Lyft driver arrested and accused of sexually assaulting drunk teen

WEST JORDAN — A Lyft driver has been arrested and accused of sexually assaulting a drunk 17-year-old girl he was supposed to be giving a ride to her home.

Jose Efrain Lozano Albornoz, 36, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of more than a dozen crimes, including aggravated kidnapping, two counts of rape, six counts of forcible sexual abuse, two counts of object rape, two counts of indecency and providing alcohol to a minor.

According to police, on April 28, a 17-year-old girl went to a friend’s house to consume alcohol and smoke marijuana. Afterward, her friend ordered a Lyft to take her home.

According to police, Alboronz was her Lyft driver. The girl’s aunt later provided a screenshot of the girl’s Lyft ride details, including a picture of Albornoz as well as a route map showing that the car took 24 minutes to travel 12 miles from the pickup location to the aunt’s house, according to a police booking drive affidavit. However, the aunt “checked the cameras at her home and found no video footage of this vehicle arriving nor was (the teen) dropped off at home.”

Investigators say Alboronz drove the girl to South Jordan, where he forced her to get into the passenger seat. He then groped and inappropriately touched the drunken girl, the affidavit states. Police say Alboronz drove the girl “a significant distance through multiple jurisdictions” and ended up at his apartment in Salt Lake.

Once there, Alboronz provided the girl with more alcohol and sexually assaulted her multiple times, according to the affidavit.

When questioned by police, Alboronz admitted to having many sexual encounters with the 17-year-old, but claimed they were consensual, the arrest report said.

In 2019, a Utah woman joined 13 others who claimed they were sexually assaulted by rideshare company drivers. At the time, Lyft released a statement saying its commitment to safety was “stronger than ever” and that it would dedicate more resources to ensure “drivers and riders have the safest experience possible.”