A Maryland bakery was temporarily shut down by health officials after a customer filmed a rat crawling across cakes, cookies, and pies in the city’s historic Lexington Market.
The stomach-turning footage was filmed at Buttercup Bakery at Lexington Market in Baltimore and has since been viewed over 800,000 times on Facebook.
The video shows the large rat crawling around in a glass container holding an array of desserts and pastries while customers look on in shock. At one point someone can be heard shouting, “Just grab him by the neck!” at staff trying to lure the rat from the baked goods.
Buttercup Bakery and another establishment in the indoor market owned by the same person, Berger’s Bakery, were closed down for a 24-hour period after a visit from health officials. Berger’s Bakery was closed for a fly infestation. Both bakeries were previously closed down by the Baltimore City Health Department due to a roach infestation in October 2016.
Lexington Market said they decided to voluntarily close down the entire market for 24 hours following the viral revelation to allow merchants, staff, the health department, and pest-control to conduct an investigation.
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The general manager of Lexington Market told WBAL this is their first closure in 45 years of business and said the rat may have scurried inside the cabinet after an employee left a door open. However some patrons told the Baltimore Sun the market is known for having a rodent issue.
The person who filmed the damning footage, Milton Mitchell, told The Baltimore Sun he went to the bakery to buy cookie for his wife. “I never thought [the video] would get this big, but I’m glad it did,” said Mitchell, adding that he wanted to “let the public know what kind of situation Lexington Market is in.”
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