McDonald’s employee sentenced to prison for setting dumpster fire because restaurant was too crowded

A McDonald’s employee working at a store in Savannah, Georgia, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to lighting a fire inside a dumpster to clear out customers because the restaurant was overcrowded.

Joshua Daryl McGregor, 34, was working at the restaurant on 2701 Montgomery Ave. in April 2023 when he became frustrated that the store was too busy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

“Intentionally setting a fire in an effort to shut down or damage someone else’s property is inexcusable,” U.S. Attorney Steinberg said in the press release. “Joshua McGregor will have substantial time to ponder his post-prison employment options.”

McGregor lit a piece of cardboard on fire and threw it into the dumpster outside the restaurant that was already full of cardboard and other flammable materials. He ensured the fire ignited before going back inside the restaurant, according to the press release.

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He also filmed the fire with his cell phone and posted the video on social media. McGregor was training to be a manager at the establishment.

The fire became so intense that customers in the drive-through lane needed to back out of the parking lot, and the restaurant was forced to briefly close as the Savannah Fire Department worked to put out the fire, according to the prosecutors.

McGregor was identified on surveillance video as the person who started the fire, and he was arrested by Savannah Police.

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In May, he pleaded guilty to arson in U.S. District Court.

“Arson is an extremely violent crime that not only destroys property but also places firefighters, first responders and the general public at great risk,” Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the ATF Atlanta Field Division, said in the press release. “The ATF, along with the Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit and our other law enforcement partners, are committed to ensuring that our communities are safe and that those who commit these dangerous acts are held accountable.”

In addition to five years in prison, a judge ordered McGregor to pay restitution for property lost in the fire and to serve three years of supervised release when his prison term is finished.

McGregor was also ordered by a judge to pay restitution for property lost in the fire and to serve three years of supervised release when his prison term is finished. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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“Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit greatly appreciates our continued ability to work with our local and federal partners to successfully prosecute arson that effects interstate commerce in our jurisdiction,” Fred Anderson, chief investigator for the Savannah Fire Arson Unit, said in the press release. “These efforts made as a partnership have continued to help make our community safer and greatly reduce the act of arson throughout the city.”

McGregor’s defense attorney, William Joseph Turner, told McClatchy News that he and his client were disappointed McGregor would serve any form of federal prison time.

“The original recommendation to the Court was over 15 years in custody, which would have been a travesty of justice,” Turner said. “Josh is a good man that made a mistake, and he will move past this.”