Police said investigators used Uber records and license plate reader data to build the case.
PITTSBURGH, PA — A 33-year-old Uber driver is accused of following a college student into her Oakland apartment and raping her after driving her home from a party on March 21, Pittsburgh police said.
Mustafa Al Ghurairi, of Pittsburgh’s Lower Lawrenceville neighborhood, is being held without bail on charges that include rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault. The case drew public attention this week after court papers described how police tied the driver to the area using Uber records and city license plate reader data.
The woman had been drinking at what court documents described as a St. Patrick’s Day party in Oakland before friends called an Uber to take her home, police said. After the ride ended near Pitt’s campus, investigators said Al Ghurairi followed her into her apartment. The woman later told police that her memory was unclear at first, then she began to remember the driver entering her home and assaulting her. Uber said in a statement that it was “sickened by the appalling details of this report” and said the driver was banned from the platform after the company was made aware of the allegation.
The woman reported the alleged assault March 22 while she was receiving care at a local hospital, authorities said. Court documents said she told investigators that the driver tried to text her the next day, and that she blocked the number and did not respond. Police said they later identified Al Ghurairi as the driver connected to the ride. Investigators also reviewed Uber data that placed him near the woman’s apartment for about two hours after the drop-off, until he received another ride request from the same area. Officials have not publicly released the woman’s name, age, school or the exact address where the alleged assault happened.
Oakland is one of Pittsburgh’s busiest college neighborhoods, with student housing, hospitals, restaurants and late-night rideshare traffic packed into a small area. The neighborhood includes the University of Pittsburgh and nearby campuses, but authorities have not said whether the woman attended Pitt or another school. Police described her as a college student and said the ride was arranged by friends who were trying to get her home after she became intoxicated. The criminal complaint, as described in public reports, focuses on the ride, the driver’s alleged movements after the drop-off and the woman’s hospital report the next day.
Police said the case took shape over several months as detectives requested records from Uber and checked the city’s license plate reader system. Those records helped investigators track the suspect’s car and compare its movements with information from the rideshare platform, authorities said. Al Ghurairi was later taken into custody and denied bail. Online court records cited in local reports did not list an attorney for him as of Thursday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 8, when prosecutors are expected to present enough evidence for a judge to decide whether the case should move forward.
Uber said it has been in contact with police and will continue helping law enforcement with the investigation. “The driver was banned from the Uber platform as soon as we were made aware, and we have been in touch with the police,” the company said. Pittsburgh police have not announced whether they are seeking more witnesses or reviewing other rides involving the same driver. The charges remain allegations, and Al Ghurairi has not been convicted. Court filings are expected to provide more detail as the case moves through Allegheny County’s criminal court system.
Al Ghurairi remained jailed without bail Thursday. The next public step in the case is the preliminary hearing set for June 8.
Author note: Last updated May 28, 2026.