One of the Americans held for almost two weeks in Denmark for an alleged assault against an Uber driver during his visit to Copenhagen during their university spring vacation, said he was “shocked” that he and his friend were arrested and supported that they were innocent.
“We were both very shocked by the fact that we were arrested for this incident,” said Owen Ray “Good Morning America” on Monday, a few hours after the release of him and his friend. “We didn’t hurt anything,” added Ray.
Ray, a 19 -year -old, student at the University of Miami in Ohio, and his anonymous friend were detained at Copenhagen Airport on April 1 for an alleged dispute with an Uber driver in the previous night, Jordan Finfer, an American lawyer for Ray’s family, told ABC News. Local police detained them as they returned home after trying them “the risk of theft”, saying that they were planning to flee the incident, he said.
In an account relayed to Finfer, which then shared the details with ABC News, Ray said that he and his friend realized that they had entered the bad address for their destination – and the driver of Uber would have refused to take them elsewhere.
Ray said they decided to cancel their Uber and left the vehicle. Then, after walking a few houses of houses, the driver of Uber stopped, left the car and “started to shout us, thinking that he had not been paid for the Uber, but in fact, he had been paid for the Uber,” said Ray.
“He then entered our faces and said:” I’m going to call 10 guys “,” said Ray.
“We said,” We didn’t hurt anything. We didn’t hurt anything. “He then started an altercation with us,” said Ray.
Owen Ray speaks with “Good Morning America” from Denmark, April 14, 2025.
ABC News
“The security of all those who use the Uber application are an absolute priority, and we take violence reports very seriously,” Uber spokesperson said on a statement to ABC News on Sunday. “Any additional question about the investigation should be addressed to the Danish police,” added the press release.
Copenhagen police said the two students had been accused of common assault.
After his arrest, Ray said that he thought he would be able to explain to a judge what happened and to be released.
“But then we went to see the judge, and we were told that we would be imprisoned in a Danish prison for 10 days,” he said.
Ray said that he was unable to make a phone call for 36 hours after his arrest and did not know if his parents even knew where he was.
“I was initially very worried to make sure I could get in touch,” he said.
He said he was able to send an SMS to his mother from a phone phone, and she ended up flying to Denmark.
“I was very relieved to have heard that she could do it, and grateful that she was able to do so,” said Ray. “I am very grateful to my family and all those who supported me throughout this situation.”
Ray said that it also helped that he and his friend had detained themselves.
“We read books, we played cards, we played chess and fortunately, we were able to pass it in a good mental state,” he said.
Their initial detention of 10 days before the trial in the midst of the incident investigation was then extended until April 24, a spokesman for the Copenhagen police told ABC News.
Ray said that his Danish lawyer had appealed last week and that the judge had ruled on Monday in their favor.
The teenager said that the Danish authorities had their passports and that they must check daily to the police until they get an update on the case. He said he thought they were waiting for the investigative authorities to abandon the case, either a date of trial.
Ray said that he and his friend were in a good mental state and that he planned to maintain a positive attitude towards the test while hoping that it is soon resolved.
“I just hope that Denmark and the judicial authorities here are capable of – and that the US government will be able to help us and do what they can to help us be released by Easter, so that I can be at home with my family,” said Ray.
“I think the best case would be for the Danish police and the prosecutor to abandon the case at this stage, because we are completely innocent, and for them to make our passports and allow us to return to the United States,” he said.
A spokesperson for the US State Department said in a statement on Sunday that he was “aware of the media reports of two American citizens detained in Denmark. The staff of our embassy in Copenhagen provides consular assistance”.
“The ministry has no higher priority than the security and security of American citizens abroad,” said the press release. “Due to confidentiality considerations, we have no comments.”
