A 19-year-old Florida woman said she was almost kidnapped Wednesday night by her Uber driver as she was heading home from a night out with friends.
The alleged victim, Brooke Adkins, said she jumped out of a car window when she realized her Uber driver, Destiny Green, 30, was not driving to her destination.
“I went into survival mode so quick,” Adkins told WFLA, a Tampa NBC affiliate. “I was far. Like, I got 25 to 30 minutes away. I’m like, ‘Where are you taking me?’”
Adkins said she began to panic when Green was stopped by Florida State University police in Tallahassee, Florida, and insisted Adkins place her hand on the car’s center console. Police said Adkins was intoxicated.
It was after the traffic stop that Adkins asked to be dropped off and claimed the driver repeatedly refused, saying she was going to take Adkins to the hospital.
Fearful, the college student decided to Facetime a friend to tell her what was happening and dialed 911. According to the police affidavit, Adkins could be heard screaming, “Help me!" on the other end of the 911 call.
The young woman made her escape at an intersection by jumping out of one of the car’s rear windows.
Tallahassee police later arrived, meeting Adkins at a local Walgreens.
Adkins immediately posted a photo of her injuries, a cut on one of her feet and scrapes on her hands with blood soaking her pants, on Twitter. She tweeted, “PSA: Tonight I realized that being kidnapped from an Uber driver is 100% real. I’m so thankful that I got out okay, but jumping out a moving car window and running for help has to be the scariest thing I’ve ever gone thru. I want girls to realize this happens & to be safe, always.”
But Green told police a different story of what happened that night.
Green said Adkins changed her destination mid-ride, and she was simply driving Adkins to the hospital as she requested, according to the affidavit. Green also told police she does not remember the young woman ever asking to be let out.
Green was arrested Wednesday for investigation of felony kidnapping and false imprisonment, according to Leon County Court records. The records indicate Green was denied bond and remained in custody after entering a conditional plea of not guilty.
Green's mother, Iris Grice, told NBC News that she visited her daughter in early September after noticing she had been acting "abnormal" and had become "obsessed" with driving for Uber.
This prompted her to call the police and ask that her daughter be evaluated for mental health issues, she said. Green was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was 23 years old but had been doing "fine" for the past couple of years, Grice said.
Green had just started driving for Uber less than three months ago, according to her Facebook page, where she described herself as the “most sweetest, caring and loving person you will ever meet.”
While Grice said that statement remains true, she said she also feels bad for the alleged victim.
“She’s (Green) a sweet girl," Grice said. "For someone to think that she would be cold and calculated… try to kidnap them and stuff. It’s ridiculous. At the same time, my heart goes out to that young lady. I feel really sorry for her. I really, truly, regret that she would have to go through that stuff.”
Uber officials have since released a statement, calling Adkins' record of the events “troubling” and that they are “ready to support a police investigation.”