Man dies after jumping out of restaurant freezer and threatening staff with knife

A 54-year-old man who jumped out of a New York restaurant’s freezer and threatened staff with a knife while shouting “away from me Satan” has died in hospital after falling unconscious in an ensuing struggle.

Image: Sarabeth’s

A man, believed to be from Arizona, jumped out of a walk-in freezer at Sarabeth’s restaurant in New York’s upper west side at around 11am on 5 August, when staff opened the chiller, according to police.

Described as “emotionally disturbed”, the man later threatened staff with a knife while shouting “away from me, Satan”. Restaurants workers subsequently confronted the man and disarmed him.

When police officers arrived, they found the man unconscious on the floor. Having gone into cardiac arrest, the man was taken to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Centre where he was declared dead.

According to the New York Times, the man was from Cave Creek, but his name has not yet been released to the public.

No restaurant workers or customers were injured in the incident, the New York Police Department has confirmed.

Investigations are currently underway as to how the man entered the freezer and for how long he was inside.

Sarabeth’s serves ‘contemporary American’ cuisine and has four other sites in the city. The restaurant was open for brunch at the time of the incident.