Home invasion and robbery rocks quiet Queens neighborhood. Here's the latest on the investigation.
Police are searching for two suspects who forced their way into a Queens home, tied up a family and robbed them.
The brazen home invasion happened on Monday morning on a stretch of 12th Avenue in Whitestone, across the street from an elementary school.
The NYPD said two men barged into the home around 9 a.m., one of them wearing an Amazon vest, and led the victims, a 42-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman, and three children, down to the basement and bound them with duct tape and zip ties. They then stole money and jewelry before taking off in the family's car, which detectives said was found less than a half a mile from the house.
Neighbors unnerved by home invasion
A neighbor said he was on his way to work when he saw a man pleading for help.
"I just see this man come running out of his house with duct tape on him," he said. "He was definitely disheveled. He was definitely, like, scared, and he probably didn't know what just happened, himself."
A school being is close proximity to such a violent crime struck a nerve as well.
"All the kids are here. That's, like, really scary for, like, even the children," a woman said.
Police are now looking into who the two suspects are and why they chose the house.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
