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On Monday, December 12, surveillance cameras at a Bronx McDonald's captured footage of a knife-wielding man stealing two double cheeseburgers and over two dozen chicken nuggets in a bizarre armed robbery.
As per the New York Police Department, the robbery occurred at an outlet at 101 East 170th St. in Mount Eden. In the footage of the incident, the unidentified suspect can be seen walking into the McDonald's in a baseball cap, a virus mask, and a green hooded sweatshirt.
The suspect walked to the counter, briefly speaking to McDonald's staff before jumping over to the other side. He can then be seen stealing a 20-piece chicken nugget box, a 6-piece chicken nugget box, and two double cheeseburgers. McDonald's staff reported that the suspect indicated that he was armed with a knife.
Crime at McDonald's and other fast food outlets
While the McDonald's robbery caught attention due to the lengths the suspect went to for fast food, what news outlets often term 'hamburglar' robberies are not isolated incidents.
CBS reported that in 2012, a Maine' hamburglar' was accused of running away with a bag from the takeout window. In 2017, the 'Hamburglar' tag was used once more for a woman who allegedly stole cash and food from a McDonald's in Maryland.
While theft of food is common at McDonald's and other fast-food restaurants, another serious issue is the frequency of assaults. According to Slate Magazine, the BLS reported that assaults are twice as likely at fast-food restaurants than at their full-service counterparts. The City Journal reported that annually, between 2011 and 2019, the number of murders in fast-food restaurants across America ranged between 14 and 29.
In an interview with Slate, David Van Fleet, a professor of management at Arizona State University, said that the reason violence is relatively common in McDonald's and other chains is primarily due to the demographics fast food restaurants cater to, as well as the fact that many of them are located in high-crime, low-income areas.
Van Fleet said:
"When you’ve got a relatively uneducated, young workforce and (poor) management, put them in a high-stress situation, a burger-and-fries environment, and you’ll get some improper conduct."
Van Fleet told Vice in a separate interview:
"There tends to be a lot of cash, (and) the workers tend to be young and untrained when it comes to dealing with emergency situations."
Chris McGoey, a security expert, told Vice News that the time of day was also a factor. Fast food restaurants, including certain McDonald's outlets, are often open 24 hours a day, which can attract substance abusers in the late hours.
McGoey said:
"Some restaurants are flat out dangerous—most are not. The ones that do have problems can often be isolated to a time of day; then you can manage it."
Pix11 reported that no one was injured in the Bronx McDonald's robbery. The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the McDonald's theft is asked to contact the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
