Queens elderly couple killed in arson house fire attack, manhunt underway

New York City police have launched a manhunt for an ex-con serial robber suspected of killing a Queens man and woman found dead in their burned-out home Monday afternoon — after he talked his way inside claiming to need a phone charge.

“This individual should be considered armed and dangerous,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters Tuesday afternoon, asking for the public’s help tracking him down.

He is 42-year-old Jamel McGriff, whose rap sheet goes back decades and includes a 16-year prison stint, Tisch said.

The victims have been identified as husband and wife Frank and Maureen Olton, 76 and 77 years old, respectively. They were found dead in their house in the Bellerose neighborhood, about two miles from horse racing’s famous Belmont Park racetrack, around 3:30 p.m. 

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This still image taken from security video shows the man police are seeking in connection with a double homicide arson attack near New York’s Belmont Park racetrack.  (NYPD)

Medics pronounced both of them dead at the scene after finding them badly burned. The male victim had been stabbed and tied to a pole in his basement.

The NYPD released surveillance video they say shows McGriff, described as a Black male with a medium build, seen on surveillance video wearing a black hat, black jacket, black sneakers and bluejeans.

Anyone who sees him is asked to call police immediately. Tisch warned bystanders not to approach him.

Tisch said he has a long rap sheet and had served 16 years in prison for a prior robbery. He was on parole, wanted in connection with two other recent robberies in Manhattan and failed to register as a sex offender last year, which she said should have led to a parole violation.

McGriff’s most recent sighting came this morning in the Bronx, where he pawned two cellphones, Tisch said.

FDNY fire marshals were seen investigating inside the home, where two people were found dead in what the NYPD called a suspected arson double homicide. (FNTV)

McGriff had approached another home before the murders, she said, under the pretense that he needed help charging his phone. The first target declined to allow him inside, but he talked his way into the victims’ home later, she said.

He spent about 5 hours inside before leaving with two bags. Flames were spotted minutes later.

“Do not allow anyone you don’t know or who you are not expecting into your home,” Tisch urged New Yorkers, with the manhunt underway.

Tisch said McGriff’s “modus operandi” involves distraction robbery, where the suspect talks his way into a victim’s home before committing the crime. However, she said the two Manhattan robberies involved what looked like a handgun.

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The Oltons’ son, an active duty FDNY EMT, placed the 911 call after the ADT home security company notified him that his parents’ house was on fire, authorities said. 

A still image taken from video shows some of the damage to the exterior of the home after firefighters put out the flames. (FNTV)

Video taken at the scene shows signs of a family’s home destroyed in the blaze. Firefighters were seen catching their breath outside a white picket fence. 

Burned furniture had been moved to the lawn. There was a baking sheet hanging on the wall, emblazoned with, “Grandma Kelly’s Pan. Retired 2020.” 

Images also show fire marshals, homicide detectives and investigators from the city medical examiner’s office at the scene, scouring through scorched evidence inside and outside the home.

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The victims were identified as a 76-year-old male and 77-year-old female. Their names were being withheld pending notification of their family. (FNTV)

FOX 5 New York reported that about 60 firefighters spent less than an hour battling flames, which are believed to have been lit by the suspect on the first floor before spreading.

Neighbors told the station the male victim was an avid Yankees fan and had lived in the home for about 40 years.

“That was our conversation — the Yankees was always conversation,” an unnamed neighbor was quoted as saying. “It sucks man, to come home to this is like you know, you hear about this stuff happening in other neighborhoods and you feel for it, but when it happens, like literally right across the street from you dude, it’s not cool.”

Members of law enforcement were seen passing a battery-powered saw through the window during the scene investigation. (FNTV)

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Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, share tips online at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X @NYPDTips.

Fox News’ Azziana Solomon contributed to this report.