Police Report: Stolen Packages Continue Holiday-Season Crime Trend

On Jan. 5, a Fairview Court resident reported an Amazon delivery from FedEx had been stolen from her property or never delivered. It contained a Nintendo Switch valued at $329.29. It was ordered on Dec. 10 and, according to FedEx, delivered on Dec. 15. It was intended to be a gift from a friend.

On Jan. 5, a Mayflower Road resident reported that she received a package she had not ordered from Saks Fifth Avenue. The resident told the police she had learned of a fraudulent purchase from Saks after her credit card company, American Express, called her to verify the purchase. She told AmEx that the purchase was fraudulent and assumed the transaction had been cancelled. After receiving the package, she called the police to ask if she should give the package to patrol or return it to Saks. Since Saks had already closed the account and reversed all fraudulent charges, patrol advised her to return the package to Saks. A few hours later, the resident called back and informed patrol that someone had trespassed on her property and stolen another package left out for return pickup. The package was a return of clothing worth $600 to Zappos. She learned this from a neighbor who observed a white Mercedes-Benz parked outside the woman's house earlier that day. The neighbor said she then saw an unknown man with a red jacket run from the resident's porch with a package in his hands, get into the car and drive away.

An Aspen Road resident reported a package theft Jan. 6. He told police he shipped a large package containing clothing, personal effects and prescription medications from Yonkers to Sarasota, Florida, on Dec. 19. When the package arrived on Dec. 22, it had a new label, was in a different box and was missing approximately half the contents. The man said he spoke to FedEx and a police agency in New Jersey. Both advised him to touch base with his home jurisdiction.

Note about mail delivery: We received this letter from Scarsdale resident Ken Rilander:
I am writing this as a service to fellow Scarsdale Residents. A number of us have been having problems with our US Postal Service Mail home delivery.Mail has been stolen(a Federal Crime),checks and Social Security numbers may have been stolen by Postal employees. This has happened in the past year in Larchmont (reported by NBC television news) and Greenburgh (As reported by Paul Feiner's office.) If you have been having or have a problem with your US mail delivery please contact Sigfredo Solano. He is the person at the US Post Office ([email protected] and copy [email protected]) to get him involved with your mail delivery problems.

Dead On Arrival
On Jan. 4, police received a call from a Massachusetts man concerned about his 86-year-old Valley Road mother. He said he had not been able to reach her since Jan. 3. Police performed a welfare check and found the woman unresponsive. Paramedics were called, and they pronounced the woman dead. No sign of foul play was observed, and the medical examiner determined that the woman had died of natural causes. Massachusetts police were contacted to notify her son.

Stolen
On Jan. 4, a Richbell Road woman reported jewelry had been stolen from her house. Jewelry included a $350 silver ring with a large purple stone, $450 gold earrings with blue and green stones and a $40 maroon winter hat printed with the Harvard logo on front. The woman said the earrings held sentimental value because they were a birthday gift from her daughter. The woman said she last saw the jewelry items on Dec. 7 in a bedroom drawer.

Identity Theft
On Jan. 3, a Walworth Avenue woman reported her husband's identifying information had been used to fraudulently open a Brooks Brothers credit card.

On Jan. 5, a Bradford Road resident reported someone wrote fraudulent checks against her account. In total, three fraudulent checks were dated Jan. 2, and one fraudulent check was dated Dec. 19. Signatures on the fraudulent checks did not match the account holder's signature. The checks' payee name was unknown to the woman. Chase bank was informed, and the woman's accounts were closed.

Check Fraud
On Jan. 6, a Colvin Road woman reported someone attempted to buy furniture from her using a fraudulent check. The furniture – a desk for $700 and a table for $750 – had been advertised on Craigslist. After two alleged buyers agreed on these prices, each one sent checks to the woman in excess of the purchase prices. One check was for $1,750 and the other check was for $2,250. Each "buyer" told the woman to use the extra cash to pay the moving company who was going to come to retrieve the items. The woman said she attempted to cash both checks but was told that the checks were fraudulent. A tentative pickup date was scheduled for Jan. 12. Police told the woman to cease all contact with the proposed "buyers." Detectives are following up.

Harassment
A Garth Road tenant reported that his landlord was harassing his family Jan. 6. According to the tenant, the landlord left a threatening voicemail on the tenant's wife's phone. The voicemail requested that the wife return the phone call in regard to the safety of herself and their daughter. Police asked the man to preserve the voicemail for further investigation.

