Fire in Hartsdale and Potholes Wreak Havoc on Drivers

This just in from the Hartsdale Police and Paul Feiner: Fire in Hartsdale: On Thursday afternoon, 2/27, the Hartsdale Fire Department and Con Edison battled an underground fire in the area of 100 East Hartsdale Avenue. Several manhole covers were blown open during initial explosions and there was concern of additional explosions if the fire spread. Fortunately there were no reported injuries. Power outages were reported from 160 East Hartsdale Avenue to Central Avenue and at Scarsdale Golf Club. Con Edison promises to have the power restored by 9 pm. The Hartsdale train station is open and trains are operating but cars cannot use East Hartsdale Avenue from train station to Central Avenue. Pedestrians can walk to their buildings however there is no access to 100 East Hartsdale Ave. Motorists leaving train station will be asked to use the Pipeline or Fenimore Road.

Potholes: Potholes wreaked havoc for motorists this week – here's a report on the flats .... A Tuckahoe woman came to Scarsdale Police at 6:45 pm on 2/18 to complain that her Subaru hit a pothole on the Post Road south of Fenimore Road and damaged the front and rear passenger wheels. She left the car at the Scarsdale Library and made arrangements for it to be towed to a mechanic in Tuckahoe.

At 8:30 pm on 2/18 a Brite Avenue man complained that his Acura hit the pothole on Weaver Street and damaged the rim of the front passenger side tire.

At 6:30 pm on 2/19 a driver reported that his 2009 Nissan hit a pothole on Weaver Street between Hutchinson Avenue and Stratton Road and caused a flat. A tow service was called.

Triple Play: Police were advised that a pothole on Weaver Street between Haverford Road and Penn Boulevard needed to be repaired at 5 pm on 2/18. However, they must not have arrived quickly enough because at 7 pm on 2/21 three drivers hit several large potholes on Weaver Street near Penn Boulevard and all the cars were damaged. Two of the cars had two flats each on the passenger sides of their cars and the third had a flat front tire. Police called the NYS Department of Transportation to fix the potholes and referred all the drivers to the NYS DOT to settle any damage claims.

Snow banks extending 10 feet into narrow Village roadways also caused problems this week. Police received several calls about cars parked in the middle of the street blocking traffic:

At 1 pm on 2/19 they got a call about a Lexus parked on Church Lane blocking southbound traffic. At 2 pm they received a call about work vans blocking Taunton Road...and at 7:30 pm on 2/19 Bradford Road residents called police when cars were parked in the roadway impeding traffic.

A driver hit a curb on Fox Meadow Road at 8 pm and 2/21 and blew out the front tire of her car. The driver's husband came down and put on the spare tire.

Sinkhole: A Brown Road woman called police on 2/24 about a sinkhole in her front lawn due to ongoing work by Con Edison. Con Ed said someone would come and take a look.

Snow: The Parks Department asked police to call the owners of Heathcote Property Apartments about dumping snow on Supply Field. Police contacted management in Eastchester and they said they had never received a complaint before but agreed to stop dumping snow there.

Suspicious Man: Police were called to Shaarei Tikvah on Fox Meadow Road on the morning of 2/20 about a suspicious man driving a 2010 Honda who was in the parking lot during drop off. Bus drivers said they saw the man park and go to the trunk of his car where he appeared to unbuckle his pants, take down the zipper of his pants and attempt to urinate. However, he did not urinate or expose himself to adults or children in the parking lot. Both said that he buckled up in less than a minute and left the area in 2-3 minutes. Police searched the area for a man matching his description but were unable to locate the suspect.

Vandalism at Christie Place Garage: A Pleasantville woman reported that her 2012 Mercedes Benz was damaged while it was parked in the Christie Place Garage on February 20. The sidewall of her tire was slashed and the drivers' side of the car was scratched from the fender to the rear quarter panel. It appeared that the scratch was made with a sharp object.

Animals:

Angry Dog: A Gatehouse Road man complained that he was outside with his children and his neighbor's dog made an aggressive approach at them. Police called the neighbor who said the dog had gotten out and said they would be sure to secure him in the future.

Lunchtime: Several people called police at 11:30 am on 2/23 about a hawk on Fox Meadow Road. Police found the hawk eating a rabbit and set up a perimeter to protect him. After the hawk was done it flew away.

Bear? A Walworth Avenue man called police on the afternoon of 2/23 when he thought he saw a bear running between houses on Claremont Road, Walworth Avenue and Berkeley Road. Police were not able to locate the bear.

Sick Skunk: A Post Road woman called about a sick skunk in her yard at 5 pm on 2/23. Police found a skunk with a broken leg that may have been hit by a car and injured. Police said it was not a hazard and left it alone.

Lost Car: A woman called police at 5:40 pm on 2/20 when she was unable to find her car near Moscato Restaurant. Police used the panic button on the keys and found the car parked on Garth Road.

Abandoned Bike: Police left a note for the owner of an abandoned Harley Davidson bicycle with no rear wheel that was locked at a rack on East Parkway on 2/21. If they don't get a response they will remove it.

Found: A Wildwood Road man found a license at the Heathcote Five Corners on 2/23 and turned it over to the police who located the owner.

A wallet was found on the afternoon of 2/23 and turned over to police who contacted the owner who lives on Weaver Street.

Arrests: Scarsdale Police stopped a Lake Peekskill man while he was driving on Mamaroneck Road at 10 am on 2/17 because they noticed he was using a portable electronic device in his hand. When they scanned his id they found there was a warrant for his arrest in Putnam Valley for building without a permit. Scarsdale Police notified Putnam Valley Police who sent an officer to take Douglas M. Mele into custody. He was also issued a summons for driving while using a portable electronic device.

Michael Gomez of Eastchester surrendered to Scarsdale police on 2/19 in response to a warrant due to two unanswered traffic violations. He was sent to Village Court where he was released on $400 bail. Police also found that there was another outstanding warrant for Gomez from the NYC PD Warrant section.

John Lavine of Bridgeport, CT also surrendered to Scarsdale Police on 2/21 in response to two unanswered traffic violations. He was arraigned before Judge Galloway and paid $300 in bail. He was given a court date of 2/26/14.

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