Five Westchester School Districts in Lockout on Tuesday, Watchful Police Nab Suspects in Mamaroneck Road Burglary

Five Westchester School Districts went into "lockout" mode on Tuesday morning February 27, following a murder at the Sleepy Hollow Gardens apartments on Route 119 in Tarrytown around 7:15 am. While police pursued the gunman, five districts in the area were locked out, meaning only students and staff could enter the buildings. The five districts are Tarrytown, Irvington, Hastings-on Hudson, Elmsford and Dobbs Ferry. There were not threats to safety inside the schools.

Burglars caught
On Feb. 21, police arrested Vincent Cuccurulio, 31, of White Plains and Christian Rosa, 26, of Valhalla, after they were caught burglarizing a Mamaroneck Road house. They were each charged with second-degree burglary, a Class-C felony. The suspects were arrested after officers in the area observed suspicious activity and began surveillance of the suspects. Cuccurulio and Rosa were observed on the property of a Mamaroneck Road house, east of Palmer Avenue. Officers checked the house and found it had just been burglarized. Drawers and cabinets were open and tossed; rooms were in disarray; and frozen food had been removed from the freezer and left on the kitchen table. The homeowner confirmed jewelry and a jewelry box were missing. The two suspects were taken into custody a short time later at a different location. Property stolen from the burglarized was recovered at the time of the defendants' arrest. The investigation is active and ongoing and additional charges are possible. Both Defendants were arraigned on Feb. 22, at Village Justice Court. They were remanded to Westchester County Jail. Scarsdale police were assisted by police from New Rochelle, Greenburgh, White Plains and Mount Pleasant.

Suspect caught
Scarsdale police assisted Eastchester police in apprehending one of two suspects allegedly involved with a larceny at the CVS store at Post Road and Brook Street, in Eastchester, Feb. 25. Scarsdale police were called to assist near the intersection of Bell Road and Boulevard around 6:15 p.m., Sunday evening. They set up a perimeter at Montgomery and Post Roads. Around that time, a resident called Scarsdale police to report seeing one of the suspects walking in the area of Boulevard and Clarence Road. Police went to the area and saw the suspect, approached him and "asked him to stop, turn away and put his hands behind his back." The suspect allegedly kept asking the officer why he was being stopped, and the officer was thus prompted to un-holster his Taser, order the suspect to his knees and call for backup. The suspect allegedly responded to this command and cooperatively waited until backup arrived. At that point, he was handcuffed, and soon thereafter, taken custody by Eastchester police. A witness positively identified the suspect, a 22-year-old Brooklyn man. Eastchester police are following up.

Reported car theft
Responding to a report of a 2015 Jeep Cherokee stuck in the middle of a field, on Heathcote School grounds, on Palmer Avenue, Feb. 21, police found a gray Jeep Cherokee there. The car was registered to a Taunton Road resident. Patrol observed a floor mat and a spare tire beneath the Jeep's wheel and a jack beneath the driver's side door, which indicated an attempt to remove the car from the muddy field. A can containing an alcoholic drink, "Four Loko," was also found near the Jeep. The desk officer contacted the Jeep's owner. The owner said his son used the Jeep the previous night to go to Chop't and 7-Eleven in the village. However, the owner alleged that his son returned home with the car. The owner further said he believed his son left the keys in the car, and the car must have been stolen. Police had the Jeep towed to the impound lot for further investigation. Upon questioning the owner's son to gather additional information, the 20-year-old son said he left work at Chop't at 11:30 p.m., Feb. 20, went to 7-Eleven and immediately continued on his way home. He said he arrived at home at 11:45 p.m. and parked the car in the driveway, most likely with the keys left inside the car. He told police he had nothing to do with the car being driven over Heathcote Field and left there. A custodian at Heathcote School documented damage to the field.

Identity theft
On Feb. 20, a Jefferson Road caller reported a PayPal Credit account and an Ally Bank account were fraudulently opened in her name. She closed the accounts, and police advised her to notify the three credit reporting bureaus.

On Feb. 21, a 23-year-old Brooklyn man walked into headquarters and reported his cousin fraudulently used his identity during a traffic stop conducted by Scarsdale police on Aug. 10, 2017. At the time of the traffic stop, three summonses for traffic violations were issued to the cousin, but falsely under the name of the Brooklyn man. The cousin is allegedly 30-year-old and also from Brooklyn.

On Feb. 24, a Julia B. Fee realtor reported that prospective tenants were using false identity information in an attempt to rent a Post Road house. Upon running the prospective couple's credit reports, fraud was detected in the credit reports. When police further attempted to check information in the driver's licenses supplied by the couple, the police database stated that the drivers' licenses "were not on file."

Copper theft
A Greenacres Avenue resident reported approximately 1,000 square feet of scrap copper was stolen from his driveway Feb. 20. The roll of copper was left over from a roofing job.

Photos
A contractor reported a black Suburban stopped in front of his job site on Fox Meadow Road, and the driver took several photographs, outside and inside the two houses being built, before leaving the area Feb. 20. A Verizon worker was present at the scene while the unknown person was taking photos.

