Police Report: Tree Slices Through House on Gorham Court in Greenacres

On July 14, police responded to a report of a large tree falling and striking a Gorham Court house. The tree, which fell from the backyard, struck the house, cut through the roof and came to rest between the first and second floors. An exterior wall, the roof and an interior stairwell were compromised. Windows were broken. Police, firefighters, Con Edison, the water department and the building department responded to evaluate the scene. Since the house was vacant and for sale, police contacted the real estate agent who notified the owner. All utilities were shut off for safety. Firefighters sealed the exposed areas of the house with tarps, staples and caution tape. The building department determined the tree was located on private property and did not belong to the village.

Stolen money
On July 12, an Immaculate Heart of Mary church official reported that four lock boxes and a candle stand were damaged. Approximately $200 was stolen from the lock boxes. Investigation showed that a parishioner unlocked the lock boxes at approximately 6 a.m. and left them in good order, with nothing missing, at 7:15 a.m. when mass ended. At 8:30 a.m., it was determined that money had been stolen from the lock boxes. Polices estimated that the theft occurred sometime between 7:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Stolen box
A caller reported seeing two men get out of green four-door Acura parked on Bradley Road and approach a Bradley Road house around 8:15 p.m., July 14. They proceeded to take a small brown box from the front porch, get back in the car and drive away. The caller said the occupants of the house had passed away, and the house was empty and for sale.

Shoplifting
An employee of LF Stores on Boniface Circle reported a pair of jeans was stolen from the store July 13. Police are following up.

Car break-in
A Colonial Road woman reported approximately five dollars in charge was missing from her Lincoln Navigator July 15. She told police her husband was out of town, and she wanted to discuss the matter with him before filing an official report.

Domestic matters
A father called police to report he was having a heated argument with his son, and he asked his son to leave July 14. When police got to the house, the father said his son had already left the house. While police were still on scene, the son returned and apologized for his behavior.

A woman walked into headquarters and asked to do a custody exchange at headquarters July 15. She refused to provide any pedigree information. She then asked for the address of the Greenburgh Police Department and left.

Welfare check
A caller reported her daughter is a friend of a person who recently posted on Facebook that he wanted to commit suicide July 15. The caller asked police to check the person's welfare. Police are following up. The matter is confidential.

Altercation
On July 17, police responded to a group home on Post Road because of a physical altercation between two residents. Police learned that while one woman was in the kitchen cooking dinner, another woman entered the kitchen, confronted the "cook" and began to scratch the cook's arms because she was allegedly upset over a change in the kitchen's cleaning schedule. Staff separated both women. The aggressor was unable to clearly communicate with police because she was "in an altered mental state." To address the altered mental state, Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps took the woman to White Plains Hospital Center. A NY State Mental Hygiene Emergency Admission form was filled out by police, and the woman was monitored by two security guards at the hospital. The cook, who sustained scratches to her arm, refused medical attention.

Doorbell
On July 10, a Greenaces Avenue resident reported someone was "attempting to enter her home" and continuously ringing the doorbell. The person was described as driving a gray Toyota Prius. Police found the person and the car. The person was a pizza deliveryman and had mistakenly gone to the wrong house.

Fire hydrant
A Lincoln Road fire hydrant was found to be leaking water July 15. A nearby resident reported hearing a loud bang, possibly from an auto strike, near the hydrant shortly before it was found leaking. Firefighters were called to evaluate the integrity of the fire hydrant, and the water department shut off the hydrant's water supply.

Car horn
An Overhill Road resident called police at 3:40 a.m., July 11, reporting that his car alarm was sounding outside, but he did not know why. Upon arrival at the scene, police saw a young man standing outside a car in a driveway. He said he had been knocking on his parents' door, but they did not hear him. He said he then started using the car horn, in an attempt to wake them and get them to come to the door. Dispatch contacted the caller and explained the situation. The caller came to the door and let his son into the house.

Rock
An Overhill Road woman reported a large, basketball-sized rock suddenly appeared in her yard July 11. Police determined the rock had most likely gotten loose and rolled down from a stone retaining wall at the back of the woman's property.

