“Our hearts break for the driver’s family,” Uber said in a statement, pledging cooperation with police. The passenger remains in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds.
Olatunji Bolaji, a 77-year-old Nigerian immigrant and Uber driver, was killed early Wednesday in Philadelphia after being struck by a stray bullet during a passenger pickup. Surveillance footage shows two suspects attacking a 22-year-old passenger outside Byblos hookah lounge before gunfire erupted, with one bullet piercing Bolaji’s headrest. Despite his fatal injury, he drove briefly before crashing nearby.
Bolaji’s death has sparked outcry among rideshare workers, with advocates highlighting late-night job risks. The Independent Drivers Guild’s Fabian Romero vowed to push for better protections, calling drivers “forgotten.” Police seek a dark Jeep Grand Cherokee with Massachusetts plates, last seen fleeing toward Sansom Street.