Brentwood police officer delivers McDonald’s order after DoorDash driver arrested

BRENTWOOD — David Eldridge was a little confused Sunday night when the police showed up with a McDonald’s bag at his Middle Road home at 11:30 p.m.

The bag was his DoorDash delivery — an order for two cheeseburgers, fries and a McFlurry. The DoorDash driver had been arrested due to a suspended registration, and Brentwood officer Bob McConn had come to deliver the bag to make sure Eldridge still got his order.

McConn said he wanted to help the DoorDash driver keep their job in good standing, as well as make sure the resident was not waiting in vain for their fast food.

“Probably something he was looking forward to,” said McConn.

Unbeknownst to McConn, the order was missing two cheeseburgers. That did not ruin Eldridge’s night, though. Instead, he was heartened by the officers’ efforts.

“It was just kind of funny,” Eldridge said. “Really above and beyond.”

Brentwood police arrest DoorDash delivery driver

McConn said the traffic stop on Sunday was initiated by officer Chris Spitalere. He said the driver was found to have both her license and registration suspended with plates from a bordering state.

McConn said the driver had receipts and documents from her home state that showed her registration and license should have been reinstated. Officers tried to work with her on confirming this, but he said they were in a position where an arrest was necessary.

“We really tried working hard with her just to get it all straightened out,” McConn said. “We worked with her for longer probably than most departments or agencies would.”

It was Spitalere who suggested to McConn that they make sure the bag of fast food still be delivered to the home where it was heading. McConn said Spitalere told him to take the food to Middle Road while he finished with the delivery driver at the scene.

The delivery was as much to help the driver as it was for the homeowner. He said the driver may have been the victim of a clerical error, which is partly why officers sympathized with her.

“We don’t want to see her lose her job based on circumstances that probably, might be, beyond her control,” McConn said.

Officer delivers McDonald’s DoorDash to grateful homeowner

McConn pulled up to the Middle Road home and stepped out of his cruiser, holding the bag. First, he knocked on the front door, and after receiving no answer, he walked around the house to find another entrance to try. He soon heard the front door open and saw Eldridge appear.

Eldridge said he was not concerned that police were knocking on his door but was confused.

“Well, I wondered what was going on,” Eldridge said. “I wasn’t worried about being arrested.”

McConn informed him of the situation and handed him his food. Eldridge laughed but quickly felt compassion for the driver and hoped her situation worked out.

“He was kind of giggling about it, chuckling about it,” McConn said, “But then, on the other side, felt bad for the DoorDash girl, for what happened to her.”

The night was not over for Eldridge after the police left. When he opened his bag, he found the burgers missing. An hour later, he said another DoorDash bag was delivered from McDonald’s to his home with the same order. Somehow, he said, that bag too, contained the McFlurry and fries but not the two burgers.

McConn said he was unaware of any of the contents in the bag he handed over to Eldridge, though he said it felt light. Eldridge said he doubts someone ate the burgers and suspects it was an error at the McDonald’s location.

“I’m not accusing anybody of eating my burgers,” Eldridge said. “If they did, they probably needed it.”

Brentwood police provide ‘full service’ to residents

McConn said Spitalere’s suggestion to finish the delivery shows how his department does more than “jam people up with tickets and arrests.” Brentwood Police Chief John Ventura said he encourages his officers to make their department one that provides “full service” and to go the extra mile in helping residents.

“That just exhibits what we do. We don’t just stop at the arrest, don’t just stop at the traffic ticket,” Ventura said. “We kind of go above and beyond as much as we can.”

Eldridge said the interaction made him feel confident that officers cared about the people in town.

“I thought, ‘There’s compassion in the police force,’” Eldridge said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Police officer delivers McDonald’s order after DoorDash driver arrested