Airlines have come a long way when it comes to pre-ordering meals onboard, but we’re not quite to the point where you can order takeaway food from your plane seat and have it delivered as your aircraft taxis down the apron for takeoff at one of world’s busiest airports. But one DoorDash driver found himself on the tarmac at Chicago O’Hare Airport after taking a wrong turn.
DoorDash Driver Wanders Onto Chicago O’Hare Tarmac, Triggers Security Alert
A DoorDash delivery driver sparked a full-blown security alert at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) after accidentally driving into a restricted airfield area. Yes, someone delivering food apparently ended up closer to planes than many airline employees ever do.
The incident occurred Saturday, May 17, 2025 when a 36-year-old DoorDash driver somehow made his way onto the airport’s secure perimeter road (and possibly even crossed a runway) before being spotted by vigilant air traffic controllers. According to the NY Post, the man appeared confused and lost rather than malicious, and was delivering food to someone working at the airport.
Thankfully, no injuries occurred, no aircraft were endangered, and no criminal charges were filed. Police treated the incident as a mistake, though are conducting an extensive review of how he gained access to the secure side of the airport. The driver reportedly entered a service road and simply kept going, eventually winding up in an off-limits location.
The question, of course, is how?! O’Hare is one of the busiest airports in the world, and yet a gig economy food courier was able to drive past multiple security checkpoints or gates and end up in a restricted airfield zone. This wasn’t a guy slipping past TSA at a checkpoint: he was driving on the airfield!
Airport security breaches like this are rare, but they point to deeper vulnerabilities. If a lost DoorDash driver can access critical infrastructure by accident, what does that say about the robustness of our airside access controls? It doesn’t take a vivid imagination to see how this could have ended much worse if the person involved had ill intent.
DoorDash driver enroute to his destination accidentally drives onto the ramp area at Chicago O’Hare Airport.
Despite the strict rules at the Chicago airport pickup and drop-off areas, the delivery person entered the secured areas before a worker realized he wasn’t supposed to be… pic.twitter.com/NnGfKylJVA
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) May 20, 2025
CONCLUSION
Most of us are used to the occasional DoorDash mix-up like cold food, missing drinks, wrong address. But nearly driving onto a runway? That’s a new one.
Let’s hope this prompts a serious review of perimeter access procedures at O’Hare and other major airports. Because the next person who takes a wrong turn may not be just looking to deliver a pizza…
Providence seems to favor fools , drunks and Door Dash drivers. Perhaps they could randomly test airport perimeter security in various locations. That he made it so far is frightening.
I yell it until the end of time. DoorDash isn’t safe or clean. They hire the homeless living in their vehicles without an interview. They do a basic background check and just having a warrant for your arrest isn’t disqualifying depending on the charge. Some have pets and kids living in their vehicles with them. Certainly not a sanitary condition regardless of the packaging.
Then add in those of us who live in gated communities, do you want to provide these potential criminals with your codes?
Laziness has allowed these companies to thrive and the company is an American success story. As I don’t use them, I’m fine with their exploitation of those down on their luck (to put it nicely) to make a profit. Read the stories on how they punish those independent contractors who are smart enough to cherry-pick the best orders. They want the junkies who are willing to take the worst orders, such as long distance and low/no tips, are rewarded by the company. The get first shot at shifts in busy areas and the smart drivers are shut out.
How does this relate to the story? Probably another junkie that can’t follow directions. Rant over.
Looks like you deleted my original comment but the point still stands, these are potentially dangerous individuals coming to your home. The DoorDash background process does NOT automatically disqualify those with arrest warrants outstanding, instead using a system based on the crime. People should be aware before giving them any gate codes and such.
Hopefully this one is allowed to stay and make people think about who they are dealing with.
This probably was ordered to provision a UA plane, and somebody screwed up and entered the ORD not SFO hub as delivery address.
Perhaps the DD driver shadowed another vehicle through an open gate. To prevent this, I thought vehicles entering and exiting the sterile areas are supposed to stop once they are through the gate and stay stopped until the gate closes behind them. Security cameras will tell the story.
He probably forgot the Diablo sauce
Similar scenario happened with my Grandparents. They were visiting my Grandfather’s Brother and Sister in Law in suburban Elk Grove Village. This was in the late ‘60’s. Grandpa never drove on Expressways. So He took Old Higgins Road to get partially back into the City of Chicago. Next thing he knew, a Continental Airlines 720B was following him on the taxiway. Needless to say, the Police were very understanding and the Airport quickly fixed the problem so no one else could make the same mistake :/