New York City Attack Suspect Was an Uber Driver, Passed Background Check
The suspect who drove a pickup truck down a crowded bike path in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, killing eight people and injuring 11, was an Uber driver. According to CNN, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov began driving for the popular ride-sharing service Uber in New Jersey just over six months ago.
"We are aggressively and quickly reviewing this partner's history with Uber, and at this time we have not identified any related concerning safety reports," said an Uber official. The company said that it hasn't yet identified any rider-submitted complaints about his driving.
Uber said that it's in contact with the FBI and working with the agency to offer assistance in the investigation. Since the incident on Tuesday afternoon, the Uzbekistan native, who is expected to survive after being shot by police at the scene, has been banned from the platform.
The ride-share company said that Saipov passed a background check in order to be able to drive in Paterson, New Jersey, and the surrounding areas. However, records indicate that Saipov received multiple traffic citations in the past, such as in 2015, when he was charged with failing to equip a motor vehicle carrier with or maintain a required brake system in Platte, Missouri. He missed his court appearance in 2016 and the court entered a guilty plea for him.
The incident has raised questions about Uber's background check process. New Jersey state law requires that potential drivers of all ride-share services must complete a criminal background check. The background check process is usually contracted out to third-party companies, and a conviction for something like reckless driving automatically rules out the applicant. Aside from convictions like reckless driving, it's unclear what Uber looks for in its driver background checks.
Saipov drove a rented pickup truck down a bike path on Manhattan's West Side before being shot by a police officer. Officials are calling the incident the deadliest terrorist attack on New York City since September 11, 2001.
This isn't the first time an Uber driver has been linked to a crime. In 2016, a man killed six people in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in between picking up and dropping off passengers for Uber.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month

