‘Every girl’s worst nightmare’: Woman says fake rideshare driver sexually assaulted her

PHOENIX (KPHO/Gray News) - A man in Arizona reportedly sexually assaulted a woman after picking her up at a club while posing as a rideshare driver.

According to court documents released Friday, the unidentified woman ordered an Uber outside of the Cake nightclub in Scottsdale in the early morning hours on Feb. 25.

The man in question, 35-year-old Jose Quintanilla, allegedly walked up to the woman and said he was her Uber driver.

The woman said she showed Quintanilla her Tempe address on her phone to confirm that’s where he was taking her because, in the past, sometimes her destination wouldn’t be correct.

She admitted to being drunk but said she remembers putting her phone in a cup holder with her GPS on.

However, during the ride, she looked at the cup holder and didn’t see her phone. She thought it may have dropped between the seat and console area and would get it when she got home.

According to court documents, that wasn’t the case, as Quintanilla allegedly took her phone and turned it off.

The woman told police that she noticed the driver was going in the wrong direction, and she tried to look for landmarks in the area.

Quintanilla then reportedly drove through some apartment complexes before parking and jumping over the center console to grope and kiss her.

The woman told police that she pretended like she needed to throw up, so he let her out of the car, but he somehow got her back into the car and drove to a different area.

The passenger said the man then forced her to perform oral sex on him before she was eventually let go in a Phoenix-area neighborhood.

The woman said she called for another rideshare, and a real Uber driver picked her up and drove her home.

Police said the woman contacted them and provided descriptive details that helped them identify the man as Quintanilla.

According to police, Uber told them Quintanilla’s account wasn’t activated because it was never completed.

During a police interview, the woman said that she was “taken on a 90-minute ride from hell,” where she was scared for her life and thought she was going to die.

Quintanilla was arrested on Thursday and didn’t tell officers anything other than he was starting a new job on April 18.

KPHO said Quintanilla’s wife told them that he had not been a rideshare driver in six years.

According to authorities, Quintanilla was booked into jail on one count of kidnapping and one count of sexual assault, with a cash-only $200,000 bond.

Malia May, a woman who was in Scottsdale on Friday for a bachelorette party, said the situation is “every girl’s worst nightmare.”

“I travel alone a lot for my work, and that’s something that crosses my mind every single time that I’m traveling is something horrible like that happening,” May said. “Whenever an Uber arrives, I always open the door and say, ‘Who is the Uber for?’ and if they don’t say my name, I make them say it first, so I know for sure who the Uber is.”

May said she was thinking about the victim.

“I just hope for healing and peace in her life because I can’t even imagine how traumatizing that was,” May said.

According to court documents, Quintanilla has been arrested before, but the recommended charges were redacted in the report. Police said he is also in previous reported incidents of pretending to be a rideshare driver.

Regarding rideshare safety tips, Uber urges riders to make sure they match the license plate, car make and model, and driver’s photo with the information provided in the app. It’s also a good idea to have the driver confirm your name before getting in the vehicle. Also, Uber recommends sharing your trip details with a family member or friend.

Police said the incident remains under investigation.

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