Burger King says the photo a Hudson Valley man posted of a cockroach in his burger isn't what it seems.

On Friday, Joseph Carney of Kingston purchased a few items from the Burger King on Main Street in New Paltz.

Carney told Hudson Valley Post he opened up one sandwich because he realized toppings were missing. When he looked at his open "Philly King" burger he says he found a cockroach in it. A photo of the burger can be seen above and below.

Joseph Carney
Joseph Carney
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"And I can promise it was real," Carney said while providing Hudson Valley Post with a photo of his receipt. "I love my food and would never compromise a meal I’ve paid for!"

Hudson Valley Post reached out to Burger King on Monday. Late Wednesday, an officer of the company which owns the Burger King franchise in New Paltz responded.

"Our Burger King store is inspected every month by a reputable pest control company as well as periodically by Burger King corp.'s own independent inspectors," Sanjay Patel said in an email to Hudson Valley Post. "We have never received any report of any sign of cockroaches nor have we received any complaint about cockroaches from any customer, including Mr. Carney."

After Carney's photo went viral, Patel says he hired a pest control company to inspect the store, which reported no evidence of any cockroaches

"Our employees attest they have not seen any, either. The method by which our sandwiches are prepared render it highly implausible if not impossible that Mr. Carney's photo be genuine," Patel said.

Carney is a former employee of the New Paltz Burger King and a close friend of someone who was recently fired from Burger King, according to Patel.

"Mr. Carney's allegation is a fabrication and a slap in the faces of our dedicated, hard-working staff who live in the New Paltz area and who pride themselves on providing quality food and quality service. "It is a phony," Patel told Hudson Valley Post. "Let your readers draw their own conclusions."

Carney has denied faking the photo.

"Some of you are thinking it’s fake, which is fine, especially in today’s world but for those who know me, know I eat like it’s a daily religion," Carney wrote in the comment section of his Facebook post. "I certainly wouldn’t waste my time faking this."

Carney denies Burger King's claims. He told Hudson Valley Post he reported the issue to the Ulster County Department of Health.

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