We’ve sometimes seen stories of malicious people breaking into the secure area of an airport. However, a food delivery driver accidentally ending up on an airport taxiway is a new one for me…
In this post:
Driver gains access to secure area of O’Hare
Around 12PM on Saturday, May 17, 2025, there was a serious security scare at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), after a car reportedly drove miles through the interior and restricted areas of the airport, including on taxiways, and even possibly crossing runways.
The wild part is that it wasn’t even a chase, but instead, the 36-year-old driver did that all unnoticed, until someone finally spotted him from the air traffic control tower. Once authorities caught wind of what was going on, they of course approached him.
According to police, the man “accidentally drove into an unauthorized secured area within O’Hare Airport.” What’s so shocking is that according to a preliminary investigation, it was determined that the actions were a mistake, and no charges or citations were filed.
How could a safety lapse like this happen?!
To state the obvious, secure areas of airports are carefully guarded, and generally there are major barriers and gates to prevent unauthorized access.
What’s so unusual here is that no one noticed in the first place when the car entered through some sort of access point. And it’s then even stranger that the car drove for miles before anyone caught onto something unusual going on. The airport needs to seriously review its safety protocols, since something like this shouldn’t happen.
I can’t help but be curious what was going through the driver’s head as this was all going on. Was he legitimately thinking that he was approaching his destination, and that someone tried to order a DoorDash to their seat on a plane? Or did he immediately realize what was going on, but didn’t know how to exit the facility?
Bottom line
A DoorDash driver somehow gained access to the secure area of Chicago O’Hare Airport, and drove around taxiways for miles. Eventually an air traffic controller spotted the unauthorized vehicle, and authorities stopped the car. This seemed to be a genuine mistake. The big question is how a mistake like this could be made, without anyone noticing.
What do you make of this strange O’Hare DoorDash incident?
dOOR DASH DRIVER SHOULD BE GIVEN A VIOLATION TICKET
UNDER MISDEAOUR OR FELONY DEPENDING UPON HIS RESPONSE
DONT KNOW WHETHER HE DID IT KNOWINGLY THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTION OR UNKNOWINGLY. BEING AN EDUCATED PERSON AND A LICENSED DRIVER WITH KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH HE SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE SO . HE SHOULD BE PUNISHED AS PER THE VERDICT OF THE TRAFFIC COURT OF THE COUNTY/CITY OR FAA/DOT RULES WE NEVER KNOW IF HE...
dOOR DASH DRIVER SHOULD BE GIVEN A VIOLATION TICKET
UNDER MISDEAOUR OR FELONY DEPENDING UPON HIS RESPONSE
DONT KNOW WHETHER HE DID IT KNOWINGLY THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTION OR UNKNOWINGLY. BEING AN EDUCATED PERSON AND A LICENSED DRIVER WITH KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH HE SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE SO . HE SHOULD BE PUNISHED AS PER THE VERDICT OF THE TRAFFIC COURT OF THE COUNTY/CITY OR FAA/DOT RULES WE NEVER KNOW IF HE WAS GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS BY ANY TERRORIST TO DO IT
ALL MATTERS SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED INTO THIS INCIDENT IT IS A A VERY SERIOUS MATTER
Who ordered 189 Biscoff cookies?
I wonder if the driver is actually licensed or if they are renting the account.
….. Jchang, could the vehicle have been a Tesla Model with the advanced driver-assistance system turned on?
It is just unbelievable someone can unintentionally breach, with a motor vehicle, and without breaking or causing any damage to anything, the runaway and secure areas of one our biggest airports. Something is terrible wrong with airport security.
I was wondering why my food never arrived.
I would pay good money to tour an airport in my car. Like a drive through safari but with planes. Maybe get an operations person to hop in the passenger seat to explain things and point out different planes
Book a First Ticket changing at FRA/MUC with Lufthansa, or DOH with Qatar? :-)
…. an even better experience with AF, just ask Ben.
betterbub, I am not doing an Arps by posting this …. however, I must tell you that I enjoy an airside tour of various international airports between 4-8 times per month. On the downside, I know little about passengers lounges or luggage halls.
"Don't worry, we can account for this when programming for automated ATC."
-Some putz who thinks we can predict every scenario imaginable, probably.
"Ah," but the tech-lovers say "the car would be automated too, and would not go wrong". Hmm!
If the car had been a Waymo, then on realising something was wrong it might have stopped in the middle of the runway.
