Woman in viral pizza rant now facing ethnic harassment charges

A woman who went viral after she was filmed berating a Pennsylvania pizzeria’s staff with in a “profane, racially fueled tirade” is now facing charges, police said.

The woman, identified by police as 55-year-old Rita Bellew, “was apparently triggered, at least in part” by a Spanish-language program playing on a TV at Amy’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant in Hatboro, a suburb of Philadelphia, last week, the Hatboro Police Department said.

Bellew took her rage out on the restaurant’s owner, video of the ugly scene shows.

“What’s wrong with that is you’re not American, dude. I will look you the f–k up and get you the f—k out of our town. F—k you,” she says in part of the five-minute video, giving him the finger. “Give me my money back. I’m not giving my money to some illegal immigrant.”

“You got Spanish on your TV. That’s a ‘f–k you’ to Americans, dude,” she continued, giving him the finger again.

The owner, Omar Quinonez, remained calm throughout the whole video.

“I was angry but I just didn’t want to be like them. I wasn’t expecting that. All my customers are really nice people. I’ve never seen that before — 10 years and that was the first time,” Quinonez told WPVI.

Police responded to the pizza shop and “de-escalated” the dispute.

On Friday, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Hatboro Police Chief James E. Gardner announced that Bellew was charged with ethnic harassment and intimidation and was issued a summons.

Bellew’s court date has not yet been scheduled.

“When we viewed the video, it was really over the top. It was a racially-fueled, profane rant directed at their heritage and it’s not going to be tolerated,” Hatboro Chief of Police James Gardner told WPVI.

Quinonez said the restaurant has received support from people all over the world after the altercation went viral on social media.