Ex-Met Lenny Dykstra Claims He Was 'Kidnapped' By Uber Driver

NEW YORK, NY — Mets great Lenny Dykstra held a press conference Friday morning on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to claim that he was kidnapped by an Uber driver on the night he was arrested in Linden, New Jersey.

The World Series champion will be seeking damages against Uber in a civil suit and claimed that the driver he allegedly threatened to kill has been charged with false imprisonment in New Jersey, Dykstra and his lawyers announced Friday.

Dykstra was arrested on May 23 at the Linden Police headquarters around 3:30 a.m. after the driver he was riding with drove into the attached garage and began blaring its horn, the Linden Police Department stated in an arrest report. The driver told police that after he refused to change Dykstra's drop-off location the player known as "Nails" put a weapon to his head and threatened to kill him. A weapon was never found, police said.

Dykstra said Friday that it was the Uber driver that "went crazy" when he made the destination change. After driver Brian Lutty refused to change the ride he allegedly locked his doors so Dykstra could not exit the vehicle, according to Dykstra's account in a criminal complaint. After Lutty locked the doors, Dykstra attempted to call police, which prompted Lutty to "drive the car erratically at a very high rate of speed running lights," according to the complain.

The three-time Major League Baseball all star known for his gritty style of play was scared for his life, he claimed.

A Linden police spokesman did not immediately respond to a message from Patch.

Dykstra's charges of making of terroristic threats and various drug offenses have not been dropped. When Dykstra was arrested police found him in possession of cocaine, MDMA and marijuana.

Lawyers representing Dykstra railed against Uber on Friday and claimed they would be seeking damages against the company in a civil lawsuit. Attorneys Matthew J. Blit and Michael G. Brucki said that Uber's lackadaisical requirements for drivers threatens passengers' safety.

"If it could happen to Lenny, it can happen to you," Blit said Friday.

The lawyers denied that Dyktra was in possession of a weapon on May 23 and said it was Dykstra, not the Uber driver, that called police during the ride. The attorney's did not answer reporters' when asked him Dykstra had verbally threatened the driver during the ride.

An Uber spokeswoman said that both Dykstra and Lutty will be unable to access the Uber app during the police investigation.

"What’s been detailed has no place on our app and we're reviewing the matter," an Uber spokeswoman said in a statement.

Photo by Brendan Krisel/Patch