The Daily Populous Wednesday May 7th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by abcnews.go.com and submitted by AudibleNod

The delivery driver, 24, was shot in the back and seriously hurt, police said.

A town official has been arrested for allegedly shooting a DoorDash driver in Chester, New York, on May 2, 2025.

A New York town official has been arrested for allegedly shooting a DoorDash driver who was lost and trying to get directions, police said.

The 24-year-old victim was attempting to deliver food to a house Friday night when he got lost in Chester, a town about 50 miles north of Manhattan, the New York State Police said.

He "approached several homes asking for directions before arriving at the residence of John Reilly III," who is the Town of Chester highway superintendent, police said.

Reilly, 48, told the victim "to get off his property," and then Reilly allegedly fired multiple shots at the driver while he was trying to leave in his car, police said.

The driver was shot once in the back and hospitalized with serious injuries, police said. He's currently in stable condition, police said on Tuesday.

A DoorDash spokesperson said the company is "devastated by this senseless act of violence" and is wishing the driver "a full and speedy recovery."

A town official has been arrested for allegedly shooting a DoorDash driver in Chester, New York, on May 2, 2025. WABC

"No one should ever fear for their safety just for trying to make deliveries in their neighborhood," the spokesperson said in the statement, adding, "We'll continue to work closely with law enforcement as they investigate this tragic incident."

Reilly -- who is a federally licensed firearms dealer -- was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, police said. He was arraigned at the Orange County Centralized Arraignment Part and his preliminary hearing is set for Friday, police said.

Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said in a statement Sunday that the board is "deeply troubled by what has been reported so far," adding, "We hope the person who was injured in the incident makes a full and healthy recovery."

"The Town of Chester is not taking any position on any investigation or legal proceeding," Holdrige said, and he noted that the Chester Police Department recused itself from the case.

300ConfirmedGorillas on May 7th, 2025 at 13:56 UTC »

> Reilly, 48, told the victim "to get off his property," and then Reilly allegedly fired multiple shots at the driver while he was trying to leave in his car, police said.

He tells him to leave, so he tries to leave, but he gets shot anyway, in the fucking back. Fuck this guy forever.

smkmn13 on May 7th, 2025 at 13:21 UTC »

> Reilly -- who is a federally licensed firearms dealer -- was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, police said.

Federally licensed firearms dealer has illegal gun. Fantastic.

AudibleNod on May 7th, 2025 at 13:14 UTC »

> He "approached several homes asking for directions before arriving at the residence of John Reilly III," who is the Town of Chester highway superintendent, police said.

> Reilly, 48, told the victim "to get off his property," and then Reilly allegedly fired multiple shots at the driver while he was trying to leave in his car, police said.

When someone pulls into my driveway, my first inclination is to assume they're probably turning around. My second is I'm about to win money from the Prize Patrol. Further down the line is that they're armed Nova Scotia separatist radicals.

> Reilly -- who is a federally licensed firearms dealer -- was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, police said.

Those guns are probably going to go away. New York state doesn't allow felons to possess firearms. All because he wanted to "stand his ground".