Police: Mother, 3-year-old son locked up in Queens home invasion
NEW YORK -- Police are searching for two suspects after a Queens woman was attacked in her bed as she and her young son were sleeping.
CBS2's Natalie Duddridge spoke to the victim, who is still recovering.
"It was worse. He hit me. My whole face was blue and black," the woman said.
The 41-year-old was too scared to share her identity in case burglars try to come back to her Ozone Park home.
She said her husband was at work on Feb. 7, while she and her 3-year-old son were asleep when suddenly she was hit in the face by a stranger.
"He said, 'Give me the money, the jewels, or else I kill you,'" the woman said, adding, "'Indian have a lot of gold and money,' that's the word he said. The baby screaming and he said 'If you don't shut the baby mouth, I'm going to kill him. I'm going to twitch his neck.'"
Police released surveillance video of the two suspects dressed all in black walking nearby on Liberty Avenue and 104th Street. The woman said one of the men searched for valuables downstairs, while the other forced her and her son into the bathroom.
"He says, 'Go on your knees and lean your neck over the tub and don't scream. If you scream, I'm gonna kill you,'" the woman said.
She said she was shaking and not thinking clearly, but her 3-year-old brought her back to her senses.
"The baby told me because I was shaking, 'Mom, open the window,' and I opened with window and called for my friend next door and my landlord was in his garage and he heard me. He see me in blood and called the police right away," the woman said.
She said the front door was unlocked, but the suspects broke through a middle door to gain access.
Police believe the incident was random, adding there's no indication they followed her home.
"I don't do anything. I go to work. I come home. I live my life. I don't hurt nobody. I don't know who would wanna hurt me like this," she said.
She said the little boy has been having nightmares since the incident.
"In his sleep he's screaming, 'Mom! Mom! Don't beat my mom! She got boo-boo. She's bleeding!'" the woman said.
Now, the woman said she doesn't want to be at home alone until the suspects are caught.
Police said they got away with about $500, jewelry and a cellphone.
The woman was treated at a hospital for cuts and bruises to her face and chest. Her son was not physically hurt.
Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
