A massive police manhunt is underway in Queens as authorities search for 42-year-old Jamel McGriff, a violent repeat offender accused of fatally stabbing an elderly couple and torched their home.
Officials say McGriff gained access to the Bellerose home by pretending he needed to charge his phone. He remained inside for nearly five hours before fleeing with two bags, shortly followed by a fire erupting in the residence. Responding crews found the victims, 76-year-old Frank Olton — bound and stabbed in the basement — and 78-year-old Maureen Olton — stabbed and located on the first floor amid flames.
McGriff, who has a decades-long criminal history and was on parole despite failing to register as a sex offender, was later spotted pawning cell phones in the Bronx. He is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities warn that his suspected pattern involves gaining trust to enter homes and urge the public not to open doors to strangers.
NYPD, along with federal and regional task forces, are coordinating the search as investigators piece together surveillance footage and physical evidence recovered from the crime scene.