Burglars strike while homeowners are away on Berwick, Dunham and Nelson Roads

A second-floor motion detector in a Berwick Road house summoned police to the scene of a recent burglary around 6:20 p.m., Feb. 12. There, the master bedroom, two closets and the master bathroom had been rummaged through. Jewelry was reported stolen. Investigation found a second floor window screen removed, the window open ajar approximately three inches and pry marks on the window frame. Detectives are investigating.

On Feb. 13, a woman checking her sister's Dunham Road house reported a broken rear sliding glass door and the house burglarized. The homeowners had left for vacation on Feb. 12, at approximately 4 p.m. The master bedroom, closets, children's bedrooms and an office were ransacked, with drawers emptied and numerous thrown onto the floor. Detectives noted fresh footprints in the snow near the sliding glass door, which was the burglars' point of entry and exit. The homeowners were notified of the incident, for follow-up with police upon their return. The house has a home security system, but it was not armed at the time of the incident.

Nelson Road residents returned home from a two-week vacation to find their house burglarized Feb. 14. The house was not equipped with a security system, surveillance system or automatic lights. A rear window was found open when the residents returned. Upstairs, bedrooms were in disarray, and $1,000 cash, two pairs of designer sunglasses and pillowcases were reported stolen. Downstairs, a living room shade was open, possibly for use as a lookout's vantage point. A small safe, with a key in it, was found on the floor of the master bedroom. The residents said they did not keep anything in the safe. Police determined the suspects entered the house through an unsecured rear patio window and exited the house through a rear patio door. Police noted some cash, valuables and electronics were left untouched, in plain view inside the house.

Dead on arrival
Santo Gulla, of Ferncliff Road, passed away at home Feb. 8. He was 103.

Stolen
On Feb. 10, a Wyndham Road man reported his Jeep Wrangler mountain bicycle was stolen from a sign pole outside Depot Place. The bike had been attached to the pole with a kryptonite lock at 7:35 a.m. The bike was missing at 9:15 a.m., and the cut lock was lying on the ground nearby. The blue, black and silver bicycle was valued at $470. The lock was valued at $80.

On Feb. 13, a Sheldrake Road woman reported a pair of white gold earrings, a gold Bulgari ring and a white gold and diamond ring were stolen from her between Oct. 1 and Oct. 29, 2015. The woman said she had moved into temporary housing on Harcourt Road while her house was being renovated. She hired a moving company to help her move. Upon unpacking her belongings, she could not find the jewelry, but she thought it might be packed with her nightstand or safe. When those items were unpacked, the jewelry was not there either. She said she had not yet contacted the moving company about the missing jewelry.

Identity theft
On Feb. 9, a Beechwood Lane resident reported someone stole his personal identity to fraudulently open a T-Mobile cell phone account on Feb. 2. The account, in the man's name, was set up for international use in France. It resulted in a charge of one Euro on the man's American Express account. American Express and T-Mobile were notified of the fraudulent charges. The account was closed.

On Feb. 11, a Walworth Avenue man reported two credit cards were fraudulently opened in his name – a Macys American Express card and a Bloomingdales card. The Bloomingdales card had acquired an undisclosed balance. The man reported the fraudulent cards to the creditors, and they were cancelled.
On Feb. 13, an Aspen Road resident reported someone attempted to open fraudulent Bank of America credit card in his name on Feb. 10. The application was denied, and the resident did not suffer any financial loss.

Criminal mischief
On Feb. 9, a Fox Meadow school custodian reported someone drove a vehicle onto the school's sports fields overnight, causing damage. The car left circular tire tracks in the ground, commonly referred to as "donuts." A neighbor reported hearing a car rev its engine around 7 p.m., Feb. 8., but police could not verify if the sound was related to the damage. Principal Duncan Wilson reported this kind of incident has happened in the past.

Strange calls
A Park Road woman reported receiving a few unusual and unwanted phone calls. The reported context of the calls was, "Hi Maria. Are they with you?" The woman could not ascertain if the calls had been made by a live person, or if they had been generated by a recording. She could not determine if the calls originated from a private number or not. She asked patrol to make additional ridebys of her house at night.

Cab fare
A taxi driver drove to headquarters with a passenger after the passenger said he was unable to pay the $120 fare from Grand Central Station to his house on Walworth Avenue at 5 a.m., Feb. 10. The passenger allegedly told the driver he did not have any money to pay the fare. Patrol told the passenger he would have to find a way to pay it. Patrol followed the driver and passenger back to the passenger's house, where the passenger eventually went inside, got money and paid the fare.

