A panic-stricken pregnant mom ran after the Uber driver who took off while her toddler was still inside the car. Gleiciane Gloria, who was returning home from a visit to her parents, felt her world stop as she watched the Uber driver speed off before she could take her 2-year-old son, Theo.
In an exclusive with Daily Mirror, Gloria said that she got out of the car to get the stroller from the trunk first. When she closed the trunk, the car immediately drove off leaving the mother stunned.
Gloria said that she "ran like a maniac" after the car despite her condition. She was in the early phase of her second pregnancy.
As there were no other cars to flag down for help, Gloria said she just kept at it and chased the Uber driver down the road. However, hard as she tried, Gloria could not catch up with the car so she ran back to her house and told her partner that Theo was still in the car.
Theo's Dad to the Rescue
While Gloria tried to calm down, her partner, Stuart, attempted to call the Uber driver on the app. When he finally answered the call, Stuart was relieved to know that this was an honest mistake and not a kidnapping attempt.
"The driver said he was on his way back to us," Stuart said. "If we didn't get hold of him, we would have called the police."
Later, the Uber driver told the parents that he didn't realize the toddler was in the backseat. Theo, on the other hand, was hardly aware of what has happened.
Gloria said that the whole ordeal may have lasted just five minutes but it felt like five hours of torture for her. The mother said that she might get panic attacks if Theo is ever out of her sight but she also realized that, from now on, she needs to take Theo out of the car first and the stroller last.
Another Uber Driver Makes an Honest Mistake
This was also the case for mom Elisabeth Katompa who also ran after the Uber driver who had her seven-month-old baby in the backseat. Katompa said she stepped out of the car and made her way around because she was going to unstrap Olivia from the car seat. However, the driver sped off, oblivious to what happened.
According to Daily Mail, the driver only realized there was a baby when he picked up a few more passengers. One of them asked him why there was a sleeping baby in the car.
Katompa, on the other hand, reported the incident to the police and never attempted to contact the driver on the Uber app since she "could not think straight." The Uber driver immediately drove to the police station where Katompa was finally reunited with her baby.
Per the Evening Standard, no charges were filed against the driver. The company also said that they usually receive calls about passengers leaving behind mobile phones or car keys but never a child.
