It didn’t take long for a ride-sharing “safety” account for teens to show its flaws, with a frightening encounter that led to the arrest of an illegal immigrant driver.

A North Miami Beach driver was arrested after allegedly making sexual advances on a 15‑year‑old passenger who used the Uber Teens app to request a ride. The driver, identified as 39-year-old Jose Miguel Perez-Molina, was arrested by Sunny Isles Beach police and charged with lewd and lascivious conduct, CBS News reported.

The 15-year-old recounted the harrowing experience, according to a police affidavit that revealed how the driver asked if she was single, and when she told him she was 15 years old, he allegedly said, “Oh, that’s a problem, I’m 39.”

(Video Credit: WPLG Local 10)

“You’re lying that you’re 15. You’re 16, you have a license,” Perez-Molina reportedly told the teen, also asking, “How could a girl like you be pretty and single?”

At one point in the ride that left the teen in tears, “there was an intrusive conversation before he stopped, placed his hand on her knee, caressed it, touched her face, and her arm, according to a police report,” WPLG reported.

“You make me nervous. You know what? Since you don’t have a boyfriend, I can teach you how to kiss. Let’s park, let’s do something, and I can teach you how to kiss,” the driver said as they continued on the trip.

The teen reportedly captured some of the dialogue in an audio recording, which captured Perez-Molina saying, “I would wait for you. Oh, since you don’t have a boyfriend, I could show you how to kiss. Let’s give each other a kiss and try it out,” according to the affidavit.

In case you were EVER tempted to trust the Uber Teens app to even *adequately* vet the drivers they entrust with your children… https://t.co/tqSjTdaqrV

— Lyndsey Fifield (@lyndseyfifield) December 11, 2025

The 15-year-old later identified the driver in a photo lineup, and he was arrested at his North Miami Beach home. He is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Perez-Molina, who was reportedly born in Venezuela, appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer on Wednesday.

“You were arrested for lewd and lascivious conduct on a child,” the judge informed him. “You must stay at least 500 feet away from the victim, her home, and school at all times.”

Perez-Molina was given a $7,500 bond and remains behind bars with a hold by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to WSVN.

The Uber site touted the ride-share app’s special accommodations for teens, explaining that “Every driver on Uber must complete a thorough background check before taking their first trip. For teen trips, we go even further. These drivers are experienced and highly rated, for an extra layer of confidence for families choosing teen rides.”

The company reacted to the “deeply disturbing” report about  Perez-Molina in a statement.

“What this rider experienced is deeply disturbing,” Uber said in a statement. “The safety of teen riders on Uber is paramount, and we take reports like this very seriously. We removed the driver’s access to the app as soon as this was reported to us, and our dedicated team is standing by to assist law enforcement however we can.”

Angry social media users reacted to the story online.

Who didn’t see this coming? It was the first thing out of my mouth when I saw the Uber Teens commercial for the first time. I said, “ Is @Uber trying to start a child trafficking mechanism to help pedos and traffickers abduct kids?” Why would @Uber want that kind of liability?

— Ole Sip (@OleSip) December 11, 2025

One of these big corporations going to start paying? Uber, doordash, instacart, virtually all the delivery services are using illegals. Fine them $25,000 per illegal.

— Cindy Longo (@CindyLongo16048) December 11, 2025

Omg how many times I had taken uber and my driver could not speak a word of English. I could tell he was illegal.

— Sangeeta Nukala (@NukalaSangeeta) December 10, 2025

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Frieda Powers

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Frieda@bizpacreview.com

Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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