Ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft are among the nation's most popular -- and its drivers are being targeted in a robbery pattern, per the NYPD. February 11, 2025.
© Nathan Harris/Times Recorder + © Christopher Sadowski/Special to NorthJersey.com
(New York, NY) – The NYPD is on the hunt for a crew of robbers who are targeting Uber and Lyft drivers. Cops have nicknamed the violent thieves the “Rideshare Reapers,” and they’ve already been linked to 22 robberies over eight weeks time.
Investigators say the crimes have been reported in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. No arrests have been made. One of the victims spoke to NBC4 New York and disclosed he was robbed of his cell phone as well as $500 from one bank account. The thieves also tried to use electronic payment and transfer app Zelle to take more money — upward of $1,500.
Cops say the “Rideshare Reapers” sometimes work alone and sometimes in pairs. Their move involves snatching Uber and Lyft drivers’ cell phones and then using apps to take cash. And NYPD detectives are asking for the public help in finding the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, three men have been found guilty in a separate robbery scheme, one that targeted gay men at gay bars and nightclubs. After jury deliberations began Friday they concluded Monday, and Jayqwan Hamilton, Robert Demaio and Jacob Barroso were convicted of murder, robbery, burglary and other charges, accused in five robberies and two fatal overdoses between March 2021 and July 2022. Prosecutors allege the trio used drugs after targeting drunk victims as they were leaving gay nightclubs, leaving them unconscious before taking their phones and credit cards.
