In this article, you will be presented with two related news stories. The catch: one of them is completely fabricated. Can you spot the imposter? The answer can be found in the sources beneath the stories.
June 2017 – Marlton, NJ
A Denny’s franchise in Marlton, NJ recently reopened after being shut down for three months by the Burlington County Health Department. The department launched an investigation into the breakfast establishment following an influx of complaints regarding general cleanliness. While it was concluded that the Denny’s was up to sanitary standards, the investigation, headed by Health Officer Warren Massey, led to troubling findings. Massey discovered that franchise owner Austin Ulrich had been mixing in small amounts of raccoon meat with the restaurant’s bacon in an effort to cut costs. Following a change in ownership, the Denny’s is now back in business. However, not everyone is happy about the new management. One patron stated, “I feel like the quality of the meat is really not as good.”
May 2015 – Madison, NJ
According to Madison Police Lieutenant Joseph Cirella, police officer Lisa Esposito was dispatched at 3:30 a.m. on May 12, responding to reports of an altercation at a Main Street residence. She arrived on the scene and arrested 19-year-old Madison resident Thomas Bacon. Enraged that his friend had taken the last piece of sausage, Mr. Bacon entered a state of breakfast-meat-induced frenzy, violently beating his companion. Bacon was charged with simple assault and stands to face the sizzle of the Madison Municipal Court early next month.
Note: This Thomas Bacon is not to be confused with Thomas Bacon: priest, artist, and intellectual, born on the Isle of Man in 1711, eldest son of the seaman William Bacon.