from law enforcement databases helped them track down Gongora. They said the victim’s stolen cellphone pinged to a location near his home on Northwest 97th Street in the West Little River area of Miami-Dade County.
Authorities stopped Gongora Wednesday and arrested him on a warrant for driving on a suspended license and questioned him about the alleged robbery and sexual assault.
“He denied the allegations made by the victims and advised that the only time he stopped prior to the arrival at the hotel was to allow one of the victims to vomit,” the report states. “Additionally, he advised that prior to the victims exiting the SUV, he got into a verbal altercation with them over the location of one of their purses which they accused him of taking.”
Authorities arrested Gongora on charges of sexual battery and strong-armed robbery. The Cuban national was given a $30,000 bond, but was ordered to remain held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on the previous charge of strong-armed robbery.
According to court records, the previous strong-armed robbery case dates back to Sept. 19, when he was arrested by Miami-Dade police.
In that case, he was later released from TGK on a $5,000 bond.
Miami Beach Police Sgt. Shantell Mitchell had a message for anyone who feels they are getting into a fake Uber:
“If anything just doesn’t seem right, use your intuition and if there is an emergency, always dial 911.”
Gongora appeared in Miami-Dade bond court Friday morning, where a judge held him on a $30,000 bond.
He was also ordered to stay away from the alleged victims.
Uber shared these safety tips following the incident:
•Every time you take a trip with Uber, make sure you’re getting into the right car with the right driver by matching the license plate, car make and model, and driver photo with what’s provided in your app.
•Uber trips can only be requested through the app, so never get in a car where the vehicle or driver identity doesn’t match what’s displayed in your app.
•Have the driver confirm your name. you can also ask the driver to confirm your name before you get in the car