LOS ANGELES _ A 29-year-old Uber and Lyft driver who went missing in downtown Los Angeles more than a week ago has been found in a nearby hospital, authorities said.
Joshua Thiede, who was last seen driving his black Nissan Altima in the 1000 block of Wilshire Boulevard near the 110 Freeway on Feb. 11, was found less than a mile away at Good Samaritan Hospital late Monday night, according to Officer Greg Kraft, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Kraft did not know Thiede's condition or when he arrived at the hospital. It was not immediately clear if Thiede was brought to the hospital by emergency personnel or checked himself in. The department planned to issue a press release later on Tuesday morning, Kraft said.
Thiede's mother, Janet, thanked those who aided in the search for her son.
"At this time, we do not have all the details. We are just extremely happy that he is alive," she wrote in a Facebook post published early Tuesday morning. "We are continuing to ask the LAPD to investigate the circumstances that landed him in the hospital."
The LAPD found Thiede's car in Koreatown on Monday, but declined to offer details.
Thiede's mother previously told The Times that her son has been driving for Uber and Lyft while working on a prototype organic shoe made of pineapple and hemp. His car's key fob indicated he last drove out of the garage of his Los Angeles apartment on the night of Feb. 11, his mother said.
Phone records show that someone called 911 from his cellphone at 2:32 p.m. the next day, Feb. 12.
