Food delivery driver accused of breaking into Quinnipiac University student's off-campus home

HAMDEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A Bridgeport man was arrested after allegedly breaking into the off-campus home of a Quinnipiac University student and attempting to break into the home of another in Hamden on Tuesday night.

At about 11:30 p.m., Hamden Police responded to a residence on Kimberly Avenue, near the main campus of Quinnipiac University (QU), for reports of an attempted residential burglary. A QU student was in her house when someone attempted to forcibly break in through a window. She told police the suspect fled after she shined a flashlight toward the window; the suspect never got into her home.

WATCH: Hamden Police give an update on case against food delivery driver who allegedly broke into Quinnipiac University student’s off-campus house

HAMDEN POLICE UPDATE on food delivery driver allegedly stalking female customers @WTNH https://t.co/45gzSctwZV
— Sabina Kuriakose (@SabinaKuriakose) November 18, 2021

A short time later, Hamden Police responded to a similar call at a home nearby on West Woods Road. Another QU student reported a suspect had gotten into her resident through an unsecured rear door while she was asleep. She woke up to the suspect standing at the foot of her bed. The suspect ran when the woman started to yell.

No one was injured in either incident.

Hamden Police found the suspect’s vehicle in the neighborhood and attempted to stop it, but he fled and led police on a chase. Police caught the suspect, later identified as Adiel Viana-Ribeiro, 24, of Bridgeport, on I-84 near Exit 16 in Southbury. Evidence was found in Viana-Ribeiro’s car.

News 8 spoke to one of the victims off camera who said she and her roommates are still processing what they went through but said, “Be extra careful. You don’t think this stuff is going to happen to you, but it does. You just have to be careful.”

In a statement Wednesday night, QU reminded students and staff to stay vigilant about their safety in and outside their homes.

Quinnipiac Public Safety officers perform regular checks of all university-owned properties to maintain the safety of our student community. We appreciate the quick actions of our students who immediately called Public Safety when they heard a noise outside their home; our officers responded immediately and coordinated with Hamden police and Connecticut State Police, who led an investigation and shortly after apprehended the suspect.
We have also reminded everyone in our university community to practice good safety habits by always securing their residence, regardless of whether they are home or away, including locking windows and doors and keeping dark areas around their home well-lit during the evening.
– John W. Morgan, Associate Vice President for Public Relations, Quinnipiac University

According to police, Viana-Ribeiro delivers food and drives passengers for app-based service companies. He specifically targeted houses where he previously made deliveries to females.

“He was specifically targeting previous customers, college-aged women, that used these services and then would go back after determining there weren’t any males at the houses he was targeting,” said Detective Sean Dolan, Hamden Police Department.

News 8 received a statement from a DoorDash spokesperson, which said the following:

“These horrifying reports are deeply disturbing, and we immediately removed the Dasher from our platform. The safety of our community is paramount, and we have reached out to law enforcement to support their investigation in any way we can.”

He is charged with the following: