Uma Ramiah Photo
Alderman Yusuf Shah on his front porch
A pizza delivery took a turn to the dangerous Thursday afternoon, when an alderman’s daughter ordered a pie from Marco Polo on Crown Street and was sexually assaulted.
Now, the 25 year-old daughter of Alderman Yusuf ibn Shah is speaking out with a message for New Haven businesses and residents alike.
“I will certainly be scarred from what happened,” she said in an interview Friday afternoon. “But I’ll keep going, and I won’t be scared.”
But businesses need to be more careful about who they hire, she warned. And people should be cautious when accepting home deliveries.
Shah’s daughter was home Thursday when a Marco Polo delivery man arrived with her pizza, a little after noon. She met him at the front door of the West River house she shares with her father and brothers — but she’d ordered online with a credit card and had no cash for a tip.
“I explained that to him and he said it was no problem. But then he hugged me and kissed me on the forehead,” she explained.
Taken aback, she moved to go back inside, she said.
“Then he asked if he could have a real kiss and tried to move closer to me.”
She said no, and pulled away, still holding the pizza. The delivery man pulled her back, grabbing her shoulders, kissing and groping her.
“I pulled away and broke free and was able to get in the door,” she said. Her two brothers, ages 19 and 24, were in the back of the house and couldn’t hear what was happening.
She called Marco Polo immediately and spoke to employee Mahmoud Abdelnabi, detailing what happened. She also spoke to manager Mohammed Abou El Makarem.
“I told them the story and said he must be a pervert,” she said. “And they were shocked.”
Then, she called the police.
Upon his return to the store, the 45-year-old delivery man was fired immediately. He’d started work at Marco Polo a mere three weeks before the incident Thursday. Shah’s daughter accompanied police officer Victor Herrara to the restaurant on Crown Street around 4 p.m, where she identified the man. He was arrested and charged with fourth degree sexual assault.
“If he was able to do that to me, and then just go straight back to work, he must have done it to other women,” she said. “And they might not have felt brave enough to press charges.”
Alderman Yusuf Shah, who works at the Cornell-Scott Hill Health Center as a counselor for HIV positive patients and drug addicts, said he was sick about the incident. He was at home Friday, taking time off to spend the day with his daughter when Mayor John DeStefano called to offer his support.
“I’m very upset he’s a Muslim,” Shah said to the mayor, referring to the delivery man who’s from Morocco. Shah is a practicing Muslim. “But just goes to show you that not everyone who says they believe, actually believes.”
“The mayor says he has you in his prayers and if there’s anything we need, he can assist,” he told his daughter after completing the call with DeStefano.
Shah said he will deal with the legal process and will contact the state victim’s advocate on behalf of his daughter. And he echoed the warning to businesses.
“We really need to stress to these establishments with delivery services that they screen their employees,” he said, “we have to really be careful about the people we put in those positions who have people’s numbers, addresses — the info they have to give to get a delivery makes you vulnerable. Who doesn’t open the door to a delivery person?”
At Marco Polo on Friday, the shop was busy, and the employees shocked at the incident.
“We checked his references from other restaurants,” said Mahmoud Abdelnabi, who was working the counter. “We always look into the background of the people we hire, and he’d never had any problems before.”
“This is a family business,” Abdelnabi said. He’s been working at the restaurant for two years; manager Makarem is his brother-in-law.
“It’s not right, and it’s really strange what happened,” he said. “If someone doesn’t tip, they don’t tip. That’s no reason to do what he did,” he said.
Shah said while Marco Polo did the right thing in firing the delivery man right away, management should have made a better effort to look into his background.
“These establishments that have delivery service should have a screening system that will allow them to know who is making deliveries to people’s homes,” Shah said. “I know he’s in jail and has been locked up, but my daughter will be scarred for life for what he did.”