Suicide by McDonalds

May 30, 2002 2:36 AM

Suicide by McDonalds -- Frank Nastasi was depressed and wanted to kill himself May 15 when he accelerated his Cadillac DeVille to 95 to 100 mph and aimed for the McDonalds at the end of the road. Nastasi survived the crash, but killed three overnight workers at the 24-hour fast food restaurant. Why did he target a McDonalds? "Because his father ate breakfast there every morning," investigators said.
posted by dogmatic (19 comments total)

...seems like as good as an excuse as any...

sheesh.
posted by Fofer at 3:03 AM on May 30, 2002

What I like is the thoughtful touch from the relatives of those killed, recommending ways to kill one's self without hurting other people -- like driving into th trees lining that road, or jumping off a bridge.

Other than that, is there any other reasonable comment than "What a dumbass"?
posted by meep at 3:12 AM on May 30, 2002

Actually, the mayor also was thoughtful enough to offer better ways to kill oneself. Now that's a political statement if I ever saw one.

And meep, dumbass is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?
posted by dogmatic at 3:24 AM on May 30, 2002

A fatal misunderstanding of the "drive through" concept.
posted by pracowity at 3:32 AM on May 30, 2002

So he's actually charged for the killing of three people. What will the sentence be ? Life ? Death ? I can't even imagine how this guy must feel now.
posted by swordfishtrombones at 3:49 AM on May 30, 2002

My gut instinct is that this guy was fantasizing about going out with a bang -- not a guy who wanted to kill people in his quest. He wanted a death that would be big, because perhaps in life he felt overlooked and unloved.

I could be wrong, but I doubt that he didn't realize there was anyone working there at 4:20am. I'm not excusing him, but I don't think he intended to kill anybody -- I think he was so completely absorbed in his suicide attempt to think that there might be people inside so early in the morning.

Wow. To live through the crash to discover that you've killed 3 others.
posted by jennak at 4:15 AM on May 30, 2002

"Nastasi, who got out of the car and was found a block away on Prospect Ridge after the crash, did not have any blood or alcohol in his system"

hehe
posted by slater at 4:42 AM on May 30, 2002

When I did my usual 'leans back & recounts weird MeFi-posted story to co-workers' routine, I was told the following which is in a similar vein...

About 20 years ago, X, her son & a driver had picked up X's sister & brother-in-law – whom X had just met for the first time – and were driving up the motorway [UK freeway] to X's home.

Their car was travelling in the outside (fast) lane & was hit head-on by a car driven by a man who had purposely gone onto the wrong side in a successful suicide bid.

The driver & X's brother-in-law were both killed & X lost an eye & had to have here face rebuilt. X's husband eventually left her as a result of everything that had happened.

The cruel twist of fate was that someone in the car had suggested stopping to eat moments before the crash but X's brother-in-law had wanted to press on & get home as soon as possible.

Three lives lost & another 3 ruined.

I guess that anyone contemplating suicide is so wrapped up in their own shit that none else’s matters...

As an aside, CD’s, especially in the US, seems to be one dangerous place to eat what with colic & general food poisoning cases, random shootings & now cars ploughing thru them. Anyone got any idea of how many people have died inside McD’s or is that too morbid?
posted by i_cola at 6:23 AM on May 30, 2002

colic = ecoli and none = no one
darned spellcheck machine

And I guess that anyone contemplating suicide is... should really be I guess that a lot of people contemplating suicide are...
posted by i_cola at 6:42 AM on May 30, 2002

Man, if he was going to kill himself, why didn't he just start eating Big Macs for every meal? If you want to go out quick, at least make it tasty.
posted by fleener at 6:45 AM on May 30, 2002

one dangerous place to eat what with colic & general food poisoning cases

I was right! I was right all along!
posted by ook at 6:55 AM on May 30, 2002

Score one for the McSpotlighters.
posted by betobeto at 8:33 AM on May 30, 2002

As the boys in ST put it:

"Im a suicidal failure, I can't kill myself..."
posted by jonmc at 8:58 AM on May 30, 2002

Still hung up on his dad at the age of 52. Maybe he should have moved out of town a while back. Say 20 or 30 years ago?
posted by Irontom at 9:42 AM on May 30, 2002

Good one, jonmc.
posted by adampsyche at 10:12 AM on May 30, 2002

is eating at mcdonalds all the time for breakfast a common cultural occurrence? i'm genuinely curious.
posted by zerolucid at 5:50 PM on May 30, 2002

only among senior citizens, zerolucid.
posted by dogmatic at 5:55 PM on May 30, 2002

Killed were Cindy Molino, 45, a mother of four school-age children, and Joanne Marie Bowen, 52, both of Mount Ephraim; and Nancy King, 49, of Audubon.

What kind of a screwed up area is that? In McDonald's here it's only 18 year old kids who are brave/stupid enough to work there.
posted by wackybrit at 7:30 PM on May 30, 2002

Probably mothers working nights, maybe second or third jobs. Bravery and stupidity don't come into it. Life is hard.
posted by pracowity at 2:15 AM on May 31, 2002