A family was held at gunpoint during a violent home invasion Monday morning in Whitestone, prompting Council Member Vickie Paladino to urge residents to arm themselves in order to protect their homes and families.
According to police, two armed men posing as Amazon delivery workers forced their way into a residence near 12th Avenue and 152nd Street just before 7:40 a.m. The suspects entered through an unlocked door shortly after a 15-year-old daughter left for school.
The intruders pushed their way past the 43-year-old father who answered the door and brandished a firearm and forced the parents and three children, including a 5-year-old girl, into the basement, an NYPD spokesperson said Tuesday. The family members were zip-tied and had their mouths covered with duct tape while the suspects ransacked the home.
Law enforcement sources said the perpetrators stole approximately $16,000 in cash, jewelry, and electronics, as well as the family’s passports. They then fled the scene in the family’s black four-door crossover SUV southbound on 152nd Street , which was later recovered three blocks south near 14th Avenue and 154th Street.
“While the NYPD has indicated that this is a targeted incident and there is no ongoing threat to the community, let me be absolutely clear — violence has no place in Whitestone or anywhere in our district, however we have to be clear-eyed about the reality of crime in New York, as this is not the first incident of its kind to impact our area in recent months,” Paladino said in a statement on Tuesday. “I want to remind my constituents to avail themselves of their rights under the Second Amendment. My office is always available to assist constituents with obtaining firearm permits for premises or concealed carry.”
Paladino was referring to an incident in August 2024 where a family was held hostage during a home invasion in Douglaston.
Paladino added she is in close contact with the 109th Precinct and expects a full briefing and regular updates.
“The safety of our neighborhoods is my top priority — and I will not sit quietly while violence threatens our neighborhoods,” Paladino said. “I will have more to add in the coming days.”
There were no injuries during the encounter, the NYPD spokeswoman said Tuesday, adding there are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing. The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspects Tuesday and described them as having dark complexions between the ages of 40 and 50. One wore a black jacket, a black baseball cap, black pants, black shoes, and he carried a large Amazon package. His accomplice wore a yellow reflective Amazon vest, a dark short-sleeved shirt, gray cargo pants, a black and white baseball cap, and white sneakers. Detectives from the 109th Precinct robbery squad can be reached at 718-321-2283.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are confidential.
Through June 8, the 109th Precinct has reported 99 robberies so far in 2025, 56 fewer than the 158 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 37.3%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Burglaries are on the rise in the precinct with 198 reported so far this year, 27 more than the 171 reported at the same point in 2024, an increase of 15.8%, according to CompStat.
