Woman Known as the ‘Hamburglar’ for Breaking into a McDonald’s Drive-Thru Window Pleads Guilty

Columbia, MD — Last November, an African American woman was caught on camera fearlessly climbing and breaking into a McDonald’s drive-thru window near Baltimore, Maryland. Police identified her as 27-year old Jessica Cross, and local media nicknamed her the “hamburglar”.

In the shocking surveillance video, she can be seen squeezing herself into the drive-thru window, reaching in to get a drink from the soda fountain, and then actually climbing into the window around 1 a.m.

The McDonald’s located on Benson Drive  in the city of Columbia was closed at the time, according to police. An employee only discovered the next day that cash registers were “disturbed” and the office door was open. Police said Cross stole about $1,400 in cash, a purse, food, and Happy Meal toys.

Cross, whom the police nicknamed the “hamburglar,” surrendered 11 days after the incident. She plead guilty, and was charged with burglary and theft.

At a plea hearing on April 2, Cross pleaded guilty. She was sentenced to five years in prison for burglary and theft, with all but three months suspended. She was also sentenced to over three years of probation, during which she is required to complete mental health treatment as well as alcohol and drug treatment.

Additionally, she is banned from going in or near the McDonald’s she broke into on Benson Drive in the city of Columbia.