Robber With Machete In Harlem Attacks Funeral Director, Police Say

HARLEM, NY — Police were looking Wednesday for a man who entered a Harlem funeral home with a machete and beat up the director before robbing him, New York City Police Department officials said.

According to the NYPD, the suspect entered Daniels Wilhelmina Funeral Home at 110 West 131 St. on Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. under the false pretense of discussing planning a funeral.

But, once inside the victim's office, the suspect demanded money, punched the director in the head multiple times, and then took out a machete, police said.

Then, the man forcibly took a wallet and cellphone from the funeral director, who is 66 years old, police said.

The suspect then ran off in an unknown direction, and the victim refused medical attention at the scene, authorities said.

The police are still investigating the incident, and no arrests have been made yet, but the police have released surveillance photos of the suspect.

Police say anyone with information about the robbery can call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

People can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.