A 42-year-old fugitive parolee was taken into custody Wednesday in Times Square, two days after an elderly Queens couple were found dead and their home set ablaze in what police described as a brutal and prolonged attack.
NYPD officials identified the suspect as Jamel McGriff. He was arrested after being spotted in Midtown Manhattan and taken into custody, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a tweet praising the detectives and officers involved. Charges were pending as investigators continued to process the scene and gather evidence.
Police say the attack began around 10:15 a.m. Monday after the suspect entered the Bellerose home. Neighbors and sources told investigators the intruder spent as long as five hours inside the residence before a fire was discovered. Frank Olton, 78, was found dead in the basement, reportedly tied to a pole and burned. His 77-year-old wife, Maureen Olton, was found dead on the first floor. The couple’s son works as an FDNY paramedic.
Authorities allege McGriff terrorized the couple during the hours inside the home and left the residence before flames overtook the building. Investigators said the suspect was later seen using the victims’ credit cards while on the run and had asked neighborhood residents to charge his phone on Monday; those accounts say Frank Olton was the only neighbor to offer assistance.
A neighborhood resident who identified himself as Asif told investigators his home surveillance footage captured the suspect meeting Frank Olton outside the gate and following him into the backyard. According to the resident, the footage shows the pair enter the house and the suspect did not emerge until about 3:10 p.m., shortly before any sign of fire was visible.
McGriff, described by police as a fugitive parolee, was located by officers patrolling Midtown and taken into custody without reported incident in Times Square. Commissioner Tisch posted on social media that he had been “spotted in Midtown Manhattan by eagle-eyed cops who didn’t hesitate before jumping into action,” and thanked the detectives and officers for their work.
The Bellerose neighborhood, on Long Island City’s border, is typically considered quiet and residential; the double homicide and subsequent fire prompted an intense response from local and city investigators. Detectives from the NYPD and fire investigators remained at the scene on Wednesday to collect evidence and determine the sequence of events that led to the blaze and the deaths.
Investigators continue to interview witnesses, review surveillance and forensic evidence, and coordinate with prosecutors as they prepare formal charges. Officials have not released details about McGriff’s criminal history or parole status beyond describing him as a parolee; they also declined to provide further comment pending the ongoing investigation.
Police urged anyone with additional information or footage related to the incident to contact the NYPD. The case remains under active investigation as detectives work to piece together the movements of the suspect before and after the alleged attack and to finalize charges for presentation to prosecutors.