Mystery as Netflix Employee Goes Missing After Taking Uber to San Francisco

A 22-year-old Netflix employee has been missing since Monday evening, according to his family, after surveillance cameras captured him taking an Uber in the city of San Jose, California.

Yohanes Kidane, a recent Cornell graduate based in San Jose, had started working as a software engineer for the streaming giant two weeks before his disappearance, according to what his family told local news media.

"He traveled here [San Francisco] late July, July 26th, and he started work last week, so this was his second week of work," the man's older brother, Yosief Kidane, told Fox KTVU.

According to Yosief Kidane, the family hasn't been able to get in touch with Yohanes since Monday evening. Since then, his phone tracker hasn't moved from a spot near Golden Gate Bridge. The family has reported the case to the San Jose police.

Yosief Kidane and his father have reportedly flown from New York to the Bay Area to look for the missing man, to no avail. Surveillance footage taken in front of his apartment shows Yohanes Kidane getting in a black Toyota Sedan with an Uber sticker at 28th North Fourth St. in San Jose at about 7:15 p.m. on Monday.

That was the last time the man was seen. According to what his colleagues told the Kidane family, the 22-year-old was heading toward San Francisco, less than an hour's drive away.

"Two young colleagues of his saw him and were able to talk to him," said Yosief Kidane. "He said he was heading to San Francisco to maybe meet a friend. The last footage I've seen of him was leaving his apartment building and getting into a black Toyota Camry."

Since then, several of the young man's belongings have turned up at police stations, but there's been no trace of Yohanes Kidane yet.

On Tuesday morning, the family said that a commuter found Yohanes' phone and wallet "on a grassy hill" and brought them to the Marin California Highway Patrol's office.

"Someone who was in San Rafael, who was on a commute, saw a phone and wallet sitting on this small grassy hill right between the Welcome Center and coffee shop," Yohanes' older brother said. "Thirty bucks in cash was in his wallet, IDs cards, phone untouched."

The following day, the family said that the police found Yohanes Kidane's backpack near the Golden Gate Bridge, the two laptops and personal documents "seemingly untouched."

Reports don't mention whether the police are investigating the driver of the Uber taken by Yohanes Kidane on Monday evening. Newsweek contacted the San Jose Police Department's media team by email for comment on Friday.

"We do have an active missing persons investigation involving Mr. Kidane," the SJPD wrote in a statement to Newsweek. "There are no updates to share at this time and the investigation is ongoing. We will circle back once we get any new information."

Yohanes Kidane is officially considered a missing person. Flyers distributed around Golden Gate Bridge describe him as a 5 feet 8 inches tall Black man weighing around 150 pounds. The last time he was seen, he was wearing grey sweatpants, a black hoodie and black shoes.

Members of the public with information about Yohanes Kidane's whereabouts can contact the San Jose Police Department at (408) 277-8900 (reference case number 23-227-0531) or his relatives at (585) 489-4880 or 585-500-5220.

Update, 08/21/23 4:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a comment from the SJPD.