"Another reason to catch a taxi cab": Internet slams Uber over Southern California woman's claim that driver stole her belongings

Uber is facing a lot of backlash after Julie Alexandria Miller, a South California woman, revealed on Instagram that her Uber driver stole her bag that contained important belongings like her passport, house keys, and phone, among other things. The incident occurred on Thursday, January 25. Julie is recovering in the hospital from having an infected catheter removed from her chest.

Uber, on the other hand, contacted the driver, who denied possession of the items, and shut down her trackable phone. Social media users felt sorry for the woman, condemned Uber for refusing to take the necessary action regarding the incident, and vehemently requested that the transportation company and the Los Angeles Police Department help Julie.

Netizens condemned the transportation company (Image via X/@TizzyEnt)

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Netizens request Uber to do the right thing and track down the bag thief

In an Instagram video released on Tuesday, January 31, West Hollywood's Julie Alexandria Miller revealed that she was suffering from Mersa and was recovering in the hospital after a chest infection. The week before, her Uber driver had stolen her purse with all her belongings in it, including her phone, passport, cash, and house keys, among other things.

Although her iPhone location popped up at a Los Angeles residence, she still did not manage to track down her belongings. She told NBC 4 in an interview that the catheter in her chest had to be removed after getting infected. The incident occurred on Thursday morning, January 25, at 10:15, when her car dealership ordered a ride to pick her up from her West Hollywood condo.

Once her 4.99-rated driver arrived, she put her big Gucci bag on the back of the ride and asked the driver to wait as her dog, who was also coming with her, had squiggled out the harness. Her driver, who simply said "No problem," immediately took off once she went to get her pup.

Netizens condemned both the driver, named "John" on his Uber profile and the transportation service for their lack of accountability. People tagged the company in their tweets to elicit a response to the issue. Users also commented about how the company was "getting worse." Here are a few reactions from TizzyEnt's X report on Julie's story.

Within an hour of taking off, the thief had managed to take $1,000 from her bank account. Although Julie filed a complaint with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the LA address to which she tracked down the driver using her iPhone was under the jurisdiction of the LAPD. She said:

"I called LAPD, staked out the joint like I was one of Charlie's Angels, and knocked on doors with my collie stick just in case. Showed the neighbors pictures, went down every driveway looking for his car."

Julie shared the profile of the driver (Image via Instagram/@daisylane90069)

Julie later revealed in an ABC 7 interview that once she successfully reached out to the ride-sharing company, they informed the driver, who denied having her belongings. She told the outlet:

"Once Uber contacted him about asking if he had my things, they told him that I've been tracking him; he turned it off. He figured out a way to turn it off so now I have no way of finding him."

Julie told the outlet that she felt "violated." She further said:

"I feel unheard, I feel frustrated. I feel maddened. I feel angry."

Julie estimated that $6,000 worth of her belongings were taken from her. Uber, on the other hand, states that the drivers were independent contractors and that neither the company nor the drivers were responsible for items left in the car after the ride. They had earlier released a statement in which they said that they were continuing to look into Julie's report.