Armed Home Invaders Wearing Masks Tie Up Homeowners, Teenage Daughter
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Two men in masks - one armed with a knife - ambushed a family inside their Staten Island home Wednesday morning.
It started at 5:30 a.m. on Howard Avenue in the Grymes Hill section.
That's when the homeowner, 67, went to the garage to warm up his wife's car for work. When he opened the garage door, he was confronted by two men wearing ski masks.
They punched the homeowner in the face and tied him up, authorities said.
One suspect stayed inside the garage while the other went into the house and tied up the homeowner's 57-year-old wife and 16-year-old daughter.
The wife told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge the burglars said they were in the wrong house, but if the family didn't give them something valuable, they would kill them.
The suspects ransacked the house and grabbed a bunch of jewelry and nearly $3,000 in cash.
The daughter's arms were tied in front of her body, so she was able to call 911 on her cellphone, Duddridge reported.
The homeowner was taken to the hospital and treated for cuts on his face from the punch. His wife and daughter weren't hurt.
The suspects fled in a grey minivan. One suspect was described as 5'8", slim build, about 160 pounds. The other is described as 5'7", around 200 pounds. Both were dressed in all black.
Neighbors can't believe it happened to the family of doctors.
"Very, very nice people, and they usually walk there. Very kind people, I walk with them sometimes, gotten to know them, they're very good," said Grymes Hill resident Donald Madigan.
"All you see is either guys going to work around here or kids going to school. You don't see any weird activity whatsoever," another man added.
Police say they don't believe the suspects knew the victim, and they don't know why they chose their house.
The family said they feel very threatened, and their teenage daughter is begging them to move.