Belmont Police Log, June 23-28: Golf balls from Oakley Country Club strike two vehicles
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.
Friday, June 23
1:37 p.m.: A Grove Street resident reported identity theft. On June 22nd, American Airlines locked her sky miles account. Today, she learned someone hacked into her sky miles account and withdrew 82,500 sky miles. American Airlines estimates the value of the sky miles at $2,433.75. They refunded the sky miles and opened a new account for her. She was advised to notify her other credit card companies and financial institutions of her identity theft and to keep an eye on her credit score.
2:34 p.m.: Hill Road resident reported larceny. On June 20th, he learned someone withdrew $2,700 from his checking account. He received several messages on his cell phone that day, alerting him they were spam. He did not answer. At 11 p.m., he received a call from TD Bank on his landline phone. He answered and was informed of the withdrawal. He informed the bank it wasn’t him. They said they attempted calling him, but he didn’t answer. He went to the Arlington branch and they said they would get back to him tomorrow with instructions of what to do. He never heard back from them. He called their fraud department and they said the process could take 15 days to fix. He had nothing left in his account and needed the money replaced. He opened a new account with TD and they refunded him the money.
3:50 p.m.: A Brighton woman driving a 2015 Audi was struck by a golf ball while driving by Oakley Country Club. She was driving on Belmont Street when a golf ball went through her passenger side window, struck her in the right arm and then hit her windshield. The top of the passenger side window was broken off, the rest of the window was shattered and the front window was cracked in two locations above the steering wheel. There was glass all over the inside of the vehicle and the golf ball was located on the driver’s side floor. Officers spoke to the general manager of the country club who provided the operator with information she needed to pay for the damage to the car. Belmont Fire evaluated her. She refused further treatment.
5:54 p.m.: Hawthorne Street resident reported fraud. One June 21st, while on vacation, she received emails that her Amazon log-in was changed. Someone was attempting to purchase a Play Station 5 and clothing off of her Amazon account. She did not authorize changes to her account and immediately reported the fraud to Bank of America. She also received emails from Venmo, PayPal, Shein and Poshmark reporting similar activity. She was most concerned with an email she received from USPS that she created an account to track her packages. There was about $1,000 in charges from the unknown user. She was able to cancel the orders and contact Bank of America in time. She reported the fraud to Bank of America and will also report it to the other companies. She was advised to reach out to the three credit bureaus to report the possible fraud.
11:14 p.m.: A Farm Road resident reported vandalism. She and her son went out at 3:30 p.m. When they arrived home, they noticed someone threw eggs at their front steps, doors, window and siding on the house. She believes her house was targeted by the same group of individuals who may have egged the house two days prior. On June 21st, her house and a neighbor’s were egged. The Ring camera footage on June 21st shows three individuals walking by the house and shortly after, eggs began to hit the house. The Ring camera did not pick up footage this time but a neighbor will check their camera.
Sunday, June 25
4:51 p.m.: A 2023 Acura operated by a Belmont man at the intersection of Concord Avenue and Winter Street hit a large rock. The operator and the passenger were uninjured. The operator was parked in his driveway facing Concord Avenue. He turned on his vehicle and proceeded to Concord Avenue. The vehicle then started beeping and took off. He pressed the brake as hard as he could and it wasn’t working. The vehicle crossed over two lanes on Concord Avenue, down into the brush until it hit a large rock and stopped. The passenger side airbag deployed. Belmont Fire said the vehicle was still running when they arrived on the scene. When they turned it off, something under the hood continued to run. They disconnected the battery for safety. The vehicle was removed by Waltham Auto. The brakes appeared to be working and there were no other alarms at this time. There was moderate damage to the front center.
Monday, June 26
11:04 a.m.: An officer observed a traffic light down on the sidewalk at the intersection of Belmont Street and White Street. Belmont Light responded and removed the signal and placed a sawhorse over the base of the pole. No witnesses came forward. There was no accident reported.
Tuesday, June 27
6:05 p.m.: In the area of Lawndale Street and Oakley Road, a 2012 Toyota operated by a Belmont man reported a golf ball. The rear windshield was completely smashed. He was driving on Belmont Street, waiting to turn left onto Oakley Road when the ball smashed into his rear window. The golf ball was on the back dashboard. An employee at Oakley Country Club provided officers with the contact information for the general manager. Officers advised the Belmont man to contact his insurance company and provide them with the information.
7:21 p.m.: a 2007 Toyota operated by a man (residence unknown) collided into a 2019 Lexus operated by a Belmont woman. The man was complaining about leg and arm pain and spoke little English. Belmont Fire responded. The woman said she was turning onto Harris Street when the Toyota collided with her. Her airbags deployed. She was complaining about chest pain and treated by Belmont Fire. Several witnesses said the Toyota was traveling at a high rate of speed before it collided with the Lexus. Officers observed skid marks, 30 feet long, towards the intersection of Harris Road and Waverley Street. There was significant damage to the front center of the Toyota and the Lexus had significant damage to the right center. Both vehicles were towed and both operators were transported to Mount Auburn Hospital.
