A woman took Lyft to see a loved one in Ohio. Instead, she was taken 60 miles into KY

Bri Ledsome was looking to meet up with a loved one Wednesday night. Instead, her Lyft driver took her 60 miles the opposite way into Kentucky.

Ledsome said she was picked up by the driver in a van in downtown Cincinnati and her destination was northeast of the city. She said it was a longer drive, but that she even spoke to the driver ahead of time to make sure it wasn't a problem.

When the driver entered Kentucky, she felt like something wasn't right and told him he was going the wrong way. She said he just laughed and kept going.

Ledsome also said she saw he had two devices with GPS on them. One was set to where she wanted to go, while the other was set to a location seven hours away.

"I think, like most women, I immediately wanted to believe I was wrong," Ledsome told The Enquirer via direct message on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I was looking for any reason why I could perhaps be wrong about the situation, how there was an innocent explanation. Once I saw the second GPS, I knew I couldn’t wait."

She also spotted two knives and pepper spray in the vehicle.

She shared her location with friends, called 911 and used the panic button in the Lyft app, which connected her via text message to ADT, a security provider. It was the ADT representative who told her police were on the way. But cell service along the AA Highway was spotty.

"I knew I needed to stay strong for a while because I wasn’t going to succeed at this quickly without service and with 20% battery left," she said. "Once I heard cops had been dispatched, the adrenaline faded and it was just fear."

Maysville police intervene

Now 60 miles from home, Ledsome watched as an officer with the Maysville Police Department pulled the van over. The officer was looking for the van because of Ledsome's calls for help, according to police documents, but the driver was also speeding.

Maysville police documents show that the driver told police he was headed somewhere in Ohio and was just following his GPS. He showed the officers a GPS device that showed the same destination Ledsome was trying to get to, a report states.

"When asked if he was taking a longer route to the destination for more money, (he) began to act like he did not understand what I was saying," the officer wrote. "It appears that during the interview he was attempting another route to possibly make more money to which he denied during the investigation."

The Enquirer is not naming the driver because, as of Friday, no charges have been filed against him.

Ledsome said the officers took her to a police cruiser to let her charge her phone. She said she was trembling and terrified by the end of the ordeal.

Eventually, the officers took her to a gas station to wait for a friend to pick her up.

The driver was released. Police said he was "talked to about the situation, then sent on his way back to Cincinnati." Ledsome said Friday that the police have not contacted her. She said she was in communication with Lyft.

Lyft's response

Lyft told The Enquirer Friday that the driver's account has been temporarily suspended.

“Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and we never want anyone in our community to feel unsafe," a statement from a spokesperson said. "We reached out to offer our support to the rider, stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation."

Ledsome said she is still processing what happened and still doesn't know the true intent of the driver.

"Best-case scenario, he was confused and had no ill intent," she said. "Worst case? This was a trafficking situation. This was a nefarious attempt."

Ledsome takes to social media to tell her story, spread awareness

In an X thread that had about 2.6 million views as of Friday evening, Ledsome recounted what happened to her before Lyft and the Maysville police released statements. Many people expressed that they fear the same thing happening to them while using rideshares.

Others doubted parts of her story or flatly told her she was making it up.

"It’s heartbreaking. But predictable. We have a habit of not believing survivors when they share their experiences," Ledsome said. "But I didn’t decide to put this out there for retweets - I did it because if you don’t know how to confront situations like these - that will happen - this violent epidemic continues to rage."

Ledsome, who works for Women Helping Women, said situations like this can happen to anyone, but there are organizations that provide education and help.

Helping Survivors has a guide on rideshare safety and recommends verifying that the driver matches the one listed in the app and contacting police immediately if you fear you are in danger.

“If something feels off, it probably is," Ledsome said. "Trust yourself. Stay vigilant. It could save your life.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'It was just fear': Lyft driver takes woman 60 miles the wrong way