At least 50 corpses stored in U-hauls next to New York funeral home, police say

BROOKLYN, NY — Police were called to a funeral home in New York after neighbors complained of a foul odor possibly originating from dozens of decomposing bodies stored in U-Haul trucks.

The Andrew T. Cleckley Funeral Home in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn was overwhelmed by coronavirus victims so it resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks, and a passerby complained about the smell, officials said.

Investigators who responded to a 911 call found that the home had rented four trucks to hold about 50 corpses, according to a law enforcement official. No criminal charges were brought and the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The funeral home had been reportedly storing bodies in the U-Hauls after a freezer stopped working, an official told The New York Times.

The NYPD notified Hazmat and Department of Health to investigate if the funeral home was in compliance with New York state guidelines.

The funeral home was later cited for failing to control the odors. The home was able to obtain a larger, refrigerated truck later in the day, the official said.

Workers suited up in protective gear could be seen in the afternoon transferring bodies into the refrigerated truck.

Police closed the streets for crowd control and for health purposes.

When a call was made to the funeral home, a person on the other end picked up and then hung up. Subsequent calls went to voicemail, which was full.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams went to the scene on Wednesday evening. He told the Daily News, “While this situation is under investigation, we should not have what we have right now, with trucks lining the streets filled with bodies.”

He said “it was people who walked by who saw some leakage and detected an odor coming from a truck.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.