Long Island man Thomas Saxton accused of threatening children's hospital in Queens
NEW YORK -- A Long Island man is accused of threatening to shoot people at a children's hospital in Queens.
The NYPD says he was not only armed when the caught him Thursday, but he also had a cache of weapons and ammo at his home.
As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reports, pictures released by police help paint a disturbing picture -- guns, ammo and bulletproof vests that investigators allegedly found in 34-year-old Thomas Saxton's car and home.
Today, officers from the @NYPD105Pct responded to a person threatening to shoot inside a hospital. They quickly apprehended him & recovered 2 loaded ghost guns. During a search of his home, officers recovered an additional cache of firearms, ammo, magazines & ballistic vests. pic.twitter.com/XbNGjFDnZl
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) February 18, 2022
They say he had threatened to open fire Thursday inside Cohen Children's Medical Center on the border of Queens and Nassau County.
The NYPD says they got a 911 call around noon Thursday that Saxton was threatening to shoot people inside the hospital.
Sources tell us he had gotten into an argument with his wife and threatened to shoot her. When he left the hospital, police sources say she called 911, fearing he would return and open fire.
Investigators say they quickly found Saxton's car nearby with two loaded ghost guns and took him into custody.
Ghost guns are untraceable firearms made with parts bought online.
Police say they then searched his home on Baisley Avenue in East Rockaway, Long Island, and found an additional cache of weapons and ammo.
No one answered when CBS2 knocked on his door.
Stunned neighbors say Saxton moved in a few years ago with his wife and young daughter, and they largely kept to themselves.
Melissa Wiech lives across the street.
"Why would you want to do that? It's scary," she said. "It's shocking that it would happen in a neighborhood like this, a small, sleepy town."
Saxton is now facing numerous charges, including criminal possession of a weapon and harassment.
A judge denied bail for Saxton on Friday. Two restraining orders are now in place to protect Saxton's wife and child.