Holiday Delivery Stolen from Front Porch, Pit bull Attack and Pedestrian Hit on Popham Road

While holiday spirits are high, residents must be cautious not to leave valuable unattended – because thieves are on the prowl. This week, two crimes of opportunity occurred.

First, a package containing an $80 rocking horse was delivered to a South Church Lane house, and, shortly thereafter, it was stolen Dec. 7. The homeowner saw the package on the front porch around 5 p.m. when she entered her house through the garage. When she went outside to bring the package inside around 6 p.m., it was no longer there. The homeowner reported the incident to police Dec. 8.

On Dec. 8, a Post Road woman reported her 2015 Audi Q7's window had been smashed, and her Dell laptop computer was stolen from the front seat. This occurred while she was attending a meeting at Wayside Cottage between 7:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. During this time, the laptop was unattended and in plain view in the car.

Unauthorized charges
On Dec. 9, a Fenimore Road woman reported a window contractor charged her credit card for work that was not performed. She told police she hired the man to install cabinets and window blinds in February 2015. She paid for that work in full with her HSBC credit card. Recently, she realized the contractor charged two additional payments to her card -- $1,400 in April and $2,700 in August. She did not authorize either of these debits; nor had the contractor performed additional work. The woman contacted the contractor, who said the charges had been made in error. He promised to return the money to the woman within one week's time. Since then, the week has passed, and the woman has not seen the return of any money. All attempts to communicate with the contractor have gone unanswered. HSBC was able to return the $2,700 to the woman's account, but the bank said it was unable to return the $1,400 because the problem was more than six month old, and it had not been reported. Patrol attempted to contact the contractor, but the attempt was not successful.

Harassment
A Brown Road woman felt harassed by unwanted text messages and emails from her husband, with whom she was undergoing divorce proceedings Dec. 8. Police read the texts and emails and did not find them threatening in nature. They advised the woman about the process to seek an order of protection if she continued to feel harassed by unwanted communication.

Argument
On Dec. 10, police were called to break up a loud argument between two men on Scarsdale Avenue at 8:30 p.m., Dec. 10. The men were yelling at each other, and patrol told them to separate. One man said he was a limo driver waiting for a fare. The other man said he was walking home and noticed the limo was parked too close to a fire hydrant. This precipitated the argument. Patrol managed to calm the situation, and both men agreed they could have handled their dispute in a better way.

Craig's List scam
A Park Road woman placed an ad in Craig's List to sell a chair Dec. 13. A man named "Frank" contacted her, requesting to buy the chair. He mailed her a check, in the name of Max Knowles, in an amount that exceeded the amount for the chair. He asked her to cash the check and refund him the difference. She suspected a scam, did not cash the check and did not send him any money.

Assistance
A homeless woman told police she saw two men acting suspicious near the train station Dec. 8. The woman asked police to meet her at 7-Eleven to get more information. Patrol talked to the woman. They did not see any suspicious individuals near the station or in the vicinity. Police asked the woman if she needed any assistance or if she wanted help finding a shelter for the night. She declined, and said she was meeting a person in Greenburgh who had her luggage.
On Dec. 8, police checked the welfare of a Parkfield Road woman after her children were worried because they could not get in contact with her. Patrol went to the door of the woman's house, but there was no answer, and the house appeared dark. Later, the woman's daughter called headquarters to say her mother was fine. She had been home watching TV and did not hear the doorbell.

Open door
On Dec. 8, a Walworth Avenue resident reported a neighbor's door had been open for several days. Police knocked on the door and went inside the house to investigate. There, they found personal belongings, mattresses, merchandise and sealed cardboard boxes stacked in the entranceway. They searched the house and found no one home. They did not notice any signs of criminality. Patrol secured the house before leaving.

Doorbell
A Gorham Road man called police after someone rang his doorbell at 4:45 a.m., Dec. 9. The man did not go to the door to investigate. Police canvassed the area but did not find anyone who could have been responsible for ringing the doorbell.

Phone call
A Rectory Lane woman received four calls from a private number Dec. 9. She ignored the first three calls but answered the fourth call. A man on the line identified himself as "Donald" from Con Edison. He said he was returning a call from the woman's husband and provided a callback number with a New York City area code. After hanging up the phone, the woman called the number and a Spanish speaking man answered. Police searched the number, and it came back listed as a New York City deli. The woman's husband confirmed he had not called Con Edison.