Car Break-In
A man wearing a dark colored wool beanie was seen inside a Black Hawk Road resident's parked car at 2 a.m., Jan. 3. Upon being seen, the man allegedly jumped out of the car and ran to a silver sedan that quickly fled the area. Nothing was reported stolen by the car's owner.

Trespassing
A black man, approximately 6 feet tall and wearing a hoodie was reportedly inside a Spencer Place business when an early-morning cleaning employee showed up at the location for work at 5:30 a.m., Jan. 3. The employee advised that the man was discovered sleeping inside a garbage closet, disheveled and smelling bad. Upon waking up, the man left the garbage closet, left the building and headed toward Scarsdale train station. Police caught up with the man, who was identified as a 52-year-old homeless person from Brooklyn. He had a lengthy criminal record, but there were no outstanding wants or warrants. The man told police he was inside the building as part of a cleaning crew. However, police determined that the man's story was a lie. The owner of the building was notified and did not want to press charges against the homeless man. The man was then transported to a shelter in White Plains, due to the cold weather.

Dispute
On Jan. 6, a 50-year-old Bronxville man reported being pushed by an unknown man following a verbal altercation on Garth Road. The push led to the Bronxville man's phone falling to the ground and breaking. The dispute allegedly occurred because the Bronxville man beeped his car horn at another driver who was partially in the roadway. The unknown man allegedly got out of his car and started cursing at the Bronxville man. The two men then entered a bagel shop. Their loud arguing caused a bagel shop employee to escort the unknown man out of the store. After the Bronxville man made a purchase and left the store, he observed that the unknown man was still inside his car. The Bronxville man said he took out his phone to videotape the unknown man's car and license plate number, at which time, the physical altercation occurred. During the altercation, the unknown man attempted to grab the Bronxville man's phone, which caused the phone to drop and the screen to break. A second video taken by the Bronxville man shows the unknown man's wife directing him back into the car, where a clear view of the license plate could be seen. The Bronxville man said he was not injured, but he wanted the unknown man to pay for the damage to his phone. A license plate check revealed the owner of the car – ostensibly the "unknown man" – to be a 59-year-old Garth Road resident of Eastchester. Police called the Garth Road man and advised him to report to headquarters. He confirmed the story and said he would pay for the damages caused to the Bronxville man's cell phone.

Water
Water collecting on Archer Lane was coming from a ruptured garden hose that had been left on at a homeowner's property Jan. 2. Patrol shut off the water valve. Firefighters assisted by disconnecting the hose.

Patrol notified the water department about a broken water main at Crossway and Hillview Drive and a leaking fire hydrant at Weaver ad Cornell streets Jan. 6.

Patrol notified the water department about a water main break on Walworth Avenue Jan. 7. A Walworth Avenue resident reported water "running out of the side of his house" Jan. 8, and the water department said the condition was in the process of being addressed.

A Fenimore Road resident reported a malfunctioning sump pump caused water to flow onto the sidewalk and roadway, causing an icing condition Jan. 7. Patrol roped off the area with caution tape and notified the highway department.

Snow
A caller reported two children, approximately seven and nine years old, were outside "shoveling snow for over one hour with no parents outside" on Kathy Lane. The caller said she was "very concerned for the welfare of the children" since the weather was "severely cold and windy." Patrol went to the location and saw two kids playing with snow near the end of a private road. The kids were properly dressed for winter weather, and their mother was outside watching them play. No police action was needed.

An unknown man rang a Fayette Road doorbell at 11: 57 p.m., Jan. 4, asking if the homeowner needed the driveway to be plowed. The man then allegedly left in a work van. The homeowner thought it was suspicious due to the later hour and called police. Patrol canvassed the area and saw only a man clearing snow from driveways in a pickup truck – not a van.

Home Alone?
At 12:15 a.m., Jan. 6, an eight-year-old boy called 911 stating he woke up and thought he and his six-year-old sister were home alone because they did not see any adults in their Brookby Road house. Police went to the house and the children said their babysitter put them to bed earlier in the evening. Upon waking up in the middle of the night, they were concerned because they did not see any adults. Patrol checked the house and found their father sleeping in the basement. The father said he came home at 10:30 p.m. and let the babysitter go home. Further investigation confirmed the children were never left unattended.

Assistance Rendered
Police escorted a Chateaux Circle man into his apartment and basement to retrieve personal belongings, as per a court order, Jan. 5.

A Black Birch Lane woman reported she had opened her back deck door and was unable to close it again Jan. 5. Patrol helped the woman successfully close her door.

A man got stuck in the elevator of Christie Place garage Jan. 6. He banged on the door until it opened. Patrol arrived, and the man declined further assistance. Firefighters assessed the elevator and put it out of service.

