Netflix Engineer Yohanes Kidane Goes Missing After Uber Ride
Yohanes Kidane, a newly-hired Netflix engineer, has gone missing after entering an Uber ride-share on Aug. 14 in San Jose, Calif., New York Post reports.
According to the outlet, the 22-year-old is described as a 5’8 Black man weighing around 150 lbs. He was reportedly last seen wearing a black hoodie, grey sweats, and black shoes as he entered a black Toyota Camry. His family is desperately seeking the help of the public to locate their loved one.
Kidane had moved back home to San Jose from New York City for a software engineer job offer at Netflix. He recently graduated from Cornell University in May and had only been working at Netflix for one week before vanishing.
His family reported him missing to authorities after his phone’s location went stagnate beyond near the Golden Gate Bridge on Aug. 14. According to his brother Yosief, Kidane’s coworkers mentioned that he was headed to San Fransisco.
Kidane’s phone and wallet were reportedly found near a coffee shop on Tuesday (Aug. 15) and a commuter notified the Marin California Highway Patrol office. A day after that, Kidane’s backpack was reportedly discovered near the Golden Gate Bridge along with his laptops and personal documents.
NY Post reported that prior to Kidane going missing, his former college roommates informed the police that Kidane told them about a suspicious Uber ride that took place just days before.
“The Uber driver insisted, if it was an actual Uber driver, that instead of taking him to the location that he needed to be, he’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going to take you to Oakland. It’s much safer there,’” Austin Farmer told the news outlet. And he just wouldn’t let Yohanes go where he needed to go. So they took him to downtown Oakland.”
He added, “I guess he eventually got back to his apartment or wherever he lives, but that was pretty suspicious.” Farmer also alleged that Kidane had texted him during his ride to let him know that he “might be in trouble.”
Since the software engineer’s disappearance his family has posted a GoFundMe page to cover travel expenses as they conduct a search party.
“A search effort by his family, friends, and peers is underway,” reads the donation site’s description, which has raised $75,000 as of today (Aug. 22). The funds will be used to assist the family’s financial needs for travel, private investigators, attorneys and other resources.
“We cannot express enough gratitude for any help you can provide,” Kidane’s mother Mehret Hana Beyene told KTVU. “We want to take him home. I need my son. He’s a good man who has a bright future, very loving to his family.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact San Jose Police Department at (408) 277-8900 and reference case number 23-227-0531. Relatives can be reached at (585) 489-4880 or (585) 500-5220.
More from VIBE.com
