Terrifying video shows the moment an intoxicated Uber passenger reached over and grabbed the car’s steering wheel with both hands, telling the driver “we’re going to crash” while speeding down a Sacramento highway.
Driver Dax Castro said he “almost died” Saturday after picking up a customer who made several attempts to grab the wheel.
Intense dashcam footage shows Castro driving when suddenly his customer reaches for the wheel from the passenger seat. Castro is seen using his right arm to pry the customer away, while trying to control the vehicle with his left arm.
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“You gotta let go, man,” the driver said.
“No, we are gonna go crazy,” the passenger said.
The passenger breaks free from Castro and grabs for the steering wheel again.
“I love you brother, I love you brother,” the man said, holding onto the wheel. “We’re gonna die.”
Eventually, Castro managed to pull the vehicle to the side of a road and call 911 via the Uber app, while still struggling with the man.
Speaking with Sacramento’s KCRA, Castro said the man managed to “yank the car across two lanes of traffic” on the first attempt.
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“Then he just reaches over and grabs the wheel with both hands and just pulls as hard as he can,” the driver said. “We go three lanes across traffic on (highway) 99, it was intense.”
Tswj Vang was arrested and charged with DUI for taking control of the vehicle. According to KCRA, Vang had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19.