A New York man accused his former boss of owing him thousands of dollars, and then he allegedly stole the ashes of her daughter before holding them for ransom.
Nuo Chen, 30, was arrested on June 12 in connection with the theft and accused of entering the woman’s Pennsylvania home and stealing an urn that contained the ashes of her deceased daughter, according to reports from NBC Philadelphia, the Mercury and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The woman reportedly told Upper Moreland police that Chen worked at her nail salon in Bensalem, Pa., and began acting erratically toward customers inside the business, which led to termination of his employment, according to a criminal complaint filed by Upper Moreland Det. Michael T. Davido and viewed by NBC Philadelphia.
Global News has not independently viewed the criminal complaint.
The woman alleged that Chen continued to show up at the salon and cause problems after his employment was terminated.
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She claims that Chen stayed at her home for two nights over the past two months and that’s when she believed he took a set of her house keys, according to the outlet.
On June 12, Chen allegedly arrived at the salon and asked the woman about money he claimed she owed him, officials told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Global News has reached out to the Upper Moreland Police Department for further comment, but has not received a response.
After the two began to argue, the woman alleged that Chen threatened to smash items inside the business and pushed her, NBC Philadelphia reports.
The woman reportedly contacted police, who arrived at the salon and asked Chen to leave.
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Chen is accused of then going to the woman’s home the same day and taking the urn, as per NBC Philadelphia.
“Nuo was observed on video surveillance at the home and leaving with a dark colored box,” Davido alleged in the criminal complaint, according to the Mercury. “(The victim) identified the item as the urn containing her daughter’s ashes that she valued at $2,000.”
The woman told investigators that Chen then contacted her and told her he had the ashes before demanding that she pay him between US$7,000 and $8,000 for him to return them, according to the reports.
Chen reportedly threatened that if the woman went to the police, he would dump the ashes or flee to New York with the urn, according to the criminal complaint, viewed by the outlets.
He then told the woman to return to the nail salon so they could work out the debt and the woman reportedly convinced him to stay at the nail salon.
Police responded to the nail salon and found Chen leaving with a red shopping bag, which contained the ashes of the woman’s daughter, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Chen was taken into custody and admitted to stealing the urn, according to the criminal complaint, viewed by the outlets.
He was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft of unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and theft by extortion.
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