Man Nabbed for Raping Woman After Posing as Rideshare Driver at US Airport

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Florida man Fernando Avila Hernandez, 28, has been arrested on two charges of sexual battery for allegedly posing as a rideshare driver and raping a woman he picked up, NBC News reports.

Hernandez is currently being held at the Broward County Jail on one count of touch or strike battery, and two counts of sexual battery on a victim 18 years or older.

The 28-year-old woman, who had traveled from Colombia, got into his car outside of the airport with the intention of getting a ride to a hotel. At one point, Hernandez asked her to get in the passenger seat in the front, claiming he needed help with directions to the hotel in Miramar. “She stated she did not think anything of it because since Uber is not officially allowed in Colombia, Uber drivers sit their passengers in the front so as to not alert authorities,” reads the affidavit.

When the two reached the hotel, Hernandez allegedly offered $500 in exchange for sex, but she declined. After that, he said the ride would cost $300, which she said she did not have. At this point, according to the affidavit, he drove past the hotel and parked behind a nearby restaurant and sexually assaulted her. The woman was then taken to the hotel and reported the assault to hotel staff, who informed the police.

Thanks to surveillance video from outside the airport, detectives deduced Hernandez’s identity because he had been previously arrested for a different incident. The victim, who has not been named, also identified him in a police lineup. He allegedly was already on a list of individuals who had been known to pose as Uber or taxi drivers at Miami International.