Delivery rider in China alerts police after customer leaves 'last meal in life' note in order

From preparing customers' orders to fulfiling weird requests, food delivery riders have experienced it all.

This time, a delivery rider in China is praised for his quick thinking — he alerted the police after a customer left an ominous note in his food order.

On Dec 14 evening, a distressed man ordered a 25.88 yuan (S$5.50) tofu meal, reported Henan Business Daily.

"This is the last meal of my life. This takeaway order must be delivered to me!" he wrote in the special request form.

Although the delivery rider had reservations on whether it was a prank, he knew that "every minute was critical" and rushed to the man's house. 

When no one answered the door, the delivery rider alerted the police for help.

A Weibo video shared by The Paper on Dec 19 showed the dramatic exchange between rescue workers and the distressed man, with the latter threatening to jump from the window if they broke down the door.

The man, who had taken a large number of sleeping pills, was starting to lose consciousness when rescuers managed to enter his apartment in the time and pulled him away from danger.

After taking the man to the hospital, the police also contacted his parents to talk to him.

The man was said to have attempted suicide after facing relationship issues and failed investments, the Chinese media outlet reported.

For his vigilance and "eagerness to save a life", the food delivery platform rewarded the rider $2,100. 

chingshijie@asiaone.com