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Distressed woman calls 911 to order a 'large pizza' — the operator instantly knew something was wrong

The woman repeatedly ordered her pizza toppings during the conversation and shared her detailed address. The operator took the hint.

BY TIYASA BISWAS

PUBLISHED 6 DAYS AGO

(L) A panick-stricken woman calls 911, (R) A 911 call operator receiving a call. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Olga Rolenko; (R) Jacob Wackerhausen)

911 dispatchers get all kinds of urgent calls, and it is up to them to interpret them accurately and send for help. While the rigorous training of police officers equips them with the necessary skills and resources to act swiftly during times of crisis, some situations simply require impeccable judgment. When a 911 dispatcher in Ohio received a call from a woman ordering a pizza, it took him less than a few seconds to understand what was going on the other side of the line, as reported by NBC News. The incident that occurred in 2019 has since been making the rounds on the internet, with people applauding the dispatcher’s quick response.

A female victim of domestic violence. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Yellow Dog Productions)

Tim Teneyck was initially clueless about a woman calling to order a large pepperoni pizza, but eventually took the cue that she was trying to report a domestic violence incident. A recording of the phone conversation was shared by NBC, providing evidence of the entire scenario. After Teneyck picks up the phone and informs the caller that they have reached out to 911, as is standard procedure, the woman said, “I would like to order a pizza,” followed by her residential address. Confused, Teneyck asked, “You called 911 to order a pizza.” Speculating it to be a prank, he then informed the caller, “This is the wrong number to order a pizza.”

A worried woman holds her forehead while talking on the phone, expressing concern. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | South Agency)

The 911 caller then seemed tensed, with her shaky voice yelling with a sense of urgency, “No, no, no, no ... you’re not understanding.” Realizing that, Teneyck then followed up with a couple of quick questions to best analyze the situation. He confirmed her apartment number and said, “I’m getting you now, Ok. The guy still there?” The woman responded, “Yeah, I need a large pizza.” When Teneyck enquired if she also needed medical help, the woman answered no before specifying the “pepperoni” multiple times. She also informed him that she would not be able to stay on the call. “We’ll get them going,” Teneyck assured her before disconnecting the call.

A policeman enters a person's home. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Alphotographic)

As per the report, he then informed the police officer to reach the location and turn off their sirens, not to alarm the abuser. "Caller ordered a pizza, and agreed with everything I said that there was domestic violence going on," Teneyck said. It was later revealed that the 911 caller was a 38-year-old woman calling for her mother, who was 57, and the victim of the domestic violence incident. The latter was abused by her live-in boyfriend, Simon Lopez, 56, after he got home drunk and hit her. Hear the conversation in a news report shared by KGET News (@KGETNews) on YouTube. As per the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1 in 4 (24.3%) women and 1 in 7 (13.8%) men have been victims of physical abuse and domestic violence.

After the officers reached their apartment, Lopez was arrested despite denying the claims. The mother told the police that he pushed her so hard that “she fell into the wall behind her.” Moments before getting caught, the abuser even threatened to beat the mother and punched her. In his defense, Lopez told the police that he “did not put his hands on the victim, and he only wanted to go to bed.” The abuser was detained at the Lucas County Corrections Center, facing domestic violence charges. Meanwhile, Teneyck, a 14-year police veteran, was lauded by the Ohio Chief of Police Mike Navarre. "A good dispatcher is going to recognize that this is a person who wants to talk and needs help. That is exactly what happened here," he said. Navarre now plans to use the call to train future police officers.