Masked thieves have turned late-night pizza runs into a setup outside a Roxbury shop, placing oversized orders, lurking by the curb and then muscling delivery drivers out of the food, according to the owner of Blue Hill Pizzeria. After a string of these robberies, the shop has cut off evening delivery and started closing earlier than usual to protect its employees. The most recent hit came Tuesday night, when three people stepped out from behind a parked car on Maywood Street and climbed into a delivery driver’s vehicle.
According to NBC Boston, that latest robbery was reported to Boston police, and the police report noted several earlier incidents were never called in. The owner told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra the scheme has played out five times and typically happens after 8 p.m.
“Typically, these are large orders, 80 dollars, 100 dollars, 120 dollars,” owner Amilcar Gonzales told NBC Boston. He said the pattern of robberies has worsened over the eight years he has run the Blue Hill Avenue location, and that the growing risk to his drivers is what finally pushed him to cut back hours and end evening delivery.
Where This Is Happening
City licensing records list the business as Blue Hill House of Pizza at 161 Blue Hill Avenue, with Amilcar De Jesus Gonzalez named as manager. Boston Licensing Board filings place the storefront on a busy stretch of Blue Hill Avenue, and local transit maps show Maywood Street just a short block off that corridor, according to Moovit.
Business Reaction
Gonzales told reporters the pizzeria has stopped offering evening delivery and now shuts its doors earlier so workers are not on the road as late. He also said at least one neighboring business has shifted its own delivery schedule after the incidents. Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra reported on the changes local shops are making to their hours and delivery service.
Police And Safety Advice
Boston police have issued community alerts about robberies that target food delivery workers and are urging both drivers and restaurants to take extra precautions, such as arranging drop-offs in well-lit areas, leaning on contactless delivery and calling 911 immediately if anyone is threatened. The Boston Police Department is asking anyone with information to contact District B-2 detectives or to submit anonymous tips through CrimeStoppers.
Gonzales said he hopes witnesses or customers who may have recorded video will step forward so police can identify the suspects and the shop can eventually bring back safer evening service. Anyone with information about the recent incident is asked to contact Boston police or CrimeStoppers.
