Lottery Scam, ATM Thieves and Strange Substances

For a brief moment, a 70 year-old Johnson Road man thought he was the winner of $2.5 million dollars in the lottery. On the afternoon of 3/28 he picked up the phone and someone named David Miller from Las Vegas told him that he had won $2.5 million. All he needed to do to collect it was to go to the Western Union office in Walmart and wire $299 to a woman at an address provided by the caller. However Miller repeatedly warned the Edgewood man to “make sure you don’t tell anybody.”

The caller had a foreign accent and the Edgewood man suspected the call was a hoax. So he offered Miller $150 instead, and his offer was accepted.

But instead of wiring the funds, the Scarsdale resident called the police who stopped by, called Miller back and warned him against making further contact. The police determined the call was a scam and told the Scarsdale man to call again if Miller contacted him. After the police left, Miller did call back and said, “I thought you weren’t going to tell anyone….you’re wasting my time!”

ATM Thieves Nabbed: At 4:19 pm on 3/30, Chase Bank security alerted Scarsdale Police that two menwere attempting to use fraudulent ATM cards at the Chase Bank branch at 8 East Parkway. Police looked for the two men --who were described as white males wearing blue jeans, dark jackets and scarves – but were unable to locate them. Police then advised Chase security to send images of the suspects, which police transmitted to area police. Later that evening, the two suspects were arrested by the Yonkers police when the men attempted to use the same fraudulent ATM card at a Chase Bank in Yonkers.

Identity Theft: On the evening of March 29th a Penn Boulevard man came to police headquarters to report that he was the victim of identity theft. When a saleswoman from Bloomingdales in Bridgewater, N.J. sent him a card to thank him for shopping at the store, he realized that someone was shopping with his credit card without his authorization. Shortly thereafter he received credit cards in the mail from J. Crew, the Gap, Macy’s, and Bloomingdales and credit card denial letters from HSBC, Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor, Victoria’s Secret and the World Financial Network National Bank. He also received two credit card statements … one from Bloomindales where $70.03 had been charged and another from Macy’s with charges of $992.75.

The man learned that the imposter had a NYS driver’s license with the Scarsdale man’s name and address. He was described by the Bloomindales Sale Associate as a well-dressed black male.

The Scarsdale man also reported that he had recently opened a checking account at the Chase Bank on Palmer Avenue and had presented all of his personal information. However, he never received his checks in the mail and when he called the bank he learned that the associate he dealt with was no longer working at Chase.

Burglary Attempt? While checking on an activated burglar alarm at a house on Eton Road at 9:30 pm on 4/2, police found the back door of the house open. They checked inside the house and found a master bedroom door open. A neighbor who had walked the dog earlier in the evening was unsure if he had locked the door. Fortunately nothing was missing.

Arrests: Derek L. Wise, a 31 year-old DJ from Yonkers turned himself in to Scarsdale Police on 3/31 for an arrest warrant that was issued on 3/18/11. He was released on $50 bail and ordered to Village Court on 4/6/11.

Terrell Thigpen, age 25 of White Plains was turned over to Scarsdale Police by Greenburgh Police on 4/2 on a bench warrant dating back to 4/8/2010. He was booked and released on $100 bail and given a court date of 4/6/11.

Fire at Scarsdale Synagogue: a florescent ceiling fixture in a meeting room at Scarsdale Synagogue caught fire on the afternoon of 3/28. Temple employees were able to put it out with a fire extinguisher but the fire damaged the wood trim and the carpet and caused smoky conditions in adjoining rooms.

Trash Fire: Police were called when there was a fire in a garbage pail at the corner of Heathcote Road and Palmer Avenue around 5 pm on 4/3. Police used a fire extinguisher to put it out and called the Fire Department to make an evaluation.

Fights: A guest at a Garth Road apartment called police when he heard screaming coming from 42 Garth Road on the morning of April 1st. Police found the woman who was screaming and she explained that she had been having a fight with her brother who is unemployed.

A Brown Road woman called police on the night of 4/2 when a former housekeeper and her husband were demanding payment for two days of work. The Brown Road woman told police that the housekeeper had been hired by her sister who was now overseas and that she did not know if funds were owed. She also reported that the housekeeper had driven away in an old Mercedes Benz with Connecticut plates. Police tried to contact the housekeeper but were unable to reach her.

A Brambach Road girl got into a fight with another girl at 9 pm on April 3rd. When police arrived the girl did not wish to make a report. At 11 pm police received another call from Star Markumas of Shrub Oak. She is a friend of the girl’s mother. The mom was upset about the earlier incident and her friend in Shrub Oak was concerned about her.

Strange Substances: A Tory Lane woman called police on the afternoon of 4/1 when she found two clear zip lock bags containing fine white power on her doorstep. She did not know who left them there or what was inside the bags. She later learned that her friend had dropped off sports drink mix! Police advised the woman to label the bags in the future.

On March 30 Rich Flood of Eastchester reported that he saw a man pouring a black substance down the sewer in front of 2 Overhill Road. After the man finished pouring, he got into his truck and drove away. Flood provided a description of the man and his license number. The Village ran a check and found the identity of the truck owner and the water department took a sample of the substance from the catch basin. The sample will be sent to The Westchester County Department of Laboratories and Research to be analyzed for hazardous materials.

No Soliciting: A Jefferson Road man reported that a solicitor for Save the Children were going door to door on the night of April 1. Police located the solicitor, found that he did not have a permit and asked him to leave the area.

Noise: Police received a noise complaint about a party on Springdale Road shortly after midnight on 4/3. They found a group of kids playing music in the basement. The homeowner was present and agreed to turn off the music and take the kids home.

Animals: A Coyote was spotted at the intersection of Carman and Madison Road on the morning of March 29th.

On March 30th a Bradley Road man complained that a Carman Road dog owner was allowing his “golden” to defecate on the Bradley Road man’s yard every afternoon. Police agreed to patrol and lookout for the culprit. Police patrolled but were unable to catch the dog in the act.

Lost Cat: On Sunday, April 3rd, Hartsdale Vet, Dr. Andrew Thayer and his wife Leslie, lost their beloved cat Henry, when he got out of their house on Ferndale Road in Edgemont. Henry has orange, medium-to-long hair and a very gentle temperament. His disappearance was reported to animal control, but as yet there has been no luck in locating him. As any pet owner can relate to, they are devastated by his disappearance. If you’ve seen him contact the Thayer’s at (914) 589-7927.