Today's News

Details: Published: 30 November 2011; Created: 30 November 2011; Last Updated: 01 December 2011; Hits: 7003

diamond Scarsdale Police announced the arrest of a jewelry thief who has robbed stores in Scarsdale, Eastchester, Pleasantville and Bronxville. Donald Jones of Yonkers was arrested on November 30th as a result of a coordinated effort among detectives from these towns. The incident in Scarsdale occurred at 1 pm on Saturday, October 22nd, when Jones entered Sam Lehr Jewelry on Harwood Court and asked to see two diamond rings. He fled the store with the two rings, valued at $15,000. Scarsdale Police Officer Ronnie Arefieg saw the man running from the scene even before the theft was reported. Arefieg made a note of the suspect’s description and the getaway car. Several minutes later the report of the jewelry theft was broadcast and the officer’s observations were reported.

Scarsdale Detectives followed up on the license plate number noted by Arefieg which was later reported as stolen by the original owner. The jewelry store thefts continued in Eastchester, Pleasantville, Tarrytown and policeshield Bronxville. Detectives from those agencies worked together to link the license plate number seen in the Scarsdale theft to Donald Jones of McLean Avenue in Yonkers. According to Scarsdale Detective Altizio, Jones has been or will be charged with the jewelry store thefts in Eastchester, Pleasantville and Bronxville. Jones was positively identified by Scarsdale Officer Arefieg and will be charged with Grand Larceny in the Scarsdale jewelry store caper. Arefieg’s work was instrumental in identifying the suspect and putting an end to the thefts.

Arrests: Police were called to River Road around 9 pm on 11/23 to investigate a report of a car parked in front of a home for an extended period of time. When they approached the car, someone inside threw something out of a rear window. Police spoke to the occupants of the car and smelled marijuana. Christopher Avila-Chanza, age 20 of White Plains and a companion whose name was not released admitted to smoking pot. Another woman in the car was not under the influence and was let go. Police found a bag with an Aplrozolam pill on the ground near the car and a bag of marijuana in the car. Avila-Chanza and his companion, both from White Plains, were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of marijuana. They were each released on $180 bail and given a court date of Wednesday, November 30th.

Bradley Alvelo, age 24 of Yonkers, surrendered to Scarsdale Police on 11/23 on the strength of a bench warrant issued in January, 2011 for failure to pay a fine. He appeared before Judge Galloway and agreed to pay the outstanding fine of $390.

Damage: Valley Road residents called police at 1 am on 11/22 when they noticed a suspicious car at their neighbor’s house. The neighbor only stays at the house on the weekends and during the week the house is empty.. The house is near Red Maple Swamp where kids often hang out. A Police Officer inspected the house and found that a rear window and basement window were shattered and the banister to the deck was damaged. It did not appear that anyone had entered the house and the officer was unable to determine if the damage had occurred due to criminal mischief or a falling tree branch. Police were unable to reach the homeowners by phone.

A Lincoln Road resident reported that a portion of his fence was kicked in and damaged overnight from 11/19 – 11/20. On Springdale Road residents reported that someone had damaged the fence in their backyard at 1:30 am on 11/26. The resident suspected that kids in the area were responsible.

Identity Thefts: On 11/25 an Old Orchard Road woman was advised that someone had used her American Express card number to purchase a $2,000 Lanova computer. In addition, there were two attempts to purchase auto insurance using the same card. The woman cancelled her account and called credit agencies.

A Montrose Road man received a statement in the mail on 11/20 showing that someone had used his identity to open a Victoria’s Secret account and purchase $989.87 in merchandise. The purchases were made in a store in Harlem. The man also received letters from Target, Macy’s and the Burlington Coat Factory telling him that his applications for credit cards were denied. He had never applied for cards at these stores.

A Kensington Road man got a call from a Citibank branch in Brooklyn on 11/25 asking him if he wrote a check for $16,000. He said that he had not and the bank did not cash the check. In addition, someone opened a Citibank charge account using his name which he was able to cancel. Apparently checks were printed with the Scarsdale man’s name and mailed to another address. The FTC and credit reporting agencies were notified.

