Andrew Zayac Found Guilty in Murder Trial
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A federal jury in Bridgeport, CT found SHS graduate Andrew Zayac guilty of murder, kidnapping, possession and a host of other charges in Bridgeport, CT on Friday, July 22nd. Evidence presented at the trial showed that in early 2009, Zayac negotiated the purchase of 68 pounds of marijuana from drug dealer Edward Rivera and arranged to meet Rivera on February 8, 2009, to complete the transaction. Prosecutors contend that Zayac kidnapped Rivera from the Bronx for the purpose of robbing him of the marijuana which was valued at $150,000. During the course of the kidnapping and robbery, Rivera was shot twice and died as a result of the gunshot wounds. Zayac and his associate, Heriberto Gonzalez, 31, also of the Bronx, then dumped Rivera’s body in Danbury, Connecticut, drove back to the Bronx and burned Zayac’s car. The trial began on July 14 and the jury returned the verdict on July 22nd.
U.S. District Attorney for the District of Connecticut, David B. Fein credited the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Danbury Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service for excellent work in providing “justice for the victim’s family and loved ones.”
Sentencing is scheduled for October 7, 2011, however Zayac faces a mandatory life sentence for the murder conviction. In a separate trial, Gonzalez was found guilty of one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, three counts of destruction/concealment of evidence, and one count of conspiracy to destroy/conceal evidence. He awaits sentencing.
Andrew Zayac was a star soccer player at Scarsdale High School, and graduated from SHS in 1998. In 2000, Westchester County police arrested him and two others for allegedly possessing more than 1,000 ecstasy pills. Zayac is the son of Linda Zayac, a treasured member of the staff of the Greenacres School, and Bob Zayac, who taught physical education and coached soccer at Scarsdale High School for 35 years, and now runs the Soccer Camp for the Village of Scarsdale.
Drunk Driver Collides with Westchester County Police Cruiser on the BRP
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At 4 am on July 18, a Westchester County Policeman driving north on the Bronx River Parkway near Claremont Road collided with a BMW, driven by a drunk man driving in the wrong direction on the parkway. There were no serious injuries but both drivers were taken to the hospital and the accident caused the Bronx River Parkway to close for hours. According to the Journal News, the driver of the BMW was identified as Nelson Escobar, age 47 of New Rochelle. He was charged with second degree vehicular assault, driving while intoxicated and traffic infractions.
A highly intoxicated White Plains woman became threatening when she was taken by cab to the Fenway Golf Club on the night of 7/12. Terri Popiel, age 55 of White Plains, had been drinking with Rafael Contreras, an employee of Fenway at O’Conner’s Bar on the night of July 12th. The two took a cab back to the club where Contreras resides. The cab was driven by Saif Manik, age 42, also of White Plains. When it was time for Poppiel to exit the cab she took out two small utility knives and brandished them at Contreras. Contreras caught her hands, pushed her back into the cab and then left -- and the driver called the White Plains Police. When police arrived they found Popiel sitting on the ground handcuffed by White Plains Police. Since she was drunk and incoherent, SVAC took her to White Plains Hospital.
Police found Contreras unharmed, inside the club. He also appeared to be drunk and showed police the clothing he was wearing at the time of the incident. It appeared that he had urinated on himself. He also showed police a bite on his left bicep that he had received from Ms. Popiel. He did not know why she had bitten him, but it was a superficial wound and he refused medical attention. Contreras did not want to file charges against Popiel and did not wish to make a statement.
Chase: Two suspects who had been in an accident on the Hutchinson River Parkway on the morning of July 13th abandoned their car and fled on foot along Weaver Street. The man and woman were reported to be running along Weaver in the direction of the Quaker Ridge School. Police found the woman in front of 24 Meadow Road and handcuffed her and put her into the police cruiser. The male suspect proved to be more difficult to capture and police pursued him on foot from Bradford Road to Griffen Avenue. While the man was running from police, he tried to go over a fence at 83 Griffen and damaged five of the vertical fence posts. He was finally caught by a canine unit from the Harrison Police Department with assistance from Scarsdale and Westchester County Police. The man was identified as Akeem Jamaal Fleming, age 27 of the Bronx. After he was booked by the Westchester County Police, he was turned over to the Scarsdale Police where he was charged with criminal mischief for damaging the fence at 83 Griffen Avenue.
