Teen arrested after standoff with police

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

A Niskayuna teen was arrested after holding police at bay for more than seven hours Monday and holding his mother in their house for part of that time, all while in possession of firearms, police said.

James P. Catuccio, 16, of 886 Cunningham Court, surrendered to police shortly after 11 p.m. Monday night, bringing the standoff to an end.

It began just before 4 p.m. when police received a call from inside the house that Catuccio was suicidal and threatening to shoot police and people on the street, according to police and court paperwork.

Inside the home with Catuccio was his mother. Catuccio is also accused of threatening to shoot his mother and “did on several occasions point a loaded firearm out of an open window,” according to papers filed in court.

No shots were fired.

After receiving the first call, crisis negotiators from the Niskayuna and Schenectady police departments responded and began speaking with Catuccio by phone.

Niskayuna Detective Sgt. Daniel McManus, Sgt. Joe Twitty and Schenectady Police Detective Sgt. Edward Krawiecki worked as the negotiators, speaking with Catuccio frequently by phone, McManus said.

Sometime after 6 p.m., they won the release of Catuccio’s mother, McManus said. Catuccio remained in the house until after 11. He then came out unarmed and was taken into custody.

During the standoff, Eastern Parkway was closed from Daisy Lane to Oregon Avenue.

Catuccio faces two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of first-degree reckless endangerment, all felonies.

Court paperwork indicates that Catuccio is accused of possessing “three or more firearms.” Paperwork does not indicate what kind of firearms or how they came to be in the home.

Catuccio was arraigned and ordered held without bail. He remained at the Schenectady County Jail Tuesday.

Niskayuna police were assisted by the Schenectady and Albany police departments, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, the Schenectady County Emergency Management Office, the state police aviation unit and Niskayuna Fire Districts 1 and 2.