By Nicole Falco and John C. O'Connell
Gregg Healey and 11 other employees of Staples on Sunrise Highway in Valley Stream managed to escape a dangerous and potentially deadly hostage situation that began about 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, as three men tried to rob the store while a woman accomplice waited in a car outside, police said.
The tense night, which attracted considerable media attention, ended at 6 the next morning with all employees reunited with their families and the four suspects arrested. A fifth person, a former Staples employee, was arrested later Thursday and charged with having told the others the location of the safe, money and alarm system, and providing a complete diagram of the store, police said.
Closing began routinely enough. It was just after 9 p.m. and the store's manager, Jeff Higgins, 29, had begun the nightly routine of locking the front doors and checking to make sure all customers had left. During his routine, he was met by the three suspects who threw him down two flights of stairs to the basement and threatened his life.
The other employees had no idea what was going on. They called for him over the store's intercom, but he didn't respond. Paul Wasek, 18, of Valley Stream, had been straightening the store's electronics department on the main floor and thought he heard a scream and a thud, but didn't realize it could be serious until Higgins didn't respond to repeated calls.
"Paul [Wasek] went downstairs to look for Jeff [Higgins] and 10 minutes later he still hadn't come back up so [another employee] went down to look for them and he never came back. Then another few minutes passed and [a third employee] went downstairs...," said Hewlett Harbor resident, Kyle MacKenzie, one of the 12 hostages.
Finding a way out
As all four employees in the basement were threatened, bound with duct tape, their mouths covered, the eight on the main floor knew something was wrong and decided to hide or look for a way out.
Police were summoned to the store by a call from one of the employees inside. Special Operations and Emergency Services units were called in by the first-arriving police officers.
At about 9:40 p.m. Kyle, a Lynbrook High School senior, went upstairs to get his belongings. On his way back down, a suspect wearing a red and yellow bandanna around his mouth put a gun to the back of his neck. The suspect rounded seven employees together near the registers and ordered, "Everyone get the f-- down."
"He started messing with us. He pressed his gun in peoples' faces, saying stuff, putting his gun in peoples' ears. He put his gun behind my neck," Kyle said. "I didn't think I was going to die 'til I had the gun pointed to my head."
Soon, Kyle and the others were met by a second gunman who led the seven to the furniture section, making them lie face-down. He had a set of keys and ordered a female employee to open the back door without sounding the alarm or, he said, he'd kill her. The woman said she couldn't do it. Then the phone rang. The suspect forced her to answer the phone at gunpoint.
"Even though she was saying she was alright, she really needed help," Kyle said.
Both gunmen went back downstairs and ordered the seven to remain where they were. After waiting about an hour, Kyle said, "I decided I would be the one to open the door." The gunmen had left the keys in the lock. He tried, but couldn't. The police had barricaded the door with a squad car. By trying he had set the alarm off, but the gunmen never returned, perhaps realizing their situation was deteriorating. Almost another hour had passed and Kyle didn't want to wait any longer.
"We really needed to do something. We really needed to get out of there," Kyle said. "I didn't want to wait to die."
Kyle said he and Gregg encouraged the other five employees to try to make an escape. The seven walked out the front door about 12:30 a.m. and were quickly met by members of Nassau's Bureau of Special Operations. The officers handcuffed them and read them their Miranda rights as a precaution.
Police were assisted in enabling the hostages' release through on-going cell-phone conversations with some of the employees and special surveillance equipment. Police arrested one of the alleged robbery team in a car outside Staples as she gave warnings to her confederates inside with a two-way radio. She provided names and descriptions of the three men, police said.
American Legion helps
By now dozens of concerned parents had assembled in the nearby American Legion Hall.
Kyle's parents, Emily and Drew MacKenzie, were at the hall and received a cell phone call. Emily said, "My housekeeper called me on my cell phone and said, "I saw some people [on TV] leave the building and I'm sure one of them was [Kyle]."
The seven hostages were questioned for a couple of hours, brought to the American Legion Hall at 3:30 a.m., asked to identify the four suspects at 6:30 a.m. and finally arrived home at about 7:30 a.m.
The remaining hostages were freed by police at around 3 a.m. after two entries were made by a dozen or so black-clad, helmeted officers.
