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Burger King Gets ‘Punked’

A prank call to a local fast food restaurant triggered a response that led apparently panicked workers to shatter all the windows and doors in what has to be one of the worst cases ever of getting “punked.”

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At about 11 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 employees at Burger King, 781 Quintana Rd., reportedly received a call from someone purporting to be from the Fire Department, warning of a natural gas leak. The caller instructed the manager to break all the windows to let the gas escape, according to a news release.

When police and fire crews arrived, every window in the dinning room, including numerous ones in a glass atrium seating area, had been smashed, and the front and side doors, which reportedly would not break, had been rammed by the store manager with their vehicle. Fire crews did not find a gas leak.

“The City wants to make clear the Fire Department would generally not call a business directly to warn of such an issue,” said Police Chief Amy Christey in a news release. “Recorded calls through a “Reverse 9-1-1” system may be sent area-wide to notify residents and businesses of major emergencies.”

Such a reverse 9-1-1 call was issued Sunday morning warning of possible flash flooding in the area from a fierce albeit brief storm that hit. Rainwater poured into the Burger King through the dozen or so smashed windows.

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Chief Christey added, “If you receive a call you believe is official from a public safety agency that seems out of the ordinary or causes you to fear for your safety, please call 9-1-1 to verify the information is valid.”

The restaurant has begun a remodeling project and has a big sign posted over the drive-thru window saying it would remain open during the work. However, the restaurant was closed Sunday because of the damage from the prank call.

Workers were busy Monday replacing the glass and cleaning up the mess. A news report said the manager was “suspended” from their job.

A reported prank call about a fake gas leak at the Burger King on Quintana led to extensive damage to windows of the business late Saturday night.

The Morro Bay public safety team, including both the Police and Fire departments, responded to the possible gas leak finding the damage to the facility but no gas leak.

According to reports, employees received a call from someone indicating they were a representative from the Fire Department advising of an emergency. The caller stated windows needed to be broken to ventilate the business and employees allegedly complied.

For more information on the county “Reverse 911” system, see https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/OES/Reverse911.htm.

This case is being investigated by the Police Department. If you have any information that can assist investigators, please call the department at (805) 772-6225.

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About the author

Justin Stoner

Justin is a journalist of more than 20 years. He specializes in digital technology and social media strategy. He enjoys using photography and video production as storytelling tools.