Assault: Two female residents at Search for Change at 1241 Post Road in Scarsdale got into an altercation on the evening of July 12th, resulting in the arrest of Brandie Conner, age 20, for menacing and assault. Conner accused her roommate, Thea Perrone, of telling the staff that Conner was a prostitute. In the fight that followed, Conner punched Perrone and then grabbed a kitchen knife and raised it above her head as she approached Perrone. A staff member ran in, told Conner to drop the knife and she cooperated. Perrone ended up with a small cut on the side of her face and redness and swelling on the right side of her face. Perrone said she was “scared for her life,” and said she thought Conner was “coming at me to kill me.” Conner was arrested and the Westchester County Assistant District Attorney recommended that bail be set at $5,000. During the arraignment, Connor twice said, “I pulled a knife on the bitch.” Conner was sent to Westchester County Jail, and the judge issued a temporary order of protection for Perrone.
Threats: On 7/11, a Dolma Road man filed a report about a threat on his life from a business associate. The Scarsdale man was unhappy with operations at a business in which he is an investor. He told his colleague that he wanted to take back the funds he invested in the company. In response, another business associate told the Scarsdale man that the colleague threatened to kill the Scarsdale man if he continued to try to get his money out.
Mad man: At CVS on Popham Road an angry ex-employee of the CVS in Bronxville entered the store at 10 am on 7/12 and threatened and cursed at the store manager. The manager got the man to leave the store, but he continued to curse and yell as he walked toward Garth Road.
Unhappy Customer: On 7/14 at the Bank of America on Christie Place, the manager reported that a customer, Faith Liberman, age 82 of New Rochelle, was upset about her CD Money market account and became loud and disruptive.
Harassed: A 79 year-old Spier Road woman reported receiving multiple phone calls from a man who claimed that she had won $100,000 and instructed her to go to Walmart and pay a $300 fee to claim the funds. Though the woman asked him to stop calling, he called repeatedly and cursed at her before hanging up. While police were at her home, the phone rang, police answered and a man with a Jamaican accent called the policeman a “batty boy” and threatened to shoot him with a gun. The caller I.D. showed that one of the calls came from a Jamaican phone number and the others were from “out of area.” Police told the woman to call Verizon to see if they could block the calls or provide her with a new phone number.
Visitor? A Brite Avenue woman returned home at 6 pm on July 13th to a damaged screen on a rear window. The window had been left open. She also found that items on the kitchen counter had been knocked over and that a loaf of bread had small holes in the bag. She discovered a yellow liquid on the counter top and police concluded that a small animal, possibly a squirrel, tore through the screen and got into the kitchen.
Found: On the evening of July 13, a woman from Old Lyme Road called police to report that she found a pair of lime green shorts and a Gucci belt in her yard, with a bag of cocaine, shorts, and a Visa debit card in the pockets.
Car break-ins: A Fairview Road woman reported that someone had broken the driver’s side front window of her Toyota SUV overnight on 7-14-7/15. A GPS device and iPod touch were stolen. That same night, a Honda parked on Fairview Road was also vandalized. The passenger side front window was broken and a GPS device was stolen.
Mischief: The brother of the groundskeeper at the Girl Scout House on Wayside Lane reported that overnight on 7/14- 7/15 someone destroyed the fencing around the barbeque pavilion. That same night an arrest was made for possession of marijuana near the Girl Scout House. Also, at the tennis hut at the high school tennis courts, a window next to the front door was kicked in sometime on July 16.
On the morning of July 11, police discovered that the street sign at the intersection of Drake and Jefferson Roads had been removed from the pole and thrown into a wooded area.
