Woman Says She Was Sexually Assaulted, Held Captive In Oakland Neighborhood By Man Met On Dating App
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) – Police in Oakland confirmed an arrest was made after a woman said she was falsely imprisoned and sexually assaulted by someone she met on a dating website.
A Good Samaritan in the city's Maxwell Park neighborhood is credited with saving her life when she was running through the street shouting for help.
The neighborhood has been rocked by the news. "It is very, very quiet here. It is very nice, people always walking around," said Maxwell Park resident Alex Rocha.
Police said they were first called to investigate the report of a kidnapping Monday evening.
The next day on the neighborhood app NextDoor, the person credited for saving the woman wrote that he could hear her screaming for help from his backyard. He said his wife and sister both started calling the police.
The man said she was begging for help after being held captive for three days.
"It's very shocking to hear that, to be honest," said Rocha.
The Good Samaritan didn't want to go on camera but said the woman told him "she'd met the guy on Tinder and when she went on a date he took her and locked her up in his house for three days."
The post has gotten hundreds of comments from neighbors in the area about the disturbing ordeal and online dating horror stories.
"I think it's one of those things you don't know who you're talking to if that's the right person," said Rebeca Rocha, who also lives in Maxwell Park.
"It is similar to all of the apps you to use like Uber, DoorDash, etc. You are inviting someone in to know where you live, your personal information, so it's kind of use at your own risk a little bit in some ways. We all are exposing ourselves and it's unfortunate," she went on to say.
Oakland Police told KPIX 5 Thursday that the suspect remains in custody as they wait for the Alameda County District Attorney to file charges.
