Brooklyn Tenant Fights Off Intruder

A stunned tenant in Brooklyn found himself in a life-or-death struggle after a stranger broke into his apartment. Reports indicate that the 45-year-old resident fatally stabbed the intruder, Dan Costume, using the robber’s own knife during a chaotic encounter on Friday night.

Police say the incident began when Costume, a 34-year-old with a criminal history including attempted robbery, attacked the tenant first, stabbing him in the neck. The altercation occurred on the third floor of an apartment building situated on Avenue D near East 31st Street in Flatbush.

The tenant had just come home from playing soccer, and his wife had left the door unlocked to run errands. In an unexpected turn of events, he found Costume, who was carrying luggage that held two cell phones and a laptop, in his home.

A family member remarked in English about the tenant’s shock: “He was shocked that there were strangers in the house.” The tenant attempted to subdue Costume but didn’t let go of the stolen items. This led to both men engaging in a physical struggle.

During the fight, the intruder bit the tenant on his hand and cheek before delivering a stab wound with a knife. Family members recounted that, in the heat of the moment, the tenant managed to stab Costume twice before pushing him into the hallway, where Costume later collapsed in the stairwell, leaving behind his loot.

Both individuals were transported to Kings County Hospital Center. Unfortunately, Costume succumbed to his injuries, while the tenant was treated and later released, now reported to be in stable condition.

A relative expressed that the tenant was simply acting in self-defense, adding, “Everything happened so quickly.” Initially, he was taken into custody, but the arrest was eventually lifted.

On Monday, remnants of the incident remained visible, with bloodstains on the stairway wall. One neighbor commented, “I saw blood, but I don’t know what happened.”