Have you ever left your phone behind in an Uber, and felt embarrassed? It’s only natural. Maybe it was 3am and you were inebriated. Maybe it was 2pm and you’re just forgetful. Either way, the feeling of stupidity passes pretty quick, you shrug your shoulders, and resign yourself to the idea that your phone has vanished forever into the void. Only thing is – left-behind items don’t just vanish. They’re found, cataloged, and eventually make their way into Uber’s annual Lost & Found Index, which highlights both the most common and the strangest items people leave behind in their Ubers. This year’s Index was just released, and it’s a doozy.
Photo: TY Lim/Shutterstock
Uber Reveals the Craziest Things People Leave Behind in Their Cars
The most common left-behind items are no huge shock. Stuff like clothing, phones, backpacks, and wallets topped the list this year, and chances are you’ve lost one or two (or all) of these things in an Uber yourself. But what about the more…let’s just say, unique, items? A Danny Devito Christmas ornament was among the stranger objects left behind. An ankle monitor, 16 oz of fake blood, a remote-controlled vibrator, a lightsaber, and a weight loss surgery guide, were among the more bizarre items that surfaced. Here’s the full list:
1. Danny Devito Christmas ornament
2. MY DOG IS IN THE CAR!!! A toy poodle.
3. Blue cap that says ‘i love the smell of jet fuel in the morning’
4. Fog machine
5. fire swords
6. Some bowling rags
7. Ankle monitor
8. My unicycle
9. 16 oz of fake blood
10. A printer and remote-controlled vibrator
11. A pin with Jesus holding slice of pizza
12. Small camping stove and my funeral pamphlets
13. Stainless steel gua sha tool
14. Cat collar that says ‘Maui’ on it
15. My calculator and my tacos
16. Small stone carved whales
17. Sentimental green pen
18. Statue of Liberty green foam crown
19. A lightsaber
20. Tamagotchi, light blue, egg shaped. And nuts.
21. My hamsters are in her car
22. Hermes scarves
23. 1/2 a gallon of Fireball
24. Mannequin wig head
25. 6 cheesecakes
26. My happy sauce
27. Britney spears fantasy perfume
28. ‘Taming of the Shrew’ by Shakespeare
29. 2 fingernails
30. A fire sword.
31. Two painted rat traps
32. Tattoo ink and gold antlers
33. A power of attorney document issued by Turkish consulate
34. 2 Pet Turtles
35. Packets and bundles of fake hair
36. I lost my girlfriend
37. Bidet
38. lotion and chicken wings
39. I left a slab of bluefin tuna for sushi on the floorboard of the back seat.
40. One Gucci loafer
41. Rash cream
42. An important pregnancy test
43. Self-respect, mostly.
44. A feather
45. Foley catheter insertion tray kit
46. Slushy machine
47. Paintings of my wife
48. Weight loss surgery guide
49. Horns and a viking helmet
50. My friends fake tooth
So, apart from people being generally forgetful, what can we learn from all this? According to the Index, some trends that appeared this year included Disney and Harry Potter-related items, Nintendo Switches, weed paraphernalia, and pets (yep – people are actually leaving their pets behind). And for whatever reason, April 5th is the most common day to leave things behind.
Despite what you may think, forgotten items don’t actually vanish into the great Uber abyss. That’s right, there’s still hope for your sentimental Danny Devito Christmas ornament. According to Uber, there’s a procedure for retrieving your lost items. Just go into your Uber app, go to “Your Trips,” find the trip during which you lost an item, tap “find lost item” and “contact driver about lost item.” Then, you’ll be prompted to call the driver and arrange a pick up. This obviously isn’t the way most drivers prefer to spend their time, however, so a good way to avoid the issue altogether is by simply…well, not forgetting your stuff.