In the run-up to Easter, a man who identified himself as Jesus Christ from heaven told a 911 dispatcher that he broke into a North Carolina Pizza Hut apparently through a front door window and allegedly helped himself to a pizza pie and some Mountain Dew. The audio of the 911 call (embedded below) has since gone viral.
When the dispatcher asked the man why he allegedly broke into the fast-food restaurant in High Point, North Carolina, in an incident that occurred at about 4:30 a.m., he replied that “I’m Jesus; I can do whatever I want,” CBS Greensboro affiliate WFMY News reported.
When asked to describe himself, he insisted that he resembled Jesus, adding, “What else am I supposed to look like?”
The caller also said that he was starving to death and that he had been mistreated by people in the area, noting that he was wary of all the “Judases” on Earth.
Responding High Point police charged the man who claimed to be Jesus with felony breaking and entering and felony larceny after breaking and entering. The suspect was cooperative with cops on the scene, NBC affiliate WBIR 10 News added. He was taken to the Guilford County Jail, subject to $1,000 bail.
Multiple media outlets identify the suspect as Richard Quintero, 46. Quintero’s family insisted that media glossed over the fact that Quintero allegedly told the dispatcher during the 911 interaction that he suffers from schizophrenia. Against the backdrop, his sisters chided the resulting media coverage given the serious implications of mental illness, 9News reported.
“I think we are at a time where sensationalized news stories are easy and people latch onto them and don’t want to talk about the meat of things, and difficult subjects that actually warrant hard conversations. We’re used to navigating the illness that is schizophrenia, and we’re used to Rich going in and out of the system, but what we’re not used to at all is seeing somebody that we love and care about spread literally on television screens, and hear it not done in a constructive way.”
Greensboro man charged with breaking into High Point Pizza Hut told 911 he was Jesus Christ https://t.co/lmGg3HTYIO
— News & Record (@NewsandRecord) March 23, 2018
The Pizza Hut chain has 16,000-plus locations worldwide. Separately, Pizza Hut Australia offered writer Rosie Waterland free pies today after she tweeted that she was dumped by her partner.
Pizza Hut recently became an official National Football League sponsor on a four-year contract, replacing Papa John’s.
Listen to the 911 call during which a man who claims to be Jesus Christ allegedly confesses to breaking into Pizza Hut.
As the alleged Pizza Hut burglary in High Point, North Carolina, is a developing story, please check back for updates.
