Boy, Home Alone, Held at Gunpoint by Robbers: Police

Three men are in custody and a young boy is alive thanks in part to the actions of a quick-thinking neighbor.

Police say a 13-year-old boy was by himself inside his Upper Darby home around 11:30 a.m. on Monday when he heard a noise. As he went to check, the boy says he saw two men climbing through a window as another man waited below.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood told Philly.com that the boy tried to grab a phone to call 911. As he went for it, one of the suspects, identified as 28-year-old Daniel Taylor, allegedly held a gun to his head and told him to “chill out.”

Chitwood says Taylor forced the boy downstairs and made him shut off the house alarm, according to Philly.com. Taylor then allegedly opened the door of the house and let two other men, identified by police as 25-year-old Terreek Irving and 27-year-old Imanuel Forbes, inside.

“This is what I describe as an urban terrorist,” Chitwood said. “Broad daylight, they go into a house, there’s an alarm, they climb into a window, and put a gun to the back of the 13-year-old kid’s head.”

Investigators say a neighbor watched as the break-in took place and called police. Police officers quickly arrived at the house and arrested the three suspects. The boy was not hurt.

Chitwood told Philly.com that the boy recognized Forbes as one of two men who tried to break into his home last July. The boy says he was also home alone at that time but the men ran off before entering the home.

“These guys are not picking these houses at random,” Chitwood said. “There was a specific reason they went to that house. We’ve got to find out what that was.”

Chitwood told Philly.com that the suspects claimed the boy’s stepfather owed one of them money. They also allegedly claimed the stepfather may be in possession of marijuana. Upper Darby Police say they didn’t find any signs of drugs or illegal activities inside the home however.

All three men are charged with robbery, terroristic threats and other related offenses. They are each being held on $100,000 bail.