Uber driver arrested, accused of fondling 15-year-old passenger in Sunny Isles Beach - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale

Uber Driver Arrested for Allegedly Inappropriately Touching 15-Year-Old Passenger in Miami Beach

A shocking case of alleged abuse has shaken a Miami Beach community after an Uber driver was arrested and charged with lewd conduct towards a minor. Jose Miguel Perez-Molina, 39, is facing serious charges after police say he made unwanted advances on a 15-year-old girl during a ride using the Uber Teens app.

According to investigators, Perez-Molina repeatedly asked the teenager about her love life, complimented her appearance, and questioned her age, which she had reported as 15. He even joked that it was a problem because of their significant age gap. When she firmly told him her age, he allegedly responded with a disturbing comment about taking care of her.

The ride took an even darker turn when Perez-Molina allegedly touched the girl's knee, caressed her face, and made physical contact with a scab on her arm. The teenager claimed that this was all unwanted, and she repeatedly asked him to stop.

In another disturbing moment, Perez-Molina reportedly suggested that they park somewhere so he could "teach her how to kiss." When the girl declined, fearing the situation would escalate, she recorded part of their interaction on her phone. Audio recordings from this incident show Perez-Molina making suggestive comments about kissing and waiting for her despite her age.

The teenager quickly ended the ride and ran to a friend's house in tears, telling them what had happened. Her parents were informed, and police were contacted immediately. The victim later identified Perez-Molina in a photo lineup without hesitation, confirming his identity as the suspect.

A license plate reader also placed Perez-Molina's vehicle at the scene around the time of the incident. He was subsequently arrested and taken into custody, where he is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

This case highlights the importance of strict regulation on ride-sharing services to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. The investigation into this disturbing crime will undoubtedly lead to further changes to protect vulnerable passengers, especially minors.

just saw this news and im shocked like wow a 39 year old man who is still driving for Uber gets caught making these super creepy moves on a 15 year old girl the fact that he was using her age to try and get all up in her business is straight up messed up

i mean i know we need to be careful when we're getting into cars with strangers but like come on dude this is just plain stupid and puts a lot of pressure on young girls to just deal with it because they cant report anyone like what even is the Uber Teens app supposed to do again?

anyway i hope this guy gets maxed out and faces some serious consequences

I think it's way too harsh on Perez-Molina already he's gotta be guilty before we start throwing the book at him, you know? 15-year-old gets on a ride with some random dude and suddenly she's traumatized for life? What if she was just trying to get a good selfie with this guy or something? I mean, she's still just a kid, let her have a little fun . We need to focus on getting more safety features into these apps instead of crucifying the first dude who screws up .

omg u no how scary that is?? like they say 39 yrs old mans r not above the law lol what kinda thoughts does he have?? touching her knee and caressing her face like what? and he asked her about her love life like that's gonna happen with a 15 yr old lol she was so brave recording him. i dont think its just ride sharing apps thats the problem, its society as a whole we gotta teach ppl how to respect ppl from all ages

omg u cant believe dis 39 yr old man @ Uber driver is being held for allegedly gropin a 15 yr old girl like wut r u even thinkin?? she was clearly uncomfortable the whole time n he just kept pushin boundaries lololololol so glad she recorded it bc now he's facin serious charges & ppl r talkin about makin Uber safer 4 teens

OMG, did you see that news? 39% of all Uber drivers have been accused of making lewd comments to female passengers in the past year alone . And now this guy gets a slap on the wrist for allegedly touching down on a 15-year-old girl?! We need to raise the age limit for the Uber Teens app to like, 25 ASAP ‍. I mean, what if she was 19 or something? The stats show us that 1 in 5 minors has experienced some form of sexual harassment online, and ride-sharing apps are a major contributor . We need to hold these companies accountable for creating safe spaces for our youth!

Can't believe what's happening in Miami Beach Uber driver arrested for allegedly touching a 15-year-old passenger is just shocking . I mean, how can you even get away with that kinda behavior? The fact that he was using the Teens app doesn't make it any better, it's like he thought he could get away with it because she was on his "allowed" platform . We need to raise awareness about what our kids are going through and make sure these services have proper safety measures in place . I'm so glad the victim recorded him, that audio recording will definitely help take him down .

omg this is seriously messed up!! how can someone so young be put through that?! i mean i know he's supposed to be driving and all but i guess even with a background check there's always gonna be some sickos out there. its just not right, the girl was 15 for gods sake! she shouldn't have had to go thru that at all. i hope the guy gets max time and has to register as a sex offender, thats the least he deserves .

OMG, like I'm still trying to wrap my head around this ! It's just crazy that someone could do something so heinous and get away with it for as long as they did. The fact that the Uber Teens app was even an option for a 15-year-old is just, like, not okay . And can you believe the driver actually joked about taking care of her because of their age gap? That's just twisted .

I'm so glad the girl recorded part of the interaction and didn't hesitate to report it when she got home . She was so brave, even if it was a super traumatic experience for her. And kudos to her parents for being there for her too .

It's just not right that this driver is free to roam around again until he gets his next trial . We need stricter regulations on these ride-sharing services ASAP!

OMG THIS IS SO SAD!!! I cant even imagine how scared that little girl must have been!!! 39 yrs old man doing these things to a 15 yr old girl is just wrong!!! his actions are completely unacceptable and he needs to be held accountable for what he's done.

i think its time for uber to make their app safer for minors, like maybe only allowing them to ride with drivers who have completed some sort of background check or something. thats the least they can do after this happens.

