A trainee manager at a Georgia McDonald’s has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for starting a massive dumpster fire to clear out the relentless flow of customers.
Joshua Daryl McGregor, 34, was working at a Savannah branch of the fast-food chain in April last year when he grew “frustrated because the restaurant was very busy” and “the drive-through was so crowded,” the US Attorney’s Office said.
“He lit a piece of cardboard on fire and tossed it into the restaurant’s dumpster, which was full of cardboard and other flammable materials, and ensured the fire ignited before returning to the restaurant,” the federal prosecutors said.
“The fire became so intense that customers in the drive-through lane had to back out of the parking lot, and the restaurant was forced to briefly close” while fire crews tackled the blaze, the prosecutors noted.
McGregor, who was training to be a manager, then filmed the chaos and flames, posting it to Facebook, according to the Charlotte Observer.
He was later busted when surveillance footage showed him starting the fire, the prosecutors said.
He pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison as well as three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. He was also ordered to pay restitution for property lost in the fire, the federal prosecutors said, without disclosing the amount.
“Arson is an extremely violent crime that not only destroys property but also places firefighters, first responders and the general public at great risk,” said Beau Kolodka of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Atlanta.
McGregor’s defense attorney, William Joseph Turner, called his client “a good man that made a mistake, and he will move past this.”
However, US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Jill E. Steinberg said: “Intentionally setting a fire in an effort to shut down or damage someone else’s property is inexcusable.
“Joshua McGregor will have substantial time to ponder his post-prison employment options.”