The victim said a friend hiding upstairs called police as masked intruders restrained him and stripped away valuable jewelry.
NEW YORK — A 45-year-old Flushing man said he pretended to be dead after masked intruders beat and restrained him inside his Queens home early Sunday, while a friend hiding upstairs called police and helped bring officers to the scene.
The victim, identified publicly only as Chris, described a sudden confrontation that began after he and his friend heard a noise at the front door of the residence near 153rd Street and the Horace Harding Expressway. Police said officers were sent there at about 2:32 a.m. after receiving a 911 call about the break-in.
Chris told WABC-TV that four men rushed him through the front door. He said there was little warning before a struggle began and that he was hit hard in the face with a crowbar. Police initially described the weapon used to strike the victim as an unknown blunt object.
The victim said the intruders then secured his hands behind his back with zip ties, bound his feet and placed a coat over his face. With the attackers still inside the home, Chris said he stopped resisting and acted as though he were dead.
While he was restrained, Chris said the intruders removed jewelry from him. He said they took a Rolex watch and a chain he valued at about $65,000. Police have not publicly confirmed the value of the stolen property or released a complete inventory of what was taken.
The robbery unfolded while the victim’s friend remained upstairs, according to his account. Chris said the intruders apparently did not realize she was there. She hid in a corner and called police, he said, allowing officers to respond while the group was leaving the residence.
Chris later said he believed the friend’s actions saved his life. His account offered a closer look at how the robbery unfolded inside the home, but investigators had not publicly confirmed every detail he described.
Police said three suspects fled on foot. A 17-year-old was taken into custody, according to WABC. Chris said he did not recognize the teenager after police removed the youth’s face covering. Authorities had not publicly identified the teenager or announced charges as of Monday.
The victim said he believes the robbery was planned and that someone provided information about him or the residence. Police had not publicly supported that claim, disclosed a motive or said whether detectives had found evidence that the home was selected in advance.
Chris also told WABC that the house was scheduled to go up for sale and that he planned to leave. His comments reflected his own reaction to the attack and were not presented by authorities as evidence about why the residence was targeted.
The NYPD continued searching Monday for three male suspects who were reported to have been dressed in black. No additional arrests had been announced, and investigators had not publicly disclosed what relationship, if any, the detained teenager may have had to the other people being sought.
Author note: Last updated October 12, 2026.