Woman Claims She Found a Dead Rat in Her Salad. The N.Y.C. Eatery Says a Video Tells Another Story
The restaurant says surveillance footage and a May 7 health inspection found no evidence of vermin and confirmed its 'A' health rating
Rasbach, who began precautionary antibiotics, says she's not pursuing legal action but has been deeply disturbed and is now avoiding takeout food altogetherHannah Rasbach, 27, was picking up her go-to bowl of spring mix, grilled salmon and beef bulgogi and toppings from Ongi on West 37th Street in New York City on Monday, May 5 during her lunch break at work when she alleges she was greeted with a topping that most definitely was not on the menu – a dead rodent.
'I ate probably, like, half to maybe two-thirds of the salad, I would guess, and I just kind of saw part of it covered – I thought it was a piece of beef bulgogi that was not fully chopped up, and it was kind of buried under the lettuce,' she tells PEOPLE. 'So I started trying to cut it with a knife, and something didn't feel right, so I moved the lettuce over and could tell what it was pretty quickly. I was in shock.'
Security footage from Ongi that was shared with Kemberly Richardson of Eyewitness News confirms that Rasbach was in Ongi on May 5.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Ongi confirmed that Rasbach had been refunded immediately for her meal on May 5 and noted that the restaurant had been inspected by the New York City Health Department on May 7 after Rasbach's initial appearance on Eyewitness News.
'Ongi prides itself on its excellent staff and training. We adhere to strict food safety standards and stand behind our staff and our production practices. We have also been consistently rated 'A' by the New York City Department of Health, most recently in March 2025,' a spokesperson for the restaurant said. 'That 'A' rating was confirmed and renewed on May 7, following the health department inspection requested by the customer. The inspector provided the following report, 'Allegation: Vermin. No vermin were observed on the premises at the time of inspection. Last extermination conducted on 5/5/25. Allegation not founded.''
Further, the restaurant is alleging that security footage shows that Rasbach left Ongi on May 5 without a rodent her salad.
'We reviewed the security footage of the meal as it was being prepared, and we questioned the employees who prepared it. Upon review of that video and other evidence, we concluded that the contaminant was not put into the customer's lunch at our restaurant,' the spokesperson said. 'We strive for excellence and pride ourselves on delivering quality Korean-inspired food to our customers on a daily basis. We have never before been subject to allegations of contamination. Our valued customers should continue to enjoy our food with confidence.'
Rasbach estimates that the rodent was between four to five inches long, noting that she didn't shake her salad up before eating it which left the rat at the bottom of the bowl.
'I had eaten a considerable amount by the time I got to it,' she says.
Rasbach says she then ran to her boss's office before going to the bathroom to vomit, later returning to the restaurant with a co-worker to notify the Ongi staff of what she found.
'[The manager] was pretty nonchalant, she didn't really act super shocked or anything, which was very confusing,' Rasbach claims. 'And she just put on some gloves, opened it up, closed it, and she asked me if I thought it came from the spring mix – which I don't know how I was supposed to know where it came from – but I told her I thought it came from the beef bulgogi.'
The 27-year-old then went to the doctor's office where she was put on precautionary antibiotics, noting that the doctor told her that the biggest concern would have been if the rodent defecated or urinated in her salad, since she didn't physically eat any part of the animal.
It was at the doctor's office where Ongi's owner, Ray Park, called her after hearing what had happened.
'He was very apologetic, and he was like, I want to fix this. Like, let me know how we can make it up to you,' she says, noting that after their initial conversation, Park texted and called her again to follow up and check in.
A spokesperson for Park confirmed with PEOPLE that Park and Rasbach spoke on the phone at 1:31 PM ET on Monday, May 5.
"He asked her to call him back after her treatment but she did not," the spokesperson added.
Rasbach did not return to work that day.
