Shake Shack Employees Won't Be Charged For NYPD Officers' Milkshake Incident

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has found no wrongdoing by Shake Shack employees after three of its officers fell ill on Monday. On Monday night, three NYPD officers were taken to a hospital after drinking Shake Shack milkshakes that allegedly contained a foreign substance.

In a statement, Police Benevolent Association, a police union, said the substance was thought to be bleach. “The contamination was not discovered until the MOS had already ingested a portion of their beverages,” said the union. “They are currently at the hospital receiving treatment and are expected to recover.”

Shortly after the incident, Shake Shack also released a statement suggesting that its officials were also disturbed by what had happened. “We are horrified by the reports of police officers injured at our 200 Broadway Shack in Manhattan,” wrote Shake Shack on Twitter. “We are working with the police in their investigation right now,” the American restaurant added.

Since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, the NYPD has been roiled with violent protests. As of Monday, the Police Benevolent Association said it was unknown whether the incident had to do with the ongoing protests in New York. The union, however, revealed that the three officers who were taken to the hospital had been on protest detail.

“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,” tweeted the union.

On Tuesday morning, NYPD Detective Chief Rodney Harrison revealed that the Shake Shack employees would not be charged for the incident. In a tweet, Harrison said that after a thorough investigation of the incident, it was found that a cleaning solution used to clean the milkshake machines was not fully cleared and accidentally got into the officers’ drinks.

The officers bought the milkshakes at Shake Shack Manhattan around 8:30 p.m. on Monday.