Police: Suspects Talked Way Into Home Of Elderly Queens Couple, Burglarized Them
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police were searching Thursday for five suspects in a burglary that targeted a 91-year-old man and his 87-year-old wife in Woodside, Queens earlier this month.
The couple was inside their home on Friday, May 1, when two suspects knocked on the door. One of them, a man, claimed to be from Long Island Jewish Medical Center and asked to see their daughter, police said.
One inside, the two suspects, a man and a woman, began asking questions to the couple about their daughter, police said.
The victims told 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria the suspects said they had questions about the couple's disabled daughter's medical coverage. The older woman started to question them and asked why they showed up without an appointment and why they couldn't have figured out what they needed to know using a medical computer, but they persisted, and insisted they needed to speak with the couple, the victims said.
The couple told D'Auria the daughter walked into the room and said, "Hi, John," to one of the suspects, indicating that she knew him from the hospital, police said.
A third woman then walked in and asked to use the bathroom, police said.
The woman waked upstairs, purportedly to use the bathroom, but actually took the couple's jewelry and credit cards, police said. The older woman said the suspects also took her expensive mahogany jewelry box containing her wedding band, her engagement ring, her husband's 50th anniversary bracelet, and other pieces of jewelry.
The suspects all then left, police said.
Afterward, two more suspects – both women – were captured on surveillance video at the Payless shoe store in the Rego Park Mall using a credit card stolen from the couple, police said.
The same two women, along with a man and two other women, were also captured on video at an Outback Steakhouse trying to use the stolen credit card, police said.
Detectives want to interview the four women and one man about the burglary. Police have released a surveillance photo and video.
Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.