Daniel Wilhelmina, a 66-year-old director of a funeral home situated in Harlem, was caught off guard when he became the target of a daring robbery inside his very own office. The robbers, although pretending to be grieving, ended up resorting to physical assault and threats with a machete to coerce him into handing over his valuables. Interestingly, Wilhelmina was astounded not just by the audacity of the crime, but also by the petty utilization of the plundered resources. He remarked with disbelief that his office was a solemn establishment for grief, not a corner store ripe for theft.
During the incident recorded by security cameras, the robbers had demanded money while in Daniels Wilhelmina Funeral Home located near Malcolm X Blvd. on W. 131st St. In making away with Wilhelmina’s cellphone and wallet, they chose to buy merely a pair of sneakers and a liquor bottle with the credit cards, though they had access to a remarkable credit limit exceeding $100,000. It was such ill-judged theft that Wilhelmina highlighted to the investigating detective – emphasizing that the duo deserved jail time purely for their lack of sharpness in crime.
The duo had entered the funeral home just after lunch on Feb. 17, their masquerade as mourners needing to organize a funeral convincing enough initially. Dressed in a professional black suit and a neatly tied black tie, one suspect was allowed into Wilhelmina’s back office under the impression of discussing further arrangements. Clips from released NYPD video footage show the suspect carrying a golden badge on his belt and, at first, exchanging pleasantries like fist bumps with Wilhelmina.
Recalling the incident, Wilhelmina spoke of the suspect’s deceptive appearances, having worn a white overcoat on top of his black suit. The very first impressions did not indicate any incoming danger, reflected Wilhelmina, but the story the man relayed to get past the door raised suspicion. Wilhelmina was informed that the suspect’s brother had passed away out of state, and arrangements had been made to transfer the deceased to New York without contracting a local funeral home in advance.
Wilhelmina found the details shared by the suspect somewhat disarrayed, and the idea of placing a deceased body on a plane without prior arrangements seemed absurd. Adding to the oddity of the situation, the suspect claimed he owned a cemetery plot in Staten Island for his brother’s burial, yet could not even recall the name of the cemetery. Sensing deception, Wilhelmina, an experienced second-generation funeral director, found these missteps glaring.
Operating a funeral home that has been serving the Harlem community for over half a century, Wilhelmina was well aware of the intricacies of the business. He found it odd that someone who had invested a minimum of $5,000 on a cemetery plot would fail to remember its name. Despite having growing doubts, Wilhelmina decided to continue to extend professional courtesy to the new customer.
However, their interaction took a sinister shift shortly. The duo’s plan came unfurling when an accomplice, disguised under a ski mask, entered the office. Meanwhile, the first man started accusing Wilhelmina, out of the blue, of looking at explicit illicit materials on a computer, which was actually turned off. As the masked man approached, Wilhelmina found the whole situation increasingly confusing.
After failing to get any response to his queries, everything spiraled quickly into chaos as the first man began to physically assault him around his desk. The suspect was seen showing his badge, but he never identified himself as a law enforcement officer. Throughout, he baselessly accused Wilhelmina of legally punishable online activities. It was an accusation that Wilhelmina strongly denied to The News post the incident.
In a matter of few incredibly intense moments, both suspects turned violent, assaulting Wilhelmina several times around his facial area. Wilhelmina then noticed the man remove a machete from his long coat. Despite the intense intimidation, Wilhelmina affirmed that the machete was only used to threaten him, not physically harm him. He even credited his non-retaliation as the reason for his survival.
While the attack was ongoing, the attackers demanded Wilhelmina to hand over any cash he had on him. He insisted, however, that, contrary to their assumption, funeral homes are not typically cash businesses. Despite enduring their abuse, Wilhelmina stood his ground on his claim – stating that transactions were usually carried out through checks, credit cards, or insurance and that the era of handling large sums of cash was far over.
As a result, the robbers ultimately fled with just Wilhelmina’s cellphone and wallet. Luis Ortega, a 50-year-old man identified as the accomplice in the long coat, was issued a summons for theft of service in the Bronx on March 5 and was subsequently found to be a suspect of the funeral home robbery. Ortega was subsequently slapped with charges of robbery and assault.
Several weeks since the unfortunate event, Wilhelmina puzzled over the motives behind his selection as the victim and the targeting of his funeral home business. He expressed lingering questions around the suspects’ process of identifying his premises for the crime. As he processed the ordeal, Wilhelmina mused over several possibilities as to who might be the possibly disgruntled instigators behind this incident.
Wilhelmina ventured various hypotheses ranging from disgruntled former patrons or employees, to jilted love interests, and even humorously included his ex-wife. As he thought more, a rather disturbing notion crossed his mind – that this could be a newly emerging form of crime, specifically targeting funeral homes.
Concern for his wellbeing and rampant speculations about this potentially growing crime trend led to several of his peers reaching out to him. Fellow funeral home directors from as far as Atlanta expressed their worries about the targeting of their industry for such crimes. Knowing how ruthlessly he was robbed under the pretext of a legitimate need, Wilhelmina advised his peers to remain cautious.
While relieved to have survived the heinous crime mostly unscathed, Wilhelmina holds the grave hope that his unfortunate experience would serve as a warning to others in the industry to be prepared. His encounter stands as proof that even spaces dedicated to grieving can unfortunately become targets of crime. As he navigates his recovery, Wilhelmina wishes that no one else in his line of work has to fall victim to such a shocking crime.