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Ballad Of Glass-Riddled Big Mac Remains A Mystery
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 23, 2011
Modified Jul 23, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 23, 2011
Modified Jul 23, 2011
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While the wine pairings, the drug dealing and the calorie count in the Shamrock Shake do little to bolster the reputation of McDonald's, the Times' recounting of the ballad of NYPD officer John Florio has the makings of an amazing tragicomedy. Back in 2005, heeding a Mac Attack, Florio bit into a fresh burger he got from the drive thru of a Bronx McDonalds and "felt something hard and sharp on the left-hand side" of his face. Apparently Florio had forgotten to tell the cashier to hold the glass shards.
As "two inspectors, two captains, three sergeants and five detectives" descended upon the McDonald's at 875 Garrison Avenue, a suspect emerged: 18-year-old Albert Garcia, who was questioned for three hours in the back before offering a written confession. "I put the little pieces of glass into the burger as a joke," he wrote in a statement, "I didn't know it was going to be sold to a cop." He was charged with planting glass in Florio's burger.
But five years later, when Officer Florio's $6 million civil suit against the restaurant began, Garcia's lawyer poked holes in Florio's story: doctors didn't see any evidence of cuts to Florio's throat, and X-rays showed no signs of trauma either. Garcia recanted his confession, claiming it came under duress. Lengthy depositions of the officers who investigated the case and interrogated Garcia (now known as the "Burger Boy" in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx) revealed inconsistencies in their stories, despite Florio's claim that "he monitored his stool for several days…going to the bathroom in a bucket and examining its contents, and he found five shards of glass" that passed without incident.
Garcia's attorney argued that the police planted the glass there, and a jury believed them: he was acquitted of criminal charges last year. Florio, who retired from the NYPD, settled a suit against the restaurant for $15,000. His attorney says, "This guy is as legitimate a guy as I've ever met." But what of the Big Mac in question? According to the paper it's in a "city freezer" marked as evidence. It also contained a mystery hair, that "belonged to neither the young man who was accused" or Florio himself. Legend has it, if you drive by the Hunts Point McDonald's reaaallll slow on a night where's there's a full moon, you can taste the hair on the back of your tongue.
Tagged
big mac
bronx
burger boy
fast food
Hunts Point
mcdonald's
nypd
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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