An Uber driver working late nights in Northeast Philadelphia found himself covered in shattered glass and his own blood after gunmen fired at least 14 shots into his car seconds after he picked up two passengers in the city’s Holmesburg section. One of those passengers, a 34-year-old man, was shot in the leg. The driver, in what he later described as survival mode, sped roughly two and a half miles to the nearest hospital rather than wait for help to arrive.
The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Torresdale and Shelmire Avenues, according to police cited by 6abc Philadelphia. As the driver pulled away from the pickup, gunfire erupted, and he recalled hearing a passenger cry out, “I’m shot.” He told the station he saw bullet holes in the side of his car and was cut by shattered glass from the passenger window, all while trying to process what was happening and get everyone to safety.
Rather than pull over, the driver relied on GPS navigation to find the nearest hospital, ultimately arriving at Nazareth Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia. According to the Northeast Times, he only realized the extent of the damage once he got there, discovering blood on his own arm along with the shattered glass and bullet holes riddling his vehicle. The wounded passenger was listed in stable condition by police, per the same reporting.
Driver Says He’s Done With Uber After Close Call
The driver, who did not want to be identified, told 6abc he was grateful to be alive but expects to remain shaken up for quite some time. He said he had only recently started working as a new Uber driver, and the shooting has led him to plan on stopping work for the platform altogether. Detectives are still working to determine what led to the shooting and who is responsible, and no arrests had been announced as of the initial reporting…