San Francisco, CA – San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced today that her office secured a conviction of Yucel Eryilmaz (44) after a trial by jury for raping a sleeping woman in his car. Mr. Eryilmaz was convicted of rape of an unconscious person (PC 261(a)(4)(A)), and assault with intent to commit rape (PC 220(a)(1)).
“The jury’s verdict holds Mr. Eryilmaz accountable for his crimes,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “I would like to thank the survivor for her courage in coming forward and working with my office through a challenging court process to get justice.”
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on October 18, 2025, the victim and her sister were leaving a club in the Mission District and entered Mr. Ervilmaz’s car erroneously believing the car was their Uber sometime after 2:00 a.m. Mr. Eryilmaz drove the women to their destination, but on the way tried to kiss the sister who was in the front seat while the victim was in the back seat of the car sleeping. The sister refused Mr. Eryilmaz and did not kiss him. When Mr. Eryilmaz pulled up to their destination, the sister got out of the car but before she could open the door to wake the victim and get her out of the car, Mr. Eryilmaz sped away. The sister called 9-1-1 and reported this to the police immediately, but they were unable to locate the vehicle nor track it since Mr. Eryilmaz was not an actual ride-share driver and the victim did not have her phone.
Video footage shows Mr. Eryilmaz pulling into the parking lot next to his apartment building, exiting the driver’s side door, going to the back of the car, sitting down and locking the door. Three hours later, the victim woke up in the back seat of Mr. Eryilmaz scared and confused, with Mr. Eryilmaz on top of her in the process of a rape. The victim told Mr. Eryilmaz “no” and he continued to rape her, holding her arms down while kissing and biting her neck. Eventually the victim was able to free herself from Mr. Eryilmaz and exit his car.
After they exited the car, the victim spent approximately 10 minutes with Mr. Eryilmaz while he took her into his apartment building to the roof. The victim asked to use Mr. Eryilmaz’s phone to call her sister. Eventually Mr. Eryilmaz let her use the phone and she called her sister. That is when she learned that the police were looking for her, and that her sister was not nearby. The victim eventually fled on foot and was able to utilize a person on the street’s phone to call her sister and get help.
The case against Mr. Eryilmaz was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Abigail Adams, with assistance from District Attorney Investigators Shan Johnson, Lessa Dillon, and Marte Strange, paralegal Andrew Ong and IT support from Noaeh Pinare and Leland Chan. Special thanks to Victim Advocates Abby Cordova and Cindy Pelayo who worked closely with the victim throughout the pendency of this case. Prosecutors were able to develop a strong case thanks to the dedication of officers who investigated this case from the San Francisco Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.
“I commend the victim for her bravery, authenticity and vulnerability while she relived these terrifying events during her testimony,” said Assistant District Attorney Abigail Adams. She showed everyone in the courtroom that there is no “correct” response to rape because trauma affects people differently. I hope the victim finds the closure and healing she needs as she attempts to put this horrific incident behind her.”
Mr. Eryilmaz is currently in custody pending sentencing. Sentencing is scheduled for June 18, 2026.
Court Number: 26001466
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