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Authorities in California charged a 29-year-old man with "malicious destruction' for allegedly starting a deadly fire that erupted into the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history and destroyed much of the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood, officials announced Wednesday. Federal law enforcement officials accused 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of lighting a fire on New Year’s Day that was initially extinguished by fire crews, but continued to smolder underground before reigniting during high winds, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference. Rinderknecht was arrested Tuesday in Florida, where he moved after the fire, and is due to appear in...

Authorities have arrested a 29-year-old Uber driver in connection to the investigation into the deadly January Palisades Fire. Jonathan Rinderknecht, of Melbourne, Florida, was arrested Tuesday near his home on suspicion of destruction of property by means of fire. If convicted as charged, Rinderknecht faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison. "He is charged with starting a fire on Jan. 1," Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. "It did take a week to reignite, but he is charged with starting the Palisades Fire." The criminal complaint covers the damages and death...

Responsibility for the attack? Sayfullo Saipov, the 29-year-old Uzbekistan-born ISIS operative who killed eight people after driving a truck down a crowded bicycle path in New York City, worshipped at a mosque around the corner from his and his family’s Paterson, New Jersey residence, Masjid Omar bin al-Khattab. The mosque has been associated with a website that advocates committing violence against others. Because of this fact, the mosque itself should be considered a party to Saipov’s horrific crime. On October 31st, Halloween, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, an Uber driver with known residences in Tampa, Florida and Paterson, New Jersey, drove a...

The sister of truck-driving terrorist Sayfullo Saipov says her brother was “brainwashed” and should be spared death. Umida Saipova said her Uber driver brother had a normal phone conversation with their mother the day before the attack — telling her that he was eating her favorite pastry while driving to the airport to pick up a client. “He was in a good mood. It was a usual, good conversation,” Saipova told Radio Free Europe from her home in Uzbekistan. “We don’t know who has brainwashed him.” Saipova admitted that the family grew concerned when they noticed that Sayfullo Saipov, 29,...

Investigators descended overnight on the New Jersey neighborhood of the terrorist who went on a rampage in a rental truck along a riverfront bike path near the World Trade Center, killing eight people and injuring 11 others. Cops surrounded a block in Paterson, the hometown of Sayfullo Saipov, 29, an Uzbek immigrant who was shot by a cop when he jumped out of the truck brandishing fake but realistic-looking pistols and shouting “Allahu Akbar!” Authorities in Passaic County also cordoned off an area that includes a mosque, some storefronts and several other residences, as well as a parking lot at...

As I write this, a few facts are starting to trickle out about Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, the man who committed the terrorist attack in Manhattan using a rented Home Depot truck on October 31, killing eight and injuring nearly a dozen more innocent people. (See, for instance, here and here.) First, we are told that he is Uzbek, having arrived in the United States from Uzbekistan "legally" in 2010. Second, some outlets have suggested that he may be married with two children, but I haven't seen any multiple verifications of that. Third, he appears to have been a Uber driver...

A Russian Uber driver working illegally in the US was caught on camera head-butting a South Carolina CEO as he held his service dog, leaving the knocked-out rider with a brain injury, according to the victim and a new lawsuit. Charleston-based CEO Bryan Kobel, 45, canceled a ride home from a French restaurant, Maison, in April because the driver refused to take his service dog, Kobel told The Post on Thursday. Disturbing surveillance footage shows the driver — identified as Vadim Uliumdzhiev, 42 — suddenly marching over and knocking out Kobel as he holds his 17-pound golden doodle in the...

A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to life in prison without parole for executing an Uber driver who was seen begging for her life in a disturbing dashcam video. Calvin Crew, 25, fatally shot 38-year-old Christina Spicuzza in 2022 after she picked him up while driving for Uber.

Disturbing security footage shows the moment a Uber driver was murdered as the gunmen appeared to have been targeting his passenger outside a Philadelphia hookah lounge. Olatunji W. Bolaji, 77, was seen picking up a 22-year-old passenger in his black Chevy Suburban in downtown Philadelphia outside the Byblos Hookah Bar on Wednesday at around 2 a.m. — moments before the deadly shooting, according to video obtained by NBC10. The unidentified fare hugged a woman outside Bolaji’s car as two men jumped out of a Jeep Grand Cherokee with Massachusetts plates, police said. The woman is seen fleeing for safety when...

On March 1, 2025, Hobart Police were dispatched to the Comfort Inn regarding a disturbance. Upon arrival, the officer observed a male and what appeared to be a female arguing in the hotel lobby. The male began yelling that he was scammed, while the female advised she did not scam him. According to court documents, the female subject is a biological male transitioning to a female, and was identified as Tyler Lockhart. Lockhart stated that he met the other male online, and that the male reached out to him to meet up. Lockhart advised the male then bought him an...