Ugh, my heart is literally breaking for that poor 15-year-old girl ! But you know what's even more heartbreaking? The fact that this happened in the first place . I mean, come on, Uber needs to seriously step up their safety measures, especially with the Teens app . It's just not worth the risk. But at least there are people like us who care and will amplify her voice . And hey, the fact that she recorded him and didn't hesitate to report him is a huge win ! We need more young voices like hers speaking out against abuse and demanding change . The system is supposed to protect us, especially our kids, so let's keep pushing for stronger regulations and better support for survivors .

omg this just happened last year i cant even imagine how scared that girl must be she was already 15 and he was like 39 which is like a huge age gap even if its not against the law it still shouldnt happen and now hes in jail which is good but also makes me think about all these other cases of abuse thats out there going unnoticed cuz no one talks about it or reports it so i guess this incident might help raise awareness for people to be more careful with who they trust while driving especially if u use ride-sharing apps

This guy's gonna get a life sentence . Can't believe Uber had the app for teens and still didn't check their ID better . I mean, how many times can you do that and not catch this guy? It's just one of those cases where someone's gotta pay for being a predator . The worst part is that poor kid had to go through all that... it's just not right . We need better systems in place to keep our kids safe, like I said before .

oh my gosh, I'm still shook by this Uber driver's alleged actions towards that poor 15-year-old girl! I mean, can you even imagine being in her shoes and feeling so scared and disrespected? It's just heartbreaking to think about what she had to go through.

I think it's super important that the authorities took swift action and arrested Perez-Molina ASAP. I also hope that his case will lead to bigger changes in how ride-sharing services regulate their drivers, especially when it comes to protecting minors. We need to make sure that these young people feel safe when using apps like Uber, and this case has definitely highlighted the importance of that.

I'm sending all my positive vibes to the girl who went through this traumatic experience – I hope she's getting the support and help she needs . And to Perez-Molina, well... I think he's in for a world of trouble! Justice will be served!

Can you believe that? 39-year-old Uber driver thought he could just use his gig as an excuse to be a creep? According to stats, 1 in 5 girls experience physical or verbal harassment while driving for ride-sharing services (Source: US Department of Transportation). The fact that this guy was able to continue his behavior for so long is a huge red flag.

And let's talk about the Uber Teens app - it's not as safe as we think, apparently. 74% of parents believe their teens are more vulnerable online when using ride-sharing services (Source: Pew Research Center). The lack of accountability and oversight in these companies is appalling.

The stats on age gaps and consent are just... . In the US, only 1 out of 5 girls will report a childhood sexual abuse incident to an adult (Source: National Sexual Violence Resource Center). This case is a stark reminder that our current systems need a major overhaul.

Here's a chart comparing ride-sharing services' policies on age verification:

| Company | Age Verification Process |
| --- | --- |
| Uber | No official minimum or maximum age limit for drivers |
| Lyft | 21+ years old, no exceptions |
| Uber Teens App | 14-17 years old, requires parental consent |

We need to hold these companies accountable and make sure they're doing everything in their power to protect vulnerable passengers!

I mean, what's wrong with some people? Like, is it too much to ask for a driver who just wants to get you to your destination without all the creepiness? This Uber driver's behavior is straight outta a horror movie! And on an app designed specifically for teens, no less . It's shocking that he thought he could just waltz in and make unwanted advances on a minor. I'm glad that girl recorded her interactions and spoke out - she deserves justice and support . The law needs to crack down harder on these kind of perpetrators and provide better protection for kids like this poor girl

omg can u believe this Uber driver thought it was ok 2 touch a 15 yr old girl?? he's literally creepy as heck!! i mean what kind of sick person does that?

i remember when I used Uber back in 2017, they had those "Please do not pick up solo female passengers under 25" ads. now look at this guy doing the same thing to a minor... it's just awful!
and can we talk about how ridiculous it is that he made jokes about their age gap?? like, hello, that's NOT funny!!!

i hope he gets maxed out on charges and loses his license 4 good . ride-sharing companies gotta step up their game and make sure this doesn't happen again

OMG, this is totally unacceptable ! I mean, can you believe someone would even think of touching a 15-year-old girl like that? Like, what's wrong with these people?! It's so sick that he thought he could just use the Uber Teens app to target and exploit a minor. That's just horrific .

We need to make sure our ride-sharing services are safe and regulated ASAP ! I'm talking about better background checks, stricter age verification, and more. We can't keep letting people like this get away with preying on vulnerable kids. This case is a total wake-up call for all of us .

And honestly, how could his own passengers not have noticed something was off? Like, didn't they think it was weird that he was being so forward and creepy? It's just not right that this girl had to go through what she went through. We need to do better #JusticeForTheVictim #RideSharingSafetyMatters #ProtectOurYouth

I'm shocked by this whole thing . How did Uber's safety measures fail this girl so badly? I mean, they have these features to help prevent harassment, but apparently, it didn't do squat in this case. And what about the company's response time? Wasn't there a delay between when she reported the incident and when Perez-Molina was arrested? That just feels like more bad PR for Uber .

I'm also wondering how often does something like this happen with ride-sharing services, and are we really surprised that it did? It seems to me like these companies need to be held accountable for not doing enough to prevent incidents like this in the first place. We need to see some real accountability here, not just lip service about "protecting vulnerable passengers" .

Sources, anyone? I want to know more about what Uber's safety protocols are and how they failed this girl . And what about the age range for the Teens app? Was that set too low? These questions need answers .

OMG y'all this is insane! How can someone do that to a 15-year-old?! the fact that he was using the Uber Teens app and still managed to make those advances is just mind-blowing... the scariest part is she recorded it on her phone and had to tell her parents what happened I feel so bad for the girl, she's lucky she got out of there ASAP. These ride-sharing companies need to step up their security measures ASAP