When asked whether or not Park believes that Rasbach's photos of the rodent in her salad are authentic, a spokesperson for Park reiterated that "the contaminant in the bowl is not something that was in the bowl when it was sealed and handed to Ms. Rasbach at the restaurant."
The spokesperson continued, "It is implausible to suggest that such a large foreign object would not have been noticed or felt by the meal preparers. The video of the entire preparation process refutes Ms. Rasbach's claim."
Rasbach, however, is alleging that she is telling the truth and that the rodent did come from Ongi.
'What am I getting out of this? I am not pursuing legal action. There's no benefit to me putting a rodent in my bowl,' she tells PEOPLE. 'Where would I have gotten the rodent? I don't understand how that would have happened.'
The 27-year-old said that she's been 'grossed out' since the incident, particularly at the thought of eating beef again.
'I'm too scared to go out and get takeout at this point for lunch at all. I'm going to bring my lunch from now on, because I just feel like I can't trust what's in anything,' she says. 'I'm not physically sick, I'm upset. I'm traumatized. I'll bring lunch, but I'll be okay in the end."
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
NEWS OF THE WEEK: Phil Collins reveals reason for hospital stay
Despite speculation that the Genesis frontman has been receiving hospice care, his rep shut down concerns about his health. In a statement to People, he insisted that rumours of any terminal illness are "completely incorrect". The latest update comes six months after the drummer shared how his health issues - which included severe nerve damage from a 2007 spinal injury - had been impacting his ability to make music. "I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens. But I'm not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I've been sick, I mean very sick.".
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
After a Long Day of Travel, She Woke Up Unable to Walk. Then Crawled to Her Car and Drove to the ER (Exclusive)
Ella Katenkamp opens up to PEOPLE about the week she spent in the hospital, the unexpected condition that sidelined her, and what she wishes others understoodNEED TO KNOW Ella Katenkamp was days from finishing school when she woke up unable to walk At first, she assumed the pain in her calves was from working out after a long trip A week later, she left the hospital with a diagnosis that changed how she views her healthElla Katenkamp was days away from finishing school when she woke to a sharp, searing pain in her calves, her feet curled into a locked position and muscles frozen. What followed was a weeklong hospital stay, a terrifying diagnosis and a viral TikTok that sparked a conversation amongst millions. 'I took a trip the week before to Georgia, and it was a lot of, like, hiking,' Katenkamp tells PEOPLE, looking back on what seemed like a fun getaway before things spiraled. 'On the last day, we did a hike with thousands of stairs, and then I drove 13 hours straight back to Florida.' The former college athlete wasted no time jumping back into her routine. 'As soon as I got back, I did a leg workout at the gym,' she says, noting that cramps didn't seem like a big deal at first. 'I got, like, really bad calf pain after that,' she explains. 'My feet locked into a pointed toe position, and I couldn't walk flat-footed. My calves were stuck like that.' Assuming it was a standard athletic cramp, Katenkamp drank water, stretched, and went to bed. But by 5 a.m., the pain was excruciating, and her legs refused to move. 'I lived with a roommate at the time, but it was, like, five in the morning and I didn't want to wake her up,' she says. 'So I crawled to my car and drove myself to the hospital.' At the ER, her condition worsened. 'As soon as I got in there, they ran over and put me in a wheelchair, and that was it for about a week,' she recalls. Throughout her hospital stay, walking was nearly impossible. 'If I walked at all, someone had to hold me up because I couldn't move my calves,' she says. 'They just stopped working.' Doctors struggled to identify the cause of her symptoms. 'It took them about three or four days to figure it out,' Katenkamp notes. 'The nurses would come in and just be Googling my symptoms — no one knew what it was.' Eventually, she received a diagnosis: rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition that causes muscle fibers to break down and release toxins into the blood. 'It's like the breakdown of your muscle to the point that it poisons your blood,' she explains. Katenkamp was shocked to learn her creatine kinase (CK) level, a marker of muscle breakdown, was well above normal. 