An 18-year-old Chicago-area man is accused of using the Sniffies hookup app to lure an Uber driver into a meeting before using a gun and a bat to rob him. During the encounter, the assailant allegedly stole the driver’s phone and smartwatch, later using the devices to gain digital access to the victim’s bank accounts.
Jroy Ramey has been charged with armed robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection to the July 19 incident. The robbery occurred in the 4800 block of South Drexel Boulevard, on the border of Chicago’s Bronzeville and Kenwood neighborhoods.
As reported by CWBChicago, Ramey is suspected of committing similar crimes alongside at least one co-conspirator in the city and nearby suburbs.
Chicago police previously warned residents about three similar robberies on the same block in July. In each of those cases, assailants used dating apps to lure victims to secluded areas to rob them and use their cell phones to transfer money from their bank accounts. Ramey is currently charged in only one of those incidents.
The victim, a 30-year-old from Cicero, told police he had been chatting with someone on Sniffies while working as an Uber driver. Around 1 a.m., he arranged to meet his would-be paramour near Drexel Boulevard and 49th Street and parked in an alley.
Upon his arrival, a man approached the vehicle and guided him to a more secluded area. Once there, prosecutors claim Ramey emerged from behind a door holding a silver object similar to a baseball bat and ordered the victim to get on the ground and hand over his phone.
When the victim refused to provide the phone’s password, Ramey allegedly instructed his accomplice to shoot the victim in the leg if he did not comply.
According to charging documents, the second suspect pressed a gun against the victim’s left leg and later his back while the victim was on the ground. The robbers held the phone to the man’s face to unlock it using facial recognition. After noticing the victim was wearing an Apple Watch, Ramey allegedly stole that as well. The two then fled, pointing a gun at the victim and ordering him to keep his head down.
The victim drove away and flagged down a patrol car to report the robbery.
After obtaining a replacement iPhone, the victim discovered that someone had accessed his bank account and made at least 10 unauthorized debit purchases on July 21, totaling $1,856. Prosecutors said the account was linked to the stolen phone. Investigators also found orders placed through the victim’s Uber Eats account, including at least one delivery sent to Ramey’s home address.
On July 24, Maywood police executed a search warrant at Ramey’s home in connection with an unrelated juvenile investigation involving similar allegations.
Behind a headboard, they recovered a loaded Glock handgun with a 30-round magazine. Police also reportedly found driver’s licenses, identification cards, and credit cards belonging to people who did not reside at the home. An examination of Ramey’s phone allegedly placed him at the Drexel Boulevard location at the time of the robbery.
Ramey recently turned himself in to face charges in this case and a separate armed robbery occurring on February 5, 2025, when he was a juvenile. The victim in the July 19 robbery later identified Ramey in a photo lineup. Ramey’s co-conspirator has not yet been identified.
Judge Shauna Boliker ordered Ramey detained as he awaits trial.
Less than one-third of Sniffies users identified as gay in 2025, with bisexual men narrowly outnumbering gay men on the popular cruising app, according to the platform’s annual "Sniffies Download" report analyzing user data, profiles, and behavior.
The report found that 32.1% of users identified as bisexual, compared to 31.4% who identified as gay.
Another 10.2% of users identified as bicurious, while 18.1% described themselves as "straight-curious" -- predominantly straight but interested in same-sex activity -- and 7.8% identified as straight.
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