Editor's Note: A Wake County judge dismissed the charges of sexual assault and indecent exposure against Muhammad Arslan Afzal on Nov. 28, 2022 because of “insufficient evidence to proceed to trial,” court records show.

 

An Uber driver is in the Wake County jail, accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a ride on May 9.

Muhammad Arslan Afzal, of Clayton, is being held on a $250,000 bond, according to the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

The woman got into the front of the vehicle to help Afzal with the GPS on his car when she was allegedly assaulted, Capt. Brent David said.

He said the Uber driver groped the woman and exposed himself to her.

The woman was able to get in touch with family members during the ride, and they were waiting for her when she jumped out of the car at her home, David said.

It took more than 10 weeks to arrest Afzal because the woman did not want to talk to police, Sheriff Gerald Baker said during a news conference Thursday.

Investigators were able to identify the man through the Uber app on the woman's phone, David said.

Baker cautioned people to try not to ride alone in an Uber or other rideshare. He said if people have to ride alone, they should stay alert.

Afzal was arrested in Johnston County and transferred to the Wake County Detention Center.