BY: Morgan Thayer
For many college students, calling an Uber or Lyft is a common act of responsibility after a night out. However, for 21-year-old University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, the story ended differently than most. On the night of April 29, Josephson got into a car with who she thought was her Uber driver but instead was a predator.
Josephson climbed into the supposed Uber around 2:00 a.m, but never arrived at her destination. Josephson’s friends reported her missing 12 hours later and two hours after the missing person report was filed, authorities found her body. Josephson’s body was found by turkey hunters in rural Clarendon County over 60 miles from the original destination.
Nathaniel D. Rowland, 25, was arrested in connection to the death of Josephson. In the wake of this awful tragedy, the safety concerns surrounding rideshares have heightened.
The president of the University of South Carolina told students to not only check the license plate, make and model of the car, and the driver’s name, but also to ask the driver: “What’s my name?” The question has gained national attention, going viral with #whatsmyname. According to ritetag.com, the hashtag is seen by nine thousand Twitter users, and 21 new tweets are sent every hour using #whatsmyname. The idea behind the hashtag is that the driver should know the passenger’s name through the app, and asking before getting in the car will help crack down on impersonators.
AUM released an email to students giving them tips on how to stay safe when using rideshare services.
Samantha Josephson was a sister at Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and planned to graduate in May before heading to law school in the fall at Drexel University. Our thoughts and condolences are with her family, friends, sorority sisters, and all those who knew her.