DoorDasher drives onto tarmac at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, exposing security flaw
CHICAGO (WGN) — Newly obtained video shows a DoorDash driver's attempt to deliver food to a customer at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport last month not only breached perimeter security but also failed to trigger an immediate response.
In surveillance video obtained by Nexstar's WGN, the delivery driver's red Hyundai Elantra is seen pulling up just behind and to the right of a United Airlines wide body jet parked at Terminal 1, Concourse C around midday on May 17. The vehicle stopped for approximately 20 seconds before pulling forward again and then stopping alongside the jet.
Baggage handlers noticed the driver and approached, however it took nearly 10 minutes for a marked Chicago police vehicle to arrive. It's unclear from the video whether police or airport security officers may have approached the scene sooner on foot.
WGN Investigates has learned the driver entered the restricted area through a security gate at the southeast corner of O'Hare, indicating he traveled a significant distance across the massive airfield without being stopped or raising alarm.
"No guard was clearly visible and [he] proceeded through the gate, following instructions from his GPS coordinates in an aim to deliver the meal," the driver told police, according to records obtained by WGN Investigates. Police found the food order and a Door Dash receipt in the driver's car and released him without issuing any citations.
The private security guard manning the perimeter checkpoint told police she didn't immediately report the breach.
"The vehicle had indeed driven through her post to which she regarded as strange and unfamiliar," she told officers according to their reports. "She then closed the gate but made no attempt to contact [the operations center] or notify her direct supervisor."
"Following this incident, [Chicago Department of Aviation] leadership met with the contractor, Lincoln Security, to review what occurred and referred the matter to the Transportation Security Administration for further investigation," airport spokesperson Kevin Bargnes told WGN Investigates. "The employee involved is no longer employed by Lincoln Security, and their airport credentials have been terminated by the CDA."
A DoorDash spokesperson did not answer a question about whether the driver is still delivering food for the company.