Some days just call for a little treat. That’s all a young college student wanted when she placed a DoorDash order last week. Instead of the meal and drinks she ordered, however, she was left hungry and thirsty. She says the DoorDasher stole her food.
Then in a surprising turn of events, though perhaps less so in this day and age, her tale became the center of an internet maelstrom. People rode at dawn for the young woman whose splurge turned into disappointment. Together, they swiftly tracked down the alleged perpetrator, now known as the “DoorDash seafood boil bandit.”
Here’s what went down.
A week ago, creator @nykssecretacc shared her tale of a DoorDash gone wrong on TikTok.
“DoorDash, count your days,” she writes in an on-screen caption. Visibly upset, she explains that she has her period and decided to order herself a seafood boil from The Juicy Crab as a treat.
As soon as she saw the DoorDasher’s name, @nykssecretacc got a sinking feeling.
“I already knew for a fact that my [expletive] was gonna get stolen,” she says.
Sure enough, she says the woman, who she and others identified as Queashonda, went to The Juicy Crab, where she remained for an hour.
Then, she says, the DoorDash worker picked up her drinks—cranberry ginger ale, Sprite, and a beverage by AriZona. The DoorDash delivery finally arrived afterwards, albeit outside her downstairs neighbor’s door, not hers.
The contents of the order enraged her.
“The seal on the bag is busted and she took a whole two-liter out of the bag,” she says.
She says she couldn’t believe the woman’s “audacity.”
“That [expletive] was $30 for the seafood alone and the drinks itself were $12,” she says. “And not to mention I left this [expletive] a tip.”
The DoorDash seafood boil bandit is born
Her TikTok went massively viral. As of this writing, it has 10 million views.
The sight of a college student weeping over her stolen DoorDash order spurred people to action. They were outraged on @nykssecretacc’s behalf.
Before long, people had identified the woman they believe to be the DoorDash seafood boil bandit. Multiple people said she changed her handle after people started coming for her in comments and, presumably direct messages. So they tracked down the alleged new handle, too.
The account holders did not respond to direct messages sent via TikTok. The Mary Sue isn’t identifying the handles because it is not clear that this is the individual who allegedly took the DoorDash order. And it is possible that the person or people who run these accounts are simply leaning into the virality of the saga.
The internet mob comes for an innocent bystander
A tale of online “justice” being served wouldn’t be complete without false accusations. People online have misidentified artist and actress Chyng (@iamchyng) as the DoorDash seafood boil bandit.
Most of the viral videos erroneously claiming to have identified the culprit use a video Chyng posted of herself eating Alaskan king crab.
Chyng has posted multiple videos calling out the false accusations. “I literally am not Queashonda,” she says in one.
Yet the false accusations keep coming—in spite of multiple easily discoverable facts that prove it wasn’t her.
For one, Chyng posted her video on Nov. 3, well over a month before the DoorDash seafood boil bandit saga began. Secondly, she’s not eating a seafood boil; she’s eating (and nearly choking on) Alaskan king crab.
It also bears mention that Alaskan king crab is extremely expensive. FishEx is currently selling a 20 lb. case for just shy of $1,900, or $95 per pound. Chyng has two entire king crabs in front of her, easily worth several hundred dollars.
A $30 seafood boil is a delicious treat, for sure, but it would not include two entire Alaskan king crabs at that price.
Further, Chyng’s bio includes a New Jersey address; @nykssecretacc is purportedly in Atlanta, Georgia.
It’s clear that Chyng did not take @nykssecretacc’s DoorDash order, nor has the student accused her of such.
Chyng didn’t respond to a direct message sent via TikTok.
A happy ending for the DoorDash seafood boil bandit’s victim
In addition to the outpouring of support and internet vigilantism, @nykssecretacc says she was ultimately made whole by DoorDash.
At the time of her original post, she said in the caption that the company was going to make her wait a day for a refund. To her, this was unacceptable. “FIX THIS NOW!!!!!” she wrote.
DoorDash didn’t respond to an inquiry sent via email.
On Wednesday, she posted an update.
“DoorDash ended up texting me and apologizing for the situation. Not only did they give me two $75 gift cards, they gave me an additional $50 on top of refunding my money,” she says.
To critics who accused her of much ado about nothing, she asks how they’d feel if they paid $42 for food (plus tip) and didn’t get it.
In comments, she also alleges that the DoorDasher was fired. She also notes that she didn’t ask people to go after the woman.
Nevertheless, she’s moved. “Thank y’all for the support. It really means a lot,” she says.
People are thrilled she got a happy ending, albeit due in part to an online version of mob justice.
“People on TikTok be finding anyone, this situation crazy,” one wrote.
“Glad you at least got your money back and now can go get another seafood boil!” another said. “Ignore the haters.”
@nykssecretacc did not respond to a direct message seeking comment.
@nykssecretacc And support tb I have to wait a day for my refund @DoorDash FIX THIS NOW!!!!! #fyp #viralvideo #scammed #doordash #givememymoneyback ♬ original sound – lego set
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