A Connecticut Merrill Lynch financial adviser who was arrested for allegedly throwing a milkshake at a teenage employee, calling her an “immigrant f-king,” has been fired after footage of his racist tirade went viral.
James Iannazzo, 48, was arrested and charged with a hate crime following the chaotic scene at Robeks in Fairfield shortly before 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the Fairfield Police Department said.
The wild encounter erupted after a furious Iannazzo returned to the store after ordering a milkshake that allegedly contained peanuts, causing her highly allergic son to have a reaction and require hospitalization, authorities said.
According to police, Iannazzo ordered the drink without the peanut butter, but did not mention to employees that her son had allergies.
Video taken by one of the workers it shows Iannazzo allegedly standing behind the counter repeatedly demanding to know who made the drink.
Iannazzo lashes out and calls the staff members “stupid, ignorant high school kids” when they couldn’t tell her who had pulled it off, according to footage.
He then allegedly called one of the workers “f-king bh” and threw the drink at her, hitting her in the shoulder.
Iannazzo continued her swearing-filled outburst before allegedly calling the employee she hit with the drink “immigrant f-king.”
Video of the ordeal circulating on Twitter had been viewed more than 2.6 million times as of early Monday morning.
A Merrill Lynch spokesperson told The Post that Iannazzo was fired from the wealth management firm on Sunday as a result of the incident.
“Our company does not tolerate behavior of this type. We immediately investigated and took action. This individual is no longer employed by our firm,” a statement said.
Iannazzo had been with Merrill Lynch since 1995 and her LinkedIn profile currently lists him as CEO.
The father turned himself in after initially fleeing the store before authorities arrived.
He later admitted to police that he returned to the store after becoming upset about his son’s severe allergic reaction, according to authorities.
Iannazzo’s attorney, Frank J. Riccio, said in a statement that his client had “impressed with staff” that the drink could not contain peanuts.
“Your son has a life-threatening peanut allergy. While drinking the Robeks milkshake, his son had a severe allergic reaction that required transport by ambulance to the hospital,” the statement said.
“When faced with a terrible situation, Mr. Iannazzo’s parental instinct kicked in and he acted out in anger and fear. He is not racist and deeply regrets his statement and actions during a moment of extreme emotion.”
Iannazzo was charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias, breach of the peace, and trespassing.
nypost.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism