Man jailed for not paying $749 fare for 300-mile ride

UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Police say a man who took a 300-mile cab ride across Pennsylvania to surprise his fiancee has been jailed because he couldn’t pay the $749 fare.

Police say 35-year-old New York City resident John Williams Jr. took the taxi from Philadelphia to Uniontown with his children during a recent Saturday morning.

But when they arrived in Uniontown, authorities say, Williams refused to pay the bill, and the cab driver called police.

Police say Williams told them he didn’t have cash and “his credit card was maxed out for the day.”

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Williams was charged with theft of services. He was jailed on $2,500 bail to await a preliminary hearing July 7.

It was unclear where the children were staying.