BY JESSICA PARKS
State health authorities
have shut down a Flatlands
funeral home on May 1 after
they “appallingly” stored dozens
of bodies in several U-Haul
trucks earlier in the week.
“Following an investigation
by the State Department
of Health, I issued an immediate
suspension order to the
Andrew T. Cleckley Funeral
Home in Brooklyn – whose
actions were appalling, disrespectful
to the families of the
deceased, and completely unacceptable,”
said state Health
Commissioner Dr. Howard
Zucker.
Offi cers from the 63rd Police
Precinct responded to a
911 call on April 29 at Andrew
T. Cleckley Funeral Home
at 2057A Utica Ave, where
an eyewitness allegedly saw
6 COURIER LIFE, MAY 8-14, 2020
“blood coming from one of the
trucks.” Upon their arrival,
the offi cers found funeral
workers loading bodies from
U-Haul trucks into a mobile
refrigerated truck.
Authorities say the bodies
had been decomposing in
the fl atbeds for several weeks,
causing the area to be overrun
with a strong odor.
Zucker, who expressed
understanding that funeral
homes are struggling to keep
up with death counts from the
novel coronavirus, said that
the businesses are still required
to adhere to a basic set
of sanitary standards — which
have already been relaxed as a
result of the pandemic.
“Funeral homes have a responsibility
to manage their
capacity appropriately and
provide services in a respectful
and competent manner,”
the health commissioner
said. “We understand the burden
funeral homes are facing
during this unprecedented
time. That’s why the state previously
issued an order allowing
out of state funeral home
directors to assist during this
crisis and took steps to ease
administrative hurdles.”
A spokesman for U-Haul
blasted the funeral home’s
“egregious” misuse of their
rental vehicle, saying they
were in fl agrant breach of their
contract — and that they’ve
been banned from leasing any
more U-Haul vehicles.
“This is a wrongful, egregious
and inhumane use of
our equipment. Our trucks
are designed for household
moves. Properly caring for
the remains of people’s loved
Authorities transfer bodies out of U-Haul trucks. Photo by Todd Maisel
ones requires vehicles suited
specifi cally for that purpose,”
said Jeffrey Lockridge. “Our
trucks absolutely cannot be
rented for this reason.”
While an NYPD spokesperson
told Brooklyn Paper
on the day of the incident that
no crimes had been committed,
offi cers later launched an
investigation into the funeral
home’s storage methods — although
no charges have been
fi led as of May 1.
‘APPALLING’
U-Haul truck storage scheme costs
Flatlands parlor their business licence
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