An Explosive Device and a Pipe Caper: From the Scarsdale Police

Explosive Device? A caretaker at 14 Butler Road found an odd-looking device on the lawn on the afternoon of 1/12/13. The device was made up of a plastic tube stuffed with newspaper and was sitting on a Con Edison traffic cone. The device appeared to be charred and two small CO2 canisters were found on the ground below it as well as matches and burnt pieces of the tube. At first inspection, police were not sure what was inside the tube. Police set up a perimeter around the device and called the Scarsdale Fire Department. Since fire department personnel could not determine whether or not the device was explosive, they called the Westchester County Police Bomb Squad. The Bomb Squad confirmed that the device was no longer dangerous and "made it safe from possible ignition or explosion." Police canvassed the neighbors, took photos and collected evidence. Representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms secured the evidence and will conduct an investigation.

Thefts: Scarsdale Water Superintendent Antonio Capicotto reported a major theft from the pipe storage yard on January 14. The assistant foreman discovered that iron and cast iron fittings, elbow t's, crosses and reducers ranging from 6 to 16 inches in diameter were stolen from the Scarsdale Water Department pipe storage yard at 110 Secor Road. All together, the pipes were valued at $150,000 and some weighed as much as 385 pounds each. The missing materials were last seen a week after Hurricane Sandy. Police spoke to some of the neighboring homeowners and one reported that a tree service had removed a downed tree from his property after the storm. He also said that the fence between his property and the yard was damaged and he saw village crew remove some pipes and repair the fence.

Medical equipment and personal belonging valued at almost $9,450 were stolen from a car parked on Highland Way overnight on 1/17-1/18/13. The homeowner got into his car on the morning of 1/18 and noticed several items were missing but there was no damage to the car. The car may or may not have been locked. Missing were a camera, an opthalmascope, lenses, a surgical loupe, a coat, an attaché case and personal papers.

Identity Thefts: A Penn Road man reported that someone tried to open a "Bill Me Later" account in his name to make a purchase on Ebay. His social security number and birthday were provided but the account was not approved because the address provided was inaccurate or suspicious. The man learned of the declined account on 1/15/13.

A woman from Overlook Road was also the victim of identity theft. Someone entered a Citibank branch in Brooklyn on January 3rd or 4th and attempted to cash one of the Scarsdale woman's checks in the amount of $20,600.07. The victim did not know how someone got a hold of one of her checks.

Overturned Garbage Truck: While driving a garbage truck owned by County Waste Management on the morning of January 16 Nickolausa Guziczek age 30 lost control of the truck on Secor Road driving off the shoulder, over numerous trees and shrubs onto Fenway Golf Club. The garbage truck then overturned on the fairway of the golf course. No one was injured.

Hit and Run: On the afternoon of 1/18 a witness told police that he saw someone driving a gray Volvo hit a Subaru that was parked on Scarsdale Avenue and leave the scene without leaving a note or looking for the owner of the parked car. The witness provided the license plate number of the Volvo to the police. Police contacted the driver who was a 17 year-old Scarsdale girl who said, "I was scared and didn't know what to do." The girl came to police headquarters to file an accident report and the Subaru was towed to an auto body shop.

DOA: Rose Harrison, age 95 of Bradley Road passed away at her home sometime between 6:30 pm on 1/19 and 3:10 pm on 1/20. She was found by her daughter in her bedroom on the afternoon of January 20. Harrison's daughter reported that her mother had been in good health though she suffered from mini strokes.

Vandalism: Just after midnight on January 21, a Park Road woman called police to say that someone had damaged an outdoor light fixture, valued at $750 at her home. She also reported a loud party next door and saw several cars speeding away from the area. She believed the kids at the party damaged the fixture.

Unattended Retriever: A witness called police on the afternoon of 1/18 when he saw a golden retriever locked in the back of a car parked at Freightway for over four hours. The dog appeared to be cold and was shivering. While police were there, the owner of the car and the dog returned and claimed he had only parked for a couple of hours. Police issued the man a summons for "standard of care" and gave him a court date of 2/6.

Disputes: Police were called to the parking garage under CVS on Popham Road at 9:30 am on 1/16 to resolve a dispute. A woman from Heathcote Road returned from Soul Cycle to find a boot on her car. The parking lot manager told her that the lot was for CVS customers only and that those who attend Soul Cycle are supposed to park at Freightway. Since the woman also had a receipt from purchases made at CVS, the attendant removed the boot and voided the fine.

Problems continued between Ike Okoli of Lockwood Road and his neighbor. Okoli called police at 3:30 on 1/19 claiming that his neighbor yelled at him when he was outside. Police checked with the neighbor who said he was trying to control his dogs. Police told Okoli to consult with his mother first before calling the police.