Police Report: Suspect uses petroleum jelly to obscure image while attempting fraud at Bank of America ATM

On July 7, a Bank of America employee reported one of the bank's ATM machines, at the Christie Place branch, had been tampered with. According to the bank manager, someone attempted to use three fraudulent debit cards at the banks ATM machine on July 5, at approximately 11:45 a.m. The suspect smeared petroleum jelly on the ATM's camera, causing the image to be blurred. The suspect was described as a white man wearing a baseball cap. The manager was not sure if money had been fraudulently withdrawn, pending investigation by corporate security. Two other bank branches in Yonkers reported similar incidents with petroleum jelly and attempted fraudulent withdrawals. Police took a swap of the petroleum jelly in order to process it for possible DNA evidence.

Traffic arrest
On July 7, police arrested Johan Alcantara, 27, of the Bronx, after stopping Alcantara for failing to stop at a stop sign at Brite Avenue and Fenimore Road. When checking Alcantara's information, Alcantara said he did not have his driver's license on him because he lost it. Using pedigree information, police ran a check on Alcantara and learned Alcantara's license had been suspended four times on three different dates. Alcantara was then arrested on charges of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop at a stop sign and operation of a motor vehicle by an unlicensed driver. He was released on $100 cash bail, posted by his boss. Alcantara is a carpenter.

Domestic incident
At 6 a.m., July 5, an Edgewood man got locked out of his house after having a disagreement with his wife's sister who was staying with the couple at their house. The man and his sister-in-law advised police they resolved the matter when patrol arrived. There was no sign of criminal activity.

On July 9, a Quaker Ridge caller reported he did not feel comfortable leaving his mother alone in his father's house with his father's girlfriend. The father was contacted, and he said he was on his way home. Nether party objected to being in the house with each other while waiting for the father to return.

Identity theft
A woman told police she believed her elderly Stonehouse Road parents' checks were being fraudulently signed July 5. She said she takes care of her parents due to their age. Upon reviewing their bank account, the woman realized that someone has been presenting checks with fraudulent signatures, to unrecognized payees. This has been occurring for approximately 16 months, the woman said. Patrol provided the woman with forgery deposition forms for her parents to fill out. She was advised to notify her parents' financial institutions.

On July 6, a Chesterfield Road man reported someone attempted to open numerous credit cards in his name. On June 30, he was notified of a fraudulent attempt by Discover Card. Discover did not process the request because the card was ordered to be sent to a different address than the man's address. Following this knowledge, the man checked his credit report and learned of two other attempts – with Barclays and Capital One. Both accounts were cancelled before any charges were placed on the accounts.

Stolen zebra returned
On July 5, a Greenacres Avenue man reported his ceramic zebra statue was returned unharmed. It had been stolen the previous day, possibly as a prank, the man surmised.

Sighted
On July 5, a caller reported that she saw possible suspects at the Galleria Mall in White Plains. The possible suspects might have been related to a burglary report at her house, which the woman previously made. White Plains police and Scarsdale police were dispatched to the mall to follow up.

Fishing
Patrol advised three men standing around Duck Pond that fishing was not permitted July 5. A caller reported the men had been fishing, but here was no evidence of the fishing allegation.

Escort
Patrol escorted a Brittany Close man to his house to remove personal items July 6. The man was advised by patrol to only remove personal items.

Locked door
A Cushman Road woman returned home and found her garage door locked, although she normally leaves the door open, July 6. The woman asked patrol to check house. Patrol found no sign of criminality. Everything was deemed to be in good order.

Open doors
While checking school buses on Palmer Avenue, patrol noticed numerous buses had their doors open July 9. Everything appeared to be in good order with the buses.

Wrong house
A Mayflower Road woman called police at 12:45 a.m., July 10. She said an Asian woman wearing a white T-shirt and gray shorts was ringing her doorbell, but she was afraid to answer the door because it was after midnight. When police arrived on scene, they saw the woman standing outside at the corner of Blackhawk and Mayflower roads. Police quickly lost sight of the woman but eventually found her in a Mayflower Road yard. At that time, she identified herself and informed patrol that she was lost. She had been with friends at a Blackhawk Road house, went out for a walk, got turned around and could not find her way back to the Blackhawk Road house. She mistakenly ended up at the Mayflower Road house, thinking it was the house she was looking for. She said she kept ringing the doorbell because she thought she was at the house where she had been with her friends. Patrol walked her to the correct house and made sure everything was in order. Patrol explained the situation to the Mayflower Road resident who reported the incident. Everyone was thankful for patrol's assistance.

Gas leak
Patrol closed Bradley Road because of a gas leak July 8. Village Maintenance crew cut into a gas line while performing curb work. Firefighters utilized water hoses as a precaution as Con Edison emergency workers responded to the location. Numerous houses were checked for gas migration. Volunteers assisted. One resident asked police to check and secure his house after Con Edison workers left the house July 8. On July 10, another Bradley Road resident reported a damaged basement door. The damage occurred when Con Edison workers and firefighters needed to enter the house to check for possible gas migration. Patrol secured the door by locking a deadbolt prior to leaving.

Cars and roadways
Police found an unoccupied white BMW parked on Scarsdale Avenue with its rear door open at 3:45 a.m., July 5. There were no signs of criminal activity. Police secured the door before leaving the scene.

