Belmont Police Log, April 28-May 5: Reports of fraud, shoplifting, pedestrian struck, car on fire
The following are excerpts from the Belmont Police log as made available by the Belmont Police Department. The log is public and available for review. All persons are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.
Sunday, April 30
3:47 a.m.: Criminal complaint issued against a Waltham man for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
12:09 p.m.: Collision involving a pedestrian in the area of Church and Lexington Streets between a 2012 Chevy operated by a Mansfield man and an elderly Belmont woman. The woman complained of ankle pain and suffered minor scrapes on her elbow and bruising on her left ankle. Due to a language barrier she was unable to tell officers what happened. The operator of the Chevy said he was at the light at Church Street, waiting to turn right form Lexington Street. He hit his brakes a few feet after the crosswalk because someone was in the roadway. He does not know where she came from or if he hit her. A witness said he believes the black truck had a green light when he was turning right. He saw a lady fall at the raised island when she was crossing the truck. He is unsure how she fell. Officers made contact with the pedestrian’s son who translated for his mother. She said she was trying to cross the street from the island when a truck ran over her foot. She thought it was clear to cross because the truck was stopped at a light. The operator of the truck was issued a citation for failure to slow for a pedestrian.
2:58 p.m.: A Newton resident reported disturbances at a property she manages. One of the tenants has been complaining about the unit below them. The tenants did not want the police involved The property manager was looking for advice. She was advised to put cameras in the common areas and to tell her tenants if they feel police should be involved to please call.
Monday, May 1
10:09 a.m.: Channing Road resident reported fraud. Someone using her name filed for unemployment benefits. She received an email on Saturday that a Toyota rewards Visa was applied for using her name. She reported the unemployment fraud to the state and was in the process of contacting the credit bureau and her bank.
11:29 a.m.: Marlboro Street resident reported fraud. She received an email from Bank of America that someone tried to open an account using her personal information. Bank of America said this person used her social security number and knew her email address and also used her old address in Somerville. The bank closed this account. She also called Experion to put an alert on her personal information.
3:59 p.m.: A Concord Avenue dental office reported suspicious activity. She recently contacted Verizon to do work at the business. On April 24 at 11 a.m., two workers claiming to be with Verizon went to do work in the basement. She became suspicious because they were not wearing anything identifying them as Verizon employees. They left in a white truck but she wasn’t able to get their registration information. On April 26 at 11 a.m., a Verizon worker dressed in uniform arrived and completed the work. However, at 2 p.m. the same day, the two original individuals claiming to be from Verizon showed up again looking to get access to the building which she denied. She told them the job was complete. She was unable to get their names but contacted Verizon who informed her they did not believe those individuals were subcontractors or affiliated with Verizon. She was able to get a photo of their white truck and the individuals which she has given to the Belmont Police. Today at 3 p.m. she received a call from an individual named Ray Garcia claiming to work for Belmont Light. He told her she needed to pay an outstanding balance or her power would be shut off. She hung up the phone and called Belmont Light who informed her they have no employees by that name and she is up to date on her payments. The phone number Ray called from was 800-410-9347.
5:29 p.m.: A Waverley Street resident reported property damage. She was travelling southbound by the Town Field when a baseball struck the windshield of her 2022 Volvo. Officers observed several cracks to the driver’s side of the windshield.
6:30 p.m.: Criminal complaint filed against a Boston man for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
6:32 p.m.: An Alexander Avenue resident reported fraud. She received an email from Bank of America on April 25 saying someone tried to open a new account using her personal information including her social security number. They froze her account and the credit bureau has put an alert on her personal information.
Tuesday, May 2
3:25 p.m.: A collision in the area of Leonard and Moore Street between a 2006 Jeep operated by a Gardener man and a 2008 Toyota operated by a Quincy man. The operator of the Jeep was travelling Southbound on Leonard Street when he was struck. There was moderate damage to the back of his car. The operator for the Toyota was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way.
4:18 p.m.: Star Market on Trapelo Road reported shoplifting in progress. Dispatchers got a description of the individual, a black male in his early 30s wearing a hoody. The items taken were three bottles of alcohol and a container of chicken. Officers observed a man matching the description by the intersection of Sycamore and Trapelo Road, boarding an MBTA bus heading Eastbound towards Cambridge. Officers pulled the bus over and spoke to the individual matching the description. He was from Cambridge. Officers observed the Star Market bag containing bottles of alcohol and fruit. The officers asked him to get off the bus and he agreed to do so. They questioned him about the items he had and if he was at Star Market. First, he denied being at Star Market then he admitted being there saying he purchased the items but disposed of the receipt. The items in the bag matched the items stolen from Star Market. After further discussion he admitted taking them without paying. Officers took possession of the items and he was informed him he is no longer welcome at the Belmont Star Market and was free to leave. The items were returned to Star Market.
