Police are searching for a man who they say drove a Bethesda woman to her apartment building, followed her into an elevator and broke into her apartment late last month.
In releasing images of the man taken by video cameras, Montgomery County police said the woman believed she was getting into a car she had ordered through a ride-sharing service after she had been out with friends until the early morning of March 30.
The driver picked up the woman in downtown Bethesda and drove her to the apartment in the 6800 block of Wisconsin Avenue where he demanded money, according to police.
When the woman said she had paid for the ride through the ride-sharing app, the man followed her into the building, tried to take her purse while they were in the elevator and then went into her apartment, stole property and fled, according to police.
Detectives said the man did not work for a ride-sharing service and the case has been classified as a home invasion robbery.
The police on Tuesday released the images of the man in efforts to solicit information that could lead to an arrest.
The incident happened the same weekend a University of South Carolina student was killed after she got into a car she thought was her ride-share. The car’s driver was charged with murder and kidnapping and lawmakers in South Carolina and other states are considering laws requiring ride-share companies to have better signs and identification.
Any time residents get into a vehicle with a stranger, whether it be a ride-share, cab or hitchhiking, it’s a potential safety issue, county police spokesman Rick Goodale said in an email.
The ride-share apps give a name of the driver, vehicle description and license plate number to help customers identify their driver, Goodale said, and users should always verify the identity of the person.
