Man Who Abducted 2 Boro Park Kids Sentenced to 32 Years

Tommaso Dilillo, 35, was found guilty for kidnapping and assaulting a 4-year-old girl in Boro Park in 2007, in an incident that frightened Boro Park’s yeshivos and Beis Yaakovs, and spurred initiatives such as giving students whistles or walking in pairs.

In an ironic twist, Dilillo just one month ago completed a short prison sentence in an unrelated case.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice William Harrington gave him the maximum allowed: 25 years for the kidnapping plus an additional seven years for the assault.

The first incident occurred in July of 2007, when Dilillo abducted the 4-year-old girl as she was playing in front of her home. The toddler was found hours later wandering on a street about a mile away from her house.

The second occurred in August 2008, when a 14-year-old girl was forced into a vehicle.

In both cases, the girls were found several hours later near where they were taken from. Both instances were thoroughly investigated by the NYPD and Shomrim, and a major break in the case came when evidence located by a Misaskim volunteer linked Dilillo to both abductions.

The episodes at the time sent a chill throughout Boro Park’s Jewish community, coming as it was during the summer, when children were outside more. Schools issued safety advisories and several meetings were held with top NYPD brass to instill a greater sense of safety.

“These incidents represent every parent’s nightmare and sent fear throughout our community,” Councilman David Greenfield recalled in a statement.

“At the same time, it serves as another reminder of how fortunate we are to have the officers of the NYPD and the dedicated Shomrim volunteers keeping us safe and responding to every crime that occurs.”

A representative of Misaskim, a disaster relief organization headed by Yanky Meyer, testified at the trial.

This article appeared in print on page 4 of the December 9th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.