5:54 p.m.: A School Street resident reported unemployment identity fraud. She received an email on April 18 from her employer informing her an unemployment account was opened in her name. She froze her credit and reported it to the state. Since then she has been notified of an unknown individual attempting to log into her Fidelity account on two occasions. She also received a credit card in the mail which she did not apply for. She was again advised to continue monitoring her accounts for any fraudulent activity.
11:13 p.m.: Officers responded to Olmstead Drive for a car fire. When officers arrived they observed the vehicle fully engulfed in flames. The vehicle was a 2017 Dodge. The owner said he backed the Dodge into his parking spot at 8:30 p.m. HE keeps it in good condition, although it has a lot of miles on it. He is unsure why the fire happened. Firefighters extinguished the fire. They determined it was an electrical fire that started at the engine block. Officers then spoke to the owner of the vehicle parked next to it, a 2014 Nissan. She was concerned her vehicle might have been damaged. Officers noticed the right side had parts that were melted. Both owners were advised a report was on file. The Dodge was towed from the scene.
Wednesday, May 3
6:25 a.m.: Collision in the area of Brighton and Pleasant Street between a 2016 GMC operated by a Rindge, New Hampshire resident and a 2018 Toyota operated by a Waltham woman. Both vehicles sustained heavy front end damage. Belmont Fire also responded. The operator of the Toyota was complaining of shoulder and chest pain. The operator of the GMC said he had a green light when he was travelling on Pleasant street and the Toyota turned in front of him. He had no time to stop. The operator of the Toyota said she was attempting to turn left onto Brighton Street and didn’t see any oncoming traffic. She was unable to avoid the collision. The Toyota was towed from the scene. The operator of the Toyota was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way at the intersection.
12:10 p.m.: A Bay State Road resident reported fraud. Someone attempted to open an account using his information at Abington Bank. They used all his information including his social security number. Abington recognized it was a fraud attempt and denied the account.
2:25 p.m.: A Lantern Road resident reported fraud. He just received a phone call from his employer saying someone applied for unemployment benefits in his name. There has been no other suspicious activity with his personal information and he will be following up with the Department of Unemployment. He will also notify his financial institutions and keep and eye on his credit score.
4:40 p.m.: Winn Brook School reported a suspicious person taking photos of children in the playground. At 2:30 p.m., an employee said she observed an Asian male taking photos of children. He walked away when she approached him but then continued taking photos. She asked him what he was doing and he didn’t seem to understand what she was asking. He then left the area. Another employee said a similar event occurred on Feb. 15th at the same time. She observed an Asian male taking photos of children. When she confronted him he began speaking Mandarin and started walking away. Photos of the individual on each occasion were taken and given to the Belmont Police. They are unsure if it is the same individual.
Thursday, May 4
3:22 p.m.: Collision in area of Belmont Street and Oxford Avenue between a 2015 Volkswagen operated by a Watertown female and a 2014 Subaru operated by a Waltham.There were no injuries but airbags deployed. The operator of the Volkswagen said she was on Belmont Street when she was struck without warning. The operator of the Subaru said as he stopped for traffic in front of him, he was struck in the rear. The Volkswagen had heavy front end damage and was towed from the scene. The operator of the Volkswagen was issued a citation for failure to stop.
6:41 p.m.: An Acorn Park Drive resident reported a stolen bicycle from a locked room. A fob is needed to gain access but the door remains open unless physically closed. His bicycle was locked in the room since Sunday. Today, he discovered his bicycle was stolen. It was a pink Ellsworth Epiphany mountain bike worth $5,000.
8:19 p.m.: Collision in area of Lexington and Sycamore Street between a 2023 Jeep operated by a Watertown woman and a 2019 Toyota operated by a Belmont woman. The operator of the Jeep said she was slowly traveling Eastbound on Sycamore Street when her vehicle collided with the Toyota. The operator of the Toyota requested Belmont Fire and Rescue respond to evaluate her child and mother who were passengers in the vehicle. She was traveling on Sycamore Street and was coming to a complete stop when she was struck by the Jeep. The passenger of the Toyota was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital, complaining of neck pain. There was minor damage to both vehicles. The operator of the Jeep was issued a citation for failure to stop.
9:06 p.m.: A Pearl Street resident reported identity fraud. On May 1 he began to receive emails from Bank of America but he did not have an account with the bank. He began receiving more of these emails. Most recently he was welcomed by Bank of America to their online mobile banking. He received another email stating that the email associated with his Bank of America account changed. He called the Bank of America fraud department to report the account created using his information. He was advised to file a police report. Officers advised him to monitor his credit score and report any other fraudulent activities.
Friday, May 5
11:34 a.m.: A Loring Street resident reported unemployment identity fraud. He received an email from his human resources director informing him someone used his name to file for unemployment benefits. He reported the fraud with the state and the credit bureau put a freeze on his account.
Arrest
A Maynard man was arrested on April 28 at 11:19 p.m. for operating under the influence of liquor, second offense and speeding.
Belmont Police responded to one domestic incident involving violating a restraining order and eight mental health calls between April 28th and May 4th.