A Bell Road man reported that he found a real estate sign on his front walk and that his house was egged on July 16. This was the third time this month that mischief had occurred at his home. A neighbor on Bell Road also reported that his car was egged on the night of July 14th. And at 4 am on July 17th, a Greendale Road woman reported that her house was egged by someone driving around in a sedan. In addition, a Brewster Road home was egged on 7/17.
A New Rochelle man, driving on Weaver Street on the morning of July 15, heard something hit his windshield. When he checked he found two small cracks in the glass and did not know if the damage was caused by rocks or a BB gun.
Graffiti was found sprayed on a large rock and a tree at Davis Park on July 17th.
Fire on Brayton Road: At 10 pm on 7/16, a Brayton Road man called to report a fire in the attic. A halogen light bulb ignited a comforter in an upstairs closet. The fire was put out with a fire extinguisher, but fire trucks and emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene. Since the house was very smoky, the residents had to wait outside. Firemen set up a large fan at the door to draw smoke out of the house.
Deer: A Rye man hit a deer in front of 11 Mamaroneck Road when he was driving westbound on Mamaroneck Road at 10 pm on July 17th. Police were not able to locate the deer and no one was injured.
On 7/11, an Overhill Road woman reported unauthorized charges on her American Express card at Forever 21, Charlotte Russ, Donimos Pizza, LaBella Restaurant and Sprint Wireless. The account has now been closed.
Scammer Strikes Scarsdale P.O.
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Scammer: An unknown man bilked the Scarsdale Post Office out of $90 on the afternoon of June 22. The man asked to purchase an $81.00 money order and handed the postal worker a $100.00 bill to pay for the transaction. After he received the money order and the change, the customer claimed it was the wrong money order and asked for his money back. The worker returned the $100 bill to the man. However, shortly thereafter the customer returned and claimed that he had been handed a $10 bill rather than a $100 bill. The postal worker apologized and handed the man a $100 bill. However it turns out that he already had his $100 and thus made off with a second $100 bill. The suspect is described as a black male, 5’ 10” tall, 160 lbs with a white beard. Police are investigating a similar incident in Harrison.
Ring first: A nanny at work at a home on Harvest Drive said that another nanny from a neighboring home came into the Harvest Drive home without permission on 6/29. The unannounced guest rang the doorbell repeatedly, rattled the door handle and then walked into the house. The woman claimed that she came looking for aspirin, and finding the door ajar she pushed it open. There was no sign of forced entry and nothing was missing from the house. Police spoke to the woman who entered the home. She was cooperative and said that she often visited the other house. She was told not to go inside the house again without permission.
Fight: The super and the doorman at 50 Popham Road got into an argument on the morning of 6/28 and the doorman, Carl Bailey, shoved Superintendent William Gummerman. The dispute concerned vacation and overtime selection. Police contacted the building supervisor who agreed to handle it and police told the feuding men to stay away from each other.
Harassed: A concerned Brown Road woman reported that she received a disturbing phone call on Tuesday June 28 at 2:33 am. The caller said, “this is rehab, I ‘m coming over to rape you.” Since the woman works in nursing, she was worried.
On 6/29, an 83 year-old Quaker Ridge woman reported that she is continuing to receive harassing phone calls. The caller demands that she send money. She receives the calls both at home and at work and the incessant calls to her office were so annoying that her employer asked her not to come in to the office.
Neighbors at Heathcote Road and Sherbrooke Road continue to argue about golf balls. The balls are being hit from the golf range at the house on Heathcote Road onto the neighboring property. The Heathcote Road residents have filed a harassment report against their neighbor.
Damage: On June 29, a Seneca Road man found his basketball pole bent at the base and it appeared that a vehicle had backed into it. The man thought it might have been hit by a garbage truck making a pickup, as the garbage pails are kept next to it.
Accident: An 88 year-old New Rochelle woman, driving a 2002 Toyota collided with a car driven by an 18 year-old driver at the intersection of Secor and Sycamore Roads on the morning of June 30th. The 88 year-old woman and her 79 year-old passenger were both taken to White Plains Hospital by SVAC.
