Sep 6, 2007
Serial Ninja Burglar Escapes With Knife In Chest
Police Say Suspect Responsible For 14 Break-Ins;
Stabbed In The Chest With Steak Knife By Latest Victim
STATEN ISLAND
"Police are feverishly searching for a dangerous burglar who dresses like a ninja and has broken into 14 Staten Island homes, including once on Thursday morning.
The burglar may have sought help after being wounded during this latest incident when he entered Phil Chiolo's home about 1 a.m. Thursday. Chiolo says he was so frightened, he grabbed a knife.
"I grabbed one of the steak knives and plunged it into his chest," he tells CBS 2.
Chiolo says he heard a crash in his kitchen, came downstairs and found the kitchen door open. Standing in front of him was a masked man dressed in black.
"And there, standing, facing me was a ninja; a guy dressed up as a ninja," he says.
Chiolo says the man was holding a pair of nunchakus, and struck Chiolo on the collar bone, and then on the back of the head. Chiolo then fell into the counter top, where he grabbed a steak knife.
"I was literally afraid for my life. I plunged the steak knife right here [in his upper chest area] all the way down to the handle," he says.
The burglar then ran from the house with the knife still in his chest.
"It's horrible. Everything's happening in Staten Island lately," one of Chiolo's neighbors tells CBS 2.
In fact, there have been 13 other residential burglaries, in Dongan Hills, Todt Hill, Grymes Hill, and Grasmere sections of Staten Island -- all in the last three months.
The first of the break-ins occurred on June 6 at a home on Park Lane, with the burglar entering through a sky light.
The burglar usually searches for jewelry and cash.
Police were distributing fliers Thursday giving the suspect's description, saying they believe it's the same burglar responsible for each break-in. They're hoping now the man will seek medical attention if the stab wound is bad enough, leading them to his whereabouts and capturing.
Police describe the suspect as six-foot-three, wearing black, and possibly carrying a tool bag."