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McDonald's 'Hamburglar' Charged in Break-In

By Andrew Chow, Esq. on December 01, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Robble robble!

A real-life McDonald's "hamburglar" who smashed his way into a fast-food joint just to gobble some grub has turned himself in to authorities.

Whitley Allen Teslow, 21, was caught breaking and entering -- and then cooking, eating, and drinking -- on surveillance video recorded at a McDonald's in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The caper took place just before 2 a.m. on Nov. 20, two hours after the McDonald's had closed, The Courier reports. Surveillance video shows Teslow first tapping on the McDonald's drive-up window, then smashing the glass and climbing inside.

Teslow is also seen sifting through a walk-in freezer, squeezing copious amounts of condiments into those annoyingly tiny condiment cups, and crawling back out through the broken drive-up window, soft drink in hand.

The daring McDonald's "hamburglar" also apparently helped himself to his own happy meal. He threw some fries in the deep-fryer and a few beef patties on the griddle, Agence France-Presse reports.

Video of Teslow's fast-food escapade went viral, and was played repeatedly on TV newscasts across the Hawkeye State.

That publicity proved too much to handle. Teslow, a student at nearby Wartburg College, cited his new-found notoriety as the reason he turned himself in.

Teslow now faces charges of burglary, criminal mischief, and theft. Though he didn't steal any money from the McDonald's, taking food and drinks without permission can also fulfill the factors for those crimes.

But Teslow could try to fight the charge of burglary, which requires breaking in to a building with the intent to commit a crime inside. Perhaps he didn't set out to do anything illegal when he entered the restaurant -- that is, before he decided to give in to his growling stomach.

Police say the McDonald's "hamburglar" could easily have avoided all this McTrouble. There's another McDonald's just a few miles away that's open 24 hours.

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