For the Johnson family of suburban Indianapolis, it was supposed to be an ordinary evening. A quick order from their favorite Thai restaurant via a delivery app, a relaxed dinner in front of the TV, and an early night. Nothing out of the ordinary — until they decided to review the security footage from their front door camera later that evening.

The reason? Curiosity more than concern. But what they saw in the clip would soon change everything. “At first, it seemed totally normal,” said Erin Johnson. “He walks up, puts the bag down. But then he stops. And that’s when things got weird.”

The Ring camera outside their front door recorded the delivery man’s entire visit — just under a minute long. After placing the bag down, he looked over both shoulders, then leaned toward the door. He appeared to reach toward the handle… and attempted to twist it.

The camera’s angle barely caught the movement — just a flick of the wrist, a quick jostle — but it was enough. “It looked like he was checking if it was locked,” Erin recalled. “It wasn’t part of the delivery. It was deliberate.”

He then stood still for several seconds, as if listening.

Finally, he turned and walked away. No knock. No doorbell. Just a quiet departure — and a lingering sense of unease.

They Didn’t Call the App — They Called the Police

The next morning, instead of reporting the incident to the food delivery app, the Johnsons contacted local law enforcement. Officers arrived that afternoon and reviewed the footage with them.

Within 24 hours, the driver’s identity was confirmed, and he was questioned by authorities.

But what police discovered next was even more troubling.

Upon digging deeper, investigators found similar reports from nearby neighborhoods. Other residents had noticed strange activity on their security footage — brief, almost imperceptible — involving the same delivery driver, always during evening deliveries.

In two cases, neighbors reported: Lights being switched off outside homes minutes before delivery arrivals. Locked gates found mysteriously open the following morning. A dog let out into the street after a delivery was made.

No homes had been broken into, but the pattern was enough to raise concern. “We’re looking into whether these actions were part of a larger plan — casing homes for future burglary, perhaps,” said Officer Raymond Dwyer of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. “Right now, we’re urging residents to check their security footage, especially if they’ve recently used third-party food delivery services.”

While food delivery has become a modern convenience, the case highlights an important truth: not everyone who comes to your door should be trusted by default.

Security experts recommend: Always locking doors, even when expecting a delivery. Using video doorbells or security cams to monitor activity. Reporting any suspicious behavior immediately to both authorities and the platform used. Avoiding direct contact if something seems off — trust your instincts.

What Happens Next

The delivery driver in question has not been officially charged, but an active investigation is ongoing. He has been suspended from the delivery app, pending further findings.

Meanwhile, the Johnsons’ quiet street has taken on a different tone. Neighbors have started organizing community watch groups and sharing camera footage — realizing, perhaps too late, that something dangerous might have been hiding in plain sight.

What began as a normal meal turned into a disturbing wake-up call for an entire neighborhood. While the convenience of modern delivery apps makes life easier, it also invites strangers to your doorstep — often without a second thought.

Thanks to one family trusting their instincts and reviewing a short, subtle clip of security footage, a potential threat may have been stopped before something worse happened.

But one chilling question remains unanswered: How many other doors did he try — and what would have happened if one had been unlocked?