An incident in which three New York policemen went to the hospital after drinking milkshakes at a Shake Shack in Manhattan was caused by the cleaning solution on the machinery not being rinsed off properly and not due to any criminality by the employees at the establishment, the New York Police Department has determined, the New York Post reported on Tuesday.
The NYPD had investigated the incident after the three policemen detected a strange taste, which they feared was bleach, when they sipped the milkshakes and were taken to the hospital.
After the incident was reported and before the result of the investigation was revealed, the Police Benevolent Association said in a warning letter to police officers that the incident was “yet another serious safety issue.” It wrote in a tweet that “When New York City police officers cannot even take a meal without coming under attack, it is clear that the environment in which we work has deteriorated to a critical level. We cannot afford to let our guard down for even a moment.”
The policemen were also released from the hospital, according to the NYPD, and Shake Shack said it was relieved to hear the officers are all okay, NBC News reported.
The restaurant added that it was continuing to figure out the full details of exactly what happened.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.