AMHERST — An 18-year-old Holyoke man who allegedly claimed to be an Uber driver stands accused of indecent assault and battery in connection with an incident Saturday.
Samuel Texidor was arraigned on the charge Tuesday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown and held without the right to bail, according to University of Massachusetts Police.
UMass Police began investigating the case Sunday. They say that Saturday at approximately 3:30 a.m., Texidor approached a female UMass student off campus and identified himself as an Uber driver. Uber is the private taxi service in which drivers use their personal vehicles and riders hire drivers through smartphone app.
“Texidor then offered the victim a free ride from Townhouse Apartments to North Apartments, located on campus,” UMass Police said in a statement. “During this drive the victim was indecently assaulted by the suspect outside of North Apartments. The victim demanded that Texidor stop the vehicle, which he did and she was able to exit at that time.”
UMass Police continue to investigate because there are indications Texidor may have approached others to offer free rides, “bypassing the Uber registration process,” the department said.
“This was a matter where the driver was not assigned to her (the student) but ended up giving her a ride,” Edward F. Blaguszewski, a UMass spokesman said. “This is an active investigation.”
Police also believe that Texidor possibly may not have received requests for service through the Uber app from other people in other instances, according to Blaguszewski.
According to police, Texidor was driving a 2014 Black Dodge Charger with Massachusetts registration plates 5SV875 at the time of the other alleged incidents.
UMass Police encourage anyone with information about similar incidents to contact them at 545-2121, an anonymous tip line at 413-577-TIPS (8477) or by using the UMass Police Department’s anonymous witness form at www.umass.edu/umpd/anonymous-witness-form.
In a crime alert posted Saturday on its website, the department provided personal safety tips regarding the Uber service, including verifying Uber credentials against the confirmation one receives from the service before entering an Uber vehicle.
The department says customers should send requests via the smartphone app to engage the Uber service.
UMass Police also advised against walking alone at night and to use the UMass Walking Escort Service or PVTA campus shuttle.
Dan Crowley can be contacted at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.