Pedestrian struck
On Dec. 10, a 64-year-old Pound Ridge woman was crossing Popham Road in the crosswalk when she was struck by a 2014 Audi driven by a 57-year-old Bradley Road man. The Audi was making a left turn onto Popham Road from Overhill Road at 5:20 p.m. The driver said the light was a steady green while he was making the turn, and he did not see the pedestrian in the crosswalk. The woman was treated on the scene by police, firefighters and members of Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps. She was taken to the hospital for further evaluation and care.

Cars and roadways
Two motorists were arguing over who should move his or her car first in order that both cars could pass a crowded area on Brite Avenue Dec. 7. Police intervened, and the matter was settled.
The side mirror of a Walworth Avenue man's car was cracked while the car was parked outside his house Dec. 7. Police deduced the car had probably been sideswiped.
A Hillview Drive resident complained about a "suspicious" car parked on his street Dec. 8. Patrol learned the car was registered to another Hillview Drive resident.
Police called a tow for the driver of a gray Oldsmobile that became disabled at Olmsted Road and Hickory Lane Dec. 9. The car was towed to a mechanic's lot.
A Roosevelt Road woman reported a large pile of leaves in front of her house Dec. 10. Police contacted the highway department for removal.
A parked BMW was left running on Woodland Place Dec. 13. Patrol contacted the owner who was unaware he had left the car running. The owner returned to the car and shut off the ignition.
Eight car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Dogs
A dog wearing a red sweater was found in a Mamaroneck Road yard Dec. 7. Police identified the dog's Brookline Road owner and returned the dog to her.
Patrol found a loose dog and returned it to its owner's Berkeley Road house, where a babysitter was home. A summons was issued to the owner.
A Grand Park Avenue pit bull attacked a Broadmoor Road dog on Griffen Avenue while the Broadmoor Road dog was out for a walk with its owner Dec. 9. The Pit bull's teeth left three puncture wounds in the Broadmoor Road dog's head. Sanitation workers in the area hosed down the Pit bull to assist in breaking up the attack. The Broadmoor Road dog was taken to a vet and received stitches. The incident is also being reported to Town of Mamaroneck police because the pitbull lives there.

Lost and found
A Mamaroneck Road man reported losing his Indian passport, Indian tax ID card and United States Green Card somewhere in the village Dec. 9.
A woman found a blue wallet near the intersection of Garth and Popham roads Dec. 10. She gave the wallet to police, who contacted the owner. The owner said he would retrieve the wallet from headquarters Dec. 11.
On Dec. 13, firefighters found a credit card wallet on the ground at Christie Place and gave it to police. It contained a metro card and other items. Police vouchered it at headquarters for safekeeping.

Firefighters
A neighbor heard a fire alarm, smelled smoke from a neighbor's house and called the fire department Dec. 7. Firefighters saw and smelled smoke, so they entered the house. There, a pot left on the stove was smoking. Firefighters removed the pot and turned off the stove. During the process of entering the house, a screen was damaged. Firefighters informed the homeowner.
On Dec. 7, firefighters were called to a Post Road house on a reported gas explosion and gas odor. There, firefighters found no one home. Con Edison arrived to check for gas. Con Edison found a minor problem with the resident's stove, shut gas to it and red tagged it.
On Dec. 7, an automatic alarm summoned firefighters to a Tunstall Road house, where they found a smoking oven. They turned the oven off and informed the homeowners who were currently away from the house.
Firefighters assisted a Greenacres Avenue resident with a leaking pressure relief valve on a furnace Dec. 10.
Firefighters assisted an Elm Road resident with a burned out fluorescent bulb Dec. 10.
On Dec. 11, firefighters helped a Dobbs Terrace change a smoke detector battery.
On Dec. 11, firefighters checked ID and helped a Potter Road resident get inside her house after she accidentally locked herself out.
Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the sites of possible gas leaks at Con Edison excavation sites on Valley and Richbell roads Dec. 12. The incidents occurred hours after each other.
This week, firefighters assisted at two car accidents in the village. They responded to nine false fire alarms caused by device malfunction, cooking smoke, construction dust, steam and a hair dryer.

This report covering police and fire department activity from Dec. 9-15 has been compiled from official information.

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