McDonald’s reaching out to Ohio man

Oak Brook-based McDonald’s says it wants to speak directly to a man widely quoted in accounts of the discovery of three women who were being held captive in a Cleveland home this week.

Charles Ramsey, who lives in the neighborhood where the women were found, noted in an interview with a local TV station that he was eating McDonald’s when the scene unfolded Monday. He also made note of his meal in a 911 call. Both the interview and the 911 call went viral online.

Danya Proud, a spokeswoman for McDonald’s, said Wednesday that the company is trying to reach out to Ramsey through its local franchisee. She said the company wanted to speak with Ramsey directly given the sensitivity of the situation, rather than communicating with him through the media.

“This is a very tragic situation and we can’t lose sight of that,” she said.

Proud declined to say whether McDonald’s planned to offer him any type of reward.

On Tuesday, the world’s biggest hamburger company had said on Twitter: “We salute the courage of Ohio kidnap victims & respect their privacy. Way to go Charles Ramsey — we’ll be in touch.”