NYPD walks back claims Shake Shack employees 'intentionally poisoned' police officers' milkshakes

Officials say 'no criminality' found in ongoing investigation after police union spreads unfounded allegations across social media

The New York Police Department has walked back claims tweeted on Monday by a labour union representing 20,000 NYC detectives that employees at a Shake Shack in Manhattan “intentionally poisoned” three police officers' milkshakes.

An ongoing investigation has found “no criminality” on the part of any Shake Shack employee, according to an NYPD statement released a day after the Detectives’ Endowment Association wrote on Twitter: “Tonight, three of our fellow officers were intentionally poisoned by one or more workers at the Shake Shack at 200 Broadway in Manhattan.”

The police group posted the controversial allegations — which have since been retweeted more than 15,000 times — after it was reported three officers fell ill after ordering drinks from the burger chain and were sent to a local hospital. It was not clear what led the association to claim Shake Shack employees had intentionally poisoned NYPD officers.

The restaurant said in a statement it was “horrified” by reports of injured officers and cooperating with police as they conducted an investigation into the incident.

NYC’s Police Benevolent Association, a labour union representing 50,000 city police officers, also posted about the claims in a statement that read: “When NYC police officers cannot even take meal without coming under attack, it is clear that environment in which we work has deteriorated to a critical level. We cannot afford to let our guard down for even a moment.”

(Twitter (Twitter)

The officers were assigned to a protest detail monitoring demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after pleading for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Floyd’s death, in Minnesota, has sparked weeks of protests across the country, including in New York City, where days of peaceful demonstrations have sometimes devolved into violent confrontations with police and scenes of riots and looting.

The Detectives Endowment Associated walked back its allegations on Monday, writing in a thread posted underneath its initial tweet: “Although the investigation is still ongoing, at this point NYPD investigators have found ‘no criminality’ in how these officers got sick.”

The tweet continued: “Initially, it was reported that whatever toxic substance made the officers ill was intentionally placed in their drinks. Evidently, however, the toxic substance, a cleaning solution, accidentally made its way into the officers' shakes.”

“The fact remains,” the group concluded, “please stay vigilant, stay safe and always be aware of your surroundings.”

The claims sparked swift backlash from Twitter users, who called on the police group to delete the initial tweet featuring the unfounded allegations.

“Now that your initial tweet has been proven to be false, why don't you take it down?” wrote Josh Hargreaves, senior editor at The Athletic. “Your replies are getting far less notice and the false information is still being shared.”

Holly Figueroa O’Reilly, an Op-Ed contributor at the Washington Post, added: “URGENT SAFETY MESSAGE: take the original tweet down before you confuse more people.”

The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.