Manhunt underway in NYC for suspect accused of killing elderly couple and setting house on fire after asking for their help

A New York City man with a history of committing violent crimes is suspected of killing an elderly couple in Queens before setting their house on fire, police said.

A New York City man with a history of committing violent crimes is suspected of killing an elderly couple in Queens before setting their house on fire, police said.

A manhunt was underway Wednesday morning for Jamel McGriff, who is wanted in the deaths of Frank Olton, 76, and his wife, Maureen Olton, 77. Authorities said McGriff went to the couple’s home on Monday morning, claiming that his cell phone battery was dead and he needed a place to charge it.

Video showed McGriff talking to Frank Olton before he was allowed into the couple’s backyard, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Jamel McGriff.via NYPDFrank Olton and McGriff are then seen walking into the home through the back door, Tisch said. Video showed McGriff leaving the home about five hours later, carrying a duffel bag and a paper bag, she told reporters.

The city’s fire department was called to the home around 3:22 p.m., shortly after McGriff left, for a report of a fire. Police said that the couple’s son, a New York City Fire Department paramedic, received an alert from his parents’ security company about a fire at the home.