Bloomingdale Residents, Business Owners Shocked, Frightened After Apparent Beating of Popular Barber

It was a somber afternoon on Main Street in Bloomingdale on Saturday, a day after the apparent assault of Frank Halat, owner of Frank’s Barber shop.

Bloomingdale police that the 79-year-old Pompton Lakes resident was found facedown and unresponsive with what appeared to be life-threatening injuries to his head and face and was transported to Morristown Memorial Hospital. Police had no further information early Saturday afternoon.

As of Saturday afternoon at 2:45 p.m., Halat was still listed in critical condition, according to hospital spokesman Rob Seman.

While the barber shop was closed Saturday, those around Bloomingdale described Halat, who has been a barber in the borough for decades, as a nice, private man. He could often be seen carrying his coffee and newspaper into work every morning, a part of his daily routine, residents and merchants said.

Trupti and Upen Shah, who work at the Kwik Shop, see Halat almost every morning around 8 a.m.

“He’s been coming here so many years,” Upen Shah said. “If the coffee wasn’t ready, if we were busy, he would make it … he’s a good person … 79 years and working, such a nice person.”

Vesna Ilic, owner of , remembers first meeting Halat more than 20 years ago, when she first emigrated from Europe to America. Ilic walked to work for many years, and was surprised at first by how few people said hello to one another on the street. But with Halat, it was different.

“I had a hard time when people didn’t say hello. That’s why we became friends; he would chat and he would buy flowers,” Ilic said.

Referring to a bank robbery in Bloomingdale last year, as well as a few break-ins to her own shop, Ilic, who described the borough as a nice and quiet one, was surprised when hearing about Halat’s alleged beating.

“That’s too many things going on lately,” Ilic said.

For Lucky Mascott, the 82-year old owner of the costume shop next door to Frank’s Barber Shop, seeing police cars outside of her store all day Friday prompted her to make a change to the way she does business.

“We have to know who’s coming,” Mascott said. “I put the lock on the door, and they have to call me to get in.”

Mascott has been doing business only by appointment for a while now, but only after Friday has she decided to always keep the door locked between appointments. She is also looking into warehousing her costumes and working exclusively through eBay while she attempts to sell her business.

Barbara Hoodiman, who lives in an apartment above the barber shop, said she saw Halat often, and that she was frightened by Friday's incident.

“He says hi to everybody; everybody knows Frank,” Hoodiman said. “It’s a quiet little town, it’s crazy. This is just really scary, scary stuff.”

Police are asking anyone with any information or who may have seen suspicious activity, people or vehicles in the area to contact them at 973-838-0158. They are also asking any customers of the barber shop Friday morning to come forward as well.