Rideshare Driver Arrested for Sexual Assault of Passenger in Fair Lakes

Fairfax Police Charge Driver After Three-Month Investigation

A Fairfax County rideshare driver faces felony charges after allegedly sexually assaulting a female passenger during a late-night trip in August. Police arrested Sayed Cheshty, 47, on November 15, charging him with object sexual penetration. The assault occurred in Fair Lakes’ Fair Ridge neighborhood, where the victim escaped the vehicle and called police. Cheshty fled the scene before officers arrived at 11:47 p.m.

5 Key Points

• Police arrested Fairfax resident Sayed Cheshty on November 15 for sexually assaulting a rideshare passenger.
• The assault occurred on August 10 at 11:47 p.m. in the Fair Ridge neighborhood.
• The victim escaped the vehicle and immediately contacted police.
• Cheshty faces charges of object sexual penetration.
• A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 4, 2025.

Late-Night Assault Prompts Three-Month Investigation

Fairfax County Police Department officers responded to the 12000 block of Strong Court minutes before midnight on August 10 after receiving the victim’s distress call. “The victim reported that she was sexually assaulted by a driver while inside a rideshare vehicle,” police said in a statement released Monday. The victim managed to escape the vehicle and immediately contacted law enforcement while the driver fled the area before police units arrived. Detectives from the department’s Special Victims Unit launched an investigation, leading to Cheshty’s identification and subsequent arrest last Friday. During the three-month investigation, the department has not released details about how investigators identified Cheshty as the suspect.

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Court Proceedings Begin as Questions of Passenger Safety Surface

Cheshty remains in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he awaits a bond hearing scheduled for Tuesday morning at the Fairfax County General District Court. The court calendar shows his preliminary hearing set for March 4, 2025, at 2 p.m., where prosecutors will present initial evidence supporting the object sexual penetration charge. Court records available Monday did not list an attorney for Cheshty. The Fairfax County Police Department has not disclosed which rideshare platform employed Cheshty at the time of the alleged assault.

Rideshare Industry Faces Ongoing Safety Scrutiny

The Fair Lakes assault highlights persistent safety concerns plaguing the rideshare industry in Northern Virginia and nationwide. Major platforms Uber and Lyft currently face hundreds of lawsuits from passengers and drivers who claim the companies failed to implement adequate safety protocols. These legal challenges target the companies’ driver screening processes, response procedures for reported assaults, and overall passenger protection measures. The Fairfax County Police Department maintains specialized units to investigate crimes involving rideshare services, but the department has not released data on the frequency of such incidents in the county.