Sewage
A Rochambeau Road homeowner reported sewage was backing up into her house Feb. 20. The highway department was notified.

Door
On Feb. 20, police found an unlocked door at a Garth Road business. They contacted the owner and secured the door with a padlock found in the business.

Shrubs
On Feb. 21, a Highland Way woman reported a large truck might have accidentally mounted the curb and damaged some shrubbery on her lawn. Police looked at the damaged shrubbery, and the damaged did not appear intentional or criminal.

Elevator
A person reported getting stuck in the elevator in the Freightway Garage but was able to get herself out of the elevator Feb. 23.

Car service
A caller reported a dispute with an Uber driver Feb. 22. The caller said he was in an Uber and the driver was taking him in the wrong direction from his desired destination. The caller phoned police and asked to get out of the car at Walworth Avenue and Colvin Road. The Uber driver was no longer there when police arrived. Patrol called Central Taxi for the caller.

Cars and roadways
On Feb. 19, a Penn Boulevard resident asked police if they could help him register a car, titled in Indiana, in Florida. Police told the resident they cannot act as an agent of the State of Florida.

Police placed traffic cones in a large pothole at Heathcote and Brookby roads Feb. 20.

On Feb. 20, a mother accidentally locked her keys inside her car with her 14-month-old child on Olmstead Road. Heathcote Gulf was contacted and promptly unlocked the car. The child was unharmed.

Police informed the water department of a dislodged water cap on Nelson Road Feb. 20.

The highway department removed a fallen branch from Chase Road Feb. 20.
A man was found to be asleep in a parked car on Windsor Lane at 5:30 a.m., Feb. 21.

The car was partially obstructing a driveway. Police called the mother of the sleeping man, and she came to the scene to move the vehicle and take her son home.
The highway department was informed about a possible sinkhole near a catch basin on Carthage Road Feb. 21.

A bicycle chained to a parking meter on Chase Road was obstructing a parking space Feb. 23. Patrol left a note for the bicycle's owner to remove it from the parking meter and use the bike rack in the future.

Police saw a man attempting to push a disabled vehicle on Palmer Avenue Feb. 24. Police attempted to speak with the man, but a language barrier prevented communication. Police called the registered owner of the car, and the owner moved it.

The driver of a parked car on Valley Road told police he had stopped his car in order to text someone Feb. 25. Nothing criminal or suspicious was occurring.
Four car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Civil matter
A cleaning woman called police to report a Greenacres Avenue resident was refusing to pay her for cleaning services performed at the resident's house Feb. 23. She told police the resident said she was not satisfied with the work, and that's why the resident was not paying her. Patrol spoke with the resident who stated portions of the house were damaged during the cleaning process, and these damages needed to be repaired. The resident then agreed to pay the cleaning woman a reduced rate due to the damages. Payment was made while police were on the scene.

Dogs
A woman found a loose pit bull on Stratton Road and confined the dog in a dog cage that she owned Feb. 25. Police notified New Rochelle Humane Society to pick up the dog.

Lost and found
A bicycle was found at the corner of Palmer Avenue and Mamaroneck Road Feb. 22. Police took it to headquarters for safekeeping.

A Brown Road man found an iPhone watch while taking a walk on Tisdale and Taunton roads, and he gave it to police for safekeeping Feb. 23.

Firefighters
On Feb. 21, a Gorham Court housekeeper reported a chemical odor in the house. She told firefighters she had been using the stove and a dryer when she smelled the odor. Firefighters thought the odor smelled like "new carpeting," but the housekeeper doubted that was the cause of the odor. The carpeting company confirmed the new carpet could release an odor after installation. Con Edison was also called, and a small gas leak was discovered in a pipe near the meter. Con Edison shut gas to the house and advised the homeowner to call a plumber. Firefighters ventilated the house.

Exhaust steam from a heating system at a Lockwood Road house was mistaken for smoke by a neighbor Feb. 23. Firefighters confirmed there was no fire or danger.

A Tompkins Road resident was concerned because she spilled water on a power cord for a water dispenser while trying to change the water bottle Feb. 25.

Firefighters checked the integrity of the cord and found it to be in good condition.

The circuit breaker for the outlet did not trip, and the water dispenser was operating normally. Firefighters advised the resident to clean up the water spill.
Firefighters shut power to a hot electrical light switch and capped its wires in a Harvest Drive house Feb. 25. They advised the resident to call an electrician for replacement.

On Feb. 25, a Mamaroneck Road homeowner accidentally left a stove burner in the "on" position without an active flame. A natural gas odor was detected in the house, and the homeowner ventilated the space. Firefighters checked the house for natural gas, and meters confirmed there were no readings of explosive gas in the house.

This week, firefighters assisted at three car accidents in the village and on parkways. They responded to one false carbon monoxide alarm and 14 false fire alarms, caused by device malfunction, cooking smoke, shower steam, dust, plumbers' work, a water leak and a battery change.

This report covering police and fire department activity from Feb. 19-25, 2018 has been compiled from official information.