Northfield police have suspended their investigation into a reported home invasion on Zion Hill Road this past summer absent any new leads.
Sgt. Michael Hutchinson said authorities identified a possible suspect but the homeowner could not say if the man was the same one who’d threatened him the morning of Aug. 1. Having exhausted all other leads, police said the case remains unsolved.
A 55-year-old man was home alone on Aug. 1 just before 9 a.m. when a stranger knocked on his door asking for help, claiming his vehicle was out of gas, police said at the time. Once the stranger was inside the residence, he began rummaging through items in the home, placing some – including a laptop and cellphone – in a duffle bag he brought with him.
The intruder then reportedly told the victim to get on the floor or else he would shoot him. Police said they were unable to confirm whether there was an actual firearm as the homeowner never saw one.
At one point, the intruder grabbed a sneaker belonging to the victim and began undoing the laces, leading the victim to believe his hands were going to be tied together; however, the threat was not carried out, police said.
The suspect – described as 6-foot-4-inches and weighing approximately 250 pounds – left in the victim’s 2010 Nissan Altima and drove away in an unknown direction.
Police later recovered the car at the Canterbury park-and-ride off Interstate 93. It was found undamaged and with the keys left inside.
As part of the investigation, police also reviewed cruisers’ dash camera video, as well as surveillance footage captured on home cameras and at a local store near where the home invasion occurred, Hutchinson said. He said those videos showed the car but provided no clear images of the suspect.
Police ask anyone with information about the incident to contact Hutchinson at 286-8982.
(Alyssa Dandrea can be reached at 369-3319 or at adandrea@cmonitor.com.)