A Carthage Road woman was advised by a company named “Life Lock” that someone had tried to open a JP Morgan Chase and an AT&T credit card using her personal information. On 11/27, the woman got a call from Bloomingdale's in Chicago to say that someone purchased $4,893 worth of merchandise using an HSBC credit card issued in the Scarsdale woman’s name. The suspect was subsequently arrested by the Chicago Police and was found to have another receipt for fraudulent purchases at the GAP using the Scarsdale woman’s identity.

Theft: A Yonkers woman who works as a babysitter in Scarsdale reported that her purse was stolen while she was at Crossway Field on the afternoon of 11/26. The purse contained her credit card, $160 in cash and two gift cards valued at $100. She suspects that another nanny in the park may have been responsible.

Mischief: At 1 am on 11/23, a Ridgedale Road man called the Police because a dark colored SUV had driven by his house several times and the driver honked the horn. The last time, a man got out of the car and threw two garbage bags of empty beer cans onto his lawn and sped away. The following night police waited in front of the Ridgedale Road home in a car with the lights off. They saw a silver minivan stop in front of the house and open the doors. Police stopped the minivan and one of the youths in the car admitted to throwing garbage onto the lawn but denied responsibility for the previous incidents. Police took down the names and addresses of the six youths in the car and instructed them to pick up the garbage.

Stranger at the door: A Walworth Avenue woman called police at 5 pm on 11/23 when a stranger knocked on her front door and then sat down on her front stoop for 15 minutes. The resident did not open the door but saw the woman through the window. The woman had a piece of luggage, and was possibly wearing a wig.

Home for the holidays: A Fenimore Road woman called police on the evening of Thanksgiving when her 38- year-old stepdaughter came to the house and banged on the door. The stepdaughter has a history of mental health issues and the resident wanted her to leave. Police spoke to the stepdaughter and she agreed to go away.

Unwanted customers: An employee of Starbucks called police on the night of 11/25 when an unwanted customer came into the café. In September the customer had caused a disturbance by taking photos of the employees. The man returned on 11/25 and was rude. Police told the man that if he returns again he will be charged with trespassing.

At Dunkin Donuts, the manager called police on the evening of 11/26 when a customer stood in front of the counter texting and refused to order something or move. When he was asked to step aside, Danny Sigler of Brookly became angry and words were exchanged. Police told Sigler to leave the store and instructed him not to return.

Overturned front loader: During the demolition of a house at 338 Heathcote Road on 11/25, a front loader overturned and the operator, Dominic Marchese of Pelham, cut his lip. SVAC responded but the operators refused medical attention.

Found: A lost credit card was found in front of Lange’s Deli and turned into police on the morning of 11/22.

Details: Published: 21 November 2011; Created: 21 November 2011; Last Updated: 21 November 2011; Hits: 6282

breakin Thieves continue to prey on Scarsdale homes and this week the Scarsdale Police report three additional burglaries. All involve broken glass and stolen jewelry. Take at look at what’s happening here:

A Fox Meadow Road home was entered on the afternoon of 11/17. Though the front door had been locked with a deadbolt, the homeowner returned and found it ajar with the deadlock still in the locked position. Upon inspection police determined that the thieves had entered the house through a bathroom window that is concealed by shrubbery and an air conditioning unit outside the house. Police suspect that the intruders left via sliding glass doors in the living room. The master bedroom, an upstairs bedroom and the office were heavily tossed. Empty jewelry boxes were found on the floor and the thieves took three pillowcases. In the office papers were in disarray and a safe was left open, though several laptops in the house were untouched. The homeowner estimated that at least $15,000 in jewelry was missing and said that she would supply an inventory.

Between 11/10 and 11/19 a burglary occurred on Wheelock Road where the suspect entered the house by breaking a glass door and prying it open. Silver and antique photos were taken from the first floor, and the second floor master bedroom was heavily tossed. The suspect used a tool to break open a locked walk-in closet where drawers were open and jewelry was removed. All electronics were left in place. A platinum Tiffany watch and a strand of pearls with a platinum diamond clasp were among the missing items.

A third burglary occurred on Fairview Road on the night of 11/19 when the residents were out to dinner in White Plains. As in the Wheelock Road incident, the thief or thieves got into the house by prying open the base of a glass paneled back door and shattering the glass. There were mud stains on the carpeted stairway and in the master bedroom. Bedroom drawers and the closet were tossed and jewelry boxes were strewn about. Several pieces of jewelry and $2,000 in cash were missing. A locked closet on the second floor was pried open.

