Surveillance video captured the 15-year-old running to safety after her mother says the driver canceled the trip and would not stop.
WEST JORDAN, UT — A 15-year-old girl ran from a Lyft ride and escaped to safety after her mother says the driver canceled the trip mid-ride, claimed the cancellation came from the family, and then drove in the wrong direction while the teen pleaded to be taken to her destination.
The incident, described by the girl’s mother in a television interview, has renewed attention on ride-hailing safety for minors and how families track trips in real time. Lyft said it removed the driver from the platform and is prepared to cooperate with law enforcement. Police in West Jordan have not publicly released details about an arrest or charges as of Friday.
Karina Ramirez said she ordered the ride on Sat., Feb. 7, to take her daughter, Katelyn, to an appointment. Minutes after the ride began, Ramirez said her phone rang with her daughter on the line, confused and frightened. The teen asked whether her mother had canceled the trip. Ramirez said she had not. According to Ramirez, her daughter told her the driver said the ride had been canceled by her mother, then suggested he could still take her to the destination anyway. Ramirez said she was watching her daughter’s location through a phone-sharing service and saw the car moving away from the intended route. She said the teen’s voice changed as the minutes passed. Ramirez recalled hearing her daughter say the driver was not listening and was not stopping the car. Ramirez said she told her daughter to get out as soon as she could and run.
Surveillance video later captured the teen sprinting away from the vehicle and toward safety, Ramirez said. The video shows the girl running hard, arms pumping, as if she is trying to put distance between herself and the car as quickly as possible. Ramirez said the teen made it out physically unharmed, but the family has described the experience as traumatic. Ramirez said her daughter did not know the driver and did not understand why the ride ended inside the app while she was still in the car. Lyft trips typically show riders the route, driver information and status updates inside the app, but Ramirez said the driver’s mid-trip cancellation left her daughter unsure of what was happening and who had control of the ride.
Lyft, in a statement provided to the family’s interview and repeated in coverage of the case, said the incident described was “reprehensible” and does not belong on its platform. The company said it removed the driver from Lyft and is ready to assist law enforcement. Lyft also pointed to its teen rider features, including tools that allow a parent or guardian to request rides, monitor trip progress, and maintain visibility into where the car is and who is driving. The company did not identify the driver publicly, and it did not describe whether the driver is facing criminal allegations beyond the family’s account. Lyft’s statement focused on condemning the reported behavior and describing its safety expectations for drivers.
The family’s account centers on a brief chain of events that began with a routine trip request and turned into a panic once the ride appeared to end unexpectedly. Ramirez said the driver canceled the trip and then continued driving, leaving her daughter uncertain whether the trip was still being tracked through the app. In ride-share services, drivers may cancel or end rides for a range of reasons, including rider behavior, safety concerns, a mistake in pickup or destination, or technical problems. But Ramirez said her daughter believed the driver used the cancellation to confuse her, then pressured her to accept a ride outside the normal in-app trip flow. In that situation, the rider may not have the same prompts and protections that appear during an active trip, including clear route guidance and emergency options visible on the screen.
West Jordan is a fast-growing suburb southwest of Salt Lake City, with major roads that can quickly carry a car across city lines. The family has not released a precise address for where the teen exited the vehicle, and officials have not described the location publicly. Ramirez said she was able to direct her daughter by phone as she watched the phone’s location move away from the destination. The episode ended quickly once the teen got out and ran, Ramirez said, but the uncertainty in the moment was what frightened her most. She described hearing her daughter’s voice turn from confusion to alarm as the car continued in the wrong direction. Ramirez said she wants the case taken seriously and wants answers about why the driver canceled the ride, why he kept driving, and whether the driver misled her daughter about the mother’s role in ending the trip.
It was not immediately clear what investigative steps police have taken or what evidence has been collected beyond the family’s description and the surveillance video. In cases involving alleged attempted abductions, investigators typically seek digital records from the ride-share company, including trip data, timestamps, route history and communications inside the app, as well as any camera footage from nearby businesses or homes. They may also interview the driver, the rider, and anyone who witnessed the teen leaving the vehicle. Lyft has said it will assist law enforcement, and companies can provide records in response to legal requests. Local agencies also have procedures for receiving and documenting reports, including follow-up interviews and records requests that can be used in a criminal investigation if charges are filed.
For now, the family is left in a holding pattern as officials decide whether the allegations meet the threshold for criminal charges and whether a suspect can be identified publicly. Ramirez said she is grateful her daughter trusted her instincts and took action when she had a chance. She described Katelyn as a typical teenager who was suddenly forced to make adult decisions in seconds. In the interview, Ramirez said she views her daughter as brave for getting out and running when she realized the situation was not right. The family has not said whether the teen will use ride-share services again, but Ramirez said she continues to replay the call in her mind and feels relieved that the outcome was not worse.
The case also lands at a time when ride-share companies and regulators face continuing questions about how best to protect riders, especially minors. Platforms have added features over the years such as in-app emergency assistance, location sharing, and account types designed for younger riders. Those tools, however, depend on a trip remaining active inside the app and on riders recognizing when something has changed. Ramirez said the driver’s cancellation mid-ride created confusion that made it harder for her daughter to understand what was happening and what the driver intended. The family’s account has spread widely online, and the surveillance video has been shared as an example of a rider escaping a situation that felt dangerous.
As of Friday, Lyft said the driver involved has been removed from the platform, and the family said a report was made to local authorities. Police have not announced an arrest or filed charges publicly. Ramirez said she hopes investigators review the available records and video quickly, and she wants clarity on what happened during the minutes her daughter was in the car and why the trip ended before she reached her destination.
Author note: Last updated February 13, 2026.