Man posed as rideshare driver to lure women, peeped into victims’ homes, CA police say

A man who Bakersfield police say posed as an Uber or Lyft driver to get women into his car was arrested Friday after an investigation that spanned three years, officials said.

The Bakersfield Police Department charged Nassef Ragheb, 48, with stalking, prowling, peeping into a residence, burglary, false imprisonment and attempted sexual battery, it announced in a Facebook post Friday afternoon.

Ragheb allegedly targeted women who “were possibly intoxicated leaving local bars and restaurants,” Bakersfield police said.

On at least one occasion, he tried to forcibly kiss one of his female victims after driving her home, according to police.

“Ragheb was observed in the rear yard of a victim’s residence, peering into the victim’s windows, and entering another victim’s residence through an unlocked door,” police said. “All of these occurred in northwest Bakersfield.”

Police identified Ragheb as a suspect after a prowling incident Saturday, they said in a release.

“Ragheb was listed previously as a suspect in related offenses that were reported to Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriff’s office in 2018 and 2019,” the release said.

The police department asked the community’s assistance identifying other incidents he was involved in by releasing an image of Ragheb’s 2018 gray Toyota Corolla. Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call Bakersfield police at 661-327-7111.

Ragheb’s attempted sexual battery, burglary and stalking charges are all listed as felonies, according to Kern County Jail records. He is being held in the jail on a $650,000 bail and is due in court Feb. 11, jail records show.

This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Man posed as rideshare driver to lure women, peeped into victims’ homes, CA police say."