EAST BRUNSWICK -- A pizzeria is taking some heat from local residents after a town cop accused an employee of scrawling "pig" on a pizza box.

The owner of the eatery, Frank Mancini, however, adamantly denies the claim, calling it a misunderstanding over a box marked with a "P" for plain pie and a symbol for a garlic twist, not "pig."

"This has been a nightmare," Mancini told NJ Advance Media in a phone interview. "We love cops. People just want to blow it up for our business to fail."

A photo of the pizza box in question, according to the owner of Mancini Pizza, who said he has displayed the box in the pizzeria's front window.

The East Brunswick PBA Local 145 said in a statement posted to Facebook Saturday afternoon it "fully supports the officer involved and is troubled over this unprovoked and unsettling incident."

The incident happened on Aug. 1 when an East Brunswick officer went to pick up food at Mancini Pizza.

While the officer waited for her order, Mancini's brother, who was working the counter had marked the box with a sharpie and put it on the oven awaiting a pickup, according to Mancini.

The uniformed officer said the box had "derogatory comment directed toward the officer" written on it, according to the local PBA's statement. After confronting the employee, the officer left without her food or a refund, the statement said.

According to Mancini, the officer yelled at his brother, asking why he had written "pig" on her order. The brother denied that's what the box and said the order wasn't hers, according to Mancini.

The officer responded "OK, whatever ... I'm just having a bad day," according to Mancini.

The officer eventually left without her food after exchanging words with the delivery driver and Mancini, according to the owner, who said he tried to give the officer a refund.

Mancini said he saved the box and sent it around to police he was friendly with to show it didn't have "pig" written on it.

"We are disheartened and disappointed by these false allegations made against our restaurant," the owner said in a statement, which include a photo that he said is the pizza box in question.

The box has been displayed in the pizzeria's front window, the statement said.

"The officer refutes the claims made by Mancini Pizza regarding the matter and we stand by her account of the event," the statement said. "We consider this to be an affront to the officer involved, the East Brunswick Police Department, and the entire law enforcement community."

The story has sparked a rash of backlash on social media, urging people to boycott the restaurant, which is located at the intersection of Tices Lane and Route 18.

Yelp has since flagged the pizza place's business page and is monitoring the comments on the site as result of the string of Facebook posts.

East Brunswick police are investiagting the incident and have been in contact with the pizzeria owner, chief James Conroy said in a statement.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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