The Pennsylvania McDonald’s where Luigi Mangione was arrested on Monday was ‘review bombed’ by trolls after staff blew his cover and summoned the police.
The fast food joint in Altoona was hit by a wave of online backlash after an employee notified authorities about Mangione, leading to his arrest for killing UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson.
The negative comments aimed at McDonald’s were the latest in ‘review bombing,’ where an establishment is hit with a litany of bad reviews based on a political view or an occurrence unrelated to its actual business.
About 100 negative and one-star reviews showed up after Mangione, 26, was captured at the restaurant with most criticizing the restaurant and its staff.
Users flooded the McDonald’s Google page with derogatory reviews completely unrelated to the restaurant’s actual service.
‘This fast food restaurant houses a traitor among its employees,’ the first review posted on Monday said. ‘The working class has betrayed humanity.’
‘Very large rat behind the counter,’ another reviewer said. ‘Not very nutritional food. I’ve heard the employees get free food for working a shift–hope they have health insurance to cover the future heart attacks. oh wait.’
‘This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick and your insurance isn’t going to cover it,’ one review said.
Luigi Mangione was arrested on Monday after staff blew his cover and summoned the police at an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonald’s where this photo is believed to have been taken
Trolls have ‘review bombed’ the Pennsylvania McDonald’s where Luigi Mangione was arrested
A woman, who did not want to be identified and who works in the healthcare industry, held a protest sign outside the McDonald’s restaurant where Altoona Police Department arrested Luigi Mangione on Monday
‘I won’t be going to this location again after they helped they helped to ‘rat out’ a man who was simply enjoying some fast food,’ another quipped.
‘The fries were sad and cold, like that snitches heart,’ read another. ‘Pretty depressing atmosphere too. Feels likes someone might rat out on you.’
Another troll posted: ‘Never eating at this McDonald’s again. Imagine going to grab a Big Mac and witnessing Officer Snitchy McSnitch (Employee of the Month) calling the feds on a HERO. Dude was just trying to enjoy his McNuggets after literally uniting Americans, and this cashier speedran dialing 911 faster than he’s ever assembled a McFlurry.’
Some reviewers accused the employee who called law enforcement of being a ‘snitch,’ while others posted inflammatory comments and threats.
Many sympathizers of Mangione, who was captured after a five day manhunt, criticized the restaurant and its staff and expressed their disapproval of the arrest, turning their frustration toward McDonald’s.
One viral comment falsely claimed the restaurant was ‘infested with rats,’ while others humorously tied the situation to McDonald’s signature menu items.
‘Bro, the McRib is back, that’s what took him down. No one can resist the return of the McRib,’ one person joked.
Luigi Mangione appeared to be quite a fan of McDonald’s. He is pictured here posing with a Happy Meal
This is the Altoona McDonald’s restaurant, where an employee alerted authorities to Luigi Mangione who was found with a weapon and writings linking him to the the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
At least 100 one-star reviews were left by trolls unhappy staff had called the police on Mangione
Google intervened by removing reviews that went against its policies, stating that comments unrelated to actual customer experiences would not be tolerated.
‘These reviews violate our policies and have been removed,’ Google said in a statement.
The policy says that review contributions ‘should reflect a genuine experience at a place or business’ and that ‘content that has been posted from multiple accounts to manipulate a place’s rating’ will be removed.
Despite such efforts, the incident sparked calls for boycotts and continued criticism on social media, with some users resorting to memes and sarcastic posts.
‘Out of solidarity, I will be boycotting all McDonald’s in the area,’ posted one user to the Reddit page of Altoona. ‘I would suggest you consider doing the same.’
McDonald’s issued a statement supporting its employee’s actions, emphasizing their cooperation with law enforcement and distancing the chain from the controversy surrounding Mangione.
Mangione has since been charged in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Surveillance camera footage showed Thompson being shot at point blank range by three bullets outside of a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on December 4
He reportedly gave police a fake ID when they started to question him
Police say an elderly customer alerted a local employee about him with the worker then calling the cops.
When police arrived, they found the suspect wearing a medical mask and looking at a silver laptop computer, with his backpack on the floor near the table, according to charging documents.
He proceeded to give officers a New Jersey driver’s license bearing the name Mark Rosario with the birth date of July 21, 1998.
When a cop then asked him if he had been to New York recently, he ‘began to shake,’ the charging documents say.
Officers soon realized the New Jersey driver’s license was a fake, at which point a cop advised him that he was under official police investigation and if he lied about his identity, he would be arrested.
Upon hearing this, Mangione allegedly provided officers with his true identity, and when a cop asked why he lied about his name, the suspect is said to have replied, ‘I clearly shouldn’t have.’
Mangione ultimately went calmly and quietly with officers outside of the McDonald’s, and staff members said there was minimal disruption to their work day.
Mangione was then taken into custody by police shortly after 9am.
Altoona cops are said to have discovered Mangione was carrying a ghost gun believed to have been made using a 3D printer.
Mangione was also said to have been carrying a handwritten manifesto railing against healthcare companies for putting profits before people.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside the New York Hilton Hotel in Manhattan early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to wait for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.
The insurance executive’s murder unleashed a wave of frustration from Americans who have seen their health insurance claims or care denied, faced unexpected costs or paid more for premiums and medical care – all trends that are rising, according to recent data.
The suspect ran from the scene and then rode a bike into Central Park. Surveillance video captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he got on a bus to flee the city.
Police said Thompson appeared to have been deliberately targeted.
