Couple found tied up and burned to death in home near famous racetrack as police hunt for suspect

Police found a New York City man and woman tied up inside a burned-out Queens home Monday after firefighters extinguished the flames, according to police and local reports.

The victims, a 77-year-old male and 78-year-old female, were found dead inside a house in the Bellerose neighborhood, about two miles from horse racing’s famous Belmont Park racetrack around 3:30 p.m. Medics pronounced both of them dead at the scene. Their identities were not immediately released, pending the notification of their family.

The NYPD is looking for an unidentified male suspected of setting the blaze.

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The NYPD released surveillance video of a potential suspect, described as a 30- to 40-year-old male “with a dark complexion,” medium build, last seen wearing a black hat, black jacket, black sneakers and bluejeans.

The victims were a married couple, according to the New York Post.

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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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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.”

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.