Two American college students jailed in Denmark for allegedly fighting with Uber driver
Owen Ray’s mother fears for her son, as she claims he and his friend are being ‘locked up 23 hours a day’ in a Copenhagen jail
Two U.S. college students are in jail in Denmark after allegedly getting into an altercation with an Uber driver during a spring break vacation.
Owen Ray, a 19 year-old student of Miami University in Ohio, and an unnamed friend were visiting friends in Copenhagen when the incident occurred. Danish police detained the pair at the airport on April 1 as they prepared to leave.
Ray’s mother Sara Buchen-Ray said she only found out what happened hours before she was due to pick him up at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
“Our son was supposed to come home from Copenhagen[...] I woke up to a text message that said, 'Mom, I'm in prison in Copenhagen, call the U.S. Embassy,” she told ABC7 Chicago. Buchen-Ray told reporters her son and his friend are now being held in their cells “23 hours a day”.
U.S.-based attorney Jordan Finfer told ABC News the pair allegedly got into a dispute with the taxi driver the night before they were due to fly home, after one of the men input the wrong destination when requesting the ride. They claim the driver refused to bring them to the correct address Finfer says and then accused them of not paying. Receipts from Ray’s Uber account shown in Danish court reportedly confirm payment.
Finfer alleges that when all three men got out of the car during the dispute, the driver kicked Ray in the groin. Ray retaliated by pushing the driver, causing him to fall over, Finfer further claimed.
“He [Ray] is likely to be detained through the end of the month; he's never been charged,” the lawyer added.
A video showing part of the altercation was shown at a court hearing earlier this month.
“The Uber driver first says he's going to call the police, and you can hear them saying we've done nothing wrong, call the police,” Buchen-Ray said. “They were able to get away. They went back to the hotel. They had flights to leave that next morning... booked way in advance and they were arrested at the gate.”
A five-day court holiday over the Easter break could potentially push back the pair’s next hearing. The Ray Family is represented by Erin Pelton, a crisis management PR who formerly worked for the Biden administration in 2021 as chief of staff for the Domestic Policy Council under Susan Rice.
The U.S. State Department told ABC Sunday: “We are aware of media reports of two U.S. citizens detained in Denmark. Staff at our embassy in Copenhagen are providing consular assistance.
“The Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment.”
Uber told ABC in a statement that “the safety of everyone who uses the Uber app is a top priority, and we take reports of violence very seriously.”
The Independent contacted Danish authorities for comment.