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'I love you, dad': Family of missing Lyft driver says last ride drop-off set for Okeechobee County

'I love you, dad': Family of missing Lyft driver says last ride drop-off set for Okeechobee County
SIX. START NOW. RIGHT NOW AT SIX. THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR THIS MISSING LYFT DRIVER LAST SEEN MORE THAN 72 HOURS AGO. THE FAMILY OF 74 YEAR OLD GARY LEVIN SAYS THEY HAVEN’T SEEN HIM OR HEARD FROM HIM SINCE MONDAY. COMPLETELY DARK AS TWO PHONE CALLS TO AND FROM ALL OF HIS LOVED ONES AND COMPLETELY DARK ON THE LIFT SYSTEM. IVAN’S FAMILY STILL PLEADING FOR ANY NEW INFORMATION. ANYBODY HAS WILL HELP THEM FIND THEIR FATHER. GOOD EVENING. I’M TODD MCDERMOTT AND I’M FELICIA RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. WE’RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHERE HE WAS DRIVING BEFORE HE DISAPPEARED. SOOJI NAM IS LIVE FOR US AT PALM BEACH GARDENS POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH THE NEW INFORMATION SUJI. FELICIA TODD, THE FAMILY LEARNED SOME NEW INFORMATION TODAY ABOUT THE LYFT RIDE DROP OFF LOCATION IN OKEECHOBEE COUNTY. AND THEY HOPE THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN JUMP IN TO HELP. HE WOULDN’T JUST ON A WHIM TAKE OFF AND GO SOMEWHERE. GARY LAVIN’S SON, JONATHAN, IS TRYING TO PIECE TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENED MONDAY. HE JUST LEARNED TODAY THAT HIS FATHER’S LYFT RIDE LEFT NEAR DELRAY BEACH AT 1:30 P.M. AND THE DROP OFF POINT WAS IN OKEECHOBEE AROUND NORTHWEST PARK STREET AND SOUTH PARK AVENUE AT 4:30 P.M. LAVIN’S CAR IS A 2022 RED KIA STINGER LICENSE PLATE 81ABTY THAT HAS BEEN A LYFT DRIVER FOR FOUR YEARS AND IT WOULDN’T BE UNUSUAL FOR HIM TO TAKE TAKE FARES OUT OF TOWN. BUT DAD IS A HOMEBODY THROUGH AND THROUGH. HE LOVES SLEEPING IN HIS OWN BED. HIGHWAY SCANS SHOW THAT THE CAR WAS LAST SEEN IN GAINESVILLE, BUT LOVED ONES SAY THERE’S NO REASON HE WOULD HAVE GONE THAT FAR NORTH. WHILE WE ARE STILL WAITING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCE ANSWERS BEHIND HIS DISAPPEARANCE, WE LOOKED INTO LYFT’S SAFETY RESOURCES FOR DRIVERS ON THEIR WEBSITE. IT SHOWS THEY OFFER EMERGENCY HELP AND LIFE SUPPORT ON THE ROAD. LAVIN’S PHONE HAS BEEN OFF SINCE TUESDAY. FAMILY BELIEVE THAT LEVINE’S CAR WAS TAKEN FROM HIM. WE WOULD STRONGLY, STRONGLY URGE HERE AND ANY OTHER INVOLVED PARTIES THAT HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE AUTOMOBILE OR ITS PATH TO PLEASE GET IN TOUCH IMMEDIATELY WITH PALM BEACH GARDENS POLICE. JONATHAN SAYS HIS FATHER WAS IN A GOOD PLACE. NO KNOWN MEDICAL CONDITIONS. I SPOKE TO MY DAD LAST ON ON SUNDAY NIGHT. HE’S A GREAT FOOTBALL FAN AND WE WERE WE WERE JUBILANT ON FACE TIME THAT OUR EAGLES WERE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL. AND I WAS IN IN A REALLY GOOD PLACE ON MONDAY. AND THE MESSAGE TO HIS FATHER BE THAT. AND IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU MAY HAVE SEEN LEVINE OR HIS CAR OR KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS CASE, PLEASE CONTACT THE PALM BEACH GARDENS POLICE DEPARTMENT. REPORTING LIVE IN PALM BEACH GARDENS
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'I love you, dad': Family of missing Lyft driver says last ride drop-off set for Okeechobee County
Loved ones of 74-year-old Gary Levin, who has been missing since driving for Lyft on Monday, said there are new details about his rides that can hopefully lead them to their father. "We in the family would strongly urge anybody that saw anything in the area of NW Park Street and S. Parrott Avenue in the city of Okeechobee around 4:30 p.m. to please let law enforcement know," said Jonathan Levin, Gary's son.He said detectives are working with Lyft to piece together what happened Monday afternoon. They now know that Levin's Lyft ride was in the vicinity of Delray Beach at 1:30 p.m. The drop-off location for the ride was in Okeechobee around 4:30 p.m. Levin's car is a 2022 red Kia Stinger. The license plate is 81ABTY. "None of this makes sense. You know, dad has been a Lyft driver for years. And it wouldn’t be unusual for him to take fares out of town. But dad is a homebody through and through. He loves sleeping on his own bed," he said. Previous Coverage: 74-year-old Palm Beach Gardens man missing since Monday after picking up Lyft ridersHighway scans showed that the car was last seen in Gainesville, but loved ones say there's no reason he would have gone that far north. While WPBF 25 News is waiting to learn more about the circumstances behind Levin's disappearance, we looked into Lyft's safety resources for drivers. On the website, it shows that they offer emergency help with ADT and live safety support.WPBF 25 News reached out to Lyft for a comment on the safety protocols and has not yet heard back. Levin's phone has been off since Tuesday. Family members believe that his car was taken from him. "It can be frustratingly difficult to deal with the bureaucracies of all of these data companies. We’re glad that detectives have been able to locate the site of the last drop-off, but we would strongly urge Kia and any other involved parties that have any information about the whereabouts of the automobile or its path to please get in touch immediately with Palm Beach Gardens Police," Levin's son said.The family says that he was in a good place and had no known medical conditions. "I spoke to my dad last on Sunday night. He’s a great football fan, and we were jubilant on Facetime that our Eagles were going to the Superbowl. And dad was in a really good place on Monday," he said. A spokesperson with Kia responded to WPBF 25 News' request for a statement on their safety protocols. “Certain Kia vehicles are equipped with a Stolen Vehicle Recovery function. Law enforcement personnel may contact the Kia Connect Customer Care team directly at (844) 886-9411 so that a specially trained associate may determine what assistance can be provided," a spokesperson responded. If you believe you have seen Levin or his car, you are asked to contact the Palm Beach Gardens Police at 561-799-4445. "I love you, dad," Levin's son said. Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Loved ones of 74-year-old Gary Levin, who has been missing since driving for Lyft on Monday, said there are new details about his rides that can hopefully lead them to their father.

