A 61-year-old Uber driver was repeatedly punched by a passenger while traveling in the I-95 express lanes in southern Broward County on Jan. 2, authorities said, a highway attack recorded on the driver’s dashcam as traffic moved around them during the evening rush.
The case has drawn attention because the assault unfolded in a moving vehicle on one of South Florida’s busiest corridors and because bystanders intervened on the shoulder until troopers arrived. The Florida Highway Patrol arrested a man identified as Isaiah Norton in connection with the beating. The ride, which began in Deerfield Beach and was bound for Miami International Airport, ended with the driver in a hospital and the passenger in jail as investigators reviewed video and statements.
According to authorities and the driver’s family, the passenger had just been picked up when he suddenly lunged forward from the back seat and began striking the driver in the head and face. The driver, identified by relatives as Diego Ruben Cariao Reyes Ortiz, steered onto the shoulder of the I-95 express lanes and got the car stopped as the struggle continued. The dashcam shows the attacker grabbing and punching while shouting; at one point, the passenger moves into the front of the vehicle. “This is crazy,” said Nerio Oballaes, an Uber driver who watched the video at Miami International Airport. “It scares me because this could happen to me.”
Troopers detained the suspect a short time later. Norton faces counts of battery and resisting an officer without violence, according to an arrest report. The driver suffered bruises and other injuries to his face and was examined at a hospital before being released, family members said. Bystanders, including an off-duty officer who was armed, helped restrain the suspect on the roadside until law enforcement took over. Uber said it removed the rider’s access to the app and would support the investigation. “We are deeply disturbed by this senseless attack,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The attack happened during Friday rush hour, when traffic in the express lanes can still be heavy despite variable-toll access. The trip, scheduled from Deerfield Beach to the airport, placed the vehicle southbound through Broward County before the driver steered off to the shoulder. Interior dash video captured several minutes of blows before the car came to a stop. Witness accounts describe other motorists slowing and pulling over as the driver exited and the passenger climbed forward inside the vehicle. Photos shared by the family show swelling and cuts to the driver’s face. Officials did not report any injuries to others on the road and did not describe any damage to nearby vehicles.
Records show Norton was booked into the Joseph V. Conte Facility in Pompano Beach after the arrest. As of Thursday, he remained in custody pending further proceedings. Authorities have not publicly detailed what sparked the attack; relatives of the driver said the ride began normally and there was no argument before the passenger struck. Investigators have not announced additional charges beyond battery and resisting. Court records reviewed Thursday did not list a defense attorney for Norton, and no plea had been entered. Officials did not release the exact time of the initial appearance.
Highway assaults involving ride-hailing trips are rare but have occurred in South Florida and other large metros, sometimes caught on in-car cameras that drivers install for safety and insurance purposes. In this case, the family chose to release the dashcam video and still photos to show what happened and to emphasize that the beating began without warning, they said. Drivers interviewed at the airport described mixed feelings: relief that bystanders intervened and worry about the unpredictability of late-day fares during heavy traffic. Several said they routinely keep their own cameras running while working long shifts on regional routes to and from the airport.
What happens next will likely play out in Broward County court. Formal charging decisions typically follow within days of an arrest after prosecutors review police reports and video. If Norton is granted release conditions, a bond hearing would set any travel limits and no-contact orders related to the driver. The Florida Highway Patrol is expected to complete its crash or incident documentation for the stretch of I-95 where the car stopped, and Uber representatives said they would provide records from the trip to investigators. The driver’s relatives said he is recovering at home and planning follow-up medical appointments for facial injuries.
On Thursday afternoon, ride-hailing drivers at Miami International Airport swapped details of the video on their phones between pickups. “It makes me very angry,” Oballaes said in Spanish, adding that the clip shows the risks drivers face. Another driver who viewed the footage described the interstate shoulder as “the last place you want to stop” but said the man behind the wheel had no choice while being struck. Traffic rolled past as flashing lights gathered in the distance. The family said they were grateful to the passerby who stepped in first and to the off-duty officer who helped hold the suspect until troopers arrived.
As of late Thursday, the driver was recovering and the suspect remained jailed in Pompano Beach. The next expected milestone is a court update on charges and bond conditions in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated January 9, 2026.