QUEENS, N.Y. - The New York City Police Department has launched an investigation into the deaths of twin infants found dead Friday at a homeless shelter in Queens.

Police say the 2-month-old boy and girl were found unconscious in their crib at The Landing at LaGuardia, a former hotel located at 9400 Ditmars Boulevard in East Elmhurst that now operates as a temporary shelter.

Their father told police he put the babies down for a nap and when he woke up, they weren't breathing. 

He's speaking with police, but is not in custody. 

"I thought it was one child, then I seen two. I'm a twin myself, I have a twin sister. And to see two kids coming out at the same time, it's something you don't want to experience," said Joseph Smith, a witness at the scene.

Since 2015, the organization CAMBA has been operating The Landing as a temporary homeless facility with a capacity for 169 families.

"There are a lot of things that happen here and I look out my window and I see cop cars. Every other night I see cops out here," said Dalton Santiago, a shelter resident.

The city Department of Social Services said in a statement, "We offer our condolences to the family and will provide them with any and all support that we can during this difficult time."

The medical examiner's office will determine a cause of death.