NEW YORK – An on-duty NYPD officer suffered injuries Thursday after chomping on a razor blade stuffed inside a steak sandwich he’d just bought from a Queens deli, sources told the New York Post.
The injurious surprise was tucked inside the hero he’d purchased around 4:30 p.m. from Bon Appetit Specialty Food Store on Beach 129th Street in Belle Harbor.
The injured cop is a 24-year veteran, who was in plainclothes at the time. He is assigned to the critical response command in the counter-terrorism bureau. As a result of the sickening sabotage, the officer suffered a small cut in his mouth and was treated at Nassau University Medical Center, according to the New York Post.
The NYPD is investigating how the razor blade ended up in the meal and whether police were targeted.
A woman at the eatery — which sells “Italian Specialty Sandwiches” named after actors like Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci and “Signature Heroes” for Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez — declined to put a reporter in touch with the manager.
“The manager is busy right now. He is in the back with the cops,” she said.
Sources said police tried to gain access to the security cameras inside the deli but were unable to. DNA evidence has been taken from the razor blade.
A trio of police officers were spotted leaving the deli just after noon Friday.
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch called the harrowing incident a “sad state of affairs in our city.”
“Cops have to wonder whether we can safely eat a meal in the neighborhoods we protect,” he said. “We cannot allow this disturbing incident to be swept under the rug. It must be investigated, and if it was anything other than an accident, those responsible need to be put behind bars.”
Last month McDonald’s management in Bakersfield, Calif., caught an employee messing with an officer’s meal. As a result of the police investigation, the woman was taken into custody and booked on one felony count of tampering with food.
