Masked men hold two children at gunpoint during Ithaca home invasion

Ithaca, N.Y. -- Two children were held at gunpoint by a group of men wearing Halloween masks during a home invasion in Ithaca Friday night.

Around 11:19 p.m., a 911 caller reported that a group of 4 or 5 men wearing Halloween-style masks broke into an apartment on the 400 block of Spencer Road armed with guns, according to a news release from Ithaca police.

When they broke into the residence, some of the men held a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old at gunpoint while the rest went upstairs, police said.

The men upstairs found a 19-year-old man and began assaulting the victim, police said. The man was punched and struck in the head with a handgun, they said.

A witness told police that at least two of the men had handguns and another man appeared to have a long gun that resembled a rifle, police said.

The suspects were able to enter the apartment through an unlocked door, police said.

The 19-year-old was treated at a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.