DELTONA, Fla. – A Deltona couple and their friend were victims of a fake 911 call that led deputies to believe they were involved in a murder-hostage situation on Monday.
Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to 518 Gondolier Ter. around 10:15 p.m. after receiving a call from a man who claimed to live at the residence.
The man said he had just shot his wife and planned to burn the house down with his children inside, deputies said.
Upon arrival at the scene, deputies removed one of the people staying at the house, 23-year-old Hunter Mgidi, before conducting a search, according to an incident report.
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The couple, 22-year-old Christopher Valentin and 21-year-old Kaitlyn Gorczyca, said they had stepped out to run errands, but got a call from their friend, Mgidi, saying deputies had the home surrounded.
“I was like, ‘I don’t even live here.’ And I was freaked out because I was by myself,” Mgidi said.
Bodycam video shows deputies working to get Mgidi out of the house.
“Walk this way, right here. Come to me. Keep your hands up,” one deputy said on the video.
[WATCH BODYCAM VIDEO BELOW]
Mgidi was then seen in the footage being placed in handcuffs and telling deputies he was “utterly confused” as to why. Deputies were heard responding, “So are we.”
Mgidi said he was worried about getting shot.
“The lawn is a little rugged, so I was a little nervous I was going to trip and make the wrong move, fall and then someone was going to shoot me,” he said. “It definitely did terrify me, especially having my phone in my hand and I was afraid someone was going to get the wrong idea, like, it was going to give off some type of lens flare and someone think it’s not a phone.”
Eventually, deputies explained to him what happened. The sheriff’s office said somebody called 911 claiming to be at the home having just killed their wife and tied up their kids, threatening to light the house on fire.
Gorczyca and Valentin showed up to the scene to find deputies searching their house but not finding anything. Gorczyca said they just started renting it a few weeks ago.
“Nobody from back home in New Jersey knows our new address,” Gorczyca said. “There’s only maybe two people here who know our address. So, it’s very scary because it could be anyone.”
She said they haven’t been hooked up to streaming or the internet for someone to get their information for their new address either.
“We haven’t slept. We’re constantly on edge. We’re always checking our cameras, locking our doors now. We feel like there’s somebody after us,” she said.
Deputies said that the couple believed they know who might’ve made the call, but no arrests have been made at this time.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said deputies typically see these fake calls in public places or hear threats to schools during the school year, but now they’re happening more to residents.
“These idiots who make the calls either want to harass the person who they’re making the call on or are hoping for the police or homeowner make a fatal mistake,” Chitwood said.
He said dispatchers keep up with the look of spoof numbers and are trained to study where the call is coming from. Then, they give deputies the heads up.
“Don’t rush into the scene, get as much information as you can. Dispatch does a phenomenal job saying, ‘Hey, this call’s coming in from a goofy number. Slow it down,” he said.
As for the person who did make that call on Monday, Chitwood said they do have a few leads as to who the suspected caller may be. He said once they’re caught, they will not only face charges for the crime but also have to pick up the cost of the response.
“You did this to mess with us, target us, whatever, but you almost got my friend killed,” Gorczyca said.
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