Chester Highway Superintendent Convicted of Shooting DoorDash Driver

An Orange County jury convicted John Reilly III on two counts of felony assault and eight counts of criminal possession of a firearm Thursday for shooting food delivery driver Alpha Barry as he drove away from Reilly's Town of Chester home last May. Reilly was found not guilty on one count, first-degree intentional assault, meaning he was not convicted of attempted murder. After the verdict, Judge Craig Brown remanded Reilly to Orange County Jail without bail. Reilly remained stoic as the verdicts were read just after 4 p.m., appearing to hold back tears before being handcuffed by court officers.

Barry, 24, a native of Guinea, was lost and his phone battery had died when he walked up to Reilly's home on Valerie Drive on May 2, 2025, carrying a bag of food and asking if Reilly had placed the order. Reilly told him to leave. As Barry attempted to drive away, Reilly came out of his house with a .45-caliber Glock pistol and fired a round into the front lawn, then fired two more shots. One round pierced the vehicle and struck Barry in the lower back, causing serious injuries. Barry underwent emergency surgery, during which more than two feet of his small intestine were removed. He spent several months recovering.

Ring doorbell camera footage published by news outlets showed the driver walking up to Reilly's front door with a plastic bag and ringing the doorbell. Another clip showed the driver back inside his car as Reilly exited his house with a handgun and fired a shot into his lawn, saying, "Go." Then, as the driver made a three-point turn in the driveway, the footage appeared to show Reilly shoot at the car and again as it drove away.

Senior Assistant Orange County District Attorney Nicholas Mangold told jurors that Reilly was "a reckless gun owner who intentionally shot 24-year-old DoorDash delivery driver Alpha Barry." Defense attorney Thomas Kenniff, of Raiser, Kenniff & Lonstein, countered that his client never meant to harm Barry. "This case is not about Mr. Reilly waiting around on a Friday night waiting to make his first kill," Kenniff said. "What this case is about is a husband and father who was trying to protect his family from what he believed was an imminent threat. The evidence shows that John Reilly never intended to harm Mr. Barry."

A search warrant executed at Reilly's home led to the recovery of .45-caliber casings in the kitchen and front lawn, the projectile from the lawn, a shoulder holster and loaded Glock, and seven additional illegally possessed pistols. Police said that although Reilly held a federal firearms license to sell guns, he did not have a New York State pistol permit and therefore could not lawfully possess them.

Reilly's attorney said he plans to appeal the verdict. "This is a lot to take in, and nobody wants to be in this position," Kenniff said. "But we strongly feel that the depraved indifference charge, which the jury did convict on, should not have been in this indictment. It should not have been presented to the jury. The definition of depraved indifference goes beyond anything that took place in this case. It is a charge that has been repeatedly challenged in the highest courts in the state, including the New York State Court of Appeals."

Barry's civil attorney, Rudyard White of the Cochran Law Firm, said the verdict was no surprise. "He came out of his house looking to shoot someone. He came out guns blazing with a shoulder strap on. It was uncalled for, and he put Alpha's life in jeopardy." Barry filed a civil lawsuit against Reilly and the Town of Chester last November.

Reilly, 48, has served as the Town of Chester's highway superintendent since 2021. Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said Thursday night that, under state law, Reilly will have to vacate his position following the felony conviction. Holdridge said he hopes to have an interim highway superintendent in place within about a week.

Reilly's wife, Selina Nelson-Reilly, faces her own legal jeopardy in connection with the case. After speaking with investigators, she allegedly deleted 17 videos from the couple's doorbell camera and later texted a friend saying she had permanently deleted them. Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced her arraignment on charges of hindering prosecution and 17 counts of tampering with physical evidence.

Reilly faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Craig Brown on May 18.