Ladies of the Night Arrested and More from the Greenburgh Police
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Greenburgh Police announced the arrest of three women for prostitution at two Central Park Avenue spas in Scarsdale this week. Responding to tips from Edgemont residents, police investigated suspicious activity at the Aroma Spa at 698 Central Park Avenue and at Charming Spa Massage Therapy at 390 Central Park Avenue.
Undercover police officers posed as customers and went to the Aroma Spa on Friday April 20, 2012 where, according to police, a woman offered to engage in “a sex act in exchange for money” with the officer. The woman, identified as Jizi Piao, age 39, of 144-22 34th Avenue, 3B, Flushing NY was arrested for prostitution, which is a class B misdemeanor. She was released and returned to court on April 27th. The spa was also cited for providing massages without the proper licensing.
An internet search for Aroma Spa in Scarsdale yielded ads for their services in the Village Voice Classifieds, and the image at left also appeared.
On Thursday April 27, 2012, undercover police, again posing as customers went to Charming Spa Massage Therapy, at 390 Central Park Avenue, Scarsdale, where two employees offered to engage in a sex act in exchange for money. The women were also arrested and charged with prostitution, and the spa was cited for a violation. The women, both from Flushing, NY were identified as Bokja Park, age 47, of 143-43 36th Avenue, 3A, and Mei Xian Piao, age 39, of 136-43 37th Avenue, 2F. Both were released and are due back in court May 4th. Police will continue their investigation.
This is not the first time that police arrested prostitutes at Central Avenue spas. In October, 2010, a similar incident occurred at the King Spa at 100 North Central Avenue , where the masseuses were offering more than a massage.
New Camaro stolen from Curry: The sales manager at Curry Chevy on Central Avenue in Scarsdale called police at 10:15 pm on 4/26 after someone took off in a $40,000 2012 Chevy Camaro. She did not know if the keys had been left in the car.
Pot on board: Greenburgh Police stopped a gray Ford van on Sprain Road in Scarsdale at 12:39 on April 25th after the driver and passenger swapped places. The officer smelled marijuana and also found that both drivers had suspended driver’s licenses. Inside the car they found a small plastic bag containing $13,548 in cash as well as several large black plastic bag that were filled with potting soil, marijuana leaves and stems. However, tests of the contents revealed that it did not contain TCH. The men were booked for driving without licenses.
Fill and flee: On the afternoon of 4/24, the manager of the Getty station at 416 Central Avenue reported that a white male filled the tank of his green car with $47 worth of gas and left the station without paying for the fuel.
Threatened: A 68 year-old resident of Fieldstone Drive in Hartsdale called police on the evening of April 23rd when she got into a fight with her 31 year-old son over money and he grabbed a kitchen knife and threatened to cut her stomach and kill himself. She wished to have her son move out.
5 o’clock shadow: At Harmon on Central Avenue, the manager reported that a customer stole 35 packs of Gilette Mach 3 razors, valued at $609.65 and fled in a BMW 5 south on Central Avenue on the afternoon of 4/27.
Car Thief Sweeps Village
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This week, thieves turned from home break-ins to car break-ins in a rash of incidents involving thefts from parked cars from April 17-19. The first incident occurred at Scarsdale High School on Wednesday April 17, followed by four more reports overnight from April 18-19.
A car parked at the Scarsdale High School lot was vandalized on the afternoon of April 17th. A Taunton Road woman parked her car near the tennis courts at the school and left her purse inside. When she returned about 45 minutes later the front passenger window was broken and her purse, wallet and credit cards were stolen.
Overnight from 4/18-4/19, four cars were entered. They all may have been left unlocked as no car windows were broken. A thief or thieves appeared to be walking the neighborhood in search of open cars that they searched and then grabbed whatever they could find inside, from a wallet to rosary beads!
A car parked in a Church Lane driveway was entered. When the owner checked his car on the morning of 4/19 eh noticed that the car had been tossed and that his Tom Tom GPS was gone. The car had been left unlocked and was not damaged.
