Police have identified the suspect in what NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called a "horrific double homicide, robbery and arson" that took place Monday in Queens. 

Tisch said Jamel McGriff, 42, a resident of Creston Avenue near East 191st Street in the Bronx, should be considered armed and dangerous, and people should call 911 if they spot him. 

The investigation comes after FDNY firefighters responded to a 911 call around 3:30 p.m. Monday for a house fire on 254th Street near 87th Drive in Bellerose.

Police say McGriff asked for help, then allegedly killed two people

Tisch described the shocking series of events that resulted in two deaths. 

She said McGriff initially approached a home in Bellerose at around 10 a.m., claiming his phone battery was dead and asking if he could come inside to charge it. That homeowner refused. 

"He then proceeds on foot to a second house," Tisch said. "At that house, video shows the suspect interacting with the male victim, and it appears the suspect was allowed into the backyard." 

The suspect and resident Frank Olton, 76, then entered the home at around 10:18 a.m., Tisch said. McGriff was seen leaving the home five hours later, at around 3:08 p.m., wearing a black hat, black jacket, black sneakers, dark blue jeans and carrying a duffel bag and a paper bag. 

A few minutes after he left, the Fire Department responded to the home after being notified of a fire there by Olton's son, an active duty EMT who received an alert via their home security company.

"For the public, the message is clear: The suspect's M.O. is to go door-to-door asking for some kind of assistance until he can gain entry. So do not allow anyone you don't know or who you are not expecting into your home," Tisch said.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames, and one neighbor said the fire was shooting from a window.

Once the flames were extinguished, officials said they discovered the bodies of Olton and his 77-year-old wife, Maureen. Tisch said Frank Olton was found dead in a basement tied to a pole. He had been stabbed repeatedly. His wife was found dead on the first floor severely burned. 

Members of the NYPD's Crime Scene Unit and the fire marshal's office could be seen combing for evidence.

McGriff was last seen on video Tuesday pawning two cellphones in the Bronx, Tisch said. 

"McGriff has a lengthy, violent criminal history stretching back 30 years, including multiple robberies. He's currently out on parole for a first degree robbery he committed in 2006 after serving more than 16 years," Tisch said. 

Tisch said McGriff also failed to register as a sex offender and is wanted in connection with two other robberies in Manhattan this summer.

"The best neighbors you could have"

A small memorial sprung up outside the home. 

Neighbors said the couple lived there for decades and had two adult sons, including one who is an FDNY EMT. Their suspicious deaths left many fearful and devastated.

"It's just really sad. They were nice people, quiet, kept to themselves. Always waved to us, 'Hi, how're you doing?' During COVID, 7 o'clock, he was out there clapping with us," neighbor Michelle Ruiz said. "Super scary, extremely scary. I grew up in this neighborhood, never had any issues, no crime."

"It's very chilling. It's scary. Some random guy walking down the street, setting fire to older people? Anybody, for that matter," neighbor Lisa Conte said.

"It's scary, but I also feel like you live in a time when you have to be really careful. I don't know if she was in bad health, but he was always helping her out of the car," neighbor Djeon Cornelius said.

"The best neighbors you could have. He was like the nicest guy in the world," neighbor John Ruiz said. "Everybody knew Frank. Like, the guy with the straw hat that said hi to everybody. That's just who he was ... If he would help and can help, he would."

One elderly neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, said she knows the couple well, adding their kids grew up together, and what happened Monday is heartbreaking.

"It's so unexpected that anybody can walk up and do such things," the neighbor said, adding she wants the Oltons to be remembered as "very down-to-earth people, very sweet and normal."

Anyone with information about McGriff's whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website. All calls are kept confidential.