One of many People detained for almost two weeks in Denmark over an alleged assault in opposition to an Uber driver whereas visiting Copenhagen on their faculty spring break mentioned he was “shocked” that he and his good friend had been arrested and maintained that they’re harmless.
“We had been each simply very shocked about the truth that we had been being arrested over this incident,” Owen Ray instructed “Good Morning America” on Monday, hours after he and his good friend had been freed. “We had executed nothing flawed,” Ray added.
Ray, a 19-year-old learning at Miami College in Ohio, and his unnamed good friend had been detained at Copenhagen Airport on April 1 over an alleged dispute with an Uber driver the evening prior, Jordan Finfer, a U.S.-based legal professional for Ray’s household, instructed ABC Information. Native police detained them whereas they had been heading dwelling after deeming them “flight dangers,” claiming they had been planning to run from the incident, he mentioned.
In an account relayed to Finfer, who then shared the main points with ABC Information, Ray mentioned he and his good friend realized that they had entered the flawed deal with for his or her vacation spot — and the Uber driver allegedly refused to take them wherever else.
Ray mentioned they determined to cancel their Uber and left the automobile. Then, after they walked a couple of blocks, the Uber driver pulled up, bought out of the automobile and “began yelling at us, considering he hadn’t been paid for the Uber, however in actual fact, he had been paid for the Uber,” Ray mentioned.
“He then bought in our faces and was saying, ‘I am gonna name 10 guys,'” Ray mentioned.
“We mentioned, ‘We have executed nothing flawed. We have executed nothing flawed.’ He then began an altercation with us,” Ray mentioned.
Owen Ray speaks with “Good Morning America” from Denmark, April 14, 2025.
ABC Information
“The security of everybody who makes use of the Uber app is a high precedence, and we take studies of violence very critically,” an Uber spokesperson mentioned in an announcement to ABC Information on Sunday. “Any further questions concerning the investigation ought to be directed to the Danish police,” the assertion added.
Copenhagen police mentioned the 2 college students had been charged with frequent assault.
Following his arrest, Ray mentioned he thought he would be capable to clarify to a decide what occurred and be launched.
“However then we went to the decide, and we had been truly instructed that we might be imprisoned in a Danish jail for 10 days,” he mentioned.
Ray mentioned he wasn’t capable of make a cellphone name for 36 hours after his arrest and did not know if his dad and mom even knew the place he was.
“I used to be initially very apprehensive about ensuring that I might get into contact,” he mentioned.
He mentioned he was capable of textual content his mom from a cellphone at court docket, and he or she ended up flying to Denmark.
“I used to be very relieved to have heard that she was ready to do this, and grateful that she was capable of,” Ray mentioned. “I am very grateful to my household and everybody else who’s been supporting me all through this case.”
Ray mentioned it additionally helped that he and his good friend had one another whereas detained.
“We learn books, we performed playing cards, we performed chess and fortunately we had been capable of get via it in a great psychological state,” he mentioned.
Owen Ray traveled to Denmark for spring break in March 2025.
Ray Household
Their preliminary 10-day, pre-trial detention amid the investigation into the incident was subsequently prolonged till April 24, a Copenhagen police spokesperson instructed ABC Information.
Ray mentioned his Danish legal professional filed an enchantment final week, and the decide dominated of their favor on Monday, releasing them.
The teenager mentioned Danish authorities have their passports they usually must test in with police every day till they get an replace on the case. He mentioned he believes they’re ready for both the investigating authorities to drop the case or for a trial date to be set.
Ray mentioned he and his good friend are in a great psychological state, and that he plans to take care of a constructive perspective concerning the ordeal whereas hoping for it to be resolved quickly.
“I simply hope that Denmark and the authorized authorities listed below are capable of — and the U.S. authorities can assist us and do what they will to assist us be launched by Easter, so I might be dwelling with my household,” Ray mentioned.
“I believe the very best case could be for the Danish police and the prosecutor to drop the case at this level, as a result of we’re fully harmless, and for them to return us our passports and permit us to go again to the US,” he mentioned.
A U.S. State Division spokesperson mentioned in an announcement on Sunday that they’re “conscious of media studies of two U.S. residents detained in Denmark. Employees at our embassy in Copenhagen are offering consular help.”
“The Division has no larger precedence than the protection and safety of U.S. residents overseas,” the assertion continued. “Attributable to privateness concerns, now we have no additional remark.”
