Crime Spree! Burglaries, Car Thefts, Shoplifting and Trespassing on the Rise

Burglaries: On Sept. 2, police responded to a burglar alarm at a Mohican Trail house and discovered an open and damaged entry door. No one was inside the house when police arrived, but it appeared as if items might have been stolen from the house. The homeowners were notified and arrived back at home to assess the situation

On Sept. 3, a realtor arrived at a Lincoln Road house and found the front door “blowing off its frame.” Investigation showed that the door had been kicked in, and the house had been burglarized. The realtor informed the new homeowner, who completed a deposition, and the previous owner was given a deposition to complete to assist with rectifying damage caused to the door and doorframe.

On Sept. 4, a Huntington Road house sitter discovered the house’s front door kicked in, with damage to the dead bolt mechanism, and the house burglarized. Police set up a perimeter and determined the house was empty. Investigation, in consultation with the homeowner, determined items were stolen from the house.

Stolen car
A 2004 white Mercedes Benz was stolen from an Axtell Road driveway overnight and reported on Sept. 2. The keys had been left inside, when health aide used the car the day before and parked it in the driveway of her employer, an 88-year-old man.

Shoplifting
On Sept. 3, the manager of the Popham Road CVS reported that a man and woman stole approximately $1,100 in merchandise from the store on Aug. 27. He discovered the crime after noticing some product shelves were unusually empty, and he was therefore prompted to review surveillance footage of the store’s interior. The footage showed a man and woman enter the store and place a 49 items – including electric toothbrushes, toothbrush refills and deodorant – into bags and leave the store. The man was described as light brown-skinned, with short dark hair and wearing a light-colored, short-sleeved shirt. The woman was described as light brown-skinned, with long blonde hair with dark roots and wearing a dark shirt and long pants.

On Sept. 5, the manager of the Popham Road CVS reported that a white man wearing a green jacket, blue shorts and a light blue hat and a woman wearing a green shirt and black pants entered the store with an empty, large, blue Ikea-style shopping bag. Shortly thereafter, security footage showed the couple leaving the store with the bag full of merchandise. The manager then checked the aisle where the couple had last been seen. It appeared as though the couple had stolen at least $100 worth of Ensure nutrition drinks.

Trespassing
A Taunton Road resident reported an unknown man was “hanging out” on his doorstep at 5:48 a.m., Sept. 5. Upon arrival at the scene, police observed a man – Kofi Busia, 31, address unknown – resting on a bench in the covered porch area of the house. Police questioned Busia and he said he had been trying to gain entry to the house because his parents lived there. Patrol assured him that he had the wrong address. Busia then advised he had been walking around Westchester for most of the night. He was arrested and charged with trespassing, a violation. Upon running his information through a police database, it became clear that Busia was also wanted by the Village of Mamaroneck police department for attempted criminal trespassing. Village of Mamaroneck police were notified, and Busia was picked up by officers of the jurisdiction and transported to their headquarters for further arrest processing.

At 1:55 a.m., Sept. 8, a Hampton Road resident reported two unknown men on his property.

Marijuana
A caller reported seeing a white woman with dark hair, wearing a pink blouse, get out of a white car parked on MacDonald Place and drop something on the ground Sept. 4. She then got back in her car and remained parked on the street for some time before leaving. When the car left, the caller’s husband went outside to investigate. He found a plastic bag containing what appeared to be a stick inside the end of a PVC pipe located at the end of the caller’s driveway. The caller then reported seeing a white man with a blue shirt and white striped gym pants come to the area where the woman ostensibly left the plastic bag. According to the caller, the man appeared to be “looking around the area.” Police located the man and questioned him. At first he was uncooperative and did not want to answer any questions. Later, he said he lived in New York City, but was home visiting his family and went outside for a smoke. After police advised the man that the contents of the pipe – the bag and a marijuana cigarette (which the caller first thought was a stick) had been intercepted, the man said a friend may have left him a “gift” outside, but he did not know what the gift was. Police discarded the bag and its contents as trash.

