Florida mom had a scary Lyft experience with her two kids. Cops explain what happened

A Florida woman had a scary experience during a Lyft pickup in Fort Myers on Monday. But all was not as it seemed.

According to a Facebook post from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, the unnamed woman and her two kids got into the ride sharing vehicle to pick up her car from the shop.

On the way there, she said the driver pulled into a gas station. After the unexpected detour, he turned off the GPS and told her he needed to go to his house and pick up a different credit card.

The woman told him that this made her “suspicious” since she thought he had just filled up, and asked him to stop. When his vehicle slowed during a stop sign, she hopped out with her children and called 911.

The following day, investigators made contact with the Lyft driver and said he was “cooperative,” telling them after his credit card was declined at the station, he needed to find an alternate form of payment.

“However, after getting off the interstate the passenger asked to get out,” said the agency’s incident report. “The driver stopped and put the car in park so that the rear doors would unlock, and all his occupants got out of the vehicle.”

Apparently, his car’s safety features require it to be placed in park to allow back seat passengers to exit and he “wanted to ensure the passengers’ safety by stopping in a safe location.”

Investigators reviewed the drivers’ bank statements, which supported the claim.

“The investigation concluded that the driver did not prevent the passengers from exiting the vehicle at any point and it was determined that no crime had occurred,” concluded the report.

The sheriff’s office encouraged anyone utilizing ride share services to follow such safety tips as making sure the driver knows your name before stepping in.

Fortunately, the woman and her kids were fine, but “trust your gut If at any point something seems ‘off.’”

Also: Verify the car and driver by matching the make, model and license plate of the car to what’s listed in the app, and make sure their personal appearance also matches the driver profile.

After the incident, Lyft suspended the driver but it is unclear if that suspension has been lifted.