Late on the night of December 7 in Evansville, Indiana, what should have been a routine Arby’s delivery turned into a frightening ordeal for Mark and Mandy Cardin. Just after midnight, the couple received their DoorDash order and carried the bag inside, unaware that something was deeply wrong with their meal.
Moments after Mandy began eating, she suddenly started choking and gasping for air, her comfort quickly turning to distress. Within minutes she became violently ill, vomiting and struggling to breathe, leaving Mark shocked and scrambling for answers.
Concerned and confused, Mark reviewed the couple’s doorbell camera footage. What he saw was chilling: the DoorDash driver, a woman with distinctive blue hair, set the food bag down, snapped the usual delivery confirmation photo, and then pulled an object from her pocket — an apparent spray canister — and released a fine mist onto the bag before walking away.
Shaken, the Cardins contacted DoorDash and local authorities. DoorDash confirmed they had permanently removed the driver from their platform, saying they have “zero tolerance” for any behavior that puts customers at risk. The company refunded the Cardins for their order and said it is cooperating with investigators.
Meanwhile, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has launched an active investigation into the incident. At this time, no arrest has been made and the driver’s identity hasn’t been officially confirmed by law enforcement. Authorities are examining the doorbell footage and interviewing witnesses as they explore potential charges, including felony-level consumer product tampering.
Mark has been vocal about the gravity of the situation, expressing that he still doesn’t know exactly what the driver sprayed on the food. While pepper spray is the leading assumption, he cautions it could have been a range of harmful substances — from an irritant to something far more dangerous. He said the experience has made his family rethink the safety of food delivery services entirely.
In the wake of the incident, Mark is urging others to protect themselves with simple safeguards like doorbell cameras and to remain vigilant when receiving deliveries. His warning now resonates widely: a normal night of takeout can change in an instant, and the technology many of us take for granted may be what saves us next time.
