At one point during the ride, the women say he pulled the car over and told them “you’re not going anywhere” and tried to lock the doors.<doc-sep>A Penn State Beaver professor is accused of holding two women against their will while he was driving for Uber Saturday morning in the Pittsburgh area. That’s according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which reported that Richard Lomotey, 36, of Monaca was driving the women about 1:30 a.m. from Homewood to Penn Hills, according to police. Lomotey is an assistant professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State Beaver, the paper reported, adding that he also is a part-time instructor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Computing and Information. One of the women told police that Lomotey commented on their good looks and said he wanted to “get with them," the Post-Gazette reported. According to the paper, police said Lomotey attempted to lock the women in his car, but they were able to escape uninjured. Police were eventually able to identify Lomotey through his Uber profile and driving records, the paper reported. Online court documents show that Lomotey faces two felony charges of kidnapping, as well as lesser charges of false imprisonment and harassment.<doc-sep>A Penn State Beaver professor faces multiple charges after allegedly kidnapping and harassing two women over the weekend, while serving as their Uber driver, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, citing a police report. Richard Lomotey, an assistant professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State Beaver, was charged with two counts each of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and harassment. While driving two women home in Pittsburgh early Saturday morning, Lomotey allegedly strayed from his Uber route, told the women he was single, complimented their appearances, and said he wanted to “get with them,” according to the police report. After parking the car on the side of the road, Lomotey allegedly locked it and told both women they were “not going anywhere.” Although Lomotey locked the car doors, both passengers were able to escape uninjured by jumping out the backseat, according to the report. They later used Lomotey’s driver and vehicle information from the Uber app to positively identify him to police. Penn State Beaver spokeswoman Kristen Doerschner called the allegations “deeply troubling” and said Lomotey’s campus access has since been revoked, according to the New York Post. The Post also reported his access to Uber has also been revoked since the charges. The Post-Gazette reported that an arrest was made by police Saturday afternoon, but no further details were available.<doc-sep>Uber driver Richard Lomotey was arrested over the weekend and charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, and harassment in Pennsylvania, according to police. Pittsburgh police say the suspect told his two female passengers, "you're not going anywhere," and tried to lock them inside his car, but the women escaped. Lomotey, an assistant professor at Penn State University, has been put on leave and won't be in the classroom, according to a university spokesperson. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. An Uber driver in Pennsylvania has been arrested in connection with a report that he allegedly tried to lock two female passengers inside his vehicle early Saturday morning. Police have arrested 36-year-old Richard Lomotey, an assistant professor at Penn State University. Lomotey has been charged with two counts each of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and harassment, according to court documents. Two women told police that their Uber driver picked them up early Saturday morning but did not follow the app's GPS route to their destination. The driver also commented on their looks, according to the Pittsburgh police report. The driver pulled over and told the female passengers, "you're not going anywhere," the women told police. The Uber driver allegedly tried to lock the backseat doors of his vehicle, but one of the women was able to open the door and jump out. The two women then ran from the car and shouted for help, police say. Police were able to identify Lomotey and the car he drove using the Uber app. In a statement, Uber told Business Insider that Lomotey's access to the Uber app, and his ability to drive for the ride-hailing company, has been revoked. "What's been described is unacceptable," an Uber spokesperson said. "The driver's access to the app has been removed and we stand ready to cooperate with law enforcement to support their investigation." Lomotey has not responded to a request for comment from Business Insider. Court documents show Lomotey has posted bail following his arraignment over the weekend. An online search of Lomotey shows that he's an assistant professor of information science and technology at Penn State University's Beaver campus. Penn State spokesperson Wyatt Dubois told Business Insider that Lomotey has since been put on leave. "These allegations are deeply troubling and while we gather more information, he has been put on leave and will not be in the classroom," Penn State said in a statement. "This is a criminal matter and we cannot comment further." Lomotey is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on May 23, according to court documents.<doc-sep>
A Penn State assistant professor moonlighting as a Uber driver has been accused of two counts of kidnapping, according to a report Saturday. Richard Lomotey, 36, is an assistant professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State Beaver in Monaca, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. He is also a part-time University of Pittsburgh instructor. The accusations against Lomotey stem from a reported kidnapping around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, the paper reported. AOC URGES FOLLOWERS TO BACK UBER-LYFT BOYCOTT DESPITE HER STAFF'S $2G RIDE TAB IN 2019 “Responding officers from Zone 4 found two women who said they had taken an Uber with a male driver,” spokesman Chris Togneri told Fox News without identifying the driver by name. “The driver commented on their looks and did not follow the GPS directions to the requested address.” Togneri said the women told police the driver pulled over at an intersection, put the car in park and said, “You're not going anywhere.” The women said the driver tried to activate the door locks, but one of them was able to open a door and jump out from the backseat, the spokesman said. The other woman also jumped out and they ran from the car while shouting for help. POLICE SEEK MAN ACCUSED OF POSING AS RIDE-SHARE DRIVER, ROBBING MARYLAND WOMAN “Police identified the suspect by his Uber app identification and photo,” Togneri said. He said police searched in the area for the car but did not find it. Togneri said police were obtaining an arrest warrant for kidnapping, harassment and false imprisonment. Emails from Fox News to Lomotey and to a spokesman for Penn State seeking comment were not immediately returned.