Rat Set Loose At Newark McDonald’s In Apparent Prank (VIDEO)

NEWARK, NJ — It only took a single rodent to send people in a Newark McDonald’s scurrying for the door, a video shows.

Posted on Feb. 6 and first reported by RLS Media, the video begins with a young man pausing at the front door of the McDonald’s on Broad Street in Newark. He shows the camera operator a clear plastic cage containing a large, white rat. And then – accompanied by a small child – the prankster walks into the McDonald’s and casually sets the creature loose on the floor.

Pandemonium ensues.

Many in the crowd can be heard laughing as they dash for the exit or leap onto their seats. “We out!” one young customer yells repeatedly as he flees.

However, many online commenters who saw the video expressed concern for the safety of the rat and said that there’s nothing funny at all about endangering animals.

“None of this is cute!” one person wrote. “None of it! The poor little boy who was with him is now learning this behavior and thinks it’s okay to abuse animals to entertain people. I’m so disgusted by this.”

A McDonald’s spokesperson said the animal exited through the front door shortly after the video ended. Newark police haven’t made any arrests, but are investigating the incident, NJ.com reported.

Celest Quintana, the owner of the McDonald’s franchise where the incident took place, told New Jersey 101.5 that the dining room has been cleaned and sanitized.

Quintana told NBC New York that the incident took place on Feb. 5 – the day before the video was posted – and that the restaurant is working with local police to identify the person responsible for the “deliberate act.”

“The safety of our customers and the cleanliness of our restaurants are our top priority,” Quintana told NBC New York.

As previously reported by Patch, Quintana owns and operates several McDonald’s franchises in North Jersey with her daughter, Jessica. She’s held numerous community events and benefits at her restaurants over the past years, including a back-to-school event with free haircuts and school supplies for kids, a Halloween party for dozens of local children in East Orange, a summer hiring event with the City of Newark, and a “Coffee with Constituents” forum with Assemblywoman Angela McKnight.

• See related article: Mother-Daughter Duo Own 12 McDonald's Restaurants Around Newark

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Photo: YouTube / RLS Metro Breaking News