Roberta's Pizza Gets Death Threats Tied to 'Pizzagate' Insane Conspiracy

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — Roberta's Pizza in Bushwick received death threats last week after conspiracy theorists on the Internet linked it to the fake "Pizzagate" story, according to a formal police complaint for aggravated harassment.

"Pizzagate" is the viral fabrication that Hillary Clinton was running a child abuse ring out of a pizzeria in Washington D.C. perpetuated by a member of Donald Trump's transition team who was subsequently fired.

On Dec. 1, at around 11:15 a.m., a 24-year-old Roberta's worker answered the phone and someone said over the phone, "You are going to bleed and be tortured," police told DNAInfo.

The next day at around 5 p.m., someone called Roberta's number and asked if it had connections to a website that had published fake news about Pizzagate, police said.

"Pizzagate" refers to the completely false conspiracy that D.C. pizzeria Comet Ping Pong was involved in a child abuse ring with Hillary Clinton. Comet Ping Pong received tons of harassment and death threats after the conspiracy theory soared through fake news on social media. On Sunday, a man carrying an assault rifle walked into Comet Ping Pong and fired one or two shots; he told police he wanted to "self-investigate" the incident, the Washington Post reported.

YouTube user drumstick74 made a conspiracy video about Roberta's, which might have inspired the death threats, but the video has since been removed. Here's a similar one drumstick74 made about Besta Pizza in Amherst, New York, so you can get the idea. Scary music, crazy conspiracy ideas, and lots of other stuff that will make you sad about the world:

Reddit's pizzagate forum has been banned by Reddit, but it has moved to Voat, a Reddit-like forum where basically anyone can say anything with absolutely no consequences.

Here's a remnant from the dank corners of the Internet where someone thinks Roberta's branding is "satanic" and that somehow supports a theory that there is a child abuse ring inside.

Roberta's did not immediately respond to request for comment.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the investigation was ongoing, and no arrests had been made, according to the NYPD.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

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