Last week, multiple police unions and media outlets reported three NYPD officers were rushed to the hospital after they consumed frozen shakes from Shake Shack that were allegedly "poisoned" with bleach.
However, it turns out that the three officers involved did not show any symptoms of falling sick and the incident was reportedly cooked up by the NYPD brass.
Beverages Tasted Funny
Last Monday, three Shake Shack milkshakes were ordered, one strawberry, one cherry, and one vanilla at around 7:30 pm via a mobile app. The drinks were packaged and waiting on the counters when three cops arrived to collect them, suggesting that the employees could not have known who would be picking up the order, as pointed out by the New York Post.
Also, nobody could have "poisoned" the drinks when the cops got there given that the order was already ready to go. The officers thought their drinks tasted "funny," so they threw away their beverages and notified the manager, who gave them Shake Shack vouchers for free food or drink as an apology.
Blown Out of Proportion by Police Unions
They informed their sergeant about the incident, which is when things spiraled out of control. The sergeant reportedly called in the Emergency Service Unit to set up a crime scene at the lower Manhattan Shake Shack outlet, while the three officers were taken to Bellevue Hospital "where they were examined and released without ever showing symptoms".
Simultaneously, a source revealed to the Post that a lieutenant from The Bronx blasted an email to the police unions falsely stating that the officers had "started throwing up" after drinking the shakes they purchased from the Shake Shack on 200 Broadway.
The fabricated story spread like wildfire after the Detective Endowment's Association and the Police Benevolent Association, and the Police Benevolent Association tweeted about it, falsely claiming that the officers fell sick after ingesting "a toxic substance, believed to be bleach".
Media outlets also started picking up the story and the hashtag #BoycottShakeShack started trending on Twitter with Donald Trump Jr pinning the blame on left-wing protesters. The DEA also released their own statement saying: "Tonight, three of our brothers in blue were intentionally poisoned by one or more workers at the Shake Shack at 200 Broadway in Manhattan."
NYPD Investigation Reveals Reason Behind 'Funny' Taste
The incident led to an NYPD investigation, which included interviews with employees and review of store footage, ultimately concluded that the bad-tasting milkshakes were due to the milkshake machine being cleaned right before the order. On it was residual milkstone remover, an acidic solution used to combat build-up in dairy equipment.
All the tweets were subsequently deleted, but no apologies were offered from any of the unions. The DEA's Paul DiGiacomo said in a statement, "No false information was ever put out. It was information that was obtained and was put out to my members for their safety."
