A Lyft driver was arrested for allegedly exposing himself to a teenager - and the victim's family is blaming the company for not doing more
- A Lyft driver was arrested 12 days after he allegedly exposed himself to a teenage rider in the backseat of his car.
- The victim's lawyer and family are blaming the company for not doing more to help.
- A Lyft spokesperson said it proactively reached out to police when it first learned of the incident and has banned the driver.
Lyft declined to help police identify a driver accused of exposing himself to teenage girl, adding two weeks to their search for Narinder Singh, the New York Post first reported Thursday.
An NYPD spokesperson confirmed that the 25-year-old was arrested on October 24 and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, 12 days after the girl, who has not been identified, caught the incident on video. The three-second clip, shot from the back seat, appears to show Singh masturbating in the drivers' seat.
"The reporting of crimes like this should not have so many impediments," the victim's lawyer said in a letter to the TLC, according to the Post. "It should not have taken 12 days to identify and arrest this perpetrator whose identity was being shielded by Lyft. Most importantly, the victim should not be made to feel that the privacy rights of the perpetrator supersede her rights as a crime victim."
A Lyft spokesperson said the company reached out to police after it learned of the incident, letting them know its internal processes for these types of situations. "We won't be able to provide any information without a valid subpoena, court order, or search warrant," the company's site says.
In a statement, the company called the incident "horrific and deeply concerning."
"Safety is Lyft's top priority and the behavior described has absolutely no place on our platform," it said. "Upon learning of the allegations, we permanently banned the driver from our platform, reached out to law enforcement to offer our assistance with their investigation, and have been in touch with the passenger's family to extend our support. We stand ready to assist in law enforcement."
The Taxi and Limousine Commission confirmed Singh's license has been suspended pending the outcome of his case, but declined any further comment.
Singh is scheduled to appear in the Queens Criminal Court on December 6, according to state records. The phone number listed on the court's website for his attorney, Gary Francis Miret, has been disconnected.
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