Prank caller convinces Minnesota Burger King employees to smash windows

COON RAPIDS, Minn. — Police say a prank caller fooled workers at a Minnesota Burger King into smashing the windows of the restaurant to keep it from exploding.

The Coon Rapids Police Department says employees got a call Friday night from someone claiming to be from the fire department. The caller said the restaurant was pressurized and could explode, so they needed to relive the pressure. Employees and the manager believed the caller and smashed all the windows on the ground floor.

Investigators are trying to identify the caller.

Police say there have been similar deceptions at fast-food restaurants elsewhere in recent months.

KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City reports someone placed a similar call to a Burger King in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Thursday night, claiming high levels of carbon monoxide. Window damage was put at $10,000.

A similar call about a gas leak a Burger King in Morro Bay, California, resulted in $35,000 in damage in February.