'Your CK level's not really supposed to be above 200, and when I got to the hospital, it was in the thousands,' she says. Treatment involved flushing her system with fluids and monitoring her blood multiple times a day. 'They had to take my blood like three times a day,' she says. 'After two days, my CK level actually went up, which was really frustrating.' By the time she was discharged, her CK level was still around 600–700. 'I wasn't where I was supposed to be, but I was starting to walk again,' she says. 'It was just my legs.' Doctors attributed the onset to a combination of factors. 'They told me it was probably from the Red Bulls I drank in Georgia, not enough water, my birth control and going from sitting for 13 hours straight into an intense leg workout,' Katenkamp says. The experience permanently changed her approach to fitness and health. 'I took a huge step back from energy drinks,' she shares. 'I didn't touch them for a long time, and now I only drink them very moderately.' Once hyperactive with early-morning practices, classes and games, Katenkamp is now far more mindful. 'I drink so much more water now,' she says. 'And I definitely think about what days to go hard in the gym — like, was I sitting a lot the day before?' The condition was new to her and to many. 'I had no idea what it was,' Katenkamp says. 'Even the doctors didn't know.' She posted about the ordeal on TikTok, with the text overlay, 'She doesn't know it yet... but the next morning she was gonna crawl out of bed on all 4s and drive herself to the hospital at 6am to stay for the next week because her legs were paralyzed with rhabdomyolysis.' While some followers offered support, others jumped to conclusions. But for Katenkamp, it was a moment that turned criticism into community. 'I didn't even really have to defend myself,' she says. 'Other people did it for me.' Many shared their own experiences or those of loved ones. 'A lot of people said they'd been through something similar and knew how painful it was,' she says. 'There were tons of comments wishing me a good recovery.' Looking back, she says the condition was more than just muscle cramps. 'My legs weren't even the same size when I left the hospital,' she says. 'It's definitely a process, but luckily, I'm past it now.' Still, the risk of lasting damage was real. 'They say it can ruin your kidneys,' Katenkamp says. 'Luckily, I didn't get to that point, but if I hadn't gone to the hospital, it could have destroyed my organs.' That's why her message is firm. 'It's more than just cramps,' she says. 'People kept saying, 'Push through it,' but I couldn't have done that — I had to go to the hospital.' Two years later, Katenkamp's advice to others in recovery is simple and compassionate. 'Make sure you're taking care of yourself and read your body,' she says. 'Keep up with your water, stretch and don't overdo it.' She encourages anyone experiencing similar symptoms to investigate all possibilities. 'Follow the steps your doctors give you,' Katenkamp adds. 'It can definitely come back.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. If she could tell social media users one thing, it's this: don't pretend to be an expert. 'You never know what's going on,' she says. 'There were over 20 different comments guessing the cause. It's different for every person.' Katenkamp says she understands the appeal of quick judgments, especially online. But she hopes her story shows why empathy matters. 'Don't speak on other people's health,' she says. 'If there's one thing I learned, it's that you really don't know what someone's going through.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Introducing Skincare+ on Amazon: Shop derm-approved brands in one place
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. I've been knee-deep in skincare for years now: testing beauty products, digging into ingredient lists like I'm studying for finals and talking with dermatologists any chance I get. It started as curiosity and turned into a full-on obsession. I've tried the buzzy stuff, the clinical stuff and everything in between. And after all that, I can confidently say: finding the right skincare routine takes work. So, when I stumbled across Amazon's new Skincare+ feature, I was honestly impressed. It actually makes things easier — and smarter — for anyone trying to figure out what works for their face. Let me break it down: Skincare+ is kind of like Amazon's skincare brainchild. It's part quiz, part personalized shop and part dermatologist-approved product lineup. You answer a few quick questions about your skin: the breakdown of your skin type, what you're dealing with (acne, dryness, sensitivity, whatever) and what you want from your routine. Then, Amazon gives you customized suggestions that aren't just based on what's trending, but