A mountain bike was stolen from a Stratton Road garage sometime between 11/18 and 11/20. At times the garage had been left open.

Found: A Yonkers man found a walker, used by the elderly, at the corner of Christie Place and Chase Road on the morning of 11/16. Later that day he turned it over to the police.

Identity Theft: On 11/19, a Tisdale man reported that someone had attempted to open credit card accounts using his personal information at Dell Computer and Capitol One. The imposter had the Scarsdale man’s name, social security number and date of birth. Both accounts were closed.

Nasty Dog: On11/14 a Hampton Road woman complained that a neighbor’s dog attacks her dog when she walks by the property. She asked police to contact the dog’s owners.

Harassed: A Secor Road woman reported the receipt of harassing phone calls from her ex-boyfriend’s sister on 11/19. The complainant gave the police the name and phone number of the woman who was bothering her.

On the night of 11/19 a Heathcote Road woman came to police to complain that her boyfriend was demanding that she remove her property from an apartment in Brooklyn that was leased to her. She wanted the boyfriend to vacate instead. Police advised that this was a civil incident and recommended that she call the Kings County Courthouse during regular business hours.

A concerned Park Road woman called police on 11/17 to report that at 2 pm the previous day her teenage daughter was waiting for the Bee Line bus on the Post Road when the driver of a dark blue minivan stopped and asked her if she wanted a ride home. The girl declined the ride but described the driver as a Hispanic male with black hair and black mustache.

Disputes: Two employees of Dunkin Donuts on Depot Place got into a fight on the afternoon of 11/20. One man threatened to the cut the other. When police arrived the store manager did not wish to press charges and the employee apologized for making the threat. The store manager agreed to schedule the two on different shifts in the future.

On 11/15 the Eye Gallery in Scarsdale reported that a customer failed to pay for a pair of sunglasses that she picked up in July. The woman had promised to pay for the glasses when she received her insurance reimbursement check but cashed the check and did not pay the store. Police advised the store to call a lawyer.

Missing: On 11/15 a Brite Avenue woman asked police to help her contact her sister in Houston who she had not been able to reach for several months. Scarsdale police contacted Houston Police and requested a welfare check. Houston Police contacted the woman and reported back that she was fine.

Dancing: Police were called on the afternoon of 11/18 when a man was seen dancing in Greenacres Field. When police arrived they found a Village resident doing a martial arts workout.

Accidents: A 69 year-old Johnson Road man was driving eastbound on Ardsley Road at 4:30 on 11/116 when he lost consciousness. As the car entered the intersection of Ardsley Road and Depot Place he hit another car and then struck the curbing under construction at the bridge.

A 60 year-old New Rochelle woman was travelling northbound on the Hutchinson Avenue on the morning of 11/17 when her eyeglasses slipped off her face. While she attempting to put them back on, she veered off the road and drove into a telephone pole.

Details: Published: 07 November 2011; Created: 07 November 2011; Last Updated: 11 November 2011; Hits: 5546

Deaths: The Scarsdale Police Department responded to a Wakefield Road residence on a report of an unresponsive person on Thursday, November 3rd. The 49 year-old male victim was pronounced dead at the scene by an SVAC Paramedic. The initial investigation indicated that the death was the result of a suicide and Scarsdale Police Detectives and the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office are continuing their inquiry. The results of the Medical Examiner’s investigation are pending.

A Bradley Road woman returned home after dropping her children off at school on Wednesday morning 11/2 and found her 71 year-old mother, Genowefa Bura, unresponsive. She called SVAC who pronounced her dead. Bura had appeared to be in good health but took blood pressure medication. The Medical Examiner’s office will investigate.

Missing ring: An Overlook Road woman realized that she had not seen her $13,000 1.07 carat diamond ring since May or June, 2011. She looked for it on Thursday October 27 and found it was gone. She reported that the house was renovated during the summer and that one of the workman might have taken the ring.

Chase: At 1:06 am on 11/2 Scarsdale police were called to assist White Plains police in a search for two suspects who had abandoned a stolen car on the Hutchinson River Parkway at Mamaroneck Road. The suspects fled after Police conducted a traffic stop. The White Plains Canine Unit found one man in the backyard of 23 Rural Drive and took him into custody and pursued another behind the Boulder Brook Stables but were unable to find him.

