Meijer Arrests Autistic Teen Employee for Stealing Lunch as Viral Bodycam Sparks Outrage

If you’ve ever grabbed a quick bite at work because you were starving and didn’t have time for a real meal, you might feel a chill reading this story. A viral bodycam video from Ohio shows police at a Meijer store arresting an employee for stealing lunch. The worker, identified by The New York Post as James, is autistic. Suddenly, a simple workplace dispute turned into a national debate about compassion, corporate policy, and what justice should look like.

The footage — circulating across TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube — doesn’t look like much at first. A nervous teen in a Meijer uniform, a manager insisting on charges, and a police officer carefully explaining his rights. Once viewers learned the context — that James had allegedly eaten about $110 worth of food over several months — things exploded online. Outrage poured in, with hashtags like #BoycottMeijer climbing the charts.

On March 7, 2024, at the Meijer store in Ohio, police responded to a call from management about suspected theft. According to the bodycam footage, the manager told officers that James had repeatedly taken fruit cups and fried chicken during his shifts without paying. The total, they claimed, was just over $100 spread across several months.

When officers approached James, he remained calm and did as he was told. The officer did have to repeat certain commands a few times because the teen was slightly confused by the situation. Under Ohio law, per The New York Post, anything under $1,000 is classified as petty theft, a misdemeanor.

Still, the choice to arrest rather than handle things internally left many people wondering: was this really necessary? Furthermore, the online reaction suggests people were also upset by how smug the manager appeared to be while discussing the situation with the officer in the footage.

Many on social media argued that Meijer’s decision was “heartless,” pointing out that James is autistic and may not have fully understood the consequences. One user wrote, “Imagine being 19, autistic, and hungry at work … and your company calls the cops instead of helping you out. Disgusting.” Others compared the incident to stories of large corporations throwing away pounds of food daily while penalizing a struggling employee over $110.

The backlash didn’t stop at angry tweets. A GoFundMe launched for James quickly raised more than $28,000, according to the New York Post. Supporters framed it as a “David vs. Goliath” moment, with a vulnerable teenager caught in the crosshairs of a billion-dollar grocery chain.

Of course, not everyone saw it that way. Some pointed out that theft, no matter the amount, breaks company policy and the law. “If it was your store, would you just look the other way?” one commenter asked. The debate split into two camps: those who saw James as a victim of a cold system, and those who viewed Meijer as simply enforcing the rules.

Furthermore, there are also some debating if the teen actually stole anything, as the food he reportedly "stole" was taken out of the trash after the company had thrown it away.

According to multiple reports, including The New York Post, the company has not immediately responded to requests for a statement regarding the viral footage and calls for a boycott. In a thread on Reddit, users note how disgusted they are to know Meijer documented the situation for months before involving the police instead of helping their hungry teenage employee.

Naturally, the silence only fueled the fire. People online argued that the company had an opportunity to show compassion — maybe even apologize — but instead stayed quiet. In today’s world, where viral clips can define a brand overnight, staying silent might be riskier than speaking up.

At the end of the day, this story isn’t just about stolen fruit cups. It’s about how we expect corporations to treat the most vulnerable among us. Yes, stealing is wrong. But was a public arrest of an autistic teenager really the best solution? Or did Meijer miss a chance to handle things with empathy?

If nothing else, this case has made thousands of people ask themselves a simple, human question: if you were hungry at work and afraid of getting in trouble, what would you do? And more importantly — how would you want your employer to respond?