(COPENHAGEN) -- Two college students, both United States citizens, were detained while visiting Denmark on their spring break, according to officials and an attorney representing the family of one of the young men.
Owen Ray, a 19-year-old studying at the University of Miami in Ohio, and his unnamed friend were detained at Copenhagen Airport on April 1 over an alleged dispute with an Uber driver the night prior, Jordan Finfer, a U.S.-based attorney for Ray's family, told ABC News.
In an account relayed to Finfer, who then shared the details with ABC News, Ray said he and a friend were in an Uber on March 31 when they realized they had entered the wrong address for their destination -- and the driver allegedly refused to take them anywhere else.
All parties -- Ray, the friend and the Uber driver -- eventually got out of the car, and an altercation then allegedly occurred, Finfer said, based on Ray's account.
Finfer says Ray told him that the driver kicked Ray in the groin, and in response, Ray pushed him away and the driver fell, the attorney recounted, adding that Ray and his friend then ran away.
The two students were detained at Copenhagen Airport the next day while trying to return home, Finfer told ABC News. Local police detained them after deeming them "flight risks," claiming they were planning to run from the incident, he said.
"On the evening of March 31, 2025, Owen Ray and a friend were the victims of an unprovoked verbal and physical assault by an Uber driver in Denmark," Andy and Sara Buchen-Ray, the parents of Owen Ray, said in a statement to ABC News. "They did nothing to instigate the attack. We urge the Danish authorities to recognize Owen's innocence and release him immediately. Our family is heartbroken, and we want our son home to celebrate Easter with us this week."
"The safety of everyone who uses the Uber app is a top priority, and we take reports of violence very seriously," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News on Sunday.
"Any additional questions about the investigation should be directed to the Danish police," the statement added.
Ray's Denmark-based attorney, Eigil Strand, confirmed to ABC News that as of 10:50 p.m. Thursday Danish time, both of the young men are still being detained, while Danish police say neither student has been charged.
A Copenhagen police spokesperson told ABC News, "The Copenhagen Police can confirm, that on March 31, two American citizens were arrested in Copenhagen, and on March 31 they were brought before the court charged with common assault. They were sentenced to 10 days pre-trial detention. This verdict has since extended until April 24."
The U.S. State Department provided a statement on Sunday saying, "We are aware of media reports of two U.S. citizens detained in Denmark. Staff at our embassy in Copenhagen are providing consular assistance," according to Chicago-based ABC affiliate WLS.
"The Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad," it continued. "Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment."
ABC News' Benjamin Siu contributed to this report.
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