On Hathaway Road a car that had been left unlocked was entered. Stolen was $8 in quarters.
On Crane Road, a car parked in a driveway was entered and the resident’s gym clothes were thrown all over the car. A wallet, containing $40, a driver’s license, credit cards and a check book were gone. Coins were also missing from the center console.
On Lockwood Road a Saturn suburban was entered and crystal and silver rosary beads were taken. The beads were hanging on the rear view mirror. Other items were thrown around the car. The resident did not hear anything during the night.
Letting it all hang out: A Myrtledale Road woman who was walking on the trail along the Bronx River Parkway on the evening of April 16 reported that a man walking on the trail exposed himself to her. Neither the Scarsdale Police or the County Police were able to locate the man.
Smoke: Police and firefighters responded to reports of smoke coming through a home at 1 Carstensen Road at 9:45 am on 4/19. Firefighters broke through a glass door to the kitchen and found a pot burning on the stove. A few minutes later the resident returned home and said she had left the pot on the stove when she went to IHM. There was only minimal damage to the door and frame.
A Proposal: Police were called about noise from Carthage Road at 10 pm on 4/19. When they arrived they found a group of bare-chested high school age boys. Painted on each of their backs was a letter – and when they stood together, they spelled out PROM?. The boys reported that they were helping a friend ask a girl to the prom!
Identity Theft: On 4/18, a Heathcote Road woman reported that her name and social security number were used to file a fraudulent tax return.
Missing: Another purse was lost when a Whistler Road woman left it behind on Depot Place on the morning of April 17th. The woman had her purse with her at Villa Roma, then left the area and later realized her Louis Vuitton bag was missing. When she returned a half hour later the purse, valued at $800, was gone. She cancelled all of her credit cards.
A White Plains man came to Scarsdale Police headquarters to report that his son’s iPhone had been stolen from Woodlands High School on 4/17. The tracking application in the phone showed that it was on Brewster Road between Kingston Road and Huntington Avenue at 2:10 pm and was then shut off. Police checked the area but did not find the phone.
A Gary Fisher bicycle valued at $1,000 was stolen from the bike rack on Depot Place on April 19th. The kryptonite lock was also gone.
Fight: A Garth Road man called police at 11:05 pm on 4/21 to complain that a girl from Hamilton Road had punched him in the face. He said the two would wait for the police at Starbucks in Scarsdale. When police arrived, the two reported that they had a fight and would like it documented.
Heavy load: Police issued a violation to the driver of a truck delivering 5,800 gallons of fuel to the Gulf Station on Scarsdale Avenue on the night of April 20. The truck exceeded the allowable weight on the Popham Road Bridge and the shipping manifest was not properly completed.
This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit their website, http://scarsdalesecurity.com/
Biden Visits Scarsdale
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It’s been some week for Scarsdale. It began with a coke-crazed burglar on a spree through Greenacres, followed by two sightings of a bobcat in a local backyard – and ended with a visit from Vice President Joe Biden.
Scarsdale10583 got several alerts on Thursday afternoon from residents who were snarled in traffic. The southbound Hutch was closed as well as parts of Saxon Woods Road and Mamaroneck Road. Some wondered if all the police activity was due to another crime spree. But no!
It turns out that Vice President Joe Biden had flown in on Air Force 2 and landed at Westchester Airport around 5:30 pm on Thursday, headed for a fundraiser at a Park Road home in Scarsdale. His motorcade travelled down to Scarsdale and headed west on Mamaroneck Road, which was closed to local traffic.
Some residents who live on Mamaroneck Road were outside when Biden’s entourage passed by – and were impressed with the display of motorcycles, 
limos , Westchester County Police, secret service and even an ambulance. They spotted Biden reading in the backseat of his car and waved.
Park Road was blocked off and there was heavy security around the house. The event was held to raise money for the Obama campaign and the price tag was rumored to be $1,000 per person. According to an attendee at the Park Road event Biden spoke with confidence about why Obama would be re-elected and also told the group about the personal friendship that has developed between himself and the President. Biden said he’s become like Obama’s “older brother.”