Harassed: A 23 year-old Brookby Road resident who works as a teacher reported that she received a harassing text message on 10/31. The phone number was blocked and the caller cursed. She believed it might have been one of her students and will report the incident to her principal.

Identity theft: A suspicious tax collection company called a Garden Road man on 11/4, claiming he owed $8,000 in back taxes to the state of Vermont where the man had attended school from 2004- 2009. When he tried to call the agency back there was no answer. The man did not owe any taxes and filed the report with the police.

Arrest: Henry Aguilar, age 27 of Yonkers was picked up by New Rochelle police and turned over to Scarsdale Police on an outstanding bench warrant on 11/1. He was released on $500 bail that was posted by his mother

Locked in: A six year-old girl got locked into a bathroom of a home on Oakstwain Road on the morning of 11/7. The fire department arrived and was able to get her out.

Mischief: A mailbox at a Bradford Road home was damaged on the night of 11/5. The resident found the mailbox knocked off its post and he had heard kids in front of house at the time.

A Wakefield Road man reported that kids threw eggs at his front door on Halloween night.

Damage: A car belonging to a Heathcote Road woman was damaged when a large branch fell off Village tree removal equipment and fell on her car while she was driving on Heathcote Road on the afternoon of 11/4.

Noise: Police received three reports of loud music coming from the Saxon Woods Golf Club at 8 pm and 9 pm on October 31.

A Nelson Road woman reported that he card was stolen at 4 pm on 11/5. She later realized that her son had taken the car.

Disputes: Police were called on the afternoon of 11/1 when a Heathcote Road woman could not get out of her driveway because a Con Edison truck was blocking it. The Con Ed man said that a low hanging live wire was dangerous and that no one should go within 25 feet of it, but the homeowner insisted on leaving her driveway. Police asked the Con Ed man to move his truck and stood by while the woman exited. It was later determined that she could have driven out of a second driveway.

On 11/6, a Tunstall Road man reported that a truck from BGE Utility Company of Maryland had driven over his front lawn and damaged the sprinkler system. Con Edison did not return his calls.

Police were called twice to resolve a conflict about a tree between a Sprague Road and a Webster Road home on the afternoon of 11/4. The tree was being trimmed by one neighbor and the other thought the pruning would affect the integrity of the tree. Since the man had a right to trim any portion of the tree that hung over his property police told the feuding neighbors that this was a civil issues.

Police received several complaints about a suspicious car parked at the intersection of Greendale and Oxford Roads on 11/4 and 11/5. Police spoke to the car’s occupant who said he was a private investigator.

A Wayside Lane woman called to report that her husband had violated a court order and entered her home on the morning of 10/3. Police asked the woman to get a copy of the order for police to keep on file.

Details: Published: 14 November 2011; Created: 14 November 2011; Last Updated: 14 February 2012; Hits: 4724

Who Are You? A 39 year-old White Plains woman was arrested for false impersonation, unlicensed driving and speeding when police stopped her on the Post Road in Scarsdale on the afternoon of November 10th. Police clocked her driving 47 mph in her 2012 Hyundai. They stopped and asked her for a license and she did not have one. When asked her name, she provided a name that proved to belong to her husband. After several tries she gave a name that was not on file with the DMV. Pressed further, she gave police her real name and a search revealed that her license had been suspended in March, 2011 for failure to answer a summons from Scarsdale Village Court. She later admitted to applying for a new driver’s license under an assumed name to avoid dealing with the warrant.

The woman’s husband came to Scarsdale to pick up the couple’s three year-old daughter who was in the car with her. She was arrested and taken to headquarters where she was released on $500 bail pending a court date.

Autumn Leaves Afire: Police responded to River Road on the afternoon of 11/11 where two boys were setting leaves on fire. When police arrived they saw the mapleleaf suspects trying to put out the fire, but the boys fled when they saw the police. Using a fire extinguisher police put out the fire. They pursued the boys but were unable to find them. The boys left behind a box of matches, a burned cloth and an aerosol can.

