TSR Investigates
A recent rash of home invasion attempts by Uber Eats drivers has women looking to defend themselves after several were targeted in the last several years.
Shar’Daya Hardin is one of those women who says she was forced to pull a firearm on a food delivery driver in 2022. Hardin tells TSR Investigates’ Justin Carter that as she opened the door to her Ohio home, the delivery person forced his way in without warning.
“I always do no contact delivery, so they just leave it at the door,” Hardin said. “I do that because I have children, and I don’t want them to think they can open the door for strangers.”
Footage posted to Twitter by Hardin shows the driver on his knees, begging and apologizing to her as she was armed. The clip has been viewed over three million times since June 12.
“Without a doubt,” Hardin said when asked whether the deliveryman would have harmed her had she not been armed.
Meanwhile, NBC News reported earlier this week that a couple is suing Boro Hotel in Long Island City, Queens, for failing to provide adequate security.
The couple, identified only as John Doe and Jane Doe, reportedly stayed at the hotel in 2021. They claim they were robbed at gunpoint after they opened their room door expecting Uber Eats.
And in 2017, San Francisco resident Natasha Dalzell-Martinez described her experience with an Uber Eats driver who muscled his way into her home.
Dalzell-Martinez, who, unlike Hardin, was not armed, told ABC 7 News that her deliveryman showed up at her home with the wrong order.
Her driver eventually returned minutes later with the correct order when the confrontation ensued. Dalzell-Martinez says the man entered her home uninvited and accused her of providing him with the wrong order.
Doorbell camera footage shows the unidentified driver verbally abusing Dalzell-Martinez before appearing to leave her home with food still in hand.
The rideshare and delivery service condemned the driver’s behavior in a statement provided to ABC 7. While the incident was not physical, Dalzell-Martinez says, “his fuse was so short, and that’s what worried me.”
“And then he kicked the door,” she said. “I could hear the door kicked, and I could hear him yelling all the way back to his car.”
And Uber Eats has been far from helpful after she attempted to report him.
In Hardin’s case, she says the driver’s profile had no picture, no reviews… just a first name, she tells TSR Investigates. She says when she brought the incident to Uber Eats’ attention, she was met with resistance from company personnel.
After police responded to the scene, she says her Uber Eats account was disabled because the delivery person marked “violence” in the app.
That ultimately made it harder for her to access her account and delivery information, she says.
Hardin says she will likely move out of her current home once the lease ends. She tells TSRI’s Justin Carter that the Uber Eats incident has left her fearful in her own home.
Meanwhile, ABC 7 reports Uber Eats condemned Dalzell-Martinez’s case. The company said it would look into the incident. However, it’s unclear how or if the driver was punished.
There are over 1.65 million home invasions per year. That accounts for about 66 percent of all 2.5 million burglaries annually, Simply Insurance reports, citing FBI statistics.
The average home invasion lasts 8 to 10 minutes, with some as quick as 90 seconds, per Policy Advice.
Meanwhile, Uber Eats’ website claims all drivers are subject to passing a background check before any deliveries. They are also subject to yearly criminal and driving record screenings.
TSRI’s Justin Carter contacted the company for comment on the matter. However, we’re still waiting to hear back as of this article’s publication (Jul. 5).
Authorities urge anyone in such situations to immediately call the police.
