By Brian Zanzonico
At one point during what police have called a "standard domestic argument" on June 24, 44-year-old George Jacob allegedly grabbed his wife by the hair, dragged her into the kitchen of their Hathaway Avenue home, pressed a foot-long knife against her throat and told her he was going to kill her. Police said he then sliced her left hand and began choking her to near unconsciousness.
"At one point he backed off, and she was able to get to a neighbor's house," said Sgt. Robert Galgano of the Fifth Precinct.
Once safe at the neighbor's house, the woman called 911. In the meantime, Jacob took off in her 2005 Nissan, police said. When she returned to her home, police said, she discovered clothes burning on top of the kitchen stove.
Galgano said that Jacob fled to New Jersey, where he was later arrested. He was held there, and later transferred for arraignment on July 2 in District Court in Hempstead. He was charged with second-degree attempted murder, second-degree arson and second-degree assault.
"That was some ordeal for that poor girl," said one neighbor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"What if she didn't go back inside?" said another neighbor who asked to remain anonymous. "The house, and all her possessions, would have burned to the ground."
Comments about this story? Bzanzonico@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.