Kudos to United for attempting to mitigate their catering debacle.
(Kidding aside, Ben, will you have an article on that?)
there is video someplace that shows how he got on the ramp.
I suspect someone's ORD security clearance will be revoked.
As someone who has used DoorDash for extra income, I can attest that not only does the algorithm in their map system make some incredibly terrible route choices but also if one tries to ignore bad directions or use a different map system than the DD native, the app will start to glitch and even crash. I've had the DD app crash my entire phone (force a re-start).
Not everyone has the luxury of...
As someone who has used DoorDash for extra income, I can attest that not only does the algorithm in their map system make some incredibly terrible route choices but also if one tries to ignore bad directions or use a different map system than the DD native, the app will start to glitch and even crash. I've had the DD app crash my entire phone (force a re-start).
Not everyone has the luxury of having two screens available to them while using DoorDash (like an infotainment system in their car or an extra phone or tablet).
I had trouble when I first started using the app until I caught on - and I am a native English speaker with a college degree and no drug or alcohol habits.
Thankfully I only needed the extra income for a short period of time and got out before things got too crazy!
How can you possibly enter the secured area? There are gates to enter, each of require SIDA badge verification (badge + code). You can't just take a 'wrong turn' and end up on a runway.
Something doesn't add up here.....
Before 9/11, I mistakenly entered a smaller Ohio airport apron by mistake. I exited the same way. I took a photo from the car while it was stopped under a jet but, in retrospect, shouldn't have done that because it would cast doubt on the story that it was accidental, even though it was.
Many years ago, before 9/11, I did the same thing at a small Ohio airport by mistake but made a u turn and exited the same way.
"they of course approached him"
Approached? There are no less than 6 emergency vehicles around the car. Looks more like a full blown take down.
I will admit that at first glance it appears to have been an innocent mistake. True security (which in the USA is lacking, lol) requires this be seriously investigated. I have had many gig drivers that were not able to speak English and were likely foreign nationals. While nothing is an absolute, such circumstances would warrant further investigation.
Gosh, I wish I was that doordash driver.
So what I learned from this is that, theoretically, it is possible to drive onto the tarmac at O'Hare...
To any security officials reading this, I just want to do some planespotting :)
My uncle once walked into the secure area of an air force base coming home from school (which was within the base walls, but in a separate part). He ended up on the runway,...
Gosh, I wish I was that doordash driver.
So what I learned from this is that, theoretically, it is possible to drive onto the tarmac at O'Hare...
To any security officials reading this, I just want to do some planespotting :)
My uncle once walked into the secure area of an air force base coming home from school (which was within the base walls, but in a separate part). He ended up on the runway, and had a ton of military vehicles surround him and take him down (he was 12 by the way). Thankfully, his uncle was a high ranking official in the military, so charges were dropped.
Apple Maps at it again
Just doing a little plane-spotting on his way to the delivery address
I feel like this isn't the first time this has happened...
DoorDasher probably thought "this is some great weed"
I wonder what the delivery address was... I bet it was some ramp agent.
I worked at an airport where there was one of those services that you could order online and they'd get your order and take it to you in any concourse (thus you could get food from another secure area). About...
I feel like this isn't the first time this has happened...
DoorDasher probably thought "this is some great weed"
I wonder what the delivery address was... I bet it was some ramp agent.
I worked at an airport where there was one of those services that you could order online and they'd get your order and take it to you in any concourse (thus you could get food from another secure area). About 80% of its business was Southwest Airlines ramp agents ordering to their break room.... from the food court directly above them.
If the order was for an airport worker then much of the story becomes understandable; including that the driver didn't think it odd to be on the ramp.
Still leaves security question.
A checkpoint letting him in seems unlikely - did he go through an unmanned gate that is usually closed?
Maybe a passenger on a UA flight called in for some catering.
There's following your GPS's directions, and then there's this. Wow, just wow.
I think you mean 'car' in this sentence: "And it’s then even stranger that the plane drove for miles before anyone caught onto something unusual going on."
"And it’s then even stranger that the PLANE drove for miles before anyone caught onto something unusual going on."
I assume you mean car...
@ JT -- Fixed, thank you, whoops!
...And it’s then even stranger that the plane drove for miles before anyone caught onto something unusual going on...
Well, planes belong on taxiways and runways, don't they?
AA was testing out its new "Dine on Demand" for premium economy passengers. ROI looked better for this idea than to repair crew lounges..