Essex Man Charged In Murder Of DoorDash Delivery Driver

PATERSON, NJ - A 34-year-old East Orange man faces charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a DoorDash driver earlier this month in Paterson.

Quadir Whitaker was taken into custody Monday following an investigation into the Oct. 4 incident, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes.

Petra Rhoden, 43, of Paterson was in the driver's seat of her vehicle that evening when she was discovered after she had just crashed through a fence and struck a shed, authorities said.

At the time, Rhoden was making a DoorDash food delivery in the area of 259 Harrison Street when she was shot. She then drove off before crashing a short distance away, the prosecutor’s office said.

The shooter got into the passenger seat of a vehicle waiting nearby and the driver sped off, authorities said. Whitaker was identified as the driver of the vehicle transporting the shooter.

Further investigation revealed that suspect’s vehicle followed Rhoden’s car as she was picking up food at a local drive-thru and making her last delivery, authorities said.

Police discovered Rhoden at approximately 10:22 p.m. when they responded to the intersection of Harrison Street and Rosa Parks Boulevard in Paterson in response to a report of shots fired, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The officers observed that she had an apparent gunshot wound and immediately started CPR. Rhoden was transported to St. Joseph's University Medical Center where she died from her wounds a short time later, authorities said.

On Monday, Whitaker was charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, certain persons not to possess firearms and resisting arrest, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The woman reportedly was striving for success the music industry when she was killed.

Her brother, Rick Rhoden, told NJ Advance Media the two of them had been working together in the music industry, and that music was his sister's passion in life. "She was just a nice person. Giving, loving and caring," Rick Rhoden told nj.com. "She would do anything for anybody."

The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact on the tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120.