A man is accused of using Uber to transport a 13-year-old from just outside of Pittsburgh to his apartment in Philly to drug and sexually assault her.
Angel Lopez, 19, is accused of talking to a 13-year-old girl for four days though social media before convincing her to leave home, buying her an Uber to transport her from Western Pa. to Philadelphia and then sexually assaulting herA man from Philadelphia was arrested and charged with kidnapping and sexual assault after allegedly paying for an Uber to take a girl from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, to Philadelphia.
According to the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office, 19-year-old Angel Lopez, of Philadelphia, connected with a 13-year-old through the social media app TikTok where they exchanged several messages including graphic videos.After talking for just four days through the app, Lopez told the girl to leave a note for her family that told them she ran away and to not look for her, the District Attorney's Office said. Lopez set up an Uber to pick the girl up from Greensburg and bring her to his apartment on Ogontz Street in the city of Philadelphia, officials said.Once the girl got to his apartment, she was instructed to turn off her cell phone, was given drugs and was sexually assaulted by Lopez, officials alleged. After the assault, the girl was told to shower in order to wash Lopez's DNA off of her. Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at The girl was reported missing on March 14 to police in Greensburg who pinged her phone to an address near Lopez's apartment, officials explained.According to police, the girl heard someone outside of Lopez's apartment in the hallway and saw it as her chance of escape. She was located by the Philadelphia Police Department shortly after.Lopez was charged with kidnapping a minor, trafficking, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16 and other related charges.“As parents, we need to be vigilant and monitor who our children are talking to and what apps are downloaded on their devices. I applaud the local and state agencies involved who acted swiftly to bring this victim safely home and are pursuing justice to hold Mr. Lopez accountable," District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said.
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