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New York woman claims to find human fingertip in chicken wrap: ‘Permanently traumatized’
A New York City woman has filed a lawsuit against a local restaurant, alleging she discovered a human fingertip inside a chicken wrap
A New York City woman has filed a lawsuit against a local restaurant, alleging she discovered a human fingertip inside a chicken wrap she purchased. The restaurant denies the claim, calling it “impossible” and “fraudulent.”
The alleged discovery
Mary Elizabeth Smith, 43, said the incident occurred on November 17, 2023, after she ordered a chicken wrap “to go” from Create Astoria, a Mediterranean eatery in Queens, according to a legal complaint obtained by People.
Smith’s attorney, Robert Menna, claimed she bit into the wrap and found “human tissue, a fingertip” inside.
“She ordered a chicken wrap, and when she bit into it, there was a piece of a finger there. Luckily, she didn't swallow it. But it still traumatized her,” Menna told People.
Menna said his office submitted the fingertip for testing, and results confirmed it was human tissue from a female.
“Permanently traumatized”
In an interview with The New York Post, Smith described herself as “permanently traumatized” by the experience.
“She bit into [the wrap], could tell something wasn’t right, and spit it out,” her lawyer said. “It was horrifying for her.”
Smith, a real estate agent with Corcoran, said she had to undergo intensive antiretroviral therapy as a precaution against potential disease exposure.
“This has left me very cautious about anything that I am eating,” she told the Post. “It took me a really long time to work up the courage to eat chicken again. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen.”
She added that she went to a walk-in medical clinic immediately after the incident, bringing the fingertip with her. “I told the doctors I’d gladly pay them $75 to tell me that it was anything else,” the New York woman recalled.
Restaurant refutes claims
Create’s insurance company, Liberty Mutual, rejected Smith’s allegations, Menna said. He added that he had shared photos of the fingertip and a forensic report confirming it belonged to a woman. The company, however, argued no female employees were on duty at the restaurant that day.
Smith disputed that claim, telling the Post she distinctly remembered seeing women working at Create.
Create’s owner, Teddy Karagiannis, strongly denied the allegations in statements to both People and the Post.
“It’s impossible. It cannot happen in my style of operation,” Karagiannis said. “It’s just ludicrous.”
He maintained that food at his restaurant goes through several inspection points before being served, making the allegation implausible.
“You’d have a better chance of hitting the lotto twice in one day than someone [at Create] not noticing a piece of finger,” he told the Post.
Karagiannis further alleged that Smith refused to allow DNA testing on the fingertip, which he believes would clear his staff. He also suggested Smith might have obtained the fingertip elsewhere.
The restaurant owner called the lawsuit “preposterous” and “fraudulent” and said he plans to countersue Smith for slander.