Thefts: A $300 bike and lock were stolen from the bike rack on East Parkway on June 30th. Two bikes, together valued at $950 were stolen when they were locked to a tree in front of Moscato Restaurant on Scarsdale Avenue on July 1st. The lock was taken as well.
A gym bag belonging to a 17 year-old Swarthmore Road girl was found on her neighbor’s lawn on July 1st. The girl realized that her GPS, charger and gym bag were stolen from her 2011 Honda CRV during the night of 6/30-7/1. She was not sure whether or not the car was locked.
Egged: A house on Potter Road was egged over the weekend of 6/24 – 6/27. No damage was done. On July 1, a Bell Road man returned home at 4:35 am and found eggs in his driveway.
Graffiti: Graffiti was found on picnic tables and benches in Chase Park on June 27th.
Fireworks: Police received a complaint that fireworks were going off at Hyatt Field at 11:30 pm on 6/28. When they arrived, police found used fireworks and a smoldering pile of tree branches. They attempted to put out the fire and also called the Fire Department. Police also found a second pile of debris near the Potter Road side of the park.
Noise: At 9:30 pm on June 30th, police received a complaint about noise at the Saxon Woods Grill from a Stonewall Lane man. Though the officer did not think the noise was too loud he did stop by the Saxon Woods Grill and spoke to the owner who agreed to turn down the volume.
Say what? At 5:44 am on July 1st an Ogden Road man called to report a disoriented young man on the street. When police arrived they found a soaking wet young man running through the sprinklers barefoot. Police took him home to an address nearby. The boy’s father reported that his son sleepwalks on occasion.
Hot dog! Police received a report that a dog was locked in a car parked on Chase Road on a very hot afternoon. The car windows were closed. Police were able to remove the dog from the car through the sunroof and when the dog’s owner returned to the car she was issued a summons.
Girl Beats Boy, Man Loses Wife and a DWI
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“It Just Went Plop”: At 5:15 am on Sunday morning July 10th, police responded to an accident at Popham and Lockwood Roads. They found a 2005 Ford Focus parked in the eastbound lane of Popham Road leaking fluid and smashed in the front of the right side. They also found a man standing nearby who said he had called for help.
Police quickly realized the man was drunk and asked him what happened. Referring to the car the man said, “it just went plop.” The man could not describe the accident and admitted to drinking “only beer.” Police inspected the car and found vomit on the floor and inside the driver’s side door. The man who was identified as Nestor A. Medina of Yonkers failed sobriety tests, was arrested and found to have a BAC of .13. His car was towed to Eastchester and he was charged with DWI and driving an uninspected car.
Fight: An ex-girlfriend got into it with a Greenacres boy on the night of July 5th when the boy admitted to hooking up with someone else. The 20 year-old girl, a Purchase resident came to the home of her ex-boyfriend in Greenacres, grabbed his cell phone and went through his text messages. After reading the messages she threw his cell phone on the concrete and broke it. While he tried to pick up the pieces of his phone they continued to argue and she hit him, scratched his neck and ripped his shirt. She then drove away. Shortly after she left, the boy got a text message relayed by a friend warning the new girlfriend to “watch her back.” At that point the boy reported the incident to the police.
Possession: Just after midnight on 7/10 police saw three people running from the tennis hut at Brite Avenue toward Chesterfield Road. Police spotted one of the boys on Chesterfield, pursued him and ordered him to stop. They took the boy back to Brite Avenue where they found marijuana and rolling paper. The boy admitted they belonged to him. Police searched the 19 year-old and found another baggie of marijuana in his sneaker. He was brought to headquarters, charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and released on his own recognizance at 2 am.
Missing wife: On the afternoon of July 6, a 76 year-old Myrtledale Road man came to police to report that his 76 year-old wife was missing and to ask for help finding her. The woman, who is forgetful and on medication for dementia left the house at noon to go to Brae Burn Country Club in Harrison to meet a golf date. However at 2 PM someone from the club called to say that the woman had not arrived. At 3:25 pm, Scarsdale Police broadcast a message to the Harrison and Greenwich Police Departments with a description of the woman and her vehicle information.
