Two injured after group of thugs with guns, hammers storm into NYC home and hold residents hostage: authorities
A trio of thugs armed with guns and hammers stormed a Queens home through a window and held a family captive early Saturday, police said.
The terrifying episode was foiled after one of the victims managed to quickly call 911 — and whisper to police that thieves were in the house, a law enforcement source said.
The shocking episode unfolded shortly before 2:30 a.m. in the vicinity of Marathon Parkway and Cullman Avenue, as the family was sleeping, authorities and sources said.
After the thieves busted their way in through a dining room window, one woman inside called 911, only to quickly hang-up, but the brief outreach prompted officers to visit the home, and then ring the number back, the source said.
A woman answered, quietly telling cops what was going on, according to the source.
The officers then looked inside a window and saw the family sitting on the floor with their hands up, the source said.
As backup arrived, one of the victims, a woman, was able to escape through a bathroom window while clutching a 1-year-old baby. She told officers there were seven more family members inside the home, including a boy, 13, and a girl, 10.
Two of the brute bandits had a hammer, while the third had a gun.
The family may have been targeted because the dad runs a cash business, sources said.
Police began talking to the suspects but they escaped out of a rear window, cops said.
The men tried to split up but were quickly arrested, with police swarming the area with drones and using police dogs to collar them.
The perps struck the dad, 43, in the foot with the hammer. A 71-year-old woman was punched in the face.
The robbers took an unknown amount of money.
“I’m not in any emotion to talk right now,” a shaken resident of the home later told The Post.
The family was taken to the hospital for an evaluation but they were all in stable condition.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry trumpeted the NYPD’s rapid response to thwart further mayhem, including flooding the area with drones.
“Our drones were able to respond and provided invaluable assistance during the apprehension of the suspects,” Daughtry said in an X post.
“It is important to note that multiple family members were being held against their will by three individuals at the time.”
The three suspects — two 34-year-old men and another, 39 — were arrested, an NYPD spokesman said.
Charges are pending.
The injured adults refused medical attention at the scene, the spokesman added.
“Thanks to the swift and coordinated efforts of our Emergency Services Unit and the dedicated officers from both the 109th & 111th precincts, all three suspects were apprehended without incident in a short time frame,” Daughtry wrote on X.
A stunned next door neighbor who would not give her name said she was roused by the screams of a baby and then looked out her window to see police, and what looked like a SWAT team.
A mother and baby “came through a side door and the police immediately came to their rescue and brought them to safety. I’ve got goosebumps,” she said.
The neighbor noted she saw cops arrest one suspect, and that all three bandits were dressed in black with their faces covered.
The victims are “a wonderful, close-knit family,” she said.
“I am heartbroken. You should be able to go to bed and feel safe in your own home,” the neighbor said.
Major crime in the 111th Precinct is down 13% through Aug. 11 as compared to the same time period last year, NYPD data show.
Robberies are down 18%.
