Olive Garden employee dies after 'stripping and diving into fryer' amid screams

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — An Olive Garden employee died after suffering severe burns in what Pennsylvania State Police described as a suicide attempt at the restaurant’s kitchen on Jan. 30, authorities said. 

Emergency crews were called to the restaurant around 4 p.m. after reports that a worker had removed his clothing and tried to harm himself, according to dispatch audio obtained by The Smoking Gun. The dispatcher said there was a burn victim and that a “male victim went head first into the fryers,” the outlet reported. 

The man was taken to a hospital with severe burn injuries and later died, according to published reports. A female employee was also treated for burns after trying to intervene, a spokesperson for Lycoming County fire and emergency medical services told Newsweek. 

State police spokesperson Trooper Lauren Lesher said the incident is being handled as a suicide attempt and that officials are withholding details to protect the individual’s identity. Olive Garden did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Newsweek reported. 

If you or someone you know is in crisis in the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat via the 988 Lifeline website.