The woman was still missing at 5 PM and Scarsdale Police utilized “A Child Is Missing Alert.” However at 5:20 pm, the husband received a call from Il Bacio Restaurant in Cross River to advise him that his wife was there. Lewisboro Police waited with her while her husband drove there to pick her up. Scarsdale Police will follow up with the couple in the future to discuss available services.
Missing Car: On 7/7 the Scarsdale Shell Service Station reported that Junior Julye of the Bronx had failed to return a rented Sonata that was rented through Avis and due back in the station on June 3rd. Neither Avis Security nor the Scarsdale Police were able to reache Mr. Julye by phone.
Missing Groceries: An Olmstead Road woman reported a missing bag of groceries at 8 pm on July 4th. The woman said that on July 1 she had been dropped off by a cab at her house, put the groceries down in front of the house, and walked around the back of the house. When she returned later, the groceries were gone.
Missing Trees: A Post Road man called police on 7/9 when his neighbor’s landscapers cut down trees and branches on his property. Police told the man to contact Village Hall.
Missing Dog: On the nigh of 7/10, a Richbell Road woman found a black lab on her property. The dog had no collar or tags and police took it back to headquarters. When they arrived, the dog’s owner came in to claim her pet and explained that it had escaped the fenced yard. The owner was given a warning.
No Parking: At 6:53 am on 7/11 a neighbor reported that a Ferncliff Road man was parking his car on the lawn. Police found the car on the front lawn and informed the man of a village ordinance prohibiting residents from parking cars on the lawn. The man was given a warning.
Fraud: The accountant at Quaker Ridge Golf Club was contacted by a Chase Bank branch on the evening of July 5 when someone named Jason Lloyd attempted to cash a fraudulent check from the club in the amount of $4,221.13. The club had no knowledge of the man and no employee with that name.
Threats: A Wakefield Road man brought three letters and an envelope to Scarsdale police on July 7th. The letters were threatening in nature and the man suspected they were from a former client.
Rampage at Edgemont High School
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A busy week for the Greenburgh Police: A 16 year-old Edgemont boy has been charged with criminal mischief after he went on a rampage with a sledge hammer, smashing 26 windows at Edgemont High School. A school custodian discovered the damage at 6:40 am on June 23rd, the morning of the high school graduation. The custodian found the sledgehammer on the gym floor, saw three broken windows in the gym and then toured the school and counted a total of 26 windows throughout the school that had been smashed. The total damage to the school is estimated at $11,000. On June 30, police announced the arrest of a 16 year-old Old Army Road boy whose name is being withheld due to his age. He was arraigned in Greenburgh Town Court on June 29th and released to his family, pending a court date on July 8th.
Fight: A Secor Road woman got into a fight with an ex boyfriend when he refused to leave the house on the evening of 6/20. The man was waiting for a cab on Longfellow Street in Hartsdale when he started to scream, kick and refuse to leave. He blocked traffic and cursed and screamed that he wanted to be arrested. When he refused to stop, he was placed under arrest, but flailed his arms, refused to be handcuffed and kicked and yelled. The man, identified as Paul Fisher, age 42 of Pleasantville was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Trouble at Hurricane Wings: Police were called to intervene in a fight at the restaurant on the night of June 23rd. Two customers, Robert W. Bracchitta and Jennifer Bitter both of Yonkers had gotten drunk and started a fight with another customer. When the managers asked the two to leave, Ms. Bitter slapped one of the managers across the face. Managers were able to escort the two out the door and blocked the entrance to prevent them from getting back in. Police interviewed Bracchitta and Bitter in the parking lot and they were loud and uncooperative. Police told Bracchitta to have someone pick them up and he called his mother. Though police decided not to press charges, Bitter continued to yell, and shouted, “those f XXX ers pushed me out the restaurant and touched my breasts, no man will ever touch my breasts."
