TSR Investigates
A New Jersey family is seeking answers after an 8-year-old child’s McDonald’s order allegedly came with a lil’ something extra: the bottom-left portion of a mouse.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect a statement from the owner and operator of the McDonald’s location, Jessica Quintana, in response to the family’s allegations.
During a sit-down with Justin Carter for TSR Investigates, Derrick Wilson recounted an Aug. 6 experience that left a mark on his young son.
According to Wilson, he picked up an order from his go-to McDonald’s in East Orange, New Jersey, though there appeared to be something wrong with his child’s order of Chicken McNuggets.
“He bit the nugget, spit it out, and he was like, ‘Dad, what’s this?'”
What the father saw left him “upset” and “irate,” as the nugget appeared to have a mouse inside it.
“When I opened up the nugget, you could see part of, like, a mouse. Like, the left leg and the tail part of it.”
Wilson took photographic evidence and re-entered the store to address the issue, but he says management “brushed [him] to the side.”
The father was given a corporate complaint number to call. Despite him leaving a message, Wilson says he never received a callback.
After the situation went down, Derrick Wilson informed his son’s mother, Sade Francis.
She ultimately called the establishment as well, though she told Justin Carter that the damage is already done.
“I made dinner the other day, and he was like, ‘I just want rice and broccoli.’ And I said, ‘You need to eat meat.’ And he was like, ‘Nah, I really don’t need the meat.'”
The child’s mother added, “I can tell that it’s already gonna start affecting him.”
Attorney Jeremy Robinson is representing the family, and he says that the burden lies with the corporation and manufacturer as opposed to the actual storefront in question.
“There’s clearly a process issue. There’s a process failure.”
Robinson added, “With great privilege comes great responsibility. … This is a multi-billion-dollar corporation that has to take better care.”
Check out the full episode down below.
Following the publication of this story, Jessica Quintana — the owner and operator of the McDonald’s in question — provided Justin Carter with a statement and noted that they “found no truth to the allegations.”
“We’ve investigated this claim and have found no truth to the allegations. We have strict food safety and quality standards in place across our restaurants, as do our suppliers. Our restaurant had passed all standard health inspections around the time of this incident and no pest control issues have been identified.”
The company also declared, “It is highly unlikely for a mouse to have made it into the final product.”
Instead, McDonald’s attributed the situation to “a blood vessel, which naturally occurs within the Chicken McNugget meat product.” Although this is “not up to [their] standards,” it “does not pose harm.”
The statement wrapped with, “It’s important to note that the photos and video provided are largely inconclusive, and the food item was not returned to the restaurant.”