Postal truck
A Boulder Brook Road resident saw a "suspicious postal truck" parked outside her house and called police at 6:30 a.m., Feb. 8. Officers responded to investigate the complaint. They spoke with the driver of the truck, a uniformed postal workers, who advised he was waiting until 7 a.m. to make a delivery, as part of a new service offered by Amazon.

Man in yellow vest
A caller reported a "suspicious man" allegedly "watching people" on Boulevard and Johnson Roads. He was described as between the ages of 18 and 20, African American and wearing a yellow reflective vest. The caller was concerned because "the man did not seem to belong to the area." Patrol spoke with the man and confirmed he had a legitimate purpose to be in the area. He was a Verizon employee, waiting for his supervisor. They had been speaking with existing customers in the area about their services. No violations were observed.

Food vendor
Police received complaints about a vendor selling food items out of his car in the parking lot of Village Hall Feb. 10. Officers had trouble communicating with the driver due to a language barrier, so the driver called a woman to serve as a translator. She said the driver was from a Chinese restaurant in Queens. He planned on making a hot food delivery, which had not yet been delivered. Patrol advised the woman and the driver that the police department has received multiple complaints about food sales outside Village Hall. Patrol warned that a permit is required for any such sales. The driver left the area without incident.

Health aide
A Coralyn Road woman called police after midnight, Feb. 11, stating she did not want a home health aide staying at her house. The aide called her supervisor who said another aide had the same problem with the woman the previous night. Police gave the aide a courtesy ride to the train station.

911 – Obama on the line
A Fox Meadow man called 911, stating he was the President and that he was looking for his car Feb. 11. Patrol went to the man's house and advised him he was not the President, nor was the President looking for him. The man's mother was at home, but she was unaware that her son had been calling 911. She took away her son's cell phone to prevent future similar incidents. Later the man called 911 again, stating a federal judge works for him, and this federal judge will arrest police officers who show up at his house. Patrol advised the man to stop calling 911, unless it is an emergency. The man's mother was advised to speak with her son and her son's doctor about this ongoing issue. On Feb. 12, police received additional non-urgent 911 calls from the same man. Police spoke with his mother, who was not at home. She said a family member would respond to the house to handle the situation. At 1 a.m., Feb. 13, the man called police stating his neighbors were bothering him. He could not articulate what the neighbors were allegedly doing to cause a nuisance. The desk officer asked to speak with the man's mother. She said she would administer his son's medication, and he would go to bed. On Feb. 13, the man called 911 again several times, alleging he was the President of the United States and the "boss of the Scarsdale police."

Alarm
Police helped a village employee silence a malfunctioning alarm panel in a village building Feb. 12. The alarm company was contacted for service.

Safekeeping
A man gave two handguns to police for safekeeping Feb. 12. The man came into possession of the handguns after the passing of his father. Ownership of the guns was in the process of being legally transferred to another person, but the man wanted police to take possession of the guns in the meantime.

Mother daughter dilemma
Police were called to mediate a dispute between a Quaker Ridge mother and her adult daughter Feb. 12. The daughter wanted help in getting her mother situated in her bedroom. The mother said she was fine in the living room. Police advised the daughter they did not have the authority to force the mother to go to her room. The daughter said a caregiver was scheduled to arrive the next morning.

White van
A caller reported a white Ford Econoline van parked outside his White Road house at 10:45 a.m., Feb. 13. The van was occupied by two men – a driver with no front teeth wearing a cowboy hat and a passenger wearing a hoody. The caller approached the men and asked what they were doing. They said they were waiting for a buddy and pointed to a neighbor's house. The caller told police he know the residents of the alleged house and was fairly certain the two men in the van were not waiting for anyone from that house. As the men were driving away, one said to the caller, "We are not casing the neighborhood."

Fallen tree
A village-owned tree fell on a Ridgedale Road house at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 13. A beam in the attic sustained minor damage, and the building department was advised. The homeowner's daughter was informed an asked to notify her parents.

Help
An Edgewood man who suffers from dementia reported seeing a homeless man opening his garage door at 11:30 p.m., Feb. 14. There were no footprints in the snow indicating such an action. Patrol checked the garage and confirmed it was unoccupied and safe. Patrol notified the man's daughter about the matter.

