An argument between a teenager and pizza shop workers on the Ocean City Boardwalk ended with a slice getting thrown in the teen's face last Friday night.
Video of the dispute became a viral meme over the weekend, racking up more than 2 million views across posts on TikTok and X.
The disagreement unfolded around 8 p.m. at Primavera Pizza near 11th Street on the boardwalk, Ocean City police said.
Police did not say what led to the argument. The department referred additional questions to city spokesperson Doug Bergen, who said no charges were filed and no summonses have been issued.
In the video, a teen wearing a red shirt approaches pizza shop employees on the other side of the counter while holding up his cellphone to film them. One of the workers attempts to grab the phone, but the teens backs away. A second employee then picks up a slice of pizza and rifles it at the teen, landing a direct hit to his chin and chest.
Four police officers are seen immediately approaching the pizza shop workers, the teen and one of his friends to defuse the situation.
The video doesn't offer many clues about the disagreement, and a message left for Primavera Pizza was not immediately returned Tuesday.
The video originally was posted to Facebook, but that post since has been removed. Several alternate versions have popped up elsewhere on social media. One includes an illustrated version of the incident in courtroom-style drawings. Another reaction brings attention to the audible slapping sound the pizza slice made on the teen's face.
A similar incident happened earlier this month in New York City. Video footage from a confrontation at a 2 Bros Pizza location shows a worker slamming a slice of pizza in a customer's face at close range. When some on social media mistook the customer for Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy — who's also widely known for his pizza review videos — Portnoy shot down the false accusation.
One woman who posted a reaction to the New York incident on TikTok said it should be a lesson to anyone looking to start trouble with pizza shop workers.
"I used to live around Philadelphia and I live around New York," the woman said. "You never f*** with the pizza guys."