Pennsylvania boy with autism, Down Syndrome kicked out of supermarket for not wearing mask on blistering day
JENKINTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA: A Pennsylvania mother revealed supermarket employees called the police on her and her 10-year-old disabled son for not wearing a mask despite her repeatedly explaining the situation to them.
Nadina Newman told ABC6 News that her son, Colin, has autism and Down Syndrome, is non-verbal, and has sensory issues. On Wednesday, June 10, she said she was picking up dinner for her family at the Boston Market on Old York Road when her car broke down.
She said she was wearing a mask inside the supermarket, but since the temperatures were soaring on the day, her son could not. However, the employees did not see it that way.
"It was 91 degrees outside, Colin wasn't feeling well, we needed to go inside so Colin could cool off," she shared. "So I asked her (the employee) if we could sit there for about 15 minutes until our ride came and she said, 'I have to call the owner'."
Newman said she tried to explain to the store's employees that her son's conditions meant he was physically incapable of wearing a mask but that they continued to persist and called the owner, who was equally uncooperative. She said the owner asked them to leave because they were not following the CDC guidelines but that she refused, explaining her car had broken down and her son could not withstand the extreme heat outside.
"I found it shocking that the girl working at Boston Market didn't understand that and didn't have the proper training, the proper information and nor did she have common sense," she said.
Newman said it was then that the employees called the police on her and her son, with Abington Police Chief Kelley Warner confirming that deputies responded to the location on reports of a disturbance.
"I felt anxious, I felt nervous, I was really shocked that this is what I was dealing with," the mother shared. "I felt sorry for my son that he was listening to this, that he was being treated this way."
Following their arrival, the police ultimately provided vital in defusing the situation and gave Newman and the 10-year-old boy a ride home. Warner said no charges had been filed in connection to the incident and that he was proud of his officers' response to the conflict.
"The police arrived and were problem solvers and peacemakers," he said. "Officer McMenamin did his job and we couldn't be more proud."
After news of Newman's treatment at Boston Market caught local headlines, the supermarket apologized for its employees' behavior and promised to train them to respond more appropriately in the future.
"Boston Market strives to provide the best guest experience possible," they told ABC6 in a statement. "Guest and employee health and safety is our top priority, and we sincerely apologize that the guest experience was not met while trying to maintain these safety standards. We are retraining our staff at this location to ensure a situation like this never happens again."
Newman said all she wants from the experience is to raise awareness that people who have disabilities are exempt from wearing face masks and that more people have compassion for others during these trying times.