The app is also available in New York City Protector is now available on the iOS and Mac App Store, offering rideshare services like we know with Uber and Lyft, but with a twist. Your ride comes with a personal “protector” in the form of former military and law enforcement professionals that are, of course, armed with guns. To describe the new app in simple terms, one mobile app advisor, Nikita Bier, took to X on Wednesday. When booking, you can select the amount of “protectors” you want inside your ride. You can choose their dress code between four options:...

US President-elect Donald Trump has invited world leaders to his inauguration breaking with traditional US foreign policy where it is not customary for world leaders to attend the US President’s formal ascension ceremony to the Oval Office. Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping who is not attending but is likely to send a highly placed envoy which could either be Han Zheng, vice president and foreign minister Wang Yi. It is yet to be confirmed who shall attend. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be representing the Indian government. The Trump-Vance inaugural committee, which is organizing the swearing-in ceremony for...

The long-time husband of The View co-host Sunny Hostin is starting the New Year under a cloud after being accused of federal insurance fraud. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Hostin is among nearly 200 defendants named in one of the largest RICO cases ever filed in New York. He and many of the others are accused or getting kickbacks by performing surgery and fraudulently billing a company that insures taxi companies and Uber and Lyft drivers. ‘Hostin knowingly provided fraudulent medical and other healthcare services including arthroscopic surgeries,’ the lawsuit, filed on December 17, claims. The insurance firm American Transit...

Three days ago, word of an alleged whistleblower from ABC News emerged following the Trump-Harris debate who claimed, among other things, that Harris was given questions in advanced. While unverified – and should therefore be taken with a grain of salt for now, the whistleblower also claims there are three topics that were off-limits. President Biden’s health. Kamala’s tenure as Attorney General and District Attorney “her brother-in-law, Tony West, who faces allegations of embezzling billions of dollars in taxpayer funds and who may be involved in her administration if elections.” To that end, Edward R. Szall via Died Suddenly News...

The Uber passenger charged with a hate crime for pepper spraying a Muslim driver in Manhattan is a former sorority girl who was fired from her PR job over the shocking incident. Manhattan College graduate Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, had just started a promising career at a New York public relations firm when she was caught on dashcam springing forward to spray her rideshare driver in July, horrifying the pal who was with her. However, her employer, D Pagan Communications in Melville, fired her over the shocking incident. Agency president Debra Pagan confirmed to PR Weekly that Guilbeault had left the...

The California Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Proposition 22, the voter initiative that allows Uber, Lyft and other gig economy companies to classify drivers for their ride-hailing and delivery services as independent contractors rather than as employees. In a unanimous decision released Thursday morning, the state’s top court rejected claims brought by a group of drivers and unions that the law is unconstitutional because it interferes with lawmakers’ authority over matters dealing with worker compensation. The ruling, which was expected following a lopsided hearing in the case in May, marks the end of a years-long legal fight over Proposition 22,...

Uber’s meteoric rise since its founding in 2009 — built on the simple question “What if you could request a ride simply by tapping your phone?” — made it a poster child for the industrial “disruption” that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs sought to unleash on the world.But, despite its impact, Uber lost money for years.Launching in new cities wasn’t cheap: drivers had to be enticed, marketing campaigns had to be executed, new servers had to be spun up, and expensive lawyers had to interpret local rules and regs — whatever their advice, Uber’s strategy seemed to be “launch first, answer questions...

BOSTON -- Drivers for Uber and Lyft will earn a minimum pay standard of $32.50 per hour under a settlement announced Thursday by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, in a deal that also includes a suite of benefits and protections. The two companies will also be required to pay a combined $175 million to the state to resolve allegations that the companies violated Massachusetts wage and hour laws, a substantial majority of which will be distributed to current and former drivers. ... The companies were pushing a ballot question that would classify drivers as independent contractors eligible for some benefits,...

Valerie takes Lyft rides between two and six times a week for work — but she only sometimes leaves a tip. Some ride-hailing drivers have been unprofessional, she told Business Insider. Others haven't greeted her or picked her up far from where she requested. Even when a driver provides decent service, she said the increasing fares for her commute have led her to tip less frequently. "The over-charging, high prices, cancellation from drivers, and Lyft making me late for work didn't permit me to leave a tip for some," Valerie said.

Prosecutors in Thurston County filed charges Tuesday against an Uber driver who is accused of driving an intoxicated female passenger to a secluded area and raping her over the weekend. Ahmed Hassan Ali, 58, of Seattle, faces one count of rape in the second degree and one count of kidnapping in the first degree with sexual motivation aggravating circumstance. According to the arrest report, Ali was driving for Uber Saturday morning when he gave a ride to an intoxicated woman who was at a bar in Olympia. Investigators allege Ali marked the woman’s ride as complete in the Uber app...