Lyft driver arrested after Phoenix woman kidnapped

PHOENIX (AZFamily)—A Phoenix woman is anonymously sharing her terrifying experience with others after she was reportedly kidnapped by a Lyft driver on Wednesday.

Her driver, Judge Levon, was arrested on Wednesday. He is accused of kidnapping a woman after she dozed off in the back seat during a 45-minute drive.

“That day it seemed normal at first and it just turned left,” she said.

The mom of two says she’s been riding Lyft to get around for weeks after her car recently broke down. She said she was finishing a 10-hour shift when she asked for a ride from a nearby store. 48th Street and Broadway Road.

After the driver picked her up, he asked about her plans for the day. The woman told him: “We are going to pick up my children from kindergarten. Two disabled children are waiting for me there.”

Somewhere during the trip she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she was nearby. 35th Avenue and Bell Roadmiles from her landing site.

“And then I said, ‘Hey sir, you missed my stop. I dozed off. It’s good that I woke up,” and he was just talking to himself: “Allah, Allah, am I okay?”

After he didn’t stop or let her out, she quickly dialed 911. The woman told the dispatcher about Levon’s situation.

“I was afraid for my life. I told the dispatcher I didn’t know what was going to happen. I don’t know what his intentions are,” the woman said.

It took police about 20 minutes to reach the woman.

“My phone was dying and he died. And I was there with him when he was dead. So I just took out the cutter and told her, “I’m not going out like this.” I’m going to fight. Because this can’t be happening to me right now. If I don’t get my boys, they won’t have anyone left,” she said.

Levon finally released her in a muddy field in the West Valley. He told police he thought the victim was “a voice in his head” and admitted he has been diagnosed with schizoaffective and bipolar disorder.

Since all of this happened, the victim said she did not return to work.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, you know? Because I’m still working,” she said. “I’m doing everything I can to keep my job, take my kids where they need to go and save up for a car, but it’s hard. It’s very difficult.”

Levon is out of jail on bail and is due back in court later this month.

A Lyft representative shared the following statement:

“Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and this incident is deeply troubling. We have permanently removed the driver from the Lyft platform, have contacted the driver to offer support, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation.”

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report this.

Do you have photos or videos of the latest news? Send this is for us here with a brief description.