Identity theft
On Sept. 3, a Fenimore Road resident reported that an unknown person attempted to take out a fraudulent small business loan in her name. She alerted the Small Business Administration before the loan was executed; so she did not incur any financial loss.

Attempted car break-ins
A Wildwood Road man reported seeing a man attempting to break into an Audi parked on the street in front of his house at 5:48 a.m., Sept. 4. When the suspect noticed he was being observed, the suspect ran off to a waiting car and left the area.

Graffiti
The custodian of Heathcote School found graffiti on several pavement areas of the playground, as well as beer bottles discarded on the roof of the school Aug. 31. The graffiti appeared to have been burned into the playground surface by an unknown method. Later that day, a caller reported seeing a large group of kids on the roof of Heathcote School. When police approached them, approximately 20 kids dispersed.

Political signs
A Black Birch Lane man reported some political signs he placed around the Village were disappearing

Domestic disputes
A mother did not want to take medication because she felt nauseous, despite her daughter’s urgings, Sept. 2. Police mediated the parties’ dispute and helped them arrive at a compromise.

An Edgewood Road wife called police to report her husband had taken her cell phone and left their house on foot Sept. 5. Upon arrival police spoke with the husband who said he had taken his wife’s phone because he needed to make a call outside and could not find his own phone. He returned the phone when he was finished. The wife said she had been unaware of the circumstances involving he husband’s use of her phone. She declined further police assistance.

Lights
A Colonial Road woman called police to complain about lights shining into her house from cars on the Hutchinson River Parkway at 4:41 a.m., Sept. 1. Police checked the parkway area and did not observe any cars or drivers intentionally shining lights into the woman’s house.

Help
A commuter called from Scarsdale train station stating he was suffering from an episode of post-traumatic stress disorder Sept. 4. Police notified MTA police, and the commuter was transported to White Plains Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.

Pedestrian hit
A 54-year-old male pedestrian, from Mount Vernon, was struck by a 2017 Land Rover turning west from Post Road onto Popham Road at 8:30 a.m., Sept. 1. The pedestrian was found sitting on the ground in the crosswalk, conscious and alert. Police and firefighters stabilized the pedestrian until Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps arrived. Police issued the 22-year-old Scarsdale driver summonses for failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, related to a suspended license resulting from the driver’s failure to pay a driver responsibility assessment in February.

Cars and roadways
On Aug. 31, police removed a fallen cable wire from Sage Terrace. Verizon was notified.

On Sept. 1, police removed small branches from Kingston and Montrose roads.

On Sept. 1, police marked low hanging wires with caution tape on Church Lane and notified Verizon.

Police took possession of license plates from an impounded car related to a closed case from 2018 and released to a tow company on Sept. 1.

On Sept. 2, police secured low hanging wires on Catherine Road and notified Verizon.

Police advised a person with numerous unpaid parking tickets to resolve the matter at Village Hall Sept. 2.

A car belonging to an unknown person was parked on Quaker Ridge school grounds for several days before a school employee contacted police Sept. 3. Police attempted to reach the registered owner but were unsuccessful. Police advised the school employee to contact a tow service to remove the car if needed.

On Sept. 4, police contacted the Village electrician to repair a traffic light on Mamaroneck Road that was not cycling properly.

On Sept. 4, police notified Con Edison about a branch over wires on Hamilton Road.

Patrol called a tow service to assist a motorist with a dead car battery on Heathcote Road Sept. 6.

An unoccupied, parked car was accidentally left running on Wynmor Road Sept. 7. Patrol attempted to reach the registered owner, with the help of a neighbor, but was not successful. The neighbor offered to shut off the car and secure it for the owner in the meantime.

Police notified Con Edison of low-hanging wires on Garden Road Sept. 7.

Civil matter
On Aug. 31, police informed a Popham Road tenant that an eviction notice he received from his landlord was not a police mater. Rather, it was a civil matter to be followed up on in civil court, if necessary.