On July 5, patrol placed four flares around a car with four flat tires on Heathcote Road. The driver was awaiting roadside assistance.

Around 1 p.m., July 5, a towing company advised police that it removed a car from DeCicco's Marketplace parking lot at the request of management. The car was registered to a New Jersey man.

A box truck driver backed over a plastic road divider at Crane Road and East Parkway July 5. The accident damaged the divider. Patrol stopped the driver who said he was lost and did not want to enter the Bronx River Parkway with a commercial truck. That is why is backed up and accidentally damaged the divider.

Upon investigation of a car reportedly parked on Tisdale Road for more than one week, police issued one parking ticket July 5.

Police removed a barricade from Wilmot Road after determining the condition that necessitated the barricade had been resolved July 6.

Dispatch notified Verizon of fallen wires on Fenimore Road and Black Birch Lane July 7.

Patrol assisted New Rochelle police direct traffic at Weaver Street and Old Lyme Road while highway crews removed a fallen tree from the roadway July 7.
Patrol notified the water department about a broken water meter on Walworth Avenue July 7.

Patrol asked the driver of a work truck to move it to a better location on Reimer Road, in order to not disrupt traffic flow July 8.

Patrol asked a construction job site supervisor to clear space on Reynal Crossing for good traffic flow July 9.

A car broke down on Mamaroneck Road July 9. Patrol stood by until the car was moved by roadside assistance.

Metal construction plates shifted on Crane Road July 9. Patrol placed safety cones over the plate to warm motorists of potential danger.

Eight car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Broken windows
A Greendale Road man reported a landscaper using a weed whacker accidentally kicked up a rock that resulted in the man's car window being broken July 8. The two partied exchanged information, and police advised them it was a civil matter.

A pane of glass on a Fox Meadow Road basement door was accidentally broken by a landscaper kicking up a rock with his mower July 9. There was no evidence of criminal activity.

Animals
A lost Ogden Road dog was reunited with its owner July 7.

A lost Fox Meadow Road dog was reunited with its owner July 8.
On July 9, a caller reported a possibly rabid fox in the area. Patrol looked but found no sign of a rabid fox.

A Fox Meadow Road woman reported a raccoon in her yard July 10. The raccoon ran into the bushes as patrol approached. This indicated normal behavior for a raccoon, thus suggesting the raccoon was healthy. Patrol offered to give the woman trappers' telephone numbers, but she declined.

Village code
On July 6, patrol informed a painting company about village noise ordinances. The company was about to start painting parking lines in a market's parking lot on Palmer Avenue.

Police issued a summons to a contractor making noise with power tools at a Burgess Road construction site at 7:30 a.m., July 8.

A Dunham Road resident was using a gas-powered blower at 7:59 a.m., July 8, and a neighbor complained. Patrol observed the offense and issued the resident a summons.

A worker using a hammer on Murray Hill Road was advised to cease work until after 10 a.m., July 9.

A Shaw Road party host lowered the volume of his music after neighbors complained July 9.

On July 10, patrol advised a woman that her two dogs were not allowed in a Boulevard park. She said she had just entered the park to throw bagged dog feces in a trashcan. She said she would not enter the park with her dogs again.

On July 10, a Sprague Road resident complained about a barking dog in a newly rented house. The real estate agent for the house said she would talk with the new tenant about taking care of the barking dog.

Shortly before 12 a.m., July 11, a caller reported noisy kids on Boulevard. Patrol found several kids there playing "Pokemon" on their cell phones. Patrol advised them they were not allowed to be in the park after dark, and they left.

Police issued summonses to landscapers using gas-powered blowers on Leatherstocking Lane July 5, Sheldrake Road July 7 and Butler Road July 8.

Lost and found
A man reported losing his front license plate somewhere in the village July 5.

On July 7, a Brewster Road man reported losing his Republic of Ireland foreign birth registry certificate. He lost the document sometime between August 1999 and the present.

A Brewster Road man reported losing his drive's license somewhere in the village July 7.

Firefighters
Village workers using a gas-powered saw behind an East Parkway nail salon caused an elevated carbon monoxide condition in the salon's foyer July 5. Firefighters ventilated the salon and cleared the carbon monoxide.

An electrical service panel caught fire in a Birchall Drive garage. Firefighters extinguished it with a dry chemical extinguisher and ventilated the structure. Con Edison shut off power to the house.

Firefighters notified the department of public works about a sewage backup in a Saxon Woods Road house July 6.

Wires were sparking on Palmer Avenue July 6. Firefighters stood by for Con Edison.

A gas meter problem on Tompkins Road was turned over to Con Edison July 6.

An unattended pot on a hot Brite Avenue stove created a smoky haze in the house July 7. Firefighters extinguished the pot and turned off the stove.

A broken water meter caused a Walworth Avenue basement to flood July 7. Firefighters drained water from the basement and informed the water department.

This week, firefighters assisted at three car accidents on the Hutchinson River Parkway and in the village. They responded to two false carbon monoxide alarms and 15 false fire alarms caused by device malfunction, construction dust, water leaking into a detector, cooking smoke and dishwasher steam.

This report covering police and fire department activity from July 5-10 was compiled from official information.

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