Life
Woman held hostage for days places clever Grub Hub order to alert rescuers
It was 5 in the morning. The order was for a breakfast sandwich and burger. The requested add-on? The police.
Elijah Chan
06.24.22

It was an order that meant the difference between life and death.

Employees at the Chipper Truck Café in Yonkers were business as usual when an unusual request came in.

Staff at the establishment just north of Manhattan were baffled and alarmed at the customer’s special request.

A request to save her life.

YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY

It was 5 in the morning, and the order was for a breakfast sandwich and burger.

The requested add-on? The police.

Alice Bermejo told authorities about the alarming order that came in via Grubhub.

The restaurant’s owner noted that while the order itself was not out of the ordinary, they also noticed a “hastily written note” in the additional instructions section.

YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY

“Please call the police,” the note said, “his going to call me when u delivered come with the cone please don’t make it obvious.”

We can only imagine the tense situation in the restaurant.

Bermejo was notified of the order when her husband received a call from one of the employees.

The employee saw the order come up on the screen and was asking Bermejo how they should handle it.

YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY

“The customer is always right,” has always been a controversial piece of advice but at that moment, Bermejo followed the customer’s request.

Hesitation could result in dire consequences.

YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY

“He was like, ‘Call the police. Can’t take any risks. Better safe than sorry,'” Bermejo said, as quoted by ABC.

Police arrested 32-year-old Kemoy Royal.

The victim, a 24-year-old woman, said she was being held against her will in an apartment in the Bronx.

She met the suspect online and after meeting in person for the first time, but her love story quickly turned into a tragedy.

YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY

She alleged that the man sexually assaulted her. He also kept her phone and would only give it to her whenever she orders food.

That fateful order was then received by Bermejo and her staff.

The suspect will face charges.

They will range from rape, unlawful imprisonment, strangulation, criminal possession of a weapon, and sexual abuse, among other counts.

YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Eyewitness News ABC7NY

That day, Royal was also charged with attempted sexual assault of a 26-year-old woman according to the NYPD.

A gamble that fortunately paid off.

The victim didn’t know if the restaurant would take her request seriously and Bermejo didn’t know if it was all just a prank.

In the end, with only faith at their disposal, they did the right thing.

“We really had no idea of the gravity of the situation until after everything had happened,” Bermejo said to ABC.

Bermejo received a call from the victim’s friend.

She thanked the restaurant for helping her. Meanwhile, Grubhub decided to recognize this act of kindness and concern. They offered $5,000 dollars to invest in Bermejo’s business.

“Every time we see a simple but extraordinary act like this, we are amazed by how our partners positively impact their communities,” Lisa Belot, director of public relations said to ABC. “From drivers delivering in difficult weather to our corporate employees volunteering at food banks to these restaurant employees in Yonkers who recognized a serious situation and acted quickly, we’re grateful and humbled that Grubhub can be a part of such incredible stories of kindness and heroism.”

Watch how a simple delivery note saved the life of a woman in danger in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Advertisement