DENVER — The man killed in a Denver carjacking as part of a multi-state crime spree was an Uber driver, the company confirmed to Denver7.
Uber said David Rosenthal, 58, was using the Uber driver app at the time he was shot to death and his Cadillac STS stolen near the intersection of Perry Street and West Colfax Avenue around 2 a.m. on Feb. 22.
The suspects tied to the shooting and several other crimes spanning across at least four states were arrested in Oregon the next day. It's not clear if the suspects requested an Uber.
In a statement to Denver7, an Uber spokesperson wrote, “We are shocked and heartbroken by this horrific crime, and our thoughts are with David’s family. We cooperated with police on the investigation and hope the individuals responsible are brought to justice.”
Rosenthal's friends and family have set up a GoFundme account to help with expenses.
Matthew Anthony Fanelli, 30, of New Mexico, and Jose Lopez-Jovel, 31, of El Salvador, were arrested Saturday in Roseburg, Oregonfollowing a shootout and high-speed chase with police, according to a release from the Oregon State Police.
Denver police said Fanelli is suspected of pulling the trigger in the shooting that killed Rosenthal and then using the stolen Cadillac to commit several crimes in Wyoming, Utah and Oregon.
Authorities say Fanelli, who is suspected of being in the United States illegally, began his two-day spree in Colorado Springs with a shooting outside a strip club just hours before the Denver carjacking. Nobody was injured in the Colorado Springs shooting.
Two hours later, Fanelli allegedly shot and killed Rosenthal and took his Cadillac, using the vehicle to commit robberies in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Park City, Utah withLopez-Jovel and Cynthia Sena, 18.
Federal prosecutors say in charges filed Monday Fanelli pulled a gun on a bank teller Friday and stole $2,000 before fleeing with Lopez-Jovel. Prosecutors accuse Sena of casing out the bank lobby under the guise of looking for a lost purse.
