'We are all going to die': Sacramento Uber driver accused of kidnapping, threatening riders

A Sacramento-area Uber driver who picked up three female passengers and allegedly threatened them by saying they were "all going to die" while driving erratically has been arrested, according to a press release issued by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday.

The man, 36-year-old Mark Filanov of Rancho Cordova, was charged with kidnapping and is currently being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail on $375,000 bail.

On June 15 of this year, three women — Theadora Fuerstenberg, Angela O'Neil and Katie Vallaire — were leaving a private residence after a book club meeting, and hailed a car using the Uber app to get home. After they got into a charcoal gray Nissan Altima, their driver allegedly began speeding and driving dangerously on the freeway, while making threats against the passengers.

For the first portion of the ride, the women said they didn't believe the erratic driving was intentional. But when the car hit traffic on the freeway, they said the driver began to tail other cars and slam on the brakes. When it got to be too much, they asked the driver to pull off the freeway and let them out, according to the Sacramento Bee.

RELATED: Bay Area mom describes days-long Uber customer service nightmare

Despite their objections, they said he kept speeding and wouldn't exit.

"He said, 'OK, now you're going to tell me the real story or we're all going to die,'" said Fuerstenberg to KCRA. "None of us knew what he was talking about, obviously."

Whenever Fuerstenberg tried to use her phone to call for help, he would swipe at her, so O'Neil carefully grabbed hers out of her purse and called 9-1-1. Fuerstenberg remembered her saying, "We've been abducted, he won't stop, he's speeding."

Mark Filanov of Rancho Cordova. Mark Filanov of Rancho Cordova. Photo: Sacramento County Sheriff's Office Photo: Sacramento County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close 'We are all going to die': Sacramento Uber driver accused of kidnapping, threatening riders 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

When the driver finally pulled off the freeway and stopped at a red light — almost a half hour into their ride — the women jumped out of the car and ran to a gas station where they again called 9-1-1.

RELATED: Uber driver charged with assaulting woman in San Francisco

The women later set out to obtain a restraining order against the man they believe to be the driver the next day, when Fuerstenberg's neighbor described to her a man in a charcoal gray car who had been looking at her house while parked across the street. Fuerstenberg had been on a run at the time.

The women reported the incident to Uber as well, but she says she was only ever contacted by email. When the sheriff's detective got involved, Uber confirmed that the man no longer worked for the company.

The company released a statement to KCRA, writing, "The disturbing behavior the riders reported will not be tolerated. We removed this driver's access to the app shortly after we learned of the incident and stand ready to help with the investigation."

Today, the women said they avoid using Uber.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.



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