One of the suspects was arrested when he tried to leave the building masquerading as a shopper. The re-maining two were apprehended in-side by police using a stun grenade and chemical agents at about 6 a.m.
No shots were fired during the entire crisis.
All five suspects are from Brooklyn. Kevin E. Grant, 23, and Danita G. Brown, 22, of the same Prospect Avenue address, said they were security guards at JFK Airport parking lots. Damion Taylor, 18, said he was unemployed, living at East 105th Street. Kevin Affoon, 23, also said he was unemployed, living at East 37th Street. The former Staples employee, Clement E. Benedict, 21, said he lives on Howard Avenue.
Benedict was charged with criminal facilitation and conspiracy in the fourth degree. Grant, Taylor and Affoon were each charged with two counts of robbery in the first degree, two counts of robbery in the second degree, one count each of burglary in the second degree, kidnapping in the second degree and criminal use of a firearm in the first degree. Brown was charged with two counts of robbery in the first degree, two counts of robbery in the second degree, one count of burglary in the second degree and criminal use of a firearm in the first degree.
"We are very pleased and proud with the outcome of this case," said Nassau County Police Chief of Department Raymond Crawford, "which began as a serious crime, transpired for many hours during which it could have evolved into a much more serious incident with potential loss of life. "
Crawford commended the victims for their actions. "Those victims, under great duress, at high risk for hours, communicated calmly to us...They were able to provide us - in a very precarious position - with information that was extremely useful both in maneuvering within that building, understanding the layout of the building and also to identify and differentiate the victims from the criminals who were inside together," Crawford said.
Grateful for the help
Crawford thanked the Valley Stream American Legion Post 854 for the help they gave during the hostage crisis. The incident began to unfold just as the Andrew Fatscher Post was about to close. Legion members Ron Sabo, Richie O'Hara and Commander George Schuchman kept the building, which is next to Staples, open to serve as a refuge for hostages' families.
The Legion served coffee and other beverages to police and to family members as they awaited word about their loved ones.
Parents were grateful to Schuchman and all members of the American Legion Hall. In a letter of thanks to Schuchman [See page 42], Healey wrote, "Your members were extremely helpful and worked tirelessly through the night to assure our comfort."
"The Legion was really great in the role they took to help that night," said Mayor Edward Cahill, also an American Legion member who waited there during the event.
"The stress level was high in there. It was a very tight situation," the mayor said. "There was an officer assigned to each of the families, getting a description of each of the other employees still inside Staples, so the cops knew who was who in there. There was one female sergeant who calmed the families down very well, keeping them updated with the latest progress the police were making."
Cahill offered the families whatever help the village could provide.
Early during the course of the event, Village Emergency Services Coordinator Tom Bartsch and Fire Chief Rob Petry were called and went into Village Hall to get the blueprints to Staples for the police. Village Clerk Vincent Ang also responded.
New security procedures
More than a week has passed since the potentially deadly situation unfolded. The Massachusetts-based Staples Corp. has offered the 12 employees counseling through its "employee assistance program," according to Jennifer Rosenberg, a Staples' spokesperson.
Many employees have taken advantage of the counseling, but Kyle MacKenzie is currently the only one of the twelve to go back to work after the store reopened on Saturday.
"I'm not afraid to go back. Staples needs help, I feel bad for Staples with all that happened. I don't think it's their fault," Kyle said.
Upon going back into the store for the first time, Kyle said, "I remembered a lot of it and it felt kind of strange. I walked around looking for where we had been and to see if anything had changed."
Emily attributes her son's ability to put the situation behind him to the fact that he escaped. "Kyle is in a pretty good state of mind. I think it's because he let himself out of the situation he was in. ... By escaping on his own he may have given himself a feeling of confidence."
Gregg, 24, said he still did not feel comfortable talking about the incident, but said about returning to work, "I don't know yet, I'm taking the week and then I'll let them know."
Gregg's mom said she would feel comfortable with her son returning to work now that the store, which opened in 1991, has made changes to its security system. Rosenberg confirmed that the store would be reviewing its security procedures and adding to security measures already in place.
"Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Maybe it opened their [Staples'] eyes as to what had to be done," Mrs. Healey said.
Jeff Lipton contributed to this story.
