Belmont Police Log, Jan. 5-9: Two pedestrians struck, Ukraine flag stolen

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, Jan. 5

4:39 p.m.: A Belmont resident reported she lost her wallet containing credit cards and $200 cash at the United States Post Office in Cambridge where she last used her Costco CitiBank credit card. She was notified by Costco CitiBank that her card was used at an unknown Target store for a purchase of $718. She was then notified by her Verizon Synchrony Visa that $733.08 was charged at a Woburn Target. Her Loft Mastercard credit card was also used at an unknown Target store for $718. She cancelled all the credit cards that were in her wallet and was advised how to obtain a replacement Massachusetts driver’s license. She was also advised to contact the three credit bureaus to establish a credit freeze so no new accounts could be opened in her name.

6:50 p.m.: A Belmont resident believes someone opened a Verizon Wireless account in his name. He lost his driver’s license in April 2024 and since then his credit score has dropped. He does not have any evidence that his identity was compromised. However, he received a letter from Verizon Wireless stating he was denied an account. He attempted to open a new Verizon Wireless account today and his application was denied. They instructed him to file a police report to open an investigation into the fraudulent account. He was advised to monitor his credit.

Monday, Jan. 6

8:06 a.m.: A Belmont resident reported identity fraud. He responded to an email from online@casaviva.es received at 12:31 p.m. on Jan. 5. The email had the “Prime” logo on it and stated his Prime membership was being renews on Jan. 6. However, it claimed there was a problem with the payment method. He clicked the link and provided his credit card and social security number. After he did this, he realized Amazon would not need his social security number. He called Amazon and was told his membership was valid until Jan. 26, 2025, and no one reached out to him regarding his membership. He contacted the three credit bureaus and put a freeze on his credit. He contacted his bank and cancelled the involved credit card. He attempted to contact social security, but they were closed.

9:14 a.m.: A Belmont resident reported a suspicious email received at 6:23 p.m. on Jan. 5. An unknown individual stated they have damaging information and threatened to release it if she does not send a Bitcoin payment of $1,950 to a Bitcoin wallet. Belmont Police advised her this was most likely a scam and to not respond. She said she has been a victim of identity fraud in the past. She was advised to continue to monitor her accounts and personal information and report any future activity she believes is fraudulent.

3:51 p.m.: Larceny reported at Power Plus gas station on Trapelo Road. An employee said an unknown customer pulled up to get a full tank of gas and said he would pay with Apple pay. He filled the tank and asked the customer to come inside the gas station to pay the bill. The customer began to drive away without paying. He chased the vehicle onto Hull Street and slapped the rear of the vehicle twice to make the vehicle stop. It then turned onto Trapelo Road. He had video on his phone from the gas station’s surveillance cameras. The vehicle was a gray Honda Accord operated by a black or light skinned male with a stubbled beard, approximately 25 or 26 years old. He provided the license plate which shows a vehicle owner who lives in Medford. Belmont Police requested the Medford Police to inform the resident that the Belmont Police would like to speak with him. Medford Police were unable to locate the man but spoke to his brother and left a message for the resident to call the Belmont Police.  The Power Plus employee believes this is not the first time the unknown male has done this. About two weeks ago, the same male did the same thing. A Total of $82.17 of gas has been stolen. The Medford resident returned to the gas station and paid the amount due in full. He said his daughter’s boyfriend was driving the car.

5:46 p.m.: A 31-year-old Belmont male was struck by a 2014 Mazda operated by a Waltham man. on Brighton Street. He had a laceration on his head and scratches on his hands. He did not remember what happened. The operator of the vehicle said he was travelling in heavy traffic, 20-25 mph. He did not see anything in the roadway while he was driving but suddenly felt an impact on the driver’s side of his car. He initially thought it was another car that struck him. He pulled over and observed the pedestrian. He was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans and was crossing Eastbound across the crosswalk at the time of the collision. There was damage to the front driver’s side of the vehicle and driver’s side mirror. The operator was issued a citation for failure to stop for a pedestrian in the crosswalk.

11:15 pm: Larceny of a Ukraine flag from a Goden Street residence. The resident said someone pulled over and took the hanging Ukraine flag from their front porch, which belonged to the landlord who was asleep at the time of the incident. A video shows a man wearing a black jacket, beige pants and beige work boots exiting a vehicle stopped in front of the home. He runs up the stairs, covers his face and removes the flag before returning to the vehicle, which appears to be a small sedan or coupe.

Tuesday, Jan. 7

2 p.m.: A Plymouth resident who runs a realty office on Trapelo Road, said he wrote seven to eight business checks and mailed them at Waverley Post Office, 492 Trapelo Road, Belmont, on Dec. 7. He has been notified by several vendors they never received a check for their services. He was notified by Cambridge Savings Bank that one of his business checks was washed and made out to a Taunton man for $13,900. The check number was also altered. It was never processed so he wasn’t out the money. He is in the process of closing his business account as several checks are still unaccounted for. Belmont Police attempted to locate the Taunton man at the address on the check, but the name does not match the names of the licenses of the people living at the address.

Wednesday, Jan. 8

4:01 p.m.: A hit and run reported by a teacher at the Chenery Upper Elementary School who parked her car in the school parking lot at 8:30 a.m. When she returned at 3 p.m., there was damage to her vehicle, including dark color paint transfer and scratch marks and a small crack on the rear passenger bumper below the taillights. She will be reviewing the footage on the school surveillance cameras on Jan. 9 and was advised to update the police on her findings.

3:58 p.m.: A Belmont resident reported his former employer, AZTech based out of Delaware mentally abused him four years ago by holding his personal documents to prevent him from leaving the company and going somewhere else. He paid $1,700 for training that the company promised to reimburse, but he has never been reimbursed. He then discovered it was a fraudulent company, and his employer is facing 15 to 16 fraud charges elsewhere. He has been seeing a psychiatrist for more than a year due to the treatment he endured. He was advised a report will be on file.

Thursday, Jan. 9

5;31 p.m.: A young male pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle on Trapelo Road. The boy was lying on his back with several people surrounding him. He was conscious and alert but was crying and complaining of leg pain. His older sister was with him. She said she picked up her brother from the after-school program at the Butler Elementary School. On their way home, they came to a marked crosswalk near the intersection of Trapelo Road and Hawthorne Street. Prior to crossing, a trash barrel fell to the ground due to the strong winds. She went to pick up the trash barrel and heard someone screaming, which is when she turned around and saw her brother in the middle of the street on the ground. She said they were both using the crosswalk, walking toward Hawthorne Street. She did not witness the impact. Belmont Fire and Pro EMS arrived on the scene to render aid. The victim’s mother arrived on the scene. He was transported to Children’s Hospital. The female operator of the vehicle of the 2010 Toyota Prius, a Waltham resident. She said she didn’t see anyone in the crosswalk and was not distracted. She was looking straight ahead. She then saw a child using the crosswalk, come into her lane of travel. She attempted to brake but was too late. She saw the boy fall, then get up and stagger off to the side of the road.
She said she was going 10 mph, and he struck the center, front/right of her vehicle and did not go over the hood. She was issued a citation for crosswalk violation.

Belmont Police responded to two domestic and three mental health calls Jan. 4-10.