A group of American college students who were arrested overseas are now begging to return home after having their passports seized by foreign authorities—despite claiming they’ve “done nothing wrong.” The situation occurred after an alleged altercation with an Uber driver in Denmark, resulting in them in Danish custody for more than two weeks.
Owen Ray and a friend, who asked to remain anonymous, faced significant challenges returning to the United States after authorities confiscated their passports. During a spring break trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, the 19-year-old and his friend entered an Uber but realized they had input the wrong destination. When they asked the driver to change the address, he allegedly refused. According to Ray’s mother, Sara Buchen-Ray, the teens decided to exit the vehicle, which triggered a cancellation fee. The driver claimed they hadn't paid, and as the teens walked away to call another Uber, he allegedly followed them, threatened to call the police, and insisted he hadn’t been compensated.
“He threatened he was going to call 10 guys in and take care of them. At that point, my son yelled again, ‘We’ve done nothing wrong, please call the police,’” Buchen-Ray said. “And he kicked Owen in between the legs. Owen went down. The other child knocked him down, and they ran away. They were scared.”
The teens were arrested at the Copenhagen airport on April 1 as they prepared to fly home after being labeled “flight risks” by authorities. Danish news outlets reported that the Uber driver was hospitalized following the alleged physical altercation. A Copenhagen police spokesperson said the boys were charged with simple assault and appeared in court later that day. They were initially sentenced to a 10-day pre-trial detention while the investigation continued. However, that detention has since been extended until April 24, and the teens are prohibited from leaving the country until then.
After two weeks, the teens were released from a Danish prison but must check in with authorities daily. Their passports have been confiscated until their court hearing as part of standard procedure. In Denmark, suspects accused of minor crimes can be held for up to four weeks at a time—repeatedly extended—for a maximum of six months without being formally charged.
The State Department is aware of the situation and states that its staff at the embassy in Copenhagen are providing consular assistance.