By: Ashleigh Meyer
An investigation is underway after one armed home invader was fatally shot, and his accomplice taken into custody in Arlington Heights, Illinois on Saturday.
A home security camera captured shocking video and audio footage of the two suspects approaching the front door of Sebastian Maniscalco’s home in broad daylight during the Coronavirus lockdown. Also inside the home were Mr. Maniscalco’s wife and two children (aged 11 and 14). The suspects, Bradley Finnan and Larry Brodacz, can be seen in COVID-19 attire, wearing gloves and medical masks as they point out the nearby camera.
According to the family’s testimony, the assailants claimed to be police officers before forcing their way through the front door of the home in the Chicago suburb. Frightening screams can be heard from inside just before Mr. Maniscalco burst back through the front door, wrestling Finnan to the ground and landing several punches to his face in front of the security camera. Meanwhile, Brodacz chased Mrs. Maniscalco upstairs and into the children’s room, where he broke through the door, pushed Mrs. Maniscalco to the ground, and held the children on the bed at gunpoint.
As his wife cries for help, Mr. Maniscalco can be seen losing his grasp on Finnan, who then flees the scene. Mr. Maniscalco runs back into his home and to the master bedroom, where he locates his wife’s gun, and an altercation ensues between Brodacz and him. Mr. Maniscalco fires once and misses, but his second shot hits Brodacz’s abdomen.
Brodacz was declared dead at the scene by police officers, who had been called by the Maniscalcos’ 14-year-old son. Finnan was arrested at his mother’s home on Sunday and charged with felony murder and home invasion. In Illinois, criminals can be charged with the death of their accomplices, if the death occurs during the commission of a crime.
Finnan told police that Brodacz claimed to have $200,000 stashed in the Maniscalcos’ home and hoped it was still there. Authorities believe the invasion was planned specifically to coincide with the coronavirus lockdown.
Mr. Maniscalco shared a heartfelt statement on Facebook, where he expressed that his family was still reeling after “experiencing the incredible evil in the world,” but that the dedication of first responders and the outpouring of support from the Arlington Heights community had proved to him that there was incredible good in the world as well:
Ashleigh Meyer is a professional writer and Conservative political correspondent from Virginia.