Fake Uber Driver Charged With Raping Woman Met Through Dating App – Evanston, IL Patch
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An Evanston man is accused of luring a woman into his car and sexually assaulting her as part of a “fantasy.”
By Jonah Meadows, Patch Staff
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SKOKIE, IL — An Evanston man is accused of raping a woman he met on a dating app last month after luring her into his car by pretending to be a driver for a ride-hailing company, authorities said. Evanston police said the same man repeatedly tried to meet with students from Northwestern and Loyola universities, but they all declined. The 21-year-old Chicago woman he has been charged with sexually assaulting managed to fight her way out of the back seat of his fake Uber and identified the man, who turned himself in Friday to Evanston police, according to prosecutors.
Jason Taylor, 28, of the 1100 block of McDaniel Avenue, was charged with one count of criminal sexual assault with the use or threat of force, a class 1 felony, in connection with a July 30 incident, although he may face additional charges as the investigation continues to develop.
Prosecutors said the Chicago woman “matched” with someone calling themselves “Haley” on the dating app Hinge, one of the dozens of online dating companies owned by the Match Group. Haley made plans with the woman for her to take a train to Evanston and get out at the Main Street stop.
They arranged for her to meet an Uber that Haley said he would call, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Dani Levin. An Uber driver was supposed to pick her up at the station and and take her to Haley’s home in the 500 block of Asbury Avenue — actually the location of Kamen Park.
The woman arrived in Evanston around 10:30 p.m. and called Haley, who did not answer. Instead, he sent a text message saying a gold Honda with a driver named “Mike” would pick the woman up at the station, prosecutors said.
When she saw a gold Honda with an Uber sticker pull up, its driver, who was later identified as Taylor, waved at her, according to the prosecutor. After the woman got into the back seat of the gold Honda, Taylor told the woman that he was not actually an Uber driver, the prosecutor said.
Taylor said he was actually a friend of Haley, according to Levin. Haley, Taylor explained, had a “fantasy” involving walking up to a couple as they have sex and “saving the girl from the guy” before walking off with the girl, the prosecutor said. The woman never agreed to any such “fantasy” and tried to call Haley, who did not pick up the phone, according to the prosecutor.
As they drove toward Asbury Avenue, Taylor told her he wanted to make Haley’s fantasy come true. The woman continued to refuse Taylor’s requests, telling him Haley — who she thought she was going to meet — had never mentioned it.
Taylor pulled over the Honda near a gas station at the corner of Asbury Avenue and Oakton Street, according to police and prosecutors. The woman, unsure if Taylor was armed, tried to open the rear driver’s side door to get out, but it would not open from inside.
Meanwhile, Taylor crawled into the back seat and cornered the woman between the locked door, continuing to talk about “making Haley’s fantasy happen” as he sexually assaulted her, according to Levin. The woman began screaming and tried to push her way out of the car, but Taylor grabbed her to try to hold her inside, causing injuries to her face and neck, the prosecutor said.
The woman fought her way across the back seat to the rear passenger side door to get out of the car and began running away, Levin said. As the woman realized her phone was missing and turned back, she saw Taylor flee the scene. She ran into the nearby gas station, where people called police.
At a bond hearing Monday, Associate Judge Michael Hood ordered Taylor held in lieu of the $10,000 cash portion of his bond and ordered him not to have any contact with the victim or witnesses — whether on social media, the internet or through third parties — to turn over his passport and surrender any firearms or firearm owners card to the clerk’s office.
Police said the investigation remains active and developing and asked anyone with information about the case to contact detectives at 847-866-5040 or by texting a message starting with “EPDTIP” to 274637, followed by the information.
Taylor, who prosecutors said had never been arrested before, could not be reached for comment. He posted the cash and was released ahead of his next court date on Aug. 19 in Skokie.
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