Fish Tanks, Live Butterflies, and Wedding Gowns Left Behind in California Ubers

Uber’s 2026 Lost & Found Index just dropped, and California riders are proving once again that the backseat of a rideshare car is basically a storage unit people forget to come back to. Two Golden State metros cracked the top five most forgetful cities in America, with San Francisco landing at No. 4 and Los Angeles right behind at No. 5.

• San Francisco and Los Angeles ranked among the top five most forgetful Uber cities in 2026.
• Over 1 million phones were reported lost in Uber vehicles this year.
• Bizarre left-behind items included a 75-gallon fish tank, live butterflies, and 20 pounds of duck sausage.

The Usual Suspects and the Not-So-Usual Ones

This year’s report marks the 10th anniversary of Uber’s annual Lost & Found Index, and the company used the milestone to look back at a full decade of rider forgetfulness. Topping the list of most forgetful cities overall was New York at No. 1, followed by Miami and Chicago. But California held its own with two entries in the top five.

Phones, predictably, led the list of commonly forgotten items. Uber reported that more than 1 million devices were left behind in cars over the past year. Wallets, luggage, keys, headphones, clothing, passports, glasses, jewelry, and laptops rounded out the top 10. Pretty standard stuff. We’ve all patted our pockets in a panic after stepping out of a car.

But the real fun starts when you scroll past the ordinary and into truly strange territory. Among the oddest items riders left behind were a 75-gallon fish tank, dentures with just two teeth, breast milk, human hair, an ankle monitor, a live fish, a mannequin, two trees, a dishwasher, a wizard wand, handcuffs, two wedding gowns, pelvis implants, 20 pounds of duck sausage, and a package of live butterflies.

Yes, someone put live butterflies in an Uber. And then forgot about them.

Trends That Tell a Story

Uber said the report serves as a decade-long time capsule of changing cultural trends. In earlier years, riders commonly forgot vaccine cards and face masks. These days, newer trends have surfaced. Ozempic pens and Labubu collectibles were among the most frequently forgotten novelty items in 2026, reflecting what people are buying, carrying, and apparently leaving in backseats all over the country.

Other unusual finds included a Donny Osmond group picture, a sack of marbles, an oxygen tank, a brand-new mini fridge, a single red-bottom Louboutin heel, and $200 worth of Temu purchases. It paints a pretty vivid picture of the average rider’s life, or at least their shopping habits.

What Kind of Car Fits a Fish Tank, Anyway?

Reading through this list raises a natural question: what kind of car are these people riding in? A 75-gallon fish tank doesn’t exactly fit in the back of a compact sedan. A dishwasher? Two trees? You’d need something with serious cargo room, which makes you think about the range of vehicles operating as rideshare cars today.

From economy hatchbacks to SUVs and even some luxury rides, the fleet out there is pretty diverse. You might hop into a Toyota Camry one trip and find yourself in something nicer the next. Some riders have even spotted Infiniti models working the rideshare circuit. And for anyone who’s ever wondered “is Infinity Nissan,” the answer is yes. Infiniti is the luxury division of Nissan, offering a more upscale ride with the reliability backbone of a major Japanese automaker. Whether that plush leather backseat makes you more or less likely to forget your 20 pounds of duck sausage is anyone’s guess.

Double-Check Before You Close That Door

Uber’s annual report is always good for a laugh, but there’s a practical takeaway buried in the absurdity. Over a million lost phones is a staggering number, and retrieving items from a rideshare isn’t always simple. The company does offer a lost item feature in its app, but the process depends on the driver finding and returning what you left behind.

So the next time you step out of a ride, take a quick glance at the seat behind you. Make sure you haven’t left your phone, your wallet, or your package of live butterflies. California riders clearly need the reminder. And honestly, the rest of the country does too.