A former McDonald’s manager in Massachusetts is facing a criminal charge after a viral video appeared to show her contaminating french fries before they were served to a customer, according to an NBC10 Boston report by Brianna Borghi.
Borghi reported from Southbridge, where the video quickly spread across social media and rattled customers who recognized the local McDonald’s as the only one in town. The footage, according to Borghi’s report, showed a worker stuffing french fries into her mouth and then placing them into a fry carton while another employee laughed nearby.
The employee was later identified in court records and police reporting as 22-year-old Kaylie Santos of Southbridge, who worked as a manager at the McDonald’s on East Main Street. Borghi reported that Santos is now facing a charge of distributing food containing a harmful substance.
The allegations go beyond a simple viral clip of bad workplace behavior. According to Borghi, police said Santos also allegedly spit into the fry carton before putting fries inside it, and investigators later learned the food was allegedly served to a person who had previously been in a relationship with her.
That detail turns the case from a general food safety scare into something more personal and troubling, because police said the customer was not randomly chosen.
Police Say The Customer Was Her Ex-Girlfriend
According to Borghi’s report, court documents say Santos was working as the night manager when she allegedly served the contaminated fries to her ex-girlfriend through the drive-thru.
The alleged victim told police she had dated Santos for about two years before the relationship ended in October 2024. Borghi reported that the victim also claimed Santos had been harassing her and her new partner, and police said the customer was targeted.
That context matters because many people first saw the video as a disturbing restaurant hygiene issue, but the police investigation points to a more specific allegation involving a former romantic relationship and possible retaliation.
Borghi reported that the victim later confirmed she was the person who received the fries and that she ate the contaminated food. Police said no other customers were impacted.
Even with that reassurance, the reaction from customers was understandably strong. Food service depends heavily on trust, because customers usually cannot see everything happening behind the counter, and a video like this damages that trust almost instantly.
One person interviewed in Borghi’s report said the incident was “very concerning” because the location is the only McDonald’s in the area. Another customer said that people they worked with had gone to that restaurant before, but now nobody wanted to go because the video was “really nasty.”
What Investigators Say The Video Showed
Borghi reported that the video appeared to have been posted on Santos’ private Snapchat story before someone recorded it with another phone, helping it spread online and draw hundreds of thousands of views.
According to the police report described by Borghi, franchise owners provided investigators with surveillance video from the restaurant. Police said the footage showed Santos at the drive-thru window talking with a customer before taking a fry carton and appearing to spit into it.
Investigators said Santos then wiped her lips with her right hand while she and another employee laughed. Police said she grabbed her cellphone, recorded a selfie video, placed several fries in her mouth, put them into the carton, placed the carton into a to-go bag, and handed it to the customer at the drive-thru window.
Those details are the kind that make a food contamination case especially unsettling. It is not just that the alleged act happened; it is that police say it was recorded and treated like something amusing in the moment.
The other employee seen laughing in the video has also been fired, according to Borghi’s report, although Santos is the one described as facing the criminal charge.
The video has not been independently verified by NBC10 Boston, Borghi noted in the station’s reporting, but Southbridge police investigated after it went viral and the restaurant’s owners cooperated with authorities.
McDonald’s Franchise Responds
Borghi reported that both Santos and the coworker seen in the video have since been fired.
The franchise operator issued a statement saying the actions of the individuals involved were unacceptable and did not reflect the organization’s food safety standards or values. The statement also said the well-being and safety of the Southbridge community remained the company’s top priority.
According to the statement shared in Borghi’s report, the franchise owners said they were conducting an internal review and working with local authorities and the local health department. They also said the health department had found no public health concerns or violations after reviewing the matter.
That response is important for the business, but it does not erase why customers were upset. Most people understand that one employee’s alleged actions do not represent every worker at a restaurant, yet people also expect managers to be the ones enforcing standards, not violating them.
There is a reason food tampering allegations cause such a strong public reaction. Customers may accept that mistakes happen in busy kitchens, but intentional contamination feels different because it breaks the basic agreement between a restaurant and the people it serves.
Customers React To The Case
Borghi’s report showed that the viral video made some people rethink where they eat, even beyond this one McDonald’s.
One person interviewed in the report said incidents can happen anywhere, whether at a fast-food restaurant or “the finest restaurant in the world,” because things can happen behind closed doors. The same person added that the employee involved was likely going to “get a heck of a lesson out of it.”
That reaction captures the uneasy feeling many viewers had. The video was gross and alarming, but it also tapped into a larger fear people have about food they do not prepare themselves.
Most food workers do their jobs honestly, often under pressure and for modest pay, and it would be unfair to paint an entire industry with the behavior alleged in one case. Still, when a manager is accused of contaminating food and serving it to someone, it reminds customers how much they rely on unseen professionalism.
Borghi also reported that NBC10 Boston tried to reach both Santos and the alleged victim, but did not hear back from either of them.
Police said they had dealt with Santos before, according to court paperwork cited in the report, though Borghi did not detail those prior contacts in the broadcast.
A Court Date Ahead
Santos is expected to face a judge in June, according to Borghi.
The charge she is facing, distributing food containing a harmful substance, reflects how seriously police and the restaurant owners treated the allegation once the video surfaced and investigators began reviewing surveillance and speaking with the victim.
The owners of the franchise told police they wanted to pursue criminal charges after seeing the video, Borghi reported. The alleged victim also told police she wanted to pursue charges.
The legal process will determine what can be proven in court, but the basic allegations have already caused damage in the community, especially because the restaurant is a familiar local stop for many people in Southbridge.
Borghi’s report makes clear that this was not simply a case of a viral video drawing online outrage and then disappearing. Police investigated, surveillance was reviewed, the alleged customer was identified, employees lost their jobs, and Santos is now set to answer to the charge in court.
For customers, the case is a reminder of why food safety standards matter in even the most ordinary transactions. For workers, it is a reminder that a few seconds of conduct recorded on a phone can become evidence in a criminal case, especially when the allegation involves deliberately contaminating food served to another person.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.
