NYC Truck Attack Suspect Saipov Was An Uber Driver, Company Confirms

Uber confirmed late Tuesday that Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, the suspect in the truck attack on NYC’s West Side highway which left eight people dead and 15 injured. The company said in an official statement that while Saipov had passed its background check, he is now banned from the app.

The company said in an official statement, “We are horrified by this senseless act of violence. Our hearts are with the victims and their families. We have reached out to law enforcement to provide our full assistance."

An Uber official told the New York Times “We have been in contact with the FBI and have offered our assistance. We will remain in close contact with law enforcement and the FBI to assist with their investigation. We are aggressively and quickly reviewing this partner’s history with Uber, and at this time we have not identified any related concerning safety reports.”

Saipov was not in an Uber vehicle at the time of the attack but he was in a rented Home Depot truck. He entered the West Side bike path at Houston Street and rammed into many people on the path, ultimately crashing into a school bus on Chambers Street. He was carrying what later turned out to be a paintball gun and a BB gun.

A federal law enforcement agent told CBS News the authorities found a note referencing Islamic State (ISIS) group in his truck. Saipov is currently in custody at the NYC Health and Hospitals at Bellevue. He is believed to be hailing from Uzbekistan and was driving on a Florida license and had an address in New Jersey.

According to Business Insider, Saipov had worked for Uber for the past six months and had recorded more than 1,400 trips for the ride-hailing service. The fact that he had not set off any red flags during this period, might come under the purview of authorities.

The company’s US community guidelines list a number of reasons for drivers being banned from its platform. Consistently receiving poor ratings, damaging passengers' property, physical contact with riders, inappropriate or abusive language, unwanted contact with a passenger after the ride is complete or breaking local laws while acting as an Uber driver can get a person banned from its platform.

Going by these reports, it seems Saipov passed through the system since the basic requirement for being an Uber driver is holding a U.S. license for a year. Saipov had also earned a green card — a law enforcement official told the New York Times on the condition of anonymity. He had even entered the country legally via the Kennedy International Airport in 2010.

However, according to CNN Tech, there might have been some oversight in this case – according to a report on the website, Saipov had received multiple traffic citations in the past. He was charged in Platte, Missouri with failure to equip his vehicle with a proper braking system. The court had entered his guilty plea as he failed to make an appearance in November 2016.

Uber is yet to provide an explanation on how this record if correct was ignored in Saipov’s case.