A disturbing video has surfaced online, capturing the moment a passenger attacked her Uber driver with pepper spray in Manhattan. The alarming incident took place on Lexington Avenue and East 65th Street on Tuesday around 11:20 p.m., involving Jennifer Guilbeault and another young woman, according to the New York Post.
Watch The Video:
NYC
Woman randomly maces Uber driver ‘because he’s brown’ pic.twitter.com/GKHBkBvESr
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The footage shows Ms. Guilbeault suddenly and deliberately spraying the driver in the eyes while he was engaged in a phone conversation.As the driver desperately attempted to flee the vehicle, Ms. Guilbeault sprayed him again. Her friend, visibly horrified by the chaos, pleaded with her to stop. “Jen, what the f–k! What did you do?” she yelled after the driver managed to exit the car.
Following the attack, the driver declined medical treatment for eye discomfort, as per authorities. Ms. Guilbeault was taken into custody around 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday and charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. She was issued a desk appearance ticket, requiring her to appear in court at a later date, and was subsequently released.
The motive behind the unprovoked attack remains unclear, with police still investigating the circumstances leading up to the incident.
Uber has permanently banned Ms. Guilbeault from using their services. “The rider’s actions shown in the video are deplorable. Violence is not tolerated, and the rider has been banned from the Uber platform. We will support police in their investigation however we can,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement.
The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) also strongly condemned Ms. Guilbeault’s actions, echoing widespread outrage over the pepper spray attack on an Uber driver. TLC Commissioner David Do stated, “Violence against our city’s drivers, who work tirelessly to provide essential services and earn a living, is utterly unacceptable and deeply disturbing. We urge anyone who witnesses or experiences such behavior to report it immediately to the NYPD.”