Upper West Side Freezer Attacker Was Alleged Killer, Reports Say

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The man who died after hiding in an Upper West Side restaurant freezer and attacking the eatery's workers was an accused killer, according to multiple reports.

Carlton Henderson, 54, was recently indicted in Boston in connection with the 1988 cold case murders of 26-year-old William Medina and 22-year-old Antonio Dos Reis, the Assocaited Press reported. The Cave Creek, Arizona, man was released from jail last week when a judge in the murder case ruled that statements Henderson made to police and prosecutors in 1993 regarding the murders could not be used as evidence, the AP reported.

Henderson was supposed to return to court in Boston on Aug. 14, the New York Times first reported. The man was previously convicted on federal drug and gun charges in 1992 and moved to Cave Creek, Arizona, after being released in 2005, the Times reported.

How or why Henderson ended up hiding in the freezer at Sarabeth's Restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue near West 80th Street remains unclear. Police responded to the restaurant around 11 a.m. Sunday to find Henderson unconscious int the restaurant's freezer, police said. He was transported to St. Luke's Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

CBS New York reported that workers managed to tackle the man and wrestle him to the ground. He suffered medical problems during the struggle, the report said. Henderson allegedly screamed "away from me, Satan!" immediately after jumping out of the freezer, the AP reported.

The city's medical examiner will determine an exact cause of death.

Photo by Google Maps street view