U-M student's viral profane tirade to Uber driver being investigated
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WJBK) - Vulgar, rude and offensive. It is a rant against an Uber driver caught on camera.
The person behind those profane words is a University of Michigan freshman who is now going viral for all the wrong reasons.
The driver in the video was called everything but a child of God. Artur Zawada, the driver behind the camera, was the subject of a verbal lashing that would make Donald Trump blush.
The verbal assailant Jake Croman is a freshman student from New York turned internet villain.
The student says that the video doesn't tell the full story while the university says the circumstances don't matter and nobody deserves to be treated the way the driver was.
Feleke Haile is an Ann Arbor Uber driver appalled by the vitriol directed at one of his colleagues.
"It is unfair, because we are giving a public service," said Feleke Haile. "So we respect our riders and the riders should have respect for the drivers.
"Our customers are our source of income so we have to treat our customers like a king."
Croman was unavailable for an on-camera interview, but released a statement saying:
"This video shows one side of an argument I had with an Uber driver two weeks ago after he refused to pick me up on the basis of my religion. What you don't see in the video is that the driver had made a number of offensive anti-Semitic remarks that provoked my response.
"I am not proud of my reaction to his discrimination and I regret my choice of words."
Students at the university were shocked by the video.
"I saw it in passing and I was just really upset about it," said one student. "I couldn't understand that and it just looks bad on Greek life."
Croman's fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon is also weighing in:
"We are extremely disappointed by the individual's demeaning words. At the conclusion of our swift, thorough investigation, we will handle the situation with appropriate action. This could include the expulsion of membership."
Ann Arbor police is investigating that Uber rant, pun intended. It's unclear what if any charges Croman could face.
The University of Michigan released a statement on the incident as well.
"We find the actions depicted in this video to be reprehensible and completely inconsistent with our community's closely held values. We expect more from members of the U-M community. Regardless of the circumstances, no one deserves to be treated this way."
If you would like to see the complete video of the rant, click here (WARNING: Graphic language).