Cars and Roadways
Police called a tow for a disabled car on Post Road Jan. 2.

The highway department was notified about a missing crosswalk sign at the intersection of Fenimore and Brewster roads Jan. 2. The sign had been damaged and removed as a result of damage from a car.

A Madison Road woman reported three of her car's tires had been slashed overnight Jan. 2 to Jan. 3. She did not take photos of the allegedly slashed tires before she had them replaced at an auto body shop.

A Spier Road woman noticed an unknown car parked in her driveway Jan. 4. She thought the car belonged to a neighbor. Police verified the car's registration came back to a neighbor. The woman said she did not need further assistance.

A car was stuck in the snow on Drake Road Jan. 4. Police helped the driver move the car onto Post Road.

A deer was caught in a Heathcote Road gate Jan. 5. Police managed to motion the deer to back itself out of the gate and regain its freedom. It left the area without apparent injury.

Patrol called a tow for a car with a flat tire on Post Road at 1 a.m., Jan. 6.

A tree fell on Fenimore Road, blocking both lanes, Jan. 6. Police contacted the highway department for removal.

After a stop sign fell down at Griffen and Grand Park avenues, police erected a temporary stop sign Jan. 7.

Eight car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Dogs
A caller reported Crest Lane dogs were outside Jan. 6. The dog's owner told patrol the dogs were outside for only a short period of time to relive themselves.

Lost and Found
On Jan. 31, a Chateaux Circle resident reported losing a pearl necklace while walking in the village Dec. 31.

A man found a purse on Ridgecrest East while walking his dog Jan. 7. The purse contained a New York State driver's license, Honda car keys and $52 cash. Patrol contacted the owner's father who responded to headquarters to pick up the purse.

Firefighters
According to Fire Chief James Seymour, the Scarsdale Fire Department responded to 45 calls this week, including at least two car accidents in the village and on parkways. Among these calls, were the following incidents:

On Jan. 3, firefighters were dispatched to a Fairview Road house for a carbon monoxide alarm. Upon arrival, firefighters found elevated carbon monoxide levels in the house and a broken water pipe, with extensive water damage, on the second floor. The furnace was shut down and the house was ventilated. The water main was shut down, and water pipes were drained. Con Edison responded and shut off the gas main, also tagging it, due to the extensive damage to the house. Multiple attempts were made to contact the owner, with negative results. The main breaker for the house was also shut off. The water department was notified to remove the water meter.

On Jan. 4, Con Edison reported a propane odor inside a Walworth Avenue house. Firefighters arrived to investigate and found renovation contractors operating propane heaters inside the house to keep warm. There were no apparent propane leaks and no readings of explosive gas or carbon monoxide. Firefighters advised the contractors that the indoor use of propane heaters was dangerous and unlawful. The propane heaters were turned off. Con Edison was on scene repairing natural gas service to house, which would thus allow the house's heating system to be turned back on.

A Nelson Road resident reported a possible chimney fire Jan. 4. Residents evacuated and waited for firefighters. Upon arrival, firefighters saw no visible smoke or flames from the chimney. Firefighters performed a primary search of first, second and third floors with a thermal imaging camera. No evidence of heat from a fire was found. As per police, the resident said there were burning embers in the basement boiler room. Firefighters performed a primary search of the basement and found burning embers on the concrete floor of the boiler room. The fireplace cleanout door was ajar and had some smoke coming from it. Firefighters used a chimney kit to remove embers from the house and a chimney bucket to empty the fireplace. They also cleaned out the chimney firebox. Firefighters determined that hot embers were dropping into the chimney cleanout in the basement, due to a missing cover plate for the cleanout located in main fireplace on first floor. Firefighters confirmed that the burning embers were contained to the fireplace, the cleanout and the basement's concrete floor, without further extension. Firefighters advised the resident to have the fireplace serviced and the chimney cleanout door replaced before using fireplace again.

On Jan. 8, firefighters were called about a smoke odor in a Herkimer Road basement. Firefighters detected a slight haze and smell of smoke, strongest in the basement. The owner had shut off the heating system, thinking the odor was coming from that system. Firefighters were unable to locate the origin of the burning odor and attempted to turn the heating system back on. The homeowner stated the thermostat was not working, Firefighters examined the electrical box in the heating unit and found burnt wires. Firefighters shut gas and electricity to the unit and advised the homeowner to have it serviced.

This report covering police and fire department activity from Jan. 2-7 has been compiled from official information.

This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit their website.