White Plains Man Arrested for Easter Crime Spree in Scarsdale

(Updated 10:55 am Monday) A White Plains man dressed in a black hat and a white chef’s jacket robbed and menaced several Greenacres residents in an Easter afternoon crime spree. The bizarre series of events began around 3 pm when the suspect, later identified as Edwardo Mendoza Zepeda, menaced and assaulted a 25 year-old woman Greenburgh woman who had been jogging on Greenacres Avenue at the intersection of Walworth. He was carrying a yellow gas container and asked her "where can I find a gas station?" After she gave him directions he said, "I need to get there quickly," and threatened her with a screwdriver and pushed her into her car. She was able to push him away and he ran off.

Just minutes later, police received a second phone call from a Brite Avenue man to say that a man had entered his home by force after an encounter outside. The resident answered his door and found Zepeda who asked to use the phone to call a taxi as his car had run out of gas. The resident brought his cell phone outside and dialed Scarsdale Taxi. But when Zepeda returned the phone, he pushed the resident inside the house and pulled out a screwdriver. The phone fell to the ground and Zepeda brandished the screwdriver and said "I will kill you." The victim yelled to his wife to call the police and Zepeda said, "only kidding." He went outside, picked up the cell phone and fled on foot up Brite Avenue towards Fenimore Road.

While officers searched the area, a third call was received, this time from a man on Post Road who was also robbed. Zepeda forced his way into the house and stole money and attacked a female resident by "grasping her around the neck while choking her."

He then ran out the back of 1160 Post Road. By then, police units and dogs from Scarsdale, Westchester County, New Rochelle and Eastchester were scouring the area for him. He was next spotted in the driveway of 44 Mamaroneck Road and was apprehended between 44 and 50 Mamaroneck Road. He was ordered to the ground but flailed, struggled and kicked in an attempt to get away.

When he was searched by police, Zepeda said, "I'm sorry, I'm on drugs, I take crack" and also said "I was running because I was scared, I did it because of the drugs."  He also stated, "I have a crack pipe and cell phones in my pocket, and I had three hundred dollar in my shoe, but my shoe came off as I was running. That's why I came back for the money."

When he was searched, police found two cell phone and a glass pipe containing crack residue. He was taken to police headquarters where the victims came in to identify him, he was read his Miranda rights and placed in the holding cell.

Zepeda, age 48, lives at 86 East Post Road in White Plains. He has been charged with multiple counts of burglary 1st degree, robbery 2nd degree, attempted assault, menacing, criminal possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.

Here’s a first person account of the pursuit of Zepeda from a homeowner on Mamaroneck Avenue:

“The guy walked down the driveway of the flag lot behind us (54 Mamaroneck) and circled their house. The owner asked him if he needed something and he claimed to be from a lawn service company – and gave a name. The owner told him that they do not use the service and asked him to leave. My back door was open and my dog started barking frantically. Since he only barks at people, I should have paid attention, but to be honest, we were jet lagged from a trip to Spain. My husband and son were outside shooting hoops and my husband said that the guy cut through from our neighbors’ driveway and walked (not running at this point) across our front yard and into the neighbors on our other side (44 Mamaroneck). Within seconds of this, about 10 police cars showed up (some marked some not) and out of them came about 20 officers running down our property and our neighbors. There was at least one dog and some pretty scary looking guns. My husband grabbed my son and put him inside and told the police which way the guy went. At this point, the robber started running back toward our property as most of the police were in front of 44 Mamaroneck. He was captured trying to climb the fence between the two properties. I know that the police found money and I think pepper spray but don’t know what was on him and what they found walking around – they were very thorough and spent about an hour walking our and our neighbors’ yards and interviewing the witnesses.”

Though Greenacres has experienced a recent rash of burglaries, this is the first that involved robbery and assault. Police have not revealed if Zepeda can be linked to any of the prior incidents but did say that he has a record of 14 prior arrests dating back to 1981.