LEOMINSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - An Uber driver is facing rape charges after police say he sexually assaulted one of his passengers after bringing her to her Leominster home Friday.
Josue Henriquez allegedly picked up two roommates in Burlington after a Christmas party and was invited in for a drink after he dropped them off at their Leominster home, police said.
The women later called the police and one of them said Henriquez sexually assaulted her, according to Leominster Lt. Richard Kinney.
Kinney said the other roommate stopped the attack by beating up Henriquez and throwing him out of the home.
“She ended up punching him several times, he was bleeding,” Kinney said.
But Henriquez left his wallet and keys behind and broke into the house through a storm window to retrieve them, Kinney said. Officers found Henriquez trying to leave with his car stuck in a snowbank, and arrested him despite his efforts to resist.
“He fought the officers. He had to be Tazed a couple of times,” Kinney said. “At the station, he was also threatening people — he’s gonna get everyone’s family and them.”
Kinney said all rideshare passengers should keep in mind that their drivers are still strangers.
“Even if they seem like a nice guy, they may not be,” Kinney said.
Henriquez is being held in jail and will be back in court Thursday.
Uber says it is investigating and has banned Henriquez from the app.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)