10-Sep-18 – A 47-year-old man was robbed and thrown from a car he mistakenly believed was a ride-hailing service in River North early Sunday morning, according to Chicago police. It is at least the eighth similar robbery since late June, pulled off by two young women.

Police say the man was standing on a sidewalk in the 600 block of North Wells Street at around 4 a.m. when two women pulled up in a dark-colored sedan that looked like an Uber vehicle, and offered him a ride.

The man got in and was subsequently robbed of his phone and credit cards, then thrown from the vehicle into the street about five blocks northwest at Chicago & Sedgwick.

After reviewing security cameras in the area, police now believe the car the women used may have a fake taxi light on its roof.

(Above) Approximate locations of six of the robberies involving a fake ride-hail car in River North.

A series of community alerts have been issued by Chicago Police Department in recent weeks, warning about the robberies, all occurring during early morning hours on weekends.

The women are described as black, 20 to 30 years old, five-feet-five to five-feet-nine inches tall, and weighing 120 to 150 pounds. The vehicle is a dark blue or black 2003-to-2006 Jeep Liberty SUV with an Illinois temporary license tag that begins with 225U.