Viral Video Involving Employee Under Investigation By Greenwich Nursing Facility

GREENWICH, CT — Nathaniel Witherell, the Greenwich-owned and operated skilled nursing facility, announced this week it has launched an internal investigation into a viral video that appears to show one of its employees making offensive remarks to another person inside a local grocery store.

In the video, which was posted to TikTok last week, a woman can be seen and heard telling the person recording to "go back to your [expletive] country," and to "stay out of America."

The woman also shows the middle finger several times and makes disparaging comments about the other person's appearance.

The approximately four-minute and 30-second video, plus a shorter 29-second version, had amassed more than 720,000 views on TikTok as of Thursday afternoon.

Sarina Gupta, who said she was the target in the video and who uploaded the clips, posted an update on TikTok explaining what led to the confrontation at a grocery store in Stamford.

"It was my birthday, and I see my grandparents every year for my birthday. I went to their house and we went out and had a lovely lunch. I needed to do some returns afterwards, so I went to the store and the returns were just taking a little bit longer than usual. That is when the customer... began to get impatient," Gupta explained.

Gupta said she suggested the woman go use other registers to pay for her items, as she was at the customer service desk that's used mostly for returns.

"There's self-checkout, there's other cashiers, and so I suggested she go to one of those if this was taking too long," Gupta said. "That is when she, completely unprovoked, lashed out at me and yelled 'go back to your country.' That's when the video started."

Nathaniel Witherell posted a statement to social media on Monday after the woman was identified as an employee of the 200-bed skilled nursing facility.

"Nathaniel Witherell is aware of a video circulating on social media involving an individual identified as one of our employees. We are deeply troubled by the comments made in the video. These remarks do not reflect the values, policies, or culture of Nathaniel Witherell.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding hate speech, discrimination, and harassment in any form. We have launched an internal investigation into this matter. Nathaniel Witherell is committed to maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment for our employees, partners, and the communities we serve."

Gupta said she was "shocked and hurt and disturbed" to find the woman, whom she mentioned by name, worked at a nursing home.

Patch has not independently verified the woman's name or what position she has at Nathaniel Witherell.

"If she can completely unprovoked say those vile things to me in public, I can't imagine what she does behind closed doors," Gupta said. "It really upsets me, the thought of her working with any patients of color."

First Selectman Fred Camillo and Selectwomen Lauren Rabin and Rachel Khanna issued a joint statement on Tuesday afternoon.

"We are aware of this video and the Town of Greenwich is looking into this matter," the statement said. "Since it involves personnel, we cannot comment any further at this time."

In an interview with Greenwich Time, Gupta said she believed the current political climate has contributed to outbursts like what she experienced.

Nathaniel Witherell has remained a contentious issue in Greenwich, as the facility has faced declining performance ratings in recent years and financial challenges.

A central debate has focused on the facility's future, with town officials and residents weighing whether it should remain town-owned or be privatized.

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