A woman in Utah experienced every mother's worst nightmare after her daughter was nearly kidnapped by a Lyft driver in broad daylight.
Karina Ramirez's 15-year-old daughter was making her way to an appointment in the ride-share car on Saturday afternoon when the driver suddenly canceled the ride and headed in the opposite direction.
Ramirez told ABC4 that her daughter called her in the car as the driver's behavior concerned her.
'She calls me, and she’s like, "Mom, did you cancel the Lyft?" And I’m like, "No,"' Ramirez said.
'She was like, "The driver said you cancelled the Lyft and there’s an issue."'
Ramirez said she then checked her daughter's location.
He noticed the car was driving in the opposite direction to her daughter's appointment, which was supposed to be only 20 minutes away.
'I was shaking, and I was like, "Where’s my baby? Where is she?",' Ramirez said.
Karina Ramirez's 15-year-old daughter, seen running for her life, was nearly kidnapped by a rogue Lyft driver on Saturday afternoon
Ramirez believes that the ride service app should be doing more to keep riders, particularly teens, safe and said she 'wouldn't trust them again'
The driver had canceled the ride and told her daughter it was due to internet problems.
He allegedly told the young girl that he would still take her to her intended destination.
'She said, "Mom, he's not responding or stopping the car,"' Ramirez said.
Ramirez told her daughter to try and get out of the car and that she would order her a new ride.
However despite being asked in English and Spanish to pull over, the driver refused.
Fearing for her life, Ramirez's brave daughter then incredibly jumped and ran from the car.
Home security footage showed the teen sprinting away.
'He kidnapped my child. She tried to get out, and he didn't stop the car,' Ramirez said.
She believes that that Lyft isn't doing enough to keep riders safe, arguing that Lyft's 'Teen' features including time tracing, notifications and PIN verifications mean to keep children safe aren't working.
'I feel like they don't do the actual safety measures they're supposed to,' she said.
Ramirez noticed the car was driving in the opposite direction to her daughter's appointment
A Lyft spokesperson told ABC4 that the driver was removed from the platform and that having an unaccompanied minor in the ride violated company policy. The company said they would be assisting law enforcement in the investigation.
The West Jordan Police Department urged riders to be 'mindful.'
'Use a public place of pick up and drop off, and follow along the rideshare with GPS, and share location with families and make them aware to follow along and keep them safe,' a police spokesperson told the outlet.
Ramirez said she would never use Lyft again.
'I wouldn't trust them again. I was like, "Oh Lyft is pretty safe," but now, I'm like no, not my kids,' she said.
No charges have yet been filed against the driver and his name has not been released.