Mar 23, 2005 12:27 pm US/Pacific

A woman who ordered chili at a San Jose Wendy's Restaurant found a cooked human finger in her bowl.

The Wendy's on Monterey Highway was still open Thursday while the Santa Clara County Health Department investigated. But officials there said it was definitely a human finger -- complete with a long manicured fingernail -- and it probably did not come from a Bay Area Wendy's employee.

"We have no evidence of any accident within the employees at the facility itself," said Ben Gale of the Santa Clara County Health Department. "We've asked everybody to show us they have ten fingers and everything is OK there."

The incident came to light about 7:20pm Wednesday, when the woman called 911.

"Initially she did put this object in her mouth and did bite down on it," said Dr. Marty Fensterscheib of the Santa Clara County Health Department. "Initially, she was a bit grossed out ... and vomited a number of times."

The fingerprint is mutilated, but officials believe there might be enough there to run the print through a national computer to try to find the owner. The finger has jagged edges, which means it was likely lacerated by a machine -- possibly a meat grinder.

The health department says Wednesday's batch of chili was likely cooked at a hot enough temperature to kill any diseases, so nobody should get sick from eating there. Health officials are trying to trace where the ingredients came from, but they've decided it's OK for the store to remain open in the meantime.

"We are as anxious as anyone else to get to the bottom of this," said Wendy's spokesperson Bob Bertini.


And according to the book Fast Food Nation, fingers get in the food a lot more than you'd think. Usually they get ground up with the meat in the grinder. :sick:

Oh my god..

this must be a nightmare for that person :sick:

That happens all the time :)

I once found a fingernail in a marshmallow.

Just explain one thing please...
If it was cut of by the meat grinder - how come the finger stayed intact? It should have been grind and of an unrecognisable shape just like the rest ofd the meat. Were they able to recognise cow's livers among that meat or something?
If the finger really was there it had to come from another source...

Still makes me feel :sick:

Yeah I read about this story today in my newspaper, man what a terrible feeling.

This kind of thing happens all the time. 99% of the time it's planted there by a customer trying to make a fast buck by sueing the companies involved (as was the case where someone found a chicken's head in McDonald's)

I don't like to eat in restaurants that much, but once they found a rat, a whole rat!!!! in bread :blink:, and that was a bread from a bakery so you can't be sure what's in your every day meal anyway, not to mention that many restaurants have roaches and such lurking about...

I have a question..

if the finger was intact, with apparently a long fingernail, how exactly did this woman get it in her mouth without noticing it?

Without using a shovel or something, I mean?

At least, my spoonfuls aren't typically human-finger-sized...

Maybe she just got a big mouth :whistle:

:sick:

This reminds me of that episode of friends where phoebe finds the thumb in her drink and get $12000 compensation for it. I wish that could happen to me.

Come on...

You can't just pick up a spoonful 'o finger and NOT NOTICE.

There's something strange about this report. *suspicious* <_<

That's what I was thinking. I can't imagine how she could have possibly bitten into it, but she probably just wasn't paying attention.

oh wow that makes me feel very safe about eating fast food :sick:

I maintain my air of suspicion. I mean, come on, how would a full finger get into a bowl of chilli without anyone reporting? I'm pretty sure I'd make a fuss if my finger got chopped off a work. And since the finger was full then there are very few times a finger could have got in, as no-one in the shop lost a finger then only during transport from the mincing factory could the finger have been chopped off. As during transport there are very few ways to lose a finger and if someone did they would have reported it I draw the conclusion that a very greedy customer planted it there to try and steal some money off a company. Another thing, isn't it strange that these finds only occur in America, with it's ultra-blame culture where everyone sues everyone?

LOL r havell i am sueing you!!!!!!!!!!

I saw a picture of the finger. The print side is lacerated beyong usability for identification. The MANICURED fingernail is completely intact, without even a scratch.

First of all, anyone who's working in food prep service, with meat grinders, especially in a mass-market food prep, is not going to have a manicure. It would be impossible to maintain.

Second of all, it's impossible that industrial meat grinders such as Wendy's would use wouldn't have even scratched the nail.

Third of all, the finger is slightly over 1 inch in total length. Do you really think you wouldn't have noticed, if it had been you?

Also, the woman is claiming anonymity. Pretty much any American who had such an experience would be clamoring at the thought of having their 15 minutes of fame, shrieking, "I'm gonna suuuue!" Not all Americans, but at least 98% percent.

Therefore, it's a bit suspicious that she's choosing anonymity in the matter.

Lastly, there are no reports of anyone losing a finger. This would be something that would have been on record immediately with the food production company, because of American policies of worker's comp and whatnot.

I'm thinking it's a mutilated cadaver finger or some such the woman has planted herself, either as a hoax, or an attempt at industrial sabotage (such things tend to cause sales to drop massively).

That is what's on my mind, in any case.

I sue you for causing me emotional trama by threatening to sue me! (yes, there have been many lawsuits like this)

EDIT: I remember that case where someone claimed to have found an entire chicken's head in a box of chicken nuggets. There was a good judge, however, who pointed out that if the woman was able to pick up the head so the cameras could see it then no emotional trauma could have been caused (which is what she was sueing for).

Agree with the once above.. you just don't "loose" a finger..

If such an accident where to happen, the meat-prosessing-plant has to investigate, and stop all shipments until it's resolved. If they don't they risk MASSIVE fines and possibly closing due to exposing third person to possible leathal risk.

There is NO way this would have ended up where it went w/o some major *dirty word* up on the way.

About the chicken-nugget: trust me, a chicken-head wouldn't fit in the basket we use to fry them in. they are 1.5 cm/ 1' wide, so it's a total fraud.

personally, i think its related to the mob..

This story really does have the making of a scam, knowing that many people are still looking for a way to get that quick buck, hopefully more of this story will soon be revealed.