A Cuban living in Miami pretended to be a Lyft driver and made off with a passenger's iPhone and over $8,000 in cash. The incident took place in the early hours of November 2 in the Wynwood neighborhood.
According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, the victim was waiting near Northwest 23rd Street and First Court at around 3:30 am after requesting a Lyft ride, which was ultimately canceled. After a 20-minute wait, a Ford Explorer driven by Jorge Milan Romero pulled up. Claiming to be a Lyft driver, he offered the man a ride home. The victim agreed, noticing the car displayed a Lyft sign.
Milan Romero convinced the passenger that his phone wasn't working and asked to borrow the victim's iPhone for GPS navigation. The passenger complied. Upon reaching the destination, the victim exited the vehicle, only for Milan Romero to speed away, taking the iPhone with him.
The victim attempted to contact Milan Romero using family members' phones, but received no response. Later, the victim discovered unauthorized transfers of $8,100 from his bank and Zelle accounts. Additionally, a credit card was fraudulently opened through Cash App in his name.
Investigation and Arrest
After the crime was reported, police launched an investigation and arrested Milan Romero at his Overtown apartment days later. During questioning, he admitted to offering rides to people outside the Lyft platform but claimed he did not recall the specific passenger. He also stated that if someone leaves a phone in his car, he either throws it out the window or charges the owner for its return.
Milan Romero, 35, now faces charges including third-degree grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification, and 23 counts of organized fraud. His bail was set at $7,500.