A routine Uber ride in South Florida turned into a two-hour ordeal — and ultimately an arrest — after a mother allegedly left her two young children in the back seat while she went shopping at a nearby mall.
Emily Sabogal, 32, was arrested in Sunrise, Florida, on Feb. 13 after police responded to a 911 call from an Uber driver who said he had been left with Sabogal’s 4-year-old and 3-year-old children for more than two hours.
By the time officers arrived, the driver had been waiting in a parking lot, unsure of what to do next.
“And you’ve been here for how long?” an officer asked in newly released body camera footage obtained by CBS Miami and other South Florida outlets.
“More than two hours,” the driver replied.
According to police, the children were thirsty and hungry but appeared to be in “good spirits.” Authorities say they were never physically harmed. Still, officers described the situation as deeply concerning.
Sabogal was charged with one count of child neglect and two counts of desertion of a child.
The sequence of events, as described in police reports and body camera footage, unfolded quickly and then stalled in a way that left the Uber driver alarmed.
The driver allegedly told officers that Sabogal appeared to enter the vehicle under the influence of alcohol and carried a cup of liquid that smelled like rum. During the ride, she reportedly asked him to deviate from the GPS route and eventually suggested canceling the trip in exchange for extra cash.
“She kept telling him to turn,” one officer explained to arriving backup, according to CBS Miami. “You know, deviating from what the GPS was saying. She goes, just cancel the ride, I’ll give you extra cash. Gives him like 10 bucks. Ends up here. Gets out in the lot. Disappears.”
The driver told police that Sabogal allegedly took his phone, canceled the ride through the Uber app, handed him $10 and said she would be gone for three minutes. Instead, an hour passed. Then another.
After waiting for about an hour with the children still in his car, the driver called 911, according to WFLA.
By the time officers made contact with Sabogal, more than two hours had elapsed.
“You left your kids for two hours, it’s been over two hours,” an officer can be heard telling her in the footage, according to NBC Miami.
Sabogal allegedly told officers that her “situation’s a little bit complicated” and said she was on her way home. At one point, she insisted, “My children, absolutely, 100 percent, oh my God, listen, I’m not a criminal. I don’t know what’s going on right now.”
“What’s going on is you deserted your kids for two hours, that’s what’s going on,” the officer responded. “That Uber driver’s been sitting with your kids waiting for you to come back for the past two hours.”
Sabogal also allegedly claimed that her phone had died and repeatedly told officers, “I have not done anything wrong,” according to footage cited by WFLA and NBC South Florida. “I have no idea what is going on. I’m sorry, I get what you, I get your job. I get your whole persona. I get it.”
Police later determined that Sabogal had been at a local restaurant she frequents with her children and had consumed several alcoholic beverages before the incident, NBC South Florida reported, citing investigators.
The case has struck a nerve locally, in part because it hinges on a split-second decision that stretched into hours. What may have begun as a quick stop turned into a situation that law enforcement says crossed a legal line.
The Uber driver, whose identity has not been publicly released, remained with the children until police arrived. Officers credited him with staying calm and ensuring the children’s safety while he waited.
Sabogal appeared in court on Feb. 15. A judge set her bond at $1,500 for each charge, totaling $4,500. She was later released after posting bond, according to NBC South Florida.
The case now moves forward through the legal system, where prosecutors will determine how to proceed.
