Belmont Police Log, Nov. 8-14: Resident out $479,000 due to real estate closing scam

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 Nov. 8

12:32 p.m.: Belmont resident reported car damaged. There is a long scratch down the driver’s side door, and she is unsure who could have done this.

1:24 p.m.: A Belmont resident who has had a “Black Lives Matter” sign in his front yard for several years said the sign was pulled out of the grass and appeared to have been stomped on. His wife put the sign back up, but the next day, it was again, pulled out of the ground and torn in half. He believes the election may have triggered the event. He was advised to report any other future incidents.

2:42 p.m.: Collision into median barrier at intersection of Leonard Street and Concord Avenue by a 2018 Chevrolet truck operated by a Nashua, New Hampshire man. The driver was turning left onto Concord Avenue when he struck the barrier. He said he did not see it and believes it was in his blind spot. There have been past reports of drivers experiencing similar incidents at this median. The vehicle had minor damage and would not start so it was towed.

Saturday, Nov. 9

8:10 a.m.: Collision on Bartlett Avenue between a 2009 Jeep operated by a Belmont man and a 2016 Ford truck operated by a Chelsea man. The two vehicles were passing each other when the crash occurred. The Chelsea man said he had sun in his eyes. Both vehicles were towed due to tire damage.

10:24 a.m.: A Stolen license plate from a rental car was reported by a Belmont woman. The car was parked in the parking lot behind her apartment complex. She was advised to inform the rental company of the situation.

1:18 p.m.: Threats reported by a Belmont resident. She has become a victim of anti-semantic statements since moving to the apartment complex by a man living in the same complex.  He has been asking her if her oven works and if it gets hot enough for her to use. She also has been requesting repairs from the housing department and believes her last name is the reason the work isn’t being done. She was advised to call the police if at any point she feels threatened.

1:23 p.m.: Collision in front of Tatte on Trapelo Road between a 2007 Lexus operated by a Belmont man and a 2018 Honda operated by a Wilmington woman. The operator of the Lexus said he was pulling out of his parking space and did not see the other car.

3:55 p.m.: A 2015 Toyota operated by a Belmont woman was attempting to turn left onto Trapelo Road from Harding Avenue when she drove over the curb of the median and struck the traffic sign. She said she misjudged the turn and did not see the median and sign in the A-pillar blind spot.

5:15 p.m.: A Watertown man was issued a criminal application for uninsured and unregistered motor vehicle. His vehicle was towed.

5:43 p.m.: A Boston resident was having issues depositing checks at the Chase Bank ATM on Channing Road. She deposited approximately eight checks when the machine indicated the system was rebooting. After it rebooted, there was no record of the deposit. There also was no record of the deposit into her account. The bank has been informed and will get back to her about the issue.

Sunday, Nov. 10

12:20 p.m.: Threats reported by a Belmont resident. She was talking to a woman she met on an app when a man she knows was in the background saying he was going to pull up and shoot her and her child. She said she used to be friends with the man who made the threat and does not know the relationship between him and the person she was talking to. She blocked the phone number and said she would not be contacting her anymore.

6:10 p.m.: A Dorchester woman was issued a citation for failure to inspect and operating after suspension.

6:55 p.m. A Lincoln Street resident reported motor vehicle broken into. The resident said he witnessed two people breaking into his 2012 Honda. He was inside Tatte with his wife and when they returned to their vehicle, they saw two people sitting inside it. He pressed his vehicle key fob which activated the locks to verify it was in fact his vehicle. The two men then fled on foot, running towards Cushing Square. They were wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a gray hooded sweatshirt. The interior of the vehicle was ransacked. A pair of Julbo sunglasses valued at approximately $100 and a tire pressure gauge valued at $15 were missing. He is uncertain if his vehicle was locked.

Tuesday, Nov. 12

8:57 a.m.: Collision at intersection of Belmont and Lexington Streets between a 2023 Toyota operated by a Brighton woman and a 2014 Honda operated by a Peabody man. The Honda struck the Toyota. The Peabody man was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way.