Drive By: A Church Lane man reported that a large truck pulling a trailer drove over his front lawn on the evening of November 8th. The wheel left a large rut mark,12 “ wide, six “ deep and 20 feet in length in the front lawn. A Madison Road man contacted police to say that he had seen the truck in question and provided the license plate number. Police tracked the ownership of the truck to a company in Dobbs Ferry and tried to reach them.

Mad: An irate passenger broke the plexi-glass window in the interior of a Central Taxi on the night of 11/8. Police met the cab driver on East Parkway who said that the passenger wanted to pay for his ride from Scarsdale to Valhalla with a credit card, but did not have the card with him. The cab driver told the man that the taxi company does not accept payment with credit card numbers on the phone and dropped the passenger off at the taxi stand at the Scarsdale Train Station. At this point, the passenger punched the window, broke it and fled down East Parkway. The driver gave police the passenger’s cell phone number that he had used to call the cab. Police called the number and found that the passenger was on Garth Road. They picked him up and asked him if he would pay for the damage to the cab. He agreed to pay $30 and the cab driver said he would not press charges.

Rage: An employee of Village Hall called police to report an inappropriate resident. The man, who lives on Crossway, came to Scarsdale Village Hall at 2 pm on scarsdalevillagehall 11/7 and asked to speak with the treasurer. When he was told she was unavailable he told the Village employee to give “the idiot the message to call him,” and said “Go choke on it.”. Police called the man at home and warned him that his behavior borders on harassment and would not be tolerated

Hacked: On 11/9 a Sheldrake Road woman came to police after an acquaintance of her husband’s hacked into her email account and tapped into her mobile phone. Some of her emails were deleted or modified and her password was changed. Her husband agreed to speak with the suspect.

Ammo: On 11/9, a Mt. Vernon man turned in a BB gun and several boxes of ammunition from his employers home. The homeowner asked to have them destroyed.

Missing: On 11/9 the executor for a Mamaroneck Road man reported that a silver set valued at $5,971 and several items of jewelry were missing from the man’s home. The total value of the missing items was $17,000.

Accidents: A Heathcote woman hit the accelerator instead of the brake on the morning of 11/13 and ran into two parking meters and a support beam for the covered walkway from the MTA ticket booth on Depot Place. The meters still worked but their poles were bent and MTA engineers were called to evaluate the damaged support beam. SVAC was called to assist the driver.

Juiced: A 16 year-old girl from Garth Road reported that someone spilled juice on her 2009 Jeep Wrangler when it was parked at Scarsdale High School on the morning of November 8th.

Harassed: On 11/11 an employee of Country Bank reported the receipt of harassing phone calls at work. When she picks up the phone, the caller hangs up.

Party Crashers: At 10 pm on 11/11, a Cayuga Road man called police when some uninvited guests tried to get into his home. The man’s son was hosting a few friends at the house when other youths tried to break in.

Details: Published: 01 November 2011; Created: 01 November 2011; Last Updated: 01 November 2011; Hits: 3583

lightbulg The Con Edison website still shows that 1192 homes in Scarsdale remain without power on Tuesday, but this count should decline today as repair crews have finally arrived in town. It is heartening to see trucks lined up on Village streets. We spoke to workers on Brite Avenue in Greenacres who had come here from all over the country to assist. We have also heard that there are crews in Edgewood. The Con Edison map also now shows that some homes should be back in business today, though for most the deadline is still Wednesday at midnight. If you see repairmen near your home, please send a comment to the site so that we can track activity around town.

The Fox Meadow School had a noon dismissal on Monday due to a power outage, but heat, power and phone lines have now been repaired and all district schools are open today. Scarsdale Synagogue on Ogden Road has no power so all activities are cancelled for Tuesday.

An email from Mayor Miriam Flisser says that Con Edison is offering free dry ice at the Midway Shopping Center on Central Avenue from 1-7 pm today (Tuesday). If everything in your freezer has not already thawed, give it a try. The Mayor also reports the following, “The priorities continue to be: road closures; restoration of power; and then removal of potential hazards. Con Ed reports that more crews are arriving from other locations. The estimated restoration time for the majority of customers is still Wednesday Nov 2 at 12:59 PM.

Meanwhile, trick or treaters seemed to largely ignore a recommendation from the Village to stay inside on Halloween night. One mom reports giving trickortreat out six large bags of candy, and even a downed wire on Brewster Road did not prevent costumed kids from collecting their goodies.