Cones
A Richbell Road resident reported someone put orange traffic cones in front of his driveway, thus preventing his landscaper from entering his property July 12. Upon arrival, police spoke with a Con Edison foreman subcontracted to repair a gas leak in the street. He said he moved the cones as soon as he realized the landscaper needed to get access to the property. Patrol contacted the resident and updated her about the misunderstanding.

Turtles
A library employee reported an individual was fishing turtles out of the Audrey Hochberg pond to take them home and eat them July 12. Police went to the pond and spoke with the library employee to get more information. The library employee said he saw a man with white hair and two young girls with blonde hair, approximately seven years old, fishing turtles out of the pond with a fishing net. When the employee approached the family and inquired about their activities, the man allegedly said they were going to eat the turtles. By the time the employee entered the library to report the incident, the family had already left the pond.

Tennis
A man accused of giving tennis lessons on the Scarsdale Middle School tennis courts without a permit told police he was "only practicing and playing the game." There was no one with him when police investigated the accusations, reported by a caller.

Suspicious men
A Murray Hill Road woman reported a suspicious conversation with two tall, skinny, white men, with dark bushy hair, in their twenties July 16. According to the woman, the family dog ran out of the house and toward the road where the men were walking. The woman's daughter ran after the dog and called to the men to help her with the dog. One man was wearing black pants and a red shirt. The other man was wearing black pants and a black shirt. The woman said they were possibly identical twins. As the dog approached the men, one of them pulled out a pocketknife and told the daughter, "You're lucky. I almost stabbed your dog." The daughter then apologized, and the men left the area. Police canvassed the area but could not find the men

Road rage
On July 12, a female driver reported a male driver interacted with her by aggressively honking his horn while the female driver was waiting for the green arrow before making a left turn from Popham Road onto Scarsdale Avenue. The woman said there is a lack of visibility at the Popham Road Bridge, and she felt more comfortable waiting for the green arrow. After she made the left turn and parked her car on Scarsdale Avenue, the male driver pulled his car next to her, yelled at her and drove away. Patrol advised the woman that Village Code prevents excessive and unnecessary noise, including horn honking. However, since patrol did not observe the horn honking, patrol stated there was no requirement for police action. The woman insisted that the incident be documented for two reasons. First, she said she wanted to discuss the safety of the traffic light and the left turn at that intersection with Village Hall. Second, she said she wanted to make sure police were aware of the situation that she experienced because it could occur with other motorists in the future. She suggested police could be proactive in preventing similar incidents in the future. Patrol advised that Scarsdale police heavily patrol that area of the village; however, there are sometimes traffic infractions that occur without patrol seeing them.

Cars and roadways
Patrol moved a large tree limb from Bell and Sprague roads July 10.

Patrol was unable to push a very heavy fallen tree limb from White Road, due to its weight, July 10. Patrol snapped off numerous smaller branches to make the road passable. The highway department was notified for removal.

Police removed a tire from Fox Meadow Road July 10.

A caller reported a white BMW parked "by the overpass on Bypass, near someone's backyard" with two men standing near the car July 10. Patrol spoke with the men and they said they were doing a photo shoot for online sales in the area. No criminal activity was observed, and the men left the area.

Parking summonses were issued to illegally parked cars on Ferncliff, Drake and Sunset roads July 11.

Police removed wooden scaffolding boards from the roadway at Weaver Street and Palmer Avenue July 11. The manager of the construction site was advised.

Police advised a skateboarder on Post Road to use the sidewalk for safety July 12.

Patrol issued a parking summons to an illegally parked landscaping truck on Heathcote Road July 12.

Patrol advised Verizon about a low-hanging utility wire on Weaver Street July 12.

A tree branch fell on Brite Avenue and brought down wires July 14. Con Edison was notified.
Nine car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Village code
Police issued summonses to landscapers for using gas-powered leaf blowers on Fenimore and Drake roads July 10, Church Lane and Heathcote Road July 11 and Crane Road July 15.

