A Los Angeles mother got the shock of her life after ordering a self-driving taxi for her daughter — only for a stranger to be found hiding in the vehicle’s trunk. The disturbing moment was captured and uploaded to TikTok by the woman, known as @luckythurman, where millions of viewers weighed in on the unexpected discovery.
According to the New York Post, the autonomous Waymo vehicle arrived in their neighborhood, but before her daughter could get inside, the mother heard movement coming from the trunk. When she opened it, she found a disoriented man lying inside, confused and unable to explain how he got there.
“They Put Me In Here”
In the video, the woman repeatedly asks the man how he ended up in the trunk. “The vehicle wouldn’t let me out,” he insisted, looking dazed. When she pressed him further, he responded, “They put me in here.”“Who put you in there?” the woman asked.
“The… the people,” he said, trailing off. A second TikTok video shows police removing the man from the vehicle while the woman speaks to a Waymo representative.
While the incident left viewers stunned, a Waymo representative apologized to the mother during the call and informed her she would receive a credit for a new ride. In a statement to the outlet, the company said they are “committed to keeping our riders safe and earning the trust of the communities where we operate.”
Social media users also expressed their concerns and believe that stricter measures should be taken when it comes to the self-driving vehicles. “We are in complete control of our waymo rides and whos in them,” one user wrote. “Some people have been picking up random people they know in the cars bc you have access to pick up and drop off. Always check, and ride as if you own the ride”
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles currently operate in major cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City, where the company continues to expand its fleet of self-driving taxis.