Scarsdale Man Arrested for Menacing Bricklayer
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Fight: On Monday afternoon April 10, police received two phone calls from neighbors who heard screams in the area of Tunstall Road. They located the fight on Tunstall Road where the homeowner, later identified as Richard Leon Gerloff, Jr. had hired Victor Sigcho Saca of Elmsford to make a brick sidewalk in the rear of the house. According to Saca, Gerloff returned home and was unhappy with the work and yelled at Saca, called him names and told him he would not get paid for the work. Saca says he offered to fix the job at no cost however Gerloff was holding a brick and threatened to kill Saca or hire someone else to kill him.
Saca feared for his life and tried to leave the yard but Gerloff blocked his way and threw a brick at his shoulder. Saca ran to the street and called the police from his car. Gerloff followed him and came to the car and demanded that Saca hand over his tools. Saca unlocked the trunk and handed the homeowner a case containing a drill – which Gerloff then threw at Saca.
Saca was taken to the White Plains emergency room and Gerloff was changed with attempting to commit a crime and menacing in the third degree
Burglary: Heathcote Road residents reported a burglary that occurred sometime between 8 pm and 12:30 am on 4/11-4/12. The residents returned home at 12:30 am on 4/12 and found that their master bedroom and living room were ransacked. When they they opened their door with a key but were unsure if the house had been locked while they were out. Missing were two white envelopes containing $10,000 in cash and a jewelry box that contained about ten pieces of Tiffany jewelry. There were no signs of forced entry.
Missing Cars: A Crawford Lane woman reported that her daughter had taken both of the mother’s cars without her permission between 1 am and 10 am on April 14. Missing were a Honda Accord and a Chrysler PT Cruiser.
Identity Theft: A Bradley Road man was the latest victim of identity theft involving the IRS. After the man filed his tax return his accountant received a rejection notice saying that a federal tax return had already been filed using his social security number. The man was instructed to file a police report which he did on 4/10.
On 4/13, a Mamaroneck Road woman reported that someone had opened a Citibank credit card in her name and also attempted to open a second card with U.S. Bank.
A gym bag belonging to a Forest Lane teen was stolen from the boathouse at Glenn Island on the afternoon of 4/13. The bag contained $60 in cash, keys, an iPhone, a driver’s license, clothing and a credit card which was used at a gas station and at a department store before the boy could cancel the card.
Harassed: An Eastwoods Lane girl reported the receipt of a harassing text message on 4/11.
Visitors? A Dobbs Terrace boy reported that three men, possibly Russian, had walked onto his property and into the backyard on the afternoon of April 12th. His mother was out when the men appeared. The boy went to the backdoor and his eyes met one of the men. At that point they moved quickly to their car and sped off down Dobbs Terrace. A napkin from Starbucks was found on the property. About an hour later, police received another call about three men sitting in a car in front of an abandoned house on Murray Hill Road.
Car break-in: An Acura MDX was vandalized on the morning of 4/14 while it was parked at the Fox Meadow School. The passenger side front window was broken though nothing was taken from the car.
A purse was stolen out of a car parked at the Scarsdale Pool parking lot on the afternoon of 4/14. The car had been left unlocked. Missing were the purse, wallet, i.d’s and four credit cards.
Found: An Oak Way resident found a white jacket and a blue hat in her yard on April 10. Police believe the articles of clothing may be related to the incident involving the Easter burglar who ran through the area on Sunday April 8.
Police responded to a call on the morning of 4/12 about an elderly man walking on Heathcote Road. They stopped the man who said he lives in Wilmot Woods and was trying to walk to the Scarsdale Library. Police gave the man a ride.
Broken glass: A Wildwood Road woman reported that someone had thrown a yellow phone book through her glass storm door and broken the glass on April 12.
Trespassers: Greenacres resident called police at 6:30 pm on 4/15 to complain about non-residents using the Greenacres playground. Police stopped by and told them the park was for residents only and they left the area.
White Plains Man Arrested for Easter Crime Spree in Scarsdale
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(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.
