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In an interview with the Syracuse Post-Standard, Mr. Dufresne said he had entered the Dunkin’ Donuts to charge his phone so that he could call his mother. He also said he was not asleep when the video was filmed, but was briefly resting his head.
The video is the latest social media post that shows employees acting improperly at a coffee chain. In June, an employee at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Cincinnati was fired after writing a disparaging note on a homeless woman’s cup. In April, a video of two black men being arrested in a Starbucks in Philadelphia was viewed more than eight million times on Twitter.
That incident drew outrage and the company’s chief executive called it “reprehensible.”
The employee who was visible in the Dunkin’ Donuts video was fired, according to a statement from Kimberly Wolak, the chief operating officer of The Wolak Group, which owns and operates the location. Other employees were also let go, but none of the workers were identified.
“We were extremely disturbed by the behavior of our employees captured in the video,” Ms. Wolak said.
In a separate statement, Dunkin’ Donuts said, “the treatment of the guest goes against the brand’s core values.”
[Dunkin’ Donuts is removing “donuts” from its name starting next year]
Sgt. Richard Helterline, a spokesman for the Syracuse Police Department, said that Mr. Dufresne met with the police on Tuesday to discuss the incident and that the police had passed the case on to the Onondaga County district attorney’s office. The office said it was reviewing the incident.
Mr. Dufresne told The Post-Standard that he struggles with mental illness. He told the newspaper that he lives outside because he prefers it; his mother said she had unsuccessfully tried to get him to stay with her in another town.
After uploading the video, Mr. Breazeale also launched a crowdfunding campaign for Mr. Dufresne. As of Tuesday afternoon, he had raised at least $13,000, which he said he planned to give to Mr. Dufresne.
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