By Liz McBreen
As forty-two-year-old Mark Tai tried to leave his home at about 8 a.m., he was held up at gunpoint in his driveway by two unidentified men whose faces were wrapped in bandanas. Police say the men then forced the victim back into his home where they were joined by a third gunman.
Inside, the suspects found the man's 26-year-old wife and 4-year-old daughter. The family was tied up, and Tai was kept separate from his family as the suspects repeatedly demanded money, apparently not satisfied with what they found as they ransacked the house.
Fifth Squad detectives say the three gunmen terrorized the family for two and a half to three hours. At one point, one of the gunmen took a knife from the kitchen, heated it at the stove and used it to burn Tai several times after the victim told the suspects he had no more money. The men also threatened the victim's wife and demanded money from her.
According to Fifth Squad Det. Sgt. Robert Galgano, after ransacking the home, the men left, taking $4,000 in cash and some jewelry. The couple were eventually able to untie themselves and their child, at which point they went to their neighbor's house and asked her to call the police.
Tai and his wife Antionette knocked on neighbor Carol Porcaro's door at about 10:30 a.m., according to police. The neighbor said she hadn't heard anything unusual all morning. When the couple came to Porcaro's door, she was asked to call an ambulance for Tai, whose burns were visible. Tai was taken to Nassau University Medical Center and treated for first and second degree burns.
Nassau Police are currently looking for the suspects responsible for the robbery. Three men are known to have entered the home, but it is possible that others were involved. Neighbors reported seeing an unfamiliar SUV, possibly a Jeep in the area around the time of the robbery.
Anyone with information regarding the robbery are asked to call the police at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
