Executive Summary
- Montoya Perry, 33, faces murder and vehicular hijacking charges in Chicago.
- The victim, Daniel Figueroa, was an Uber Eats driver delivering food when he was killed.
- Police allege Perry stole Figueroa’s car and ran him over in the South Austin neighborhood.
- Perry was arrested in Maywood approximately 10 hours after the incident.
Montoya Perry, 33, is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Wednesday facing felony murder and vehicular hijacking charges connected to the death of an Uber Eats driver on Chicago’s West Side. Chicago Police Department officials stated that Perry allegedly stole the vehicle of 28-year-old Daniel Figueroa and subsequently ran him over with it.
Officers discovered Figueroa unresponsive on the street near Flournoy Street and Central Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood shortly after 2 a.m. on Monday. According to unconfirmed dispatch reports cited by local media, the victim was found bleeding from the head. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. An Uber Eats spokesperson confirmed to reporters that Figueroa was actively delivering food for the platform at the time of the incident.
Alexander Redd, a local resident, stated that neighbors witnessed Figueroa being dragged by the vehicle during the altercation. “He was just doing his job. He didn’t deserve that at all,” Redd told reporters, noting that the victim was likely delivering orders to third-shift hospital workers at the nearby Loretto Hospital. Police have not confirmed the specific details regarding the dragging but noted a homicide investigation is underway.
Harrison Area detectives identified Perry as the primary suspect and apprehended her in Maywood on Monday afternoon, approximately 10 hours after the fatal encounter. She has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony count of vehicular hijacking.
Procedural Next Steps
Perry is set to appear before a judge in Cook County Criminal Court on Wednesday afternoon. The autopsy results from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office are pending; these findings will formally establish the cause of death and serve as critical evidence in the prosecution’s case against the defendant. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
