A late-night ride home from a Portland club allegedly turned into a riverfront nightmare near Austin Point, ending with a Portland man in custody and two women telling deputies they had been kidnapped.
Jacob Meyer, 33, was arrested early Friday after the women said he abducted them and sexually assaulted one of them following the ride. The pair told deputies they had accepted a lift after leaving a Portland club and later managed to flag down a passerby near Austin Point, a stretch of riverfront south of Woodland, Washington. Authorities took Meyer into custody soon after and booked him into the county jail.
According to KPTV, Cowlitz County deputies were called just before 6 a.m. about a reported kidnapping in the Austin Point area. Investigators said the women told them a friend had suggested they ride with Meyer instead of ordering an Uber. Meyer initially headed toward their Portland home, they said, but then changed course and drove to Austin Point, arriving there at around 4 a.m.
What deputies say
The sheriff’s office said the two women eventually stopped a passerby and asked for help, then told investigators Meyer had threatened them with a knife, demanded sexual favors and sexually assaulted one of them. Working with Woodland police, deputies found Meyer nearby and arrested him.
Authorities said Meyer was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on two counts of second-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape, indecent liberties and two counts of felony harassment. Prosecutors will review the case to determine formal charges.
How this fits a troubling pattern
Investigators and safety advocates say incidents in which offenders pose as drivers or offer rides after a night out are part of a wider pattern, not one-off horror stories. In California, a San Francisco jury recently convicted a man who pretended to be a ride-hailing driver to sexually assault women, as reported by NBC Bay Area. In another case closer to home, Portland prosecutors last winter secured guilty pleas in a case involving online lures and multiple victims, detailed in a report on a rape and kidnapping spree.
Safety tips for late-night rides
Safety experts say a few quick checks before you get into any car can make a big difference. Confirm the license plate, make and model match what your app shows, verify the driver’s name and photo, share your trip details with someone you trust and consider sitting in the back seat. The University of Michigan's Health Lab highlights those steps and other precautions for riders.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. To share information about this case, contact the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office at its listed number. Michigan Medicine and the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office provide additional guidance and resources.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact investigators through the sheriff’s office.