what *actually* makes sense for your skin. Advertisement It's a small thing, but honestly? That quiz is gold. I've spent hours over the years scrolling through skincare Reddit, beauty blogs, YouTube videos and ingredient masterclasses trying to figure out what to use next. This takes, like, two minutes and doesn't feel like a gimmick. It points you toward products from brands that derms actually recommend (think: CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, Bioderma and more). Not influencer picks with sparkly packaging. Actual solid skincare. Here's a breakdown of what Skincare+ recommended for my combination, sensitive and fair skin — focusing on reducing pore size and upping hydration levels: I've tried most of these products and I can attest that these recommendations are certainly expert-driven, tested and effective for my skin concerns. I've raved about the medicube Pore Pads (seriously, it's a Korean beauty essential you need), and have used the CeraVe cleanser more times than I can count. Plus, you can't beat a good exfoliant in your routine, especially when brands Anua and The Ordinary are tossed into the mix. And let's talk about that Derma Store. This part of the Skincare+ setup is super curated, full of products that dermatologists actually back — not only the drugstore basics (though those are great), but also science-forward picks from brands like ISDIN, RoC and The Ordinary. You can tell it's built for people who want results without needing to decode a 15-step routine or get a degree in cosmetic chemistry. Some of the questions the Skincare+ quiz asked, straight from the Amazon app. Amazon Better yet, you'll also have access to Amazon One Medical healthcare professionals. Consider it your convenient FaceTime call with your derm. What I really appreciate as someone who's tried so many products is how much time this whole setup saves. I used to spend days comparing formulas and reading every single review like my life depended on it. With Skincare+, it feels like you've got your own mini skin consultant on standby, but without the pressure or the price tag of an in-person visit. One thing I've learned from dermatologists is that 'personalized' isn't just a buzzword; it actually matters. Your skin's needs change based on your environment, your age, even your stress levels. What's cool about this Amazon tool is that it doesn't just lump you into 'dry' or 'oily' skin categories. It asks real questions, gives targeted recommendations and helps you build a routine that actually makes sense. It's not trying to sell you ten serums you'll never use. Now, full transparency: I still double-check everything. I patch test. I read the fine print on ingredients. But nine times out of ten, the stuff Skincare+ recommends matches what I'd pick out after a full-on chat with a derm. And if you're someone who's just starting your skincare journey? This is an amazing launchpad. You won't waste your money or your face. There's also peace of mind in knowing the products are legit. Amazon's had a bit of a rep in the past for third-party sellers, but the Skincare+ and Derma Store setup directs you to official listings. So you're way less likely to accidentally buy some sketchy knockoff of your favorite SPF. For me, this whole Skincare+ thing is the kind of innovation I wish had existed when I was first starting out. It doesn't replace dermatologists or your own research, but it bridges the gap for people who want smarter skincare without the hassle. And even if you are a seasoned beauty nerd, it still saves time and helps you discover new stuff without the stress. At the end of the day, skincare should feel like self-care — not a second job. Skincare+ makes it feel a little easier, a little more personalized and a lot more doable. Whether you're dealing with breakouts, sensitivity, aging, or just overwhelmed by options, this tool gets it. And for me? That's the kind of beauty innovation that actually sticks. This article was written by Victoria Giardina, New York Post Commerce Journalist & Content Strategist, who has spent countless hours researching, testing hundreds of products and comparing the latest makeup, skincare, hair and beauty items and trends to determine what's truly worth your hard-earned cash. She evaluates formulas, textures, ingredients and more, in addition to consulting medical and industry experts. Some of Victoria's latest conquests include testing the best vitamin C serums on the market, and a rinse-and-repeat review of the best shampoos of 2025. Victoria, who received a beauty industry essentials certification from the Fashion Institute of Technology, has been creating shopping guides for the New York Post since 2021 and previously held positions at Insider Reviews and CNN Underscored.
