Town Official Who Shot DoorDash Delivery Driver Gets 17 Years

John Reilly III, a former Chester highway supervisor, was convicted by a jury in March of a slew of felony charges.

By Jeff Edwards, Patch Staff

May 19, 2026 2:11 am EDT | Updated May 19, 2026 3:26 am EDT

"The lengthy sentence imposed on this defendant justly reflects his depraved indifference to human life," DA Hoovler said. "The victim is forced to live with life-altering injuries as a result of this defendant’s violent criminal actions." ( Orange County District Attorney)

TOWN OF CHESTER, NY — A high-ranking town official has been sentenced for shooting a delivery driver.

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that 49-year-old John Reilly III, of Chester, was sentenced on Monday to 17 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision. Hoovler noted that the recommended sentence was 21 and 1/3 to 24 years in prison.

Reilly was convicted in March after a jury trial of felony first-degree assault; felony second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; felony second-degree assault; and eight felony counts of criminal possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, during the evening of May 2, 2025, an unarmed DoorDash driver who was lost with a dead phone battery walked up to the home of John Reilly and Selina Nelson-Reilly, in the Town of Chester, with a bag of food, asking if Reilly had placed the order.

Reilly then ordered the man to leave and when the driver tried to leave in his vehicle, Reilly came out of his home with a shoulder holster and armed with a .45 caliber Glock pistol, police say. He racked the gun and discharged a round into the front lawn, according to cops.

Reilly shot at the vehicle, and immediately aimed the gun at the car and fired again, according to investigators. A round pierced the vehicle and struck the victim in the lower back, causing "devastating" injuries.

The .45 caliber projectile was recovered from the victim's abdomen during emergency surgery, which resulted in the removal of over two feet of the victim's small bowel.

A search warrant executed at Reilly's home resulted in the recovery of .45 caliber casings in the kitchen and front lawn, the projectile from the front lawn, the shoulder holster and loaded .45 caliber Glock pistol, and seven other illegally possessed pistols from the home, according to police.

Law enforcement discovered that while Reilly held a Federal Firearms License (FFL) in order to sell firearms, he had no state firearms license or pistol permit, and could not lawfully possess those guns in New York.

DA Hoovler thanked the New York State Police for their investigation which led to the arrest of Reilly. He also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who aided in the investigation.

"The lengthy sentence imposed on this defendant justly reflects his depraved indifference to human life," Hoovler said. "The victim is forced to live with life-altering injuries as a result of this defendant’s violent criminal actions. It is yet another example of the consequences of the use of dangerous firearms by an individual who had no business possessing a gun. I hope that the victim and his family can move on knowing that the efforts of the police and prosecutors assigned to the case achieved a degree of justice."

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