Cars, roadways, water
Patrol rolled up a fallen wire on Harvest Drive and placed it at the side of the road Feb. 9.

On Feb 10, patrol asked a driver to move his car from the fire station driveway at Popham and Post roads. The driver said he did not realize he had parked at the fire station, and he promptly moved his car.

Police notified the water department about a possible water leak on Boulevard Feb. 11.

A man sitting in a parked gold Hyundai on Barry Road was a solar panel contractor who was waiting for his partner's work van to arrive at 8:45 a.m., Feb. 12.

Patrol notified the water department about a leaking hydrant at Griffen Avenue and Brittany Close Feb. 12.

The water department was asked to shut water to a Circle Road house due to frozen pipes Feb. 12.

A blood transporter was allegedly driving on the wrong side of Richbell Road Feb. 12. Police initiated a traffic stop, and the driver said he did not see the yellow markings on the road. The driver did not show any signs of intoxication or impairment. He thanked patrol for the assistance.

The highway department salted an icy roadway at Birchall Drive and Morris Lane, due to an overflowing catch basin Feb. 13.

Police removed a large tree limb and a cluster of fallen branches from Brook Lane Feb. 13.

Patrol directed traffic around a disabled car, with a flat tire, near the intersection of Weaver Street and Hutchinson Avenue Feb. 13.

A tree fell on Post Road, at Lorraine Place, and caused a car accident Feb. 13.

A man in the bus depot after hours was a District bus driver awaiting a late pickup of the track team Feb. 13.

A man sitting in a parked car on Tunstall Road said he had just left a friend's house and was using the friend's Wifi for an electronic device in his car at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 13.

Pipes broke in a Brewster Road house while the homeowners were away. A neighbor noticed a heavy water flow coming from the side of the house. The water department was notified and shut water from the street. Firefighters and police assisted.

Four car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Lost and found
On Feb. 10, a man reported losing a diplomat license plate from his car while it was parked on Mamaroneck Road.

A Berwick Road man found a wallet containing personal papers, credit cards and $180 cash while he was on his way to work Feb. 11. Police contacted the owner, who picked up his wallet from headquarters.

On Feb. 11, an iPhone with attached headphones was found on the ground in the vicinity of police headquarters. The screen and earphones were damaged. Police vouchered the phone for safekeeping.

A Stratton Road woman reported losing half of her Cartier gold bracelet Feb. 11. The bracelet consisted of two hinged halves, and one portion fell off and was lost while the woman was running errands in the village. The bracelet was valued at $6,300.

On Feb. 13, a Brambach Road man reported losing the front license plate from his car. He could not remember when or where he last saw the license plate.

Fire
An oil burner puff-back occurred at a Rodney Road house Feb. 8. Firefighters checked the house and advised the homeowner to service the boiler.

Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a natural gas odor, with gas readings, in a Jefferson Road house under construction Feb. 8. Nearby houses were checked for possible gas infiltration.

Firefighters notified Con Edison about a natural gas odor on Chesterfield Road Feb. 9.

Firefighters opened a fireplace flue in a Heathcote Road house that was accidentally left in a closed position while the resident was burning a fire Feb. 11. Smoke inside the house was ventilated.

A Rochambeau Road resident was accidentally locked out of her house Feb. 13. Firefighters verified her identity and helped her get back inside the house.

A tree fell on Bethel Road and hit a water pipe from a construction site Feb. 13. Water flooded the road. Firefighters, water department employees and highway workers responded to rectify the situation.

Firefighters helped a Palmer Avenue resident with a faulty smoke detector Feb. 13.

Firefighters put the elevator at the Scarsdale train station out of service because it was malfunctioning Feb. 14.

Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a gas leak from a water heater in a Fox Meadow Road house Feb. 14.

A suspected gas odor in a Meadow Road house was traced to leftover paint cans, empty bottles of household cleaners and soap products Feb. 14. Firefighters advised the residents to clean out the garage to eliminate the odor.

Water was leaking through a light fixture in a Park Road house Feb. 14. Firefighters traced the source of the leak to a frozen and cracked radiator pipe in an attic closet. They shut off pipes to the affected part of the heating system and advised the homeowner to contact a plumber and electrician to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

This week, firefighters assisted at two car accidents in the village and on parkways. They responded to six false carbon monoxide alarms and 15 false fire alarms due to device malfunction, floor sanding dust, cooking smoke and construction dust.

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