Three Cambria Heights men were indicted by a Queens grand jury for a violent home invasion, burglary and kidnapping in Douglaston during the early morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 17.
Jone Smith, 47, and brothers Ryan and Brandon Dash, 39 and 34, respectively, were arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on Thursday on a 41-count indictment after the trio allegedly strong-armed their way into the Douglaston residence and held a family — including children and the elderly — hostage with weapons and threats.
One of the women escaped from the house with her one-year-old child and called 911 for help. Police from the 111th Precinct in Bayside and 109th Precinct in Flushing responded to the location along with members from the Emergency Service Unit.
“As alleged, these defendants broke into a home and held a family hostage with a loaded gun, a hammer and a crowbar,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “A young mother courageously fled the home with her infant child to get help while her family members were bound and assaulted.”
According to the indictment, between 2:15 a.m. and 3:18 a.m., the Dash brothers and Smith, who is also known as Conrad Harrigan, barged into the home on 247th Street in Douglaston and awakened two adults in their bedroom at gunpoint. The homeowners were sleeping in the room with their one-year-old child.
The trio wore masks and allegedly restrained the occupants of the home and demanded to know the location of any money in the house. One of the defendants allegedly brandished a gun, while the other two had a hammer and a crowbar. A mother and her toddler escaped the home and a 911 call was placed to the NYPD.
Inside the home, one of the perpetrators struck the husband in the foot with a hammer saying, “Don’t mess with us. Where is the money?” The injured husband limped into the living room, where he retrieved a bag containing more than $10,000 in cash and handed it to his three masked assailants, according to the criminal complaint. The hostages were moved to the basement and tied up, except for the family matriarch, who was punched in the face by one of the masked men.
The perpetrators allegedly took more than $20,000 cash from the homeowners.
Responding officers determined that the three defendants, as well as four adult hostages and two children, remained inside the house. It was an overcast morning and NYPD aviation was grounded so a drone was deployed in time to provide “eyes in the sky.” Its video feed showed the three men as they escaped the home by climbing out of a rear window.
Police arrested the three defendants after an extensive manhunt in the vicinity of the house.
Two of the hostages were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The stolen money and a loaded firearm were recovered by the NYPD.
“This was an incredibly brazen attack that left both this family and their neighborhood in fear,” Katz said. “I thank the NYPD for quickly apprehending these defendants before anyone else could be victimized.”
The three Cambria Heights men were arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Stephanie Zaro and criminally charged with kidnapping, burglary, robbery, weapons possession and endangering the welfare of a child, along with other related crimes. Justice Zaro continued their remand into custody without bail and ordered them to return to court on Oct. 21. If convicted of the charges, Smith and the Dash brothers face a maximum of 25 years in prison.