8:59 p.m.: An Olmstead Drive resident reported suspicious activity. He was transported to the hospital by Belmont Fire on June 24th at approximately 3:30 p.m. His social security and Medicare card were under his bed prior to going to the hospital. When he returned home on June 26th at 5 p.m., he noticed his cards were missing and his front door was unlocked and lights were on. Nothing else was missing. He gave his neighbors the key to feed his cats while he was gone. He was advised to contact the credit bureaus.
Wednesday, June 28
8:43 a.m.: Collision at intersection of Concord Avenue and Winter Street between a 1999 GMC operated by a Billerica man and a 2016 Chevy operated by a Lynn woman. There were no injuries. As the operator of the GMC was traveling by Winter Street on Concord Avenue, he was struck by the Chevy. The operator of the Chevy thought it was safe to turn left onto Concord Avenue from Winter Street when she was struck. There was damage to both vehicles. The operator of the Chevy was issued a citation for failure to yield. The Chevy was towed.
11:35 a.m.: Report of a suspicious male in his 20s following a 24-year-old female from the Star Market in Cambridge to a Tennis and Squash store on Belmont Street. The owner of the store said the female appeared upset. The male walked in shortly after and attempted to talk to her. He could tell the female was trying to get away from him. He left and the female said she was followed for approximately one mile. She noticed he was hiding behind bushes along the way so he wouldn’t see her. She took video of him asking her questions in the store, asking for her name and phone number. The video has been provided to officers.
12:54 p.m.: Wheelworks reported harassment. The manager said three years ago he fired an employee who he suspected stole a company’s laptop. The employee still comes into the store since then to purchase items but makes negative faces at employees. He also rides by the store on his bicycle and gives them the finger. He recently emailed the company’s accountant, calling her an obscene profanity and said he stole the laptop three years ago. Officers asked the general manager if he wants to file charges. He said he did not. They explained the process of seeking a harassment prevention order and also said he could issue a no trespass against him but he did not want to at this time.
Thursday, June 29
8:08 a.m.: Agassiz Avenue resident reported a possible break-in. At around 1 a.m. she heard three booms behind the house and someone walking up the back stairs. The furniture on her back porch was thrown about in the backyard. The window to the common back hallway was open and the back door to the common hallway was also open. She believes both the window and door were locked the night before. Officers observed a screen from the window on the ground and doors open. They did not see any signs of forced entry. The other tenants in the home said they did not hear anything the night before, although they were able to provide video of the furniture thrown about the yard. Officers canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses or other cameras. No one else saw or heard anything.
9:52 a.m.: A 2021 freight box truck operated by a Dorchester man collided into a town tree in the area of 86 Walnut Street. The operator was uninjured. He said he pulled over to the side of the road to avoid hitting another car coming towards him. The top passenger side of the truck struck an overhanging limb. There was heavy damage to the top of the box truck and the town tree. The tree service company removed the limbs. Public Works staff also responded to remove debris. Waltham Auto towed the truck.
12:33 p.m.: Officers are seeking a criminal complaint against a Cambridge man for larceny from a building.
3:35 p.m.: A Franklin Street resident reported suspicious activity. She was working in a room overlooking her neighbor’s house. At 3:15 p.m. she observed a white male wearing a gray t-shirt, black shorts and a white hat, walk up the driveway between the houses. He tried to enter her neighbor’s back door, then went to the side door. There were Amazon packages left at the side door that he inspected. He spent 7 to 8 minutes trying to enter the correct code on the side door. She took three photos of the man who then entered a black Honda or Acura and drove toward Slade Street. She called her neighbor who informed her she was not expecting anyone and did not recognize the man in the photos. Officers checked the neighbor’s house. All the doors appeared to be secure. They then informed the home owner that six Amazon packages were by the side entrance. She is unsure how many she was expecting. She was concerned someone was trying to gain access to her house and is looking into getting a security system. Officers will do extra patrols of the area.
4:50 p.m.: A Waverley Street resident reported larceny. She was sent a laptop in the mail through UPS. She received two messages saying UPS attempted to deliver the package but the homeowner was not home to receive it. She said she was home both those times and did not see anyone come to the door. She received a notification the package was delivered to CVS on Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. They said they had the package but it was picked up on June 28th at around noon by a male. They handed her a paper stating she authorized a man named Oz Yifrikh to pick up her package. The paper had the tracking number which was the correct number for the package. There was a copy of a U.S. passport card with her name on it at the bottom of the paper but no other information was accurate. She will reach out to the company to attempt to get the serial and model numbers of the computer. She was also informed by CVS that they have a video of the man that picked up the package. They did not ask for his identification before releasing the package.
8:49 p.m.: An Elm Street resident reported threats. While she was in New York, her iPhone was stolen. She ordered a new one and recently has been getting texts from random phone numbers telling her to remove the stolen iPhone from Find my iPhone so it can be reset by the person who stole it to be sold. They are threatening to harm her if she does not remove it and also told her how to remove the stolen phone from her account, using screenshots to show her. One of the photos showed the last known location of the stolen iPhone in Bronx, New York. She is afraid her personal photos will be disseminated to her friends and family. Officers informed her, this is most likely a scam and she doubts they have access to her personal photos. She was advised to speak to Verizon or Apple about whether or not to delete the device from the Find My iPhone app.
Belmont Police responded to two mental health calls and three domestic incidents regarding one arrest for assault and battery and a criminal complaint for assault and battery between June 23 and June 28.