Was the Passenger the Target When an Uber Driver Was Killed in Philadelphia?

The pickup

The Inquirer, citing police, put Bolaji in the driver’s seat of a Chevrolet Suburban. The 22-year-old passenger was in the back with gunshot wounds to an arm, the chest, and the stomach. Police had not named him. Bolaji was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and was in critical condition when that story ran.

“Surveillance footage shows two men approaching the 22-year-old as Bolaji picked him up outside the lounge just before they began shooting, police said,” the Inquirer reported. Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said the man was saying goodbye to a group of women outside the lounge. “As the shooting started, the passenger jumped into Bolaji’s car and Bolaji tried to flee, police said. Bolaji was able to drive a short distance to the 1700 block of Chestnut Street, where he crashed his car, police said.”

That Chestnut Street block is the Inquirer’s account from the day after the shooting. A later report gives a different block. The difference is set out below. It is not resolved here.

Who police said was targeted

The Inquirer reported that police had not released a motive, but believed the passenger was targeted. Vanore said the two gunmen appeared to have been waiting inside a Jeep Grand Cherokee, then got out and fired. “You can see when they’re coming, they’re coming for him,” he said.

Chief Inspector Scott Small told CBS Philadelphia that the shooters “were driving a dark-colored or black newer-model Jeep Grand Cherokee that might have Massachusetts tags on both the front and rear of the vehicle.” Small also said: “It appears that right before the shots were fired, there was some sort of physical altercation. It also appears that someone in that vehicle was targeted.”

Those sentences are police descriptions of the video and the vehicle. They are not an identified shooter. They are not a motive. “Someone in that vehicle” is Small’s wording. The Inquirer’s account, through Vanore, points at the passenger who was getting in, not at Bolaji as the person the gunmen approached first.

Uber told CBS Philadelphia: “Our hearts break for the driver’s family and loved ones in the wake of this devastating loss. We’ve reached out to police to offer our support as they work to bring those responsible for this heinous act of violence to justice.” That is the company’s statement. It does not name a suspect.

What was still open a year later

On May 10, 2026, 6abc reported that the search was still underway, more than a year after the shooting. The station did not name a person under arrest.

That report said the 22-year-old was seen hugging people before he got into Bolaji’s SUV. It said two suspects then ran up, fought with him, and fired four shots. Bolaji was struck in the head and drove away. The station said he then hit a light pole on the 700 block of Chestnut Street. The Inquirer had said the 1700 block of Chestnut Street. This page does not choose between those two accounts.

6abc said the passenger was shot three times and has recovered. John Appledorn, president of the Citizens Crime Commission, told the station: “If you know anything about this case there is a $20,000 reward for an arrest and conviction.” The Inquirer had also reported a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Nothing in the May 10, 2026 report, and nothing added to the Inquirer story as checked on November 10, 2026, supplies a suspect’s name, an arrest, or a motive beyond the police statements above.

Sources

• The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Olatunji W. Bolaji was the Uber driver killed in Center City shooting, police say,” by Rodrigo Torrejón, April 17, 2025
• CBS Philadelphia, “Uber driver killed in shooting outside Philadelphia hookah lounge, 22-year-old in critical condition,” April 2025
• 6abc Philadelphia, “Police still searching for suspect after Uber driver was shot, killed while picking up passenger,” May 10, 2026
• New York Post report published on AOL
• GoFundMe, “Support for Olatunji Bolaji’s Family After Tragic Loss,” organized by Alex Morris

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