NYC woman says burglars stole jewelry, tied her and nanny up with duct tape while kids were home
A New York City woman says burglars forced their way into her Queens home, tied her up and stole her jewelry and other expensive items.
Police said the suspects made off with more than $1 million in valuables, including her wedding ring and Hermes and Chanel bags, shortly after 7:30 p.m. on March 19.
All this happened while the woman's children were inside the multimillion-dollar home in the Kew Gardens neighborhood.
"I don't have peace of mind to even come out of my house," said the 36-year-old homeowner, who did not want to show her name or face.
Video shows brazen NYC home invasion and burglary
Surveillance video shows the moment five masked burglars forced their way inside the home.
"My nanny went out to throw out the garbage, and then when she was coming back in, they followed her in," the homeowner said.
She said she was blindsided as the burglars tied her and the 53-year-old nanny up with duct tape. Her two young sons slept through the whole ordeal, but her 6-year-old daughter was wide awake.
"At first, they locked me in a closet. And then I heard my daughter screaming, because they had her in another room. So I banged on the closet, they let me out and, thankfully, they let me be with her the entire time, in her room," she said.
She said the burglars were inside the home for about 45 minutes, and they used her expensive luggage to carry out the valuables. She watched out the window from her daughter's room, waiting for them to leave.
"I ran downstairs and I was able to cut my nanny's ties, and then she cut my ties, and we locked the door," she said. "They actually came back, again, but we closed the door in time."
Police said a sixth person waited inside a 2021 white Toyota RAV4 that was seen driving away from the house. One neighbor said she saw a group of masked men waiting on benches inside a nearby park right before the burglary.
Investigators are still trying to figure out if the family was targeted.
