#WHATSMYNAME FOUNDATION NEWS
News about #WHATSMYNAME Foundation & RIDESHARE SAFETY.
New Jersey State PBA and Walmart Team To Support New, #WHATSMYNAME Foundation Initiative Aimed to Launch Massive Safety Campaign in New Jersey
Atlantic City, NJ (November 14, 2023) -- In March 2019, New Jersey resident Samantha Josephson was kidnapped and murdered near the University of South Carolina by an individual impersonating a Rideshare service driver. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Josephson’s family created the #WHATSMYNAME Foundation to provide education on essential ride service safety. A key focus is reminding passengers to always confirm that their driver is legitimate by asking “What’s my name?” before entering the vehicle.
Now, thanks to a collaboration launched today at a meeting of the New Jersey State Policemens Benevolent Association (PBA) board of delegates in Atlantic City, the PBA and Walmart will provide the funding, resources, and reach to kick off a New Jersey-wide education effort in support of the foundation’s efforts.
Funding from Walmart will be used to print large quantities of educational signage, which will then be distributed and posted by PBA members at bars, restaurants, and other places where Rideshare services are frequently used.
“#WHATSMYNAME Foundation is excited and honored to announce a collaboration with Walmart and the New Jersey State PBA,” said Seymour Josephson, Samantha’s father, and president of the foundation. “This collaboration will help bring awareness and education to those consumers who use rideshare vehicles.”
Pat Colligan, president of the New Jersey State PBA, noted: “New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association is proud to partner with Walmart and #WHATSMYNAME Foundation. Our members protect and serve every day, and this will be an extension of that mission. We are honored to help prevent another similar tragedy in memory of Samantha Josephson.”
Jennifer Hoehn, Walmart’s director of public affairs added: “Walmart’s approximately 2.1 million associates – including 24,365 here in New Jersey -- live and work in local communities and we aim to help strengthen and support our resilient communities. This program not only speaks to that commitment, but to the power of supporting groups like the PBA and families like the Josephsons who are truly helping to make a difference.”
About Walmart in New Jersey Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online and through their mobile devices. In New Jersey we serve customers at 70 retail units and online through Walmart.com. We are proud to employ 24,365 associates in New Jersey. Walmart supports local businesses, spending $15.3 billion with New Jersey suppliers in FYE23 and supporting 98,161 New Jersey supplier jobs. Walmart continues to be a leader in employment opportunity, sustainability, and corporate philanthropy. In FY23, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation contributed more than $9.4 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofits in New Jersey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting our corporate website and our Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn channels.
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REALITY LIFE PODCAST
Ep. - 595 - IDAHO MURDER CASE UPDATE WITH JODI WEBER; SAMANTHA JOSEPHSON STORY
Start at 45:15
RIDESHARE SAFETY; NEWARK AIRPORT
As Newark Liberty International Airport - EWR unveils the new Terminal A today, we appreciate the additional focus on Rideshare Safety & SAMI.
"Newark Airport’s New, and Very Jersey, Terminal A Opens Today”
RIDESHARE DRIVER ACCUSED OF 28 CRIMINAL COUNTS; SENTENCED 310 YEARS TO LIFE
A 48-year-old former rideshare driver accused of multiple counts of sexual assault and rape was sentenced to 310 years to life in state prison on Wednesday, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office officials.
Canyon Country resident Nicolas Morales was arrested in February 2019 on suspicion of committing multiple acts of rape and other sex offenses.
According to prosecutors, he is believed to have posed as a rideshare driver and attacked female passengers, and often used a knife as means to force his victims into committing sexual acts.
After his arrest, Morales was charged with 28 different criminal counts, including: nine counts of forcible oral copulation; six counts of rape; five counts of sodomy by use of force; four counts of forcible sexual penetration by foreign object; and one count each of assault with intent to commit a felony, attempted sodomy by use of force and attempted kidnapping to commit another crime.
HULU SERIES
There is a new series just released on Hulu called "Death In The Dorms" that features a dedicated episode on our Daughter, Samantha.
Why do we continue to tell Samantha's story? So that no other family has to experience our pain. We hope that with every program like this, we can help educate the public on the importance of Rideshare Safety and in turn, save precious lives.
Death in the Dorms - A New Series on Hulu
Death In The Dorms tells the stories of students at different schools whose lives were senselessly cut short. However, in the aftermath of these tragedies there comes hope for change.
DINE & DONATE DAY!
THANKS BROTHER'S ON 33!
We appreciate Brothers Pizza ON 33 for including #WHATSMYNAME Foundation in their Dine & Donate Days! Please visit them Sunday, August 6th, and 50% sales will be donated to our Foundation supporting Rideshare Safety Awareness, Education Programs and College Scholarships. Thank-You!
ROBBINSVILLE H.S. SENIOR LEADS FUNDRAISER FOR #WHATSMYNAME FOUNDATION
Growing up in Robbinsville, Erik Weigand knew all about the tragedy that occurred March 29, 2019, when a 21-year-old graduate from Robbinsville High School was kidnapped and murdered by a man portraying to be an Uber driver.
Weigand, 17, said he was eager to support the victim’s family, which launched the #WHATSMYNAME Foundation to promote ride share safety in memory of Sami Josephson, who was a senior at the University of South Carolina.
Uber's 'Record My Ride' Feature Is Expanding to More Cities
Uber’s Record My Ride feature is expanding to even more cities across the United States. The feature gives both passengers and drivers the ability to easily record audio during a trip in an effort to boost safety for both parties involved.
What is Record My Ride?
Record My Ride is a safety feature from Uber that helps drivers and passengers document what’s happening during a trip if either party becomes uneasy or feels threatened. Using the Uber app, drivers and passengers can record audio to submit to the company in a safety report.
How do I access Record My Ride?
Record my Ride will only appear when you are a passenger or driver in an active ride. For passengers, tap the blue shield button in the bottom right corner of the map view during your ride to open the Safety Toolkit, and select Record Audio from the menu. Uber will immediately begin recording audio of your trip with your phone. For drivers, the blue shield icon is located in the bottom left of the map view.
THANK YOU RUTGERS UNIVERSITY!
We just wanted to thank Rutgers University—New Brunswick, Rutgers University Police Department - RUPD, Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, and all of the other organizations, students and community members who attended our Rideshare Safety presentation last night. We really appreciated your time and hope that you will help us educate others about Rideshare Safety using the information we shared.
Uber Releases Safety Data: 998 Sexual Assault Incidents Including 141 Rape Reports In 2020; 20 fatalities as a result of physical assaults
3,824 reports of Sexual Assault
Included In 2019/20 Report
By Sara Ashley O'Brien, CNN Business
Even as its ridership was decimated by the pandemic in 2020, Uber recorded 141 reports of rape on its platform in the United States, the company disclosed in its safety report released Thursday.
The 78-page report, which covers 2019 and 2020, is the second-ever Uber has released regarding safety incidents following a CNN investigation into sexual assault and abuse on the ride-hailing platform four years ago.
In its latest report, Uber said it received 3,824 reports of the five most severe categories of sexual assault, which range from “non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part” to “non-consensual sexual penetration,” or rape. That’s down from the 5,981 reports it recorded in 2017 and 2018, per its first report released in December 2019. Uber said that riders were the accused party 43% of the time in sexual assault incident reports, similar to its previous report (45%).
#WHATSMYNAME FOUNDATION NEWS
News about #WHATSMYNAME Foundation