Disclaimer —The video on the link contains vulgar language and remarks.
HATBORO, PA —The woman charged with ethnic intimidation and harassment after a racist rant at a borough pizza place in February has her formal arraignment Wednesday.
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And her case has also drawn interest from a television producer, borough officials said.
Rita Bellew, 55, of Hatboro, is expected to appear for her formal arraignment in the Montgomery Court of Common Pleas Wednesday, her court docket states.
Bellew had waived her preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Court Judge Paul Leo in late April as the members of the family that operates Amy’s Family Pizzeria —who had captured the rant on a TikTok video —sat in the audience.
In the expletive-filled viral video, Bellew confronts a counter employee over a Spanish-language channel being on in the eatery. She demands a refund and then threatens to “look up” the employee and “get them out of town.”
“Give me my money back. I’m not giving my money to some illegal immigrant,” she said on the video.
Watch the video here.
That rant drew interest from a television producer who contacted borough officials.
Borough Manager Diane Hegele said that Rachel Karp, an associate producer with Meetinghouse Productions, made a public records request seeking information for an upcoming law enforcement program on the A & E network.
Hegele said the request was closed and she referred it to Police Chief James Gardner.
Karp did not return email responses from Patch for the story.
Hatboro police de-escalated the disturbance involving Bellew and then learned that an employee video-recorded Bellew prior to police arriving at the incident, which took place at 5:55 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23.
Police said the video shows Bellew berating the staff of the restaurant with a “profane, racially fueled tirade.” Bellew was apparently triggered, at least in part, by a Spanish broadcast being shown on a television in the restaurant, police said.