Police arrested a 56-year-old man who offered a ride home and is now accused of kidnapping and battery.
ORLANDO, Fla. — A woman who accepted a ride home from a bar said the driver refused to let her out, hit her in the head and kept driving until she jumped from the car and ran to safety late Sunday near South Kirkman Road and International Drive, according to police and arrest records.
Authorities said the case matters now because investigators believe the encounter began as a seemingly routine ride offer at a bar and escalated into a violent crime on one of Orlando’s busiest corridors. Orlando police arrested Miguel Cardona Jr., 56, after the woman reported the attack and identified him. He remained in the Orange County Jail as detectives reviewed surveillance, interviewed staff from the bar, and documented the woman’s injuries described in reports as a black eye and swelling to her temple.
Police said the woman had finished her shift and was waiting for an Uber when a regular customer offered to drive her for $30. She agreed and got into his vehicle, which then headed in the opposite direction from her home. The woman told officers the driver bought beer at a gas station and talked about going out elsewhere instead of taking her home. At one stop, she unlatched her seat belt to try to get out. The driver grabbed her, accelerated and struck her several times in the head, the report states. When the car stopped again at a light near South Kirkman Road and International Drive, she opened the door, ran off and made it back to co-workers. “He said they were going to a hotel,” the arrest report says, describing one exchange.
Investigators identified the driver as Cardona, a frequent customer at the woman’s workplace, and located him after the report was filed. Police said he admitted agreeing to a paid ride but denied assaulting or kidnapping the woman, claiming she attacked him first. Officers documented the woman’s injuries and noted her account was consistent across interviews. In addition to kidnapping and battery counts, officers said they recovered multiple small baggies of suspected cocaine during a search tied to the arrest and added a narcotics charge. Cardona was booked into the Orange County Jail after processing and has not entered a plea. The woman declined medical transport the night of the incident but later provided photographs of injuries, according to police paperwork. What led to the initial dispute inside the car remains under review.
The incident unfolded late Sunday along a dense stretch of west Orlando known for heavy traffic, hotels and nightlife near the Universal area. Police said the woman had gone to a sports bar on International Drive after work to wait out surge pricing on ride-hailing apps. Cardona, known to staff over the years, overheard her mention the cost and offered the $30 ride, according to investigators. The roads involved — including South Kirkman Road — carry steady traffic at night, and the woman told officers she timed her escape for a red light. She then walked back to the bar and left with friends. The car involved is being processed, and police are seeking additional video from nearby businesses that could show the stops and traffic-light locations described in the report.
Records reviewed by police show Cardona had patronized the bar routinely, which made him easy to identify after the woman returned and reported what happened. Staff provided names and contact numbers to detectives, who scheduled follow-up interviews and canvassed the gas station stop mentioned in the paperwork. The report notes the sequence of turns that took the pair away from the woman’s home and toward other nightlife. Investigators did not immediately list a specific hotel in their narrative and said the reason the driver “missed” an exit — a detail the woman emphasized — is unknown. Officers said they recovered more than 10 small bags containing a white powder consistent with cocaine during the arrest; laboratory testing is pending.
Police emphasized the legal process is only beginning. Cardona faces kidnapping and battery charges, along with a possession-with-intent narcotics count tied to the baggies recovered during the arrest, according to booking information. Prosecutors are reviewing the case file and will decide how to proceed. An initial appearance in Orange County court was expected midweek, with a follow-up status hearing to be set on the felony docket. Detectives plan to obtain and review any available surveillance from the bar, a nearby gas station and intersections on South Kirkman Road and International Drive. The arrest report cites the woman’s visible injuries and her contemporaneous statements to officers as key evidence at this early stage.
On International Drive this week, workers and tourists moved past the same corners described in the police narrative. Bartenders at nearby businesses said they had heard about the case and compared notes about closing routines. A rideshare driver idling at a hotel driveway said the area stays busy into the early morning. In a brief update, an Orlando Police Department spokesperson said investigators are still collecting footage and interviews and called it “an active case.” Co-workers described the woman as shaken but back with friends the night she returned to the bar after escaping. She has not been publicly identified by police, who generally withhold the names of victims in such cases.
As of Friday morning, Cardona remained in jail while detectives finalized their supplemental reports and awaited test results on the seized substance. Police expect to release a basic incident summary once prosecutors file formal charges and court dates are posted. Investigators also plan to file requests for business-camera footage from the corridor and to log any additional witness tips that arrive over the weekend. The next formal milestone is the state attorney’s charging decision and a scheduled first court hearing listed on the Orange County docket.
Author note: Last updated November 21, 2025.