10:27 a.m.: Collision at intersection of Leonard Street and Alexander Avenue between a 2016 Honda operated by a Cambridge man and a 2017 Dodge Council on Aging minivan operated by a Belmont man. The Dodge stopped at the crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross the street when it was struck by the Honda.

1:27 p.m.: Suspicious activity reported in the area of Channing and Waterhouse Roads. Two males wearing high visibility vests, operating a white Chevy with New Jersey plates were going door to door soliciting customers for paving work, using the company name Earle Asphalt and Foundation. Officers approached the vehicle occupied by three white males wearing high visibility vests and asked for their identification. Two of the males handed the officer United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island passports. The third male handed him a driver’s license from Ireland. They said they all lived in Brockton. The names are believed to be aliases for individuals with extensive criminal histories and several non-extraditable warrants out of New Jersey for contractor type schemes. The alias names were John Barns, Tom Green and Josh Lee Smith.

5:28 p.m.: Fraud reported by Belmont residents who were purchasing a house. The husband was communicating with his attorney via email in regard to the closing on the sale of the property. Half of the money was wired. On Nov. 6, he began communicating with someone using a slightly different email address who was impersonating his attorney. The email instructed him to wire the final payment of $479,000 for the property to a new bank account. The money was wired on Nov. 8. On Nov. 12, he received a call from his attorney asking if he wired the money. He told him he wired it to the new account as he instructed. The attorney said he did not instruct him to wire the money to a new account. At this time, they realized he was the victim of fraud. A fraud report was filed with his bank.

6:02 p.m.: A Belmont woman was crossing Common Street in the crosswalk between Brettwood and Hillcrest Roads. Traffic stopped completely for her. As she walked past the double yellow line into the Northbound Lane of Common Street, she saw the lights of a white SUV that was not slowing down, so she increased her walking speed As the white SUV passed her, one of its passenger side tires struck the heel of her shoe and slacks on her left leg. She believes the person was not paying attention or did not see her. She was wearing dark clothing. She did not suffer any physical injury but wanted the incident documented.

8:30 p.m.: A 2021 Tesla owned by a Hopkinton resident was struck while it was parked at the intersection of Payson Road at Oak Avenue at around 3 p.m. Footage from the vehicle’s surveillance system shows a white pick-up truck packing up from a large black landscaping trailer, which made contact with the Tesla, causing damage to the charging port. The operator of the trailer, a Holliston man,  said he was unaware that he struck or caused damage to the Tesla.

Wednesday, Nov. 13

10 a.m. Property damage reported on Kilburn Road. A Stoneham resident’s vehicle was damaged while it was parked. The front left bumper was scuffed.

10:05 a.m.: Collision at intersection of School Street and Fairview Avenue between a 2018 Toyota operated by a Lexington woman and a 2016 GMC operated by a Watertown woman. The Toyota was struck by the GMC. When the operator put the car in reverse to move the vehicle from the intersection, the gear got stuck and she finally came to a stop on a School Street lawn, uprooting a bush. The operator of the GMC said the other vehicle came out of nowhere and did not stop at the stop sign. Belmont Fire and Rescue also responded Both operators refused to be transported to the hospital. There was heavy damage to both vehicles and both were towed. A witness aid the Toyota did not stop at the stop sign and caused the accident. A citation for failure to stop was issued to the operator of the Toyota.

Thursday, Nov. 14

4:10 p.m.: Collision into a wall at the intersection of Common Street and Long Avenue. A 2019 Honda operated by a Medford man crashed into a wall. The operator and his passenger were injured. Belmont Fire and Rescue arrived to assist. The driver had o recollection of what happened to cause the accident. A witness said he saw the SUV swerve into the oncoming lane, strike a fire hydrant on Common Street, go into crosswalk and into stone wall.

Belmont Police responded to five mental health and one domestic call betwen Nov. 8-15, 2024.