Man Acting as a Rideshare Driver Was Detained After He Raped Two Women in Miami, Police Said

According to authorities, a man acting as a rideshare driver visited prominent Miami nightclubs, looking for intoxicated women to sexually assault.

Yadir Alejandro Gongora, 39, was detained on Saturday in connection with two distinct crimes. He faces sexual violence and kidnapping accusations. He is being held at the Metrowest Detention Center without bond.

In August 2023, a 22-year-old lady walked into the City of Miami Police Department and informed detectives she had been sexually abused but couldn’t remember how.

According to the complaint, the woman and two coworkers went out for a night of drinking, taking an Uber to Candela, a Brickell bar. Later on, her phone ran out of battery, and she was unable to locate her companions.

So she chose to wander outside and ended up in a vehicle, albeit she couldn’t remember how she got inside, according to the report. In one instance, she was raped as another man drove the automobile.

According to the complaint, the woman awoke inside the vehicle over five hours later. According to the report, one of the males then told her to leave at a Publix on 134 SW 13th Street.

The food store was barely two minutes from the pub.

In May, police obtained information that led them to Gongora, which is redacted in the report produced in court this week. When police questioned him on Friday, Gongora claimed he didn’t know the woman and had never seen her before.

According to the article, Gongora did state that he gave transportation from clubs in Wynwood to downtown Miami, notably E11EVEN Miami and Club Space. Gongora stated that he worked for a rideshare service between 2017 and 2019, but then began driving around regular customers who contacted him.

A pattern of behavior?

A month later, in September 2023, a 21-year-old woman came forward after being sexually attacked similarly, according to the second report.

The woman claimed she had been drinking and was separated from her buddies. She had no recall of the night until she was dropped off near her house in the 16800 block of Northwest 67th Avenue.

She couldn’t remember if she or someone with her had requested a rideshare, but she did remember being near 900 South Miami Avenue, roughly 30 minutes from her home, according to the report.

The woman stated that she found her undergarments in her purse, but her phone, wallet, and camera were missing.

Gongora came to the police’s attention in May after receiving information that was also censored in the report. When Gongora was shown a photo of the victim, he revealed information that was omitted from the report.

Gongora has been accused of sexual assault before, and these rideshare occurrences are not the first.

In October, Gongora was charged with robbery by sudden snatching and sexual violence after police claim he pretended to be an Uber driver and raped a lady he picked up from a Wynwood nightclub.

In May, he was sentenced to two years probation on robbery charges. As of Monday evening, the specifics of the plea agreement remained unknown.

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