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Lincoln Lyft Driver Kidnapped, Found In Iowa

By Tom Stanton Nov 7, 2023 | 6:00 AM

Lincoln Police are investigating a bizarre kidnapping case.  Captain Todd Kocian says it began Saturday afternoon when a woman got a strange phone message from her 36-year-old husband, who is a Lyft driver.

“She attempted to contact him but received no answer,” Kocian says.  “Officers conducted a cell phone ‘ping’ which showed his cellphone on Interstate 80 near Waverly.”   Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputies and Nebraska State Patrol troopers were unable to locate his vehicle or phone.

Kocian says around 6:15 Saturday night she received a call from a deputy with the Cass County Sheriff’s Department in Iowa who found her husband on Interstate 80 near the Marne exit. “The victim said the suspect, described as a black male in dark clothing 22-25 years of age, had approached his vehicle in Lincoln, displayed a handgun and told him to drive to Chicago.”

After arriving in Iowa, the suspect ordered the victim to pull over.   He then pulled the gun on the driver of a silver Chevy pickup and continued eastbound on I-80.  Investigators continue working with Cass County Iowa law enforcement to identify the suspect and the other vehicle.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Lincoln Police Department at 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.