Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to charges in the death of a 91-year-old man after he and his wife were tied up during a home invasion on Wednesday.
Adams said the Bedford-Stuyvesant community is outraged over the death of Waldiman Thompson, who lived in a row house on Decatur Street, near Marcus Garvey Boulevard, with his 100-year-old wife, Ethlin.
“This godly and big-hearted couple suffered a truly godless and heartless attack that has struck a blow deep in the soul of Brooklyn,” Adams said in a statement on Thursday. “Their tragedy is a tragedy for us all.”
The Thompsons were inside their home around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday when police said two men stormed inside, tied the couple up, covered their heads with a sheet and rummaged through the house.
They fled after grabbing an undetermined amount of property, according to cops.
Ethlin was able to untie herself and call 911, meeting officers at the door and telling them her husband was still tied up inside.
Thompson, who had a heart disease, was taken to Interfaith Medical Center, where he died of sudden cardiac arrest, the medical examiner’s office said. His death was ruled a homicide.
Ethlin, who had marks on her legs from being tied up, was taken to Kings County Hospital Center and treated for minor injuries, police said.
“This is a time for mournful prayer, and a time for purposeful action,” Adams said on Thursday. “We strive to make every corner of this borough a safe place to raise healthy children and families, in the name of community elders like the Thompsons who deserve to enjoy their golden years in peace.”
Adams said he is “personally putting up” the $1,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest and an indictment in the case.