"We in the family would strongly urge anybody that saw anything in the area of NW Park Street and S. Parrott Avenue in the city of Okeechobee around 4:30 p.m. to please let law enforcement know," said Jonathan Levin, Gary's son.

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He said detectives are working with Lyft to piece together what happened Monday afternoon. They now know that Levin's Lyft ride was in the vicinity of Delray Beach at 1:30 p.m. The drop-off location for the ride was in Okeechobee around 4:30 p.m.

Levin's car is a 2022 red Kia Stinger. The license plate is 81ABTY.

red kia stinger stock image
Palm Beach Gardens Police Department

"None of this makes sense. You know, dad has been a Lyft driver for years. And it wouldn’t be unusual for him to take fares out of town. But dad is a homebody through and through. He loves sleeping on his own bed," he said.

Previous Coverage: 74-year-old Palm Beach Gardens man missing since Monday after picking up Lyft riders

Highway scans showed that the car was last seen in Gainesville, but loved ones say there's no reason he would have gone that far north.

While WPBF 25 News is waiting to learn more about the circumstances behind Levin's disappearance, we looked into Lyft's safety resources for drivers. On the website, it shows that they offer emergency help with ADT and live safety support.

WPBF 25 News reached out to Lyft for a comment on the safety protocols and has not yet heard back.

Levin's phone has been off since Tuesday. Family members believe that his car was taken from him.

"It can be frustratingly difficult to deal with the bureaucracies of all of these data companies. We’re glad that detectives have been able to locate the site of the last drop-off, but we would strongly urge Kia and any other involved parties that have any information about the whereabouts of the automobile or its path to please get in touch immediately with Palm Beach Gardens Police," Levin's son said.

The family says that he was in a good place and had no known medical conditions.

"I spoke to my dad last on Sunday night. He’s a great football fan, and we were jubilant on Facetime that our Eagles were going to the Superbowl. And dad was in a really good place on Monday," he said.

A spokesperson with Kia responded to WPBF 25 News' request for a statement on their safety protocols.

“Certain Kia vehicles are equipped with a Stolen Vehicle Recovery function. Law enforcement personnel may contact the Kia Connect Customer Care team directly at (844) 886-9411 so that a specially trained associate may determine what assistance can be provided," a spokesperson responded.

If you believe you have seen Levin or his car, you are asked to contact the Palm Beach Gardens Police at 561-799-4445.

"I love you, dad," Levin's son said.

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