Three men dressed as utility workers and armed with guns forced their way inside a Long Island house in a frightening robbery, police said, and are still on the run.
The robbers struck the home in North Hills after 11 a.m., posing as workers who needed access to the house. A 69-year-old woman was inside with her 35-year-old aide, who cracked the door open.
"He just opened the door a little bit, [asked] 'What do you want?'" said the still-shaken victim, who did not wish to be identified and spoke to NBC New York through her doorbell system. "And they put a gun to his head and they came up to my room."
Once inside, the men took the victims' cellphones and pushed the woman to the ground, covering her mouth.
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"They were saying they didn’t want to hurt me but I just kept screaming his name, Jesus’s name," the woman said. "As a Christian I was screaming 'Jesus help me, Jesus help me!'"
The aide locked himself in a room and started screaming out the window for help. A neighbor heard the screams.
"I heard a male voice screaming over and over again," said neighbor Qicheng Yang. "Anyone’s gonna call police or anyone’s gonna call police for me."
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The Yang family has lived on Folie Court for a decade, saying that it's usually safe — but in the past two years, they have noticed a change in Nassau County. The district attorney said criminals are getting bolder, and residents need to become more aware.
"If you’re not sure make a phone call, call the gas company and say 'Did you send someone to my house for a gas leak?'" said District Attorney Anne Donnelly, who also recommended installing a camera to talk to anyone at the door.
Because of the screams, the three men ran away before they could take anything.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact police.
