Levittown man arrested after standoff

A man who police said was suicidal and suffering from mental illness barricaded himself in his home in Levittown Wednesday morning, attempting to set it on fire, then threatened officers with a samurai sword before being arrested.

Nassau County police said Terrence Escalera, 40, was taken to a hospital for a psychological evaluation following his arrest on the garage roof of his home on Anchor Lane. No one was injured, though police said Escalera also had threatened his wife and two children, ages 5 and 9.

The incident began at 10:19 a.m., police said. Eighth Precinct officers said they arrived at the home to find Escalera at the door, holding a knife at his side, as his wife and two children stood just outside.

Police said officers were able to move the woman and two children to safety, but Escalera refused to drop the knife and ran back into the house.

The Hostage Negotiation Team was brought in to talk with Escalera, but then, officers saw Escalera through a window lighting objects on fire and tossing them on the floor, police said.

Emergency Services Unit and Bureau of Special Operations officers then stormed the house and said they found Escalera swinging a samurai sword, making "a slicing motion" toward the officers.

Escalera then ran upstairs and exited through a window onto the roof of the garage, police said. He was arrested there.

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Escalera was charged with third-degree arson, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and menacing a police officer, police said. He faces arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead.