A DoorDash delivery gone wrong turned into a near-fatal shooting on May 2, 2025, when a driver mistakenly knocked on the wrong door in the Hudson Valley, town of Chester, New York.
Prosecutors say the homeowner, a local highway superintendent, opened fire, leaving the unarmed driver seriously injured, leading to two separate indictments against him and his wife.
What happened to the DoorDash driver?
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the driver, 24-year-old Alpha Oumar Barry, had become lost after his phone battery died. Carrying food, he walked up to the home of John Reilly III, 48, and his wife, Selina Nelson-Reilly, 45, and asked whether they had placed the order. Reilly allegedly told the man to leave, then stepped outside wearing a shoulder holster with a .45-caliber Glock pistol.
Prosecutors say Reilly racked the gun, fired a round into the lawn, and then shot twice toward the driver’s car as he tried to leave. One bullet pierced the vehicle and struck the victim in the lower back. Doctors later removed more than two feet of his small intestine during emergency surgery. Prosecutors say the bullet removed from his abdomen matched a .45-caliber round recovered from the Reillys’ lawn.
When police executed a search warrant at the Reilly home, they reportedly found spent shell casings in the kitchen and front yard, the Glock pistol, a shoulder holster, and seven other unlicensed handguns. Although Reilly held a federal firearms dealer license, he did not have a New York State pistol permit and could not legally possess the weapons, authorities said.
The deleted doorbell camera footage
WATCH: Video shows Chester, NY town official shooting a lost DoorDash driver in the back as he drove away.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 8, 2025
The driver's phone died & he was asking for directions.
John Reilly, 48, is charged with first-degree assault.
The victim is recovering.pic.twitter.com/Rn5Y6XrcVf
The investigation widened months later when prosecutors charged Selina Nelson-Reilly with hindering prosecution in the second degree and 17 counts of tampering with physical evidence. According to court documents, she denied knowing anything about the shooting when questioned by state police, but later deleted smart doorbell videos that allegedly captured the incident. She then texted a friend saying she had “permanently deleted the videos,” according to court documents.
Reilly was indicted on charges including attempted murder, first-degree assault, and multiple firearms violations. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bond. His attorney maintains that Reilly fired in self-defense after believing the driver was attempting a break-in.
Nelson-Reilly was arraigned on October 29, 2025, and released on her own recognizance because the charges are not eligible for bail. She is due back in court on January 5, 2026. The wounded DoorDash driver survived but continues to face lasting medical complications from his injuries. The Chester Town Board has publicly called for Reilly’s resignation, but as an elected official, he remains in office. His trial date has not yet been set.
