Clothes Held Hostage After Marshals Close Bed-Stuy Dry Cleaners

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN -- Like all the best stories, this one begins with lice. When Tom Krueger's kid came down with the crawling critters, he decided to take all the clothes he'd worn in the past weeks to a Bed-Stuy dry cleaners on Saturday.

He has not seen them since.

Hours before Krueger returned Jet Cleaners at 300 Nostrand Ave. Monday night to pick up his blazers, favorite hoodie and a half-dozen shirts, U.S. Marshal served the business with a warrant of eviction and shuttered its doors, according to the New York City Department of Investigations.

"My dry cleaning is trapped inside," Krueger told Patch. "I feel pretty helpless."

Krueger has spent the past week wearing old sweaters to work -- one of which, he noted, has earned him compliments from colleagues, and trying to track down his dry cleaners.

Patch was unable to contact business owners to determine how many customers have their clothes held hostage.

After several failed attempts contacting Marshals, Krueger was finally connected with a building affiliate who said Jet employees will return to the Nostrand Avenue shop on Friday and Saturday between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. to give customers back their clothes.

Krueger will be dashing over there Friday afternoon with the hand-written note a Jet Cleaners employee gave him in lieu of a receipt, because the computer system was down Saturday, he said.

What's he most looking forward to having back?

"Options."

Photo courtesy of Tom Krueger and GoogleMaps