A restaurant in New York City was surprised when a food order they received through the Grubhub app alerted them to a hostage situation. This is the story of how the kidnapped woman used Grubhub to get help.
24-Year-Old Kidnapped Woman Used Grubhub in Hostage Situation
At about 5:00 a.m. on June 14, 2022, The Chipper Truck, a restaurant in Yonkers that’s open 24 hours, received an order for one cheeseburger and one Irish breakfast sandwich. But when they looked at the “additional instructions” on the order, they found this message: “please call the police his going to call me when u delivered come with the cones please don’t make it obvious.”
In a Facebook post, The Chipper Truck posted an image of the message of the woman who had been held hostage.
Alice Bermejo, the owners’ 20-year-old daughter arrived at the restaurant shortly after restaurant workers received the message. Bermejo called her dad for help, as some of the message wasn’t easily understandable. Her dad told her to cancel the order and send the police to the address in Eastchester, which is part of the Bronx.
“‘Call 911, whether it’s fake or not, better to just get them out there,” the father told his daughter who was present at the restaurant.
The owners of the restaurant explained of the incident where the kidnapped woman used Grubhub to reach out, “”Better be safe than sorry.”
And it’s this reason The Chipper Truck is known as a sort of neighborhood watch.
Bermejo shared, “This added a new level and new meaning to that. I don’t think any of us ever expected anything like this.”
After speaking with her father, Alice Bermejo informed the police of the message, and authorities dispatched to check out the scene.
“That was the best thing for her. The police ended up showing up instead of a delivery driver,” said Bermejo.
When the police arrived at the Eastchester address, which is about three and a half miles from the restaurant, the suspect, Kemoy Royal, answered the door expecting a food delivery from Grubhub. But because the kidnapped woman used Grubhub to alert authorities, he was met by police who took him into custody.
The Chipper Truck’s Facebook post said, “Our staff responded immediately and called the police and she got saved. I’ve often heard of this happening but never thought it would happen to us. Thankfully we were open and able to help her.”