Woman charged for viral racist rant in Pennsylvania pizza shop

A 55-year-old Pennsylvania woman whose racist pizza shop rant went viral on social media was charged with ethnic intimidation and harassment Friday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Rita Bellew, a CPA from Hatboro, Pa., was filmed last week berating restaurant co-owner Omar Quiñonez at Amy’s Family Pizzeria, where a television was playing a Spanish language program.

When she voiced her objection to what was on the television, Quiñonez asked why that was a problem, which sent Bellew into a rage.

“What’s wrong with that?” she said. “Because you’re not American dude.”

Bellew told Quiñonez that he should learn English if he’s in the United States. He replied, in English, he does speak English.

She then ranted about how long her family had been in the country, threated to run him out of “town,” called Quiñonez an illegal immigrant, accused him of being “ignorant,” and complained he wasn’t being respectful.

When Bellew noticed a woman behind the counter was filming her tantrum, she accused that person of being a racist.

“This is our first Karen!” an employee can be heard saying off-camera.

[ LA woman dubbed ‘SoHo Karen’ for ambush of young Black teen at boutique NYC hotel pleads guilty ]

Dictionary.com defines a “Karen” as “an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people’s behaviors.”

Video of the incident launched a massive Internet search to identify the culprit. After obtaining a criminal report from the Hatboro Police Department, the Inquirer contacted Bellew who said she and her father have been battling health problems and “Whatever happened in there was a combination of everything.”

Cops reportedly said when they responded to the incident and told Bellew she was being banned from Amy’s Family Pizzeria, she seemingly played the victim, claiming “I’m too damn white.”

But when contacted after being charged, Bellew told the Inquirer didn’t “want to make excuses” for her behavior.

“I’m profoundly sorry,” she said.

[ Bird-watcher in ‘Central Park Karen’ encounter gets National Geographic show ]

Bellew claimed she’s not a racist and described herself as “conservative, but not necessarily a Trump supporter.”

Amy’s Family Pizzeria said on its Facebook page Telemundo morning show “Hoy Dia” filmed an episode there Monday.

Quiñonez told Pennsylvania public radio station WHYY he was upset while being degraded, but kept calm.

“We’re all human beings,” he said.

Business has booming since the incident, he claimed. The pizzeria put a sign on the register thanking the community for the support, but warning the uptick in orders is leading to longer wait times.