The Lyft driver who allegedly terminated a ride and stopped in the middle of the southbound lane on Coastal Highway following a disagreement, demanding all passengers exit the vehicle and leading to the death of Montgomery County man Sydney Wolf, has been formally indicted. The Lyft driver was identified in court documents as Laquise Leon.
According to Delaware State Police, “On July 24, 2022, at approximately 1:44 a.m., the victim and five of his friends hired a “Lyft” driver to pick them up in Dewey Beach and transport them back to their residence in Bethany Beach. As the group was traveling southbound on Coastal Highway all in the same vehicle, a disagreement occurred between the group and the Lyft operator. The Lyft operator terminated the ride and stopped in the middle of the southbound left lane and demanded all six passengers exit the vehicle.”
“The six of them saw that in the driver’s SUV, there was a 5-year-old unrestrained child in the wayback. They asked the driver, who was the mother of the child, why the child was there and why the child was unrestrained,” Shanin Specter, an attorney for Wolf’s survivors in a civil lawsuit against Lyft, said in an NBC4 report from October.
Wolf, who was initially reported by Delaware State Police as being from Clarksburg, lived in Gaithersburg with his wife and two children. He was also the campaign manager for Montgomery County Councilmember Sidney Katz’ re-election campaign. In an interview with Fox 5, Katz remembered Wolf as “such a nice young man. He was a family guy, somebody who had a good sense of humor, and fun to be around.” A longtime friend referred to him as selfless and “the nicest guy you’d ever meet…just a good guy.” Wolf’s family also released a statement. “This is an extremely difficult time for our family. The level of shock and pain we feel right now cannot be measured as we continue to grieve. We truly appreciate the outpouring of love and support we’ve received and kindly request that the family’s privacy is respected as we move through this process.” -Wolf/Greenbaum Family
The original report, by Delaware State Police, can be seen here: Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred early Sunday morning on southbound Coastal Highway (Route 1) in the area of Anchors Way, Dewey Beach, DE. On July 24, 2022, at approximately 1:44 a.m., the victim and five of his friends hired a “Lyft” driver to pick them up in Dewey Beach and transport them back to their residence in Bethany Beach. As the group was traveling southbound on Coastal Highway all in the same vehicle, a disagreement occurred between the group and the Lyft operator. The Lyft operator terminated the ride and stopped in the middle of the southbound left lane and demanded all six passengers exit the vehicle.
At this time, a 2016 Toyota Corolla, operated by a 27-year-old male was traveling southbound on Coastal Highway in the left lane approaching the stopped Lyft vehicle (possibly a white Honda Pilot). As the operator changed lanes to avoid striking the rear of the Lyft vehicle, he failed to see the pedestrian who had just exited the right rear passenger seat and was standing in the roadway. As a result, the left front of Corolla struck the pedestrian. After impact, the Corolla immediately pulled over on the southbound shoulder and came to a controlled stop. The Lyft vehicle fled southbound on Coastal Highway immediately after the crash.
The 43-year-old male pedestrian victim of Clarksburg, MD was pronounced deceased at the scene. Identification of the victim is pending notification to the next of kin. The other 5 passengers were not injured after exiting the Lyft vehicle. The roadway was closed for approximately 4 hours while the collision was investigated and roadway cleared. The operator or the Lyft vehicle has not been identified yet and remains under investigation.
A GoFundMe was set up to support the man’s family as they try to move ahead during difficult circumstances.