A Georgia McDonald's Worker Grew Frustrated Over the 'Busy' Drive-Thru. So He Started a Dumpster Fire to Dispel the Crowd.

A former McDonald's employee in Georgia was sentenced to five years in prison for starting a dumpster fire in order to keep customers out of the "crowded" drive-through line.

Joshua Daryl McGregor, 34, was sentenced to five years in prison plus three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to arson, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia announced. He was also ordered to pay restitution for damages caused by the fire.

McGregor was working at the McDonald’s location at 2701 Montgomery Avenue in Savannah in April 2023 when he became "frustrated because the restaurant was very busy," prosecutors said.

He was captured on surveillance video igniting a piece of cardboard and tossing it into the restaurant's dumpster, which contained flammable materials including cardboard, and "ensured the fire ignited before returning to the restaurant," prosecutors said.

The "intense" fire forced customers in the drive-through lane to back out of the parking lot to get away. The restaurant was temporarily closed while the Savannah Fire Department extinguished the fire.

McGregor meanwhile filmed the fire on his cell phone. He was arrested by Savannah Police Department investigators after he was identified on the surveillance video.

“Intentionally setting a fire in an effort to shut down or damage someone else’s property is inexcusable. Joshua McGregor will have substantial time to ponder his post-prison employment options," U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg said in a statement.

“Arson is an extremely violent crime that not only destroys property but also places firefighters, first responders and the general public at great risk,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the ATF Atlanta Field Division. “The ATF, along with the Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit and our other law enforcement partners, are committed to ensuring that our communities are safe and that those who commit these dangerous acts are held accountable.”

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“Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit greatly appreciates our continued ability to work with our local and federal partners to successfully prosecute arson that affects interstate commerce in our jurisdiction,” said Fred Anderson, chief investigator for the Savannah Fire Arson Unit. “These efforts made as a partnership have continued to help make our community safer and greatly reduce the act of arson throughout the city.”

TMX contributed to this report.