Shoplifters: Police tracked down thieves who stole two digital cameras, an e-book and other merchandise from Best Buy on the afternoon of June 20th. The store alerted police that the men left the store in a white Nissan Altima and police stopped the car as it was travelling south on Central Avenue. The security officers identified the three men who were found with the stolen merchandise as well as magnetic devices that are used to facilitate larcenies. The three suspects were identified as Sharif N. Graham, age 36 of the Bronx, Trent Bernard Cook, age 31 of Brooklyn and Shondell Maurice Leach, age 33, also of Brooklyn.
After being alerted by Best Buy, police pursued and caught two shoplifters who had fled in a BMW on the evening of June 22. Security officers at the store stopped two men who were exiting when the security sensor was activated. One of the men fought off the guard and the two jumped into their car and drove north on Central Avenue. Police spotted the gray BMW on Tarrytown Road and saw one man jump out of the car on the entrance ramp to 287. Police were able to stop the car and another police unit found the other man on Randolph Road. The two men were brought to the station and positively identified by the Best Buy security guard. The men had stolen credit cards and had also taken a 32GIG sandisk memory card from Best Buy. The suspects were identified as Mamuka Chaganava and Archil Bugianishvili, both of Brooklyn.
Alyssa Congro, age 20 of the Bronx was arrested when she attempted to use stolen gift cards to purchase items at Denny’s Children’s clothes on Central Avenue on June 22. Congro selected merchandise and presented two gift cards, one for $75 and the other for $100 as payment. The store manager called the store where the cards were issued and found out that the cards had been reported stolen. Police then contacted the card’s owner who said that her purse had been stolen when she visited the Bronx Zoo on June 6th and she had notified Denny’s that the cards were taken. Congro was then arrested for criminal possession of stolen property.
Two Connecticut women were caught shoplifting at TJ Maxx on the afternoon of June 26. Natasha Nicholson and Ricky Nation took a pair of sneakers and cologne, together valued at $11.0.74. The women took the merchandise, attempted to return it for store credit and buy something else. They were charged with petit larceny.
Thievery: A home on Kaateskill Place, Scarsdale was entered and ransacked on the Wednesday afternoon June 22. When the resident returned at 3 pm, they found that a side entrance had been damaged and thieves had gone through the house and stolen jewelry and cash. The intruders attempted to open a safe in the basement but failed.
Residents of Columbia Avenue in Hartsdale saw and heard vandals trying to break into their car at 2 am on June 23rd. The residents heard banging noises, looked outside and saw someone holding a flashlight and looking into their s car windows. The residents activated the car alarm from a key ring and the intruder fled.
Two 23 year-old medical students were victims of theft while they were eating at CPK on Wednesday night 6/22. When they returned to the car after dinner, they found that computers, a digital camera, the charges and an iPod nano were gone. There were no signs of forced entry into the car.
While responding to a burglar alarm at 1:30 am on 6/22 at Woodlands High School, police learned that a group of girls had been hanging out in the back of the school. Police saw four girls run into the woods and found them on Dalewood Drive. The girls said they were hanging out and there was no damage to the school.
A shopping cart rolled into a Mazda minivan owned by a woman who lives on Murray Hill Road in Scarsdale while the van was parked in a Central Avenue parking lot on Monday morning 6/20. The cart caused scratches and a ding. The owner of the car agreed to work out the problem with a woman who had let the cart roll away.
Police came upon drinkers in a car in the parking lot at 336 Central Park Avenue on the night of June 24th. Two underage drinkers were issued violations and released to their parents and two others were booked for giving/selling alcohol to persons under the age of 21.
At 7:30 am on Saturday June 25, police found Freddy Hernandez, age 28 of Yonkers stopped in his minivan on Central Avenue in front of the Carpet Gallery. Hernandez was asleep, the car was in drive, and his foot was on the brake. Hernandez was drunk and had an open alcoholic beverage in the car. He failed sobriety tests and was arrested for drunk driving, drinking in a car and impeding traffic.
