Latest news with #Tina'sBurritos
Metro
15 hours ago
- Metro
Teen dies after getting sucked into meat grinder at burrito factory
A teenage sanitation worker at a California factory making popular frozen burritos was sucked into a meat grinder and killed. The 19-year-old was cleaning an industrial food processor at Tina's Burritos factory in Vernon when the machine started up unexpectedly, according to police. Other employees heard the victim shouting for help and tried to turn off the grinder, but could not get it to stop, said Vernon Police Department Sgt Daniel Onopa. Officers responded to a call for an injured worker at a kitchen shortly after 9.30pm on Sunday. By the time they got to the scene, the worker had died, Onopa said. 'Our thoughts are with the family, friends and coworkers affected by this tragedy,' Onopa told ABC 6. Fellow workers gathered in a seating section outside the factory after the tragic incident and appeared distraught. The victim's identity was not immediately released. No foul play is suspected and it seemed to be an accident, Onopa said. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, which works to protect workers in the state, was set to begin investigation on Monday. Vernon is about five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Tina's Burritos' website states that it produces 'America's Best Single-Serve Frozen Burritos' and that 694 of them are heated up somewhere in the US every minute. More Trending 'Tina's began in Los Angeles with a handful of people, a kitchen, and a belief: 'Everyone should be able to afford a great tasting burrito'. That's never changed. We've grown – but not to go corporate,' states its site. 'We grew so we could feed more people. You can taste it in every bite. That stubborn simplicity? That's Tina's.' The company has not responded to a request for comment from Metro. The victim's death comes just a couple weeks after a 38-year-old factory worker got stuck in an industrial oven at a Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation cereal plant in Perryville, Missouri, and died. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Man stabbed in heart on Christmas Day 'by abusive ex when she saw him on Tinder' MORE: Two men who cut down Sycamore Gap tree jailed for four years MORE: Couple guilty of murdering grandson they subjected to weeks of 'pain and misery'
Newsweek
17 hours ago
- Newsweek
Teen Killed in Meat Grinder Incident at Burrito Factory
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A teenage cleaner was killed after he was sucked into a meat grinder at a Tina's Burritos factory. The 19-year-old sanitation worker, who has not been publicly identified, got trapped in the machine on Sunday night at a processing plant in Vernon, California. Sgt. Daniel Onopa, of the Vernon Police Department, said the victim was cleaning an industrial food processor at the site when the machine unexpectedly turned on. Coworkers heard his screams for help and tried to shut down the grinder, but were unable to do so in time to save his life, according to local news reports. The victim was declared dead when emergency crews arrived at the scene. Police say it appears to have been an accident and there is no suspicion of any foul play., There will be an investigation into how the machine was activated and managed to trap the young employee Newsweek has reached out by email to the Vernon Police Department, and has also messaged Tina's Burrito's outside of usual working hours through a contact form on its website, seeking further information and comment. File photo: an industrial cutter for grinding meat. File photo: an industrial cutter for grinding meat. Salomonus_/Getty Images Why It Matters The incident is likely to once again shine a light on industrial safety procedures, following a spate of accidents in recent years. In October last year, a tree worker lost both his legs in a woodchipper just 20 minutes into his first day on the job in Colorado. Investigations occasionally find fault with the companies involved. For example, the Department of Labor slapped Caterpillar Inc. with a fine of $145,027 in 2022 after claims that lax safety procedures had contributed to the death of an employee who was killed when he fell into a vat of molten iron in Illinois. What To Know The meat grinder incident in California occurred at about 9:30 p.m. local time when the after-hours cleaning crew were working at the site. Local news channel ABC 7 aired RMG News footage of the scene after the incident. Apparently filmed through a gate, past a fire truck with flashing lights, the clip showed workers milling around tables in a seating area, with some appearing emotional. One worker was shown wiping her eyes. Tina's Burritos is a well-known brand that makes single-serve frozen burritos. The company's website said it has so far fed more than 2 billion people and there is a video on the website to explain "how a 58-cent burrito gets made with this much flavor." CEO Robert Cross explained the company makes "over a million burritos a day," while several factory workers were featured in the footage explaining in Spanish a little about their roles and revealing which Tina's burrito was their personal favorite. What People Are Saying Sgt. Daniel Onopa, of the Vernon Police Department, said: "Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and coworkers affected by this tragedy." What Happens Next The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (known as Cal/OSHA) are now investigating the death.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Teen factory cleaner dies after being sucked into meat grinder and begs for help
The unnamed 19-year-old was cleaning a machine at Tina's Burritos food processing plant in Vernon, California, when it suddenly turned on, according to local police A teenager was horrifically sucked into a meat grinder and killed while working at a burrito factory - as he begged his co-workers for help. The unnamed 19-year-old was cleaning a machine at Tina's Burritos food processing plant in Vernon, California, when it suddenly turned on. According to police, he was cleaning the meat grinder when the machine sucked him inside around 9.30pm on Sunday. The teen's co-workers heard his cries for help as they attempted to turn the machine off - but it was sadly too late. Emergency services were called to the scene and discovered the worker dead inside the grinder. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health confirmed it will investigate the worker's death. Police do not suspect any foul play. It comes just a week after a cereal factory worker was killed inside an industrial oven after he became "trapped". Nicolas Lopez Gomez, who worked under the name Edward Avilawas, died while working at the Glister Marylee Cereal Plant in Perryville, Missouri, when he suddenly became stuck inside a huge oven last Thursday. According to authorities, the 38-year-old was power-washing the machine from the outside when he ended up inside the oven. Horrified co-workers quickly called emergency services after realising Gomez was trapped. However, less than 20 minutes after emergency services arrived, he was tragically pronounced dead. Police said it is unclear how Gomez became stuck in the oven. Foul play is not suspected. The oven wasn't running at the time of the horrific accident, so it is unclear what injuries the worker may have suffered. The Glister Marylee factory makes cereals with popular suppliers such as Walmart, Sam's Club, and Albertsons. Meanwhile, another worker also died after the remains of Gursimran Kaur, 19, were tragically found inside the walk-in oven of the Walmart she worked at in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her body was discovered on October 19 by her devastated mum, who had become concerned after she had been missing for over an hour. Kaur's mum went to the bakery section to try to find her daughter when a colleague noticed a "leakage" coming from the walk-in oven. Tragically, when the mum opened the door, she discovered her daughter's charred remains. Emergency services were called to the store where they confirmed Kaur had died inside the oven. 'Gursimran Kaur was only 19 years old, a young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams,' a spokesperson for the family said in a GoFundMe appeal. "Imagine the horror that her mother experienced - who herself opened the oven. As you all know, her charred remains were found inside the walk-in oven in the bakery after a few hours." The store remained shut throughout the investigation as it conducted renovations - including removing all walk-in ovens. Now, police have concluded their investigation, which was initially called "complex".
