Olive Garden Horror: Male Cook Dead After Committing Suicide by Thrusting His Head Into The Deep Fryer In The Kitchen
An employee of the Olive Garden died from self-inflicted burn injuries.
Feb. 5 2026, Published 2:20 p.m. ET
In a horrific act, a male employee at Olive Garden committed suicide by thrusting their head into a deep fryer, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The incident occurred last Friday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where the man worked as a cook.
An employee of the Olive Garden thrust his head into a deep fryer to try to take his own life.
The Smoking Gun looked into the situation in which the man ended up dead from burn injuries.
Lauren Lesher, a Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson, explained the "incident was a suicide attempt and out of respect for the individual and their family, we do not release information."
She added that providing details could lead to the late cook's identity being discovered.
'A Lot of People Screaming'
The manager of the Olive Garden said they could not 'disclose anything' due to 'privacy laws.'
The publication reached out to the Olive Garden store, which closed for a few days following the incident, an effort to get more information on the situation.
"We are not able to disclose anything due to our privacy laws," the manager claimed.
Police and emergency workers came to the restaurant around 4 p.m. after 911 was called due to an employee removing his clothing and attempting to harm himself.
In audio from the county's fire and EMS service, a dispatcher can be heard saying, "I don’t have a lot of details, a lot of people screaming, some kind of a burn victim."
911 Calls Details
A second ambulance came out to the Olive Garden to treat a female worker who suffered minor burns.
In another dispatch audio, the operator claimed "a male victim went headfirst into the fryers" and that "PSP is responding" to the Olive Garden.
After an initial ambulance team arrived at the scene, a second soon followed as they needed to treat a female worker who suffered minor burns.
She was injured as workers and a patron of the famous Italian chain eatery attempted to stop the male from suffering more self-inflicted burns.
Were Drugs Involved?
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A police spokesperson confirmed the incident at the Olive Garden 'was a suicide attempt.'
Some commenters suggested drugs may have possibly played a hand in the incident.
"My friend was eating there at the time and was the patron who restrained him to keep him from going back in the fryer," one person claimed. "Had to throw his jacket away because the man's skin got burned onto his jacket. People were saying he was high on PCP or something."
"I know nothing about this incident, but I don't think it should be called suicide," another user reacted. "If it were drug-induced, perhaps they should say that as a deterrent to others of the dangers of PCP and other drugs."
"Agree!" another person replied to the initial comment, adding, "It is hard to imagine worse."
Others were sympathetic, with a commentator insisting it was "so sad a human being could get to this point."
"Sad, no matter what it was considered to be," they shared. "That's just not a typical suicide. Nonetheless its saddening for the family. Prayers to the family for guidance and healing."
