What to Know
- A Ridgefield Park homeowner says he confronted an armed robber overnight, sustaining injuries from the encounter
- Frank Veritas, a deli owner who sometimes keeps money in the house, recognized the suspect from a recent party at his home
- He threw the robber through a glass closet before the robber pistol-whipped him; the suspect ran off with Veritas' wallet
A shaken New Jersey homeowner is recounting a terrifying home invasion as police continue to search for the suspect.
Frank Veritas said he was startled awake in his Ridgefield Park home around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when he heard his wife screaming by his side.
"I woke up and see a man with a pistol, aiming it right at me," he told News 4 New York.
The gunman, who Veritas recognized from a recent party at his home, was threatening to kill the 49-year-old Veritas, both terrifying and angering him. His two teenage granddaughters were sleeping upstairs, and his teenage grandson was on the sofa.
"Two steps on the bed, and I grabbed him by his throat and threw him through my glass closet, and then we were scuffling around down there," he said. "I slid around to my back, and that's when he conked me on the head with the pistol."
"There's a guy with a pistol, and kids in the house, so I just ran and tackled him again here. Everything was just a blur after that."
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The home intruder ran out the back door with Veritas' wallet containing about $400. Veritas, a deli owner, said he sometimes keeps money in the house.
Veritas now has a staple in his skull and knife wounds to the chest.
Police said they have a good lead on the suspect.