On Sept. 1, police dispersed kids from Fox Meadow School grounds after the school was closed. Later that evening, police also dispersed a gathering of kids from Shawnee Road.

Dog bite
On Aug. 31, a Rugby Lane woman reported being bitten by a dog while dropping her son off at a friend’s house on Elm Road on Aug. 30. At the time, she was holding her dog – a mini Schnauzer – in her arms. It was at this time that a dog from a neighboring house broke off its leash, charged at her and her dog and bit both of them. The neighboring dog’s owner and the woman’s friend pulled the attacking dog off of her. The woman experienced undisclosed injuries, and her mini Schnauzer experienced multiple puncture wounds on its back and stomach and three broken ribs. The pet was treated by a vet immediately after the attack. The attacking dog was named after an iconic album title by the musical artist David Bowie, according to the police report. It was the first reported incident involving this dog, in the Village Both dog owners were advised to quarantine their dogs for 10 days.

Animals
Police alerted the highway department to remove a dead raccoon from Sprague Road Sept. 3.

After a neighbor complained about a barking dog on Kensington Road Sept. 4, the dog’s owner apologized. The dog was not longer barking when police arrived on scene.

A Copper Beech Lane resident reported an “unruly cat” in the neighborhood Sept. 6. He resident said the cat, which belongs to a neighbor, often enters his yard and poses a problem due to the fact that he and his wife are allergic to the cat. Patrol tried to talk with the cat’s owner, but the owner was not home.

Village code
On Aug. 31, police advised kids playing basketball at Greenacres School that the school grounds were closed after dark, and the kids dispersed.

A Chase Road resident complained about the post office’s practice making late night deliveries to the Chase Road post office around 1:45 a.m., Sept. 1. Police spoke with an after-hours employee, who provided police with her supervisor’s name and contact info.

A resident of Brewster Road complained of noise coming from roosters Sept. 1. Police spoke with a neighbor who keeps roosters as pets. She said they stay in a sound-insulated coop during the evening. Later, police were called to the same house about excessive rooster noise on Sept. 6. The owner of the roosters fed them, and the roosters quieted down. Police advised her the noise was in violation of Village noise ordinances, and she was issued a verbal warning. She said she would be mindful of noise going forward. On Sept. 7, police received an additional noise complaint. The noise was not deemed excessive enough to warrant code enforcement.

On Sept. 2, police dispersed noisy kids from Aspen Park.

After neighbors complained of noise, police asked a Highland Way resident to lower the volume of music playing at his house Sept. 4.

After neighbors complained of outdoor music playing all night at a Bradford Road house, police helped the resident locate the source of the music and unplug the device Sept. 5.

On Sept. 7, a caller reported many people making noise in the back yard of a Sprague Road house. Police advised the people to lower the volume of their conversations.

Lost and found
Patrol found a debit card on Chase Road and returned it to its owner Sept. 4.

Firefighters
On Sept. 1, firefighters responded to Freightway garage for a stuck, occupied elevator. Firefighters shut power to the elevator and used a drop key to open the door and remove occupants. The elevator car was left at a floor level, with all elevator doors secured.

On Sept. 2, a Broadmoor Road resident reported an odor of natural gas inside her house. Firefighters found a gas knob left on, without ignition of a cooking flame. Firefighters moved the range’s gas valve to a closed position and ventilated the space.

On Sept. 6, an overheated rooftop air handler caused smoke to accumulate in a Spencer Place business and a rear common hallway. Firefighters shut power to the unit and ventilated the structure. Police assisted by providing traffic and pedestrian control.

On Sept. 6, firefighters helped a locked-out senior caregiver get back into the Sheldrake Road house where she was working. The safety and wellbeing of the senior resident was confirmed upon the caregiver’s re-entry.

This report covering police and fire department activity from Aug. 31 – Sept. 7 has been compiled from official information.

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