A noise complaint about activity on Saxon Woods Golf Course was referred to Westchester County Police at 11:45 p.m., July 15.
A Honda CRV's car alarm was sounding in a Madison Road driveway at 4 a.m., July 16, and a neighbor called police to complain about the noise. All doors were locked, and there was no sign of criminal activity. Police knocked on the house door numerous times, but no one answered. While police were on scene, the car's battery died, thus silencing the alarm.

Lost and found
A village resident reported his car's license plate fell off his car and got lost somewhere in the village July 12.

On July 11, a Brook Lane resident reported he donated his car to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and later realized the license plates had been left on the car. The plates have now been deemed lost.

Police found a driver's license on Weaver Street, contacted the owner and returned the license July 16.

Firefighters
Firefighters extinguished a small bag of rubbish on fire at the end of a Boulevard driveway July 10. They overhauled the area and confirmed there was no extension of the fire.

Firefighters responded to a report of smoldering mulch on Carthage Road July 10. Firefighters determined the mulch was naturally off-gassing.

An electrician working in a Continental Road house asked the fire department to check an alarm system that was not working July 10. Firefighters observed a hardwired system that had been damaged and would not turn off. Firefighters helped the resident call the alarm company and arrange for replacement of the system. In the meantime, the system was disconnected to silence the alarm.

Firefighters stood by for Con Edison and checked apartments for possible gas after a gas odor was detected in an apartment building on Chateaux Circle July 10.

Firefighters responded to an automatic alarm in a Garden Road house July 11. There, firefighters found a light smoke condition due to a pot being left on the stove. They removed the pot, searched the house for occupants and ventilated the house.

Firefighters assisted Con Edison with safety precautions related to the repair of an underground gas leak in a house service line on Secor Road July 11.

A worker's hand got stuck in a fence on Tunstall Road July 11. Before firefighters arrived, the worker's hand was safely released by police.

A contractor working on Sherbrooke Road called Con Edison because he felt the gas line was not properly marked July 12.

A Kent Road resident asked firefighters to help a small rabbit get out of a deep window well on her property July 12. The rabbit was attempting to jump out of the window well, but it could not jump high enough. Firefighters went into the window well and removed the rabbit to a grassy area of the yard. The rabbit appeared uninjured and quickly hopped away.

After a Secor Road resident complained of a possible natural gas odor in her house, firefighters checked the house and confirmed there were no natural gas readings there July 12. There was ongoing excavation and work on natural gas mains nearby in the street; so firefighters deduced this Con Edison work was the source of the odor.

A car was leaking oil on Brewster Road July 13. Firefighters applied Speedy Dri to the spill. The car was awaiting a tow.

A Richbell Road resident accidentally got locked out of her house July 13. Firefighters verified the resident's identity and helped her get back in the house.

Police asked firefighters to helped silence an audible exterior alarm at a Stonewall Lane house July 13.

A Mamaroneck Road resident reported an electrical problem with the air conditioning unit in her house July 14. She said the unit was not working and the circuit breakers for the unit were tripped at the electrical panel. When the resident turned the breakers back to the "on" position, an electrical short with a small flame shot from a metal box mounted on the wall next to the main electrical panel. Firefighters turned the breakers back to the "off" position and used a thermal imaging camera to check for any abnormal heat extending from the metal box. None was detected. The resident was advised to keep the breaker in the "off" position and contact an electrician to check the system.

Firefighters helped police silence a malfunctioning car alarm on Harvest Drive by disconnecting the car's battery July 14.

Elevated levels of carbon monoxide were detected in a Cushman Road house July 16. Firefighters evacuated the house and searched for the source of the carbon monoxide. Readings were found to be highest in the basement, at the bottom of the stairwell. Firefighters shut down appliances and utilities in the basement, ventilated the house and stood by for Con Edison.

This week, firefighters assisted at four car accidents in the village and on parkways. They responded to 19 false alarms caused by device malfunction, construction dust, cooking smoke and accidental activation.

This report covering police and fire department activity from July 10-16 was compiled from official information.

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