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Uber driver dropped couple off at San Francisco airport then tried to burgle their Airbnb, police say

The driver was allegedly seen entering a house near his passengers' pick-up location on home security footage.

Lily Puckett
New York
Thursday 11 April 2019 18:13 BST
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Uber has banned a driver from using its app after he refused to pick up two Jewish passengers
Uber has banned a driver from using its app after he refused to pick up two Jewish passengers (AFP/Getty Images)

Police arrested an Uber driver who Northern California who allegedly burgled a home in his passengers’ neighbourhood.

After dropping off two people at San Francisco International Airport, police say Jackie Gordon Wilson returned to their Airbnb and attempted to enter it.

“He came back to that exact house and tried to burglarise it," Officer Michael Haobsh of the San Mateo police to ABC San Francisco station KGO.

According to the police, Wilson moved to a different street after the Airbnb's security alarm went off. A few blocks away, he entered a home shared by Scott and Chana, who declined to share their last names.

Inside, Scott says the driver had “torn apart the whole house, tossed everything,” and opened his safe.

The two have shared surveillance footage captured on the home security app Ring of the alleged break-in with the police, which Chana says resulted in the loss of important valuables.

"There are heirlooms that belong to my grandmother, that go back all the way to the Holocaust,” Chana told KGO. “For him that was just something to pawn off. To me that was the memory of my grandmother.”

Wilson was identified by his passengers from the Airbnb, who were contacted by the home’s owner “within an hour.” Chana also told KGO that Wilson’s social media accounts show a history of criminal activity.

"He had openly posted that in 2017, he had been out of jail for six months for robbery,” she said. Both Scott and Chana told KGO that they now feel the Uber drivers should be screened with more scrutiny. It’s a growing sentiment among users of ride shares, where incidents of assault are high.

In a statement to ABC News, Uber says they immediately removed Wilson’s access to the app upon being notified of the investigation, and are willing to cooperate with the police.

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