Intruders Steal $12,000 in Naruto Cards During Queens Home Invasion

Three intruders broke into a Queens home before dawn on Sept. 9, struck a man in the face with a weapon, threw two women to the ground and fired a shot as they left with a collection of trading cards. The New York Post, citing police and law enforcement sources, reported that the cards were Naruto cards worth roughly $12,000. No arrests had been reported as of Sept. 10.

Balcony entry led to confrontation

The three unidentified suspects forced their way in by climbing up a balcony and entering through a door at about 4:10 a.m., then began removing collectible cards, amNewYork reported, citing law enforcement sources and a preliminary police investigation.

A 30-year-old man in the home intervened. One of the suspects pulled out a weapon and struck him in the face. The reports do not identify the weapon.

Two women, ages 33 and 60, also approached the intruders and were thrown to the ground, according to the report. One suspect forcibly took the 60-year-old woman’s cellphone.

As the three left, one displayed a gun and fired in the victims’ direction. No one was struck by the gunfire, though the man had already been assaulted. The suspects were last seen heading southbound along 101st Street.

The man was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where his injuries were described as not life-threatening. The Post described them as minor.

Collection identified as Naruto cards

The identification of the property as Naruto cards, the count of about 60 and the $12,000 estimate all come from the Post’s reporting, attributed to police and law enforcement sources. amNewYork described the stolen property only as collectible cards and gave no value. Dexerto, which also covered the theft, attributed its account of the incident to the Post.

None of the reports says who valued the collection or how that estimate was reached. This incident follows a rising trend of high-value trading card thefts, similar to the recent theft of an $8,000 One Piece card in Pennsylvania.

Location accounts differ as investigation continues

Published accounts give conflicting locations for the incident. amNewYork placed it near 101st Street and 85th Road in Richmond Hill, while the Post placed it at 101st Street and 101st Avenue in Ozone Park. The matching time, victims’ ages, circumstances, cellphone theft, gunshot and hospital strongly indicate that the reports concern the same case, but the location discrepancy remains unresolved.

Officers from the 102nd Precinct responded to the scene, and police said the investigation was ongoing.

What a valuation would require

Valuing a collection like this depends on what the individual cards are and what condition they are in. PSA, which authenticates and grades trading cards, separates authentication — verifying a card is genuine — from grading, which assesses condition. The reports provide no detailed inventory, condition assessments or comparable sales supporting the estimate, leaving readers unable to independently assess the reported $12,000 value from the published information.