A Georgia man has leveled serious accusations against a 911 dispatcher, claiming the dispatcher was ordering a McDonald’s breakfast while he sought urgent help for a potential home invasion.
Dylan Johnson of Chatham County alleges he overheard the dispatcher requesting a McGriddle sandwich during a call about his wife and infant daughter being in danger, spotlighting significant concerns about emergency response protocols and dispatcher professionalism.
On February 14, 2025, at approximately 9:30 AM, Dylan Johnson received a frantic call from his wife. She reported hearing an unknown individual “snooping around the house, knocking on doors and banging on windows” while alone with their five-month-old daughter. Panicked, Johnson immediately tried to contact emergency services as he rushed home from work, uncertain of the situation awaiting him.
Johnson first dialed Chatham County’s non-emergency line, but the call went unanswered. Increasingly alarmed, he turned to 911. His initial attempt failed, and it took multiple calls—spanning roughly six minutes, according to phone records later reviewed by local media—before he finally reached a dispatcher.
When Johnson connected with a 911 dispatcher on his third try, he expected swift assistance. Instead, he claims that three minutes into the call, he overheard the dispatcher saying,
“Uh-huh… McGriddle… uh-huh,”
apparently placing a breakfast order, before casually returning to him with,
“I’m sorry, what?”
Johnson was stunned by the apparent distraction at such a critical moment.
“I honestly couldn’t fathom it. If it hadn’t happened to me, I would’ve doubted it had occurred to someone else. It was that unbelievable,”
Johnson later told local media. The dispatcher’s alleged actions have since sparked widespread controversy and prompted an administrative review.
Police eventually arrived at Johnson’s home, but the suspected intruder had already fled. Thankfully, his wife and daughter were unharmed, though the family remained shaken by both the potential break-in and the troubling emergency response.
Chatham County Chairman Chester Ellis publicly addressed the incident, condemning the dispatcher’s alleged conduct.
“That should never happen, OK? Your ordering breakfast should be different from answering a call. The two should never intertwine,”
Ellis told local outlets, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
Following Johnson’s complaint, county officials launched a review. The dispatcher involved has faced disciplinary measures, though specifics remain undisclosed due to personnel confidentiality.
Chairman Ellis noted that a detailed report, based on a review of the call recording, would be prepared for him and later discussed with the Board of Commissioners. The acknowledgment of discipline suggests authorities found merit in Johnson’s claims.
Johnson’s experience may reflect deeper issues within Chatham County’s emergency services. Local reports reveal that “thousands” of emergency calls are abandoned monthly at the call center due to unanswered lines. The combination of an unresponsive non-emergency line and multiple failed 911 attempts points to potential systemic problems, including staffing shortages or operational inefficiencies.
Dispatchers nationwide undergo rigorous training to handle crises, underscoring the life-or-death stakes of their role. This incident dubbed the “McGriddle incident” locally, highlights how lapses in attention can undermine public safety.
While Johnson’s family escaped physical harm, the episode has triggered both individual repercussions and wider scrutiny of Chatham County’s emergency protocols. Johnson stressed the core expectation of 911 services:
“When someone calls 911, they are in need of assistance. I want them to regard every call as an emergency, as they rightfully should.”
His ordeal underscores the need for unwavering professionalism in emergency communications, where even brief distractions can carry serious consequences.