Belmont Police Log, Jan. 18-24: Marsh Street home break-in, neighbor disputes Microsoft scam, check fraud, unemployment fraud and more

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. 

Saturday, Jan. 18

5:20 a.m.: A Honda CRV flipped over on Pleasant Street. The driver and two back seat passengers exited the vehicle and refused medical attention. The operator of the vehicle, an Everett man, said his steering wheel froze on him, causing him to hit the curb and collide into a rock wall, causing the vehicle to overturn. There was damage to the rock wall and municipal traffic sign. The vehicle was totaled and towed from the scene.

10 a.m.: A Jeanette Avenue resident reported vandalism to his Honda. The back window was smashed. There were pieces of glass inside the vehicle. The resident believes the incident is connected to an incident on Halloween when someone threw eggs at his house. No cameras could be found in the area.

Monday, Jan. 20

8:15 a.m.: A plow operated by a Chelmsford man crashed into a 2021 Subaru operated by an Arlington woman at the intersection of Cross and Brighton Streets during the snowstorm. The operator of the plow was issued a citation for failure to stop/yield.

2:48 p.m.: A Belmont resident using dating apps Tinder and HUD reported receiving text messages from unknown number threatening his family unless he pays them money. One message identified itself as the “head of the Sinaloa cartel hitmen,” and another identified itself as “Jorge Usepe.” Belmont Police advised him these were probably scammers. He was advised to ignore and block the phone numbers. When using the dating apps, he was also advised not to give his real phone number until he can verify and feel comfortable. There have been similar reports involving the name ‘Jorge Usepe” with the same phone numbers.

Tuesday, Jan. 21

7:50 a.m.: Collision at intersection of Trapelo Road and Mill Street between a 2022 Chevrolet operated by a Methuen woman and a 2013 Toyota operated by a Lawrence man. The Lawrence man was issued a citation for failure to yield/stop.

1:57 p.m.: A Marsh Street resident reported noticing a back first floor window open and glass on the floor. There were footprints in the snow leading to the window. It appears the suspect went to the second floor and entered and ransacked each of the bedrooms. There was clothing and jewelry and other miscellaneous items strewn on the floor of each room and the closets. A jewelry box was dropped on the bottom steps in the front hall exposing its contents on the stairs. The State Police K-9 tracked a scent leading down the driveway, across Marsh Street and onto Woodbine Road where it ended. The homeowner is unsure what items were stolen. She will contact the police when she puts a list together.

6:41 p.m.: Collision at the intersection of Trapelo Road and Hawthorne Street between a 2016 Mazda operated by a Watertown man and a 2006 Toyota operated by a Watertown man. The operator of the Mazda was issued a citation for following too closely.

Wednesday, Jan. 22

6:47 p.m.: Collision with injuries at intersection of Concord Avenue and Winter Street between a 2013 Toyota operated by a Braintree man and a 2018 Toyota operated by a Belmont woman. The Braintree man complained of chest pain and was transported to the hospital.  His passenger was distraught but uninjured. The Belmont woman was saying she was injured “everywhere” but couldn’t explain what was hurting. She kept walking around the accident scene despite the officer requesting her to stay out of the roadway several times. Her behavior was somewhat erratic; however, she did not show signs of impairment. The Belmont woman was issued a citation for failure to yield.

Thursday, Jan. 23

12:52 p.m.: A Watertown man reported a hit and run that occurred on Jan. 22 at approximately 3 p.m. on Brighton Street near Coolidge Road in Belmont. His 2009 Hyundai was struck from behind. He began to pull over to exchange papers with the other operator, but it fled down a side street. He was unable to get a license plate but said it was a female with long hair.

4:02 p.m.: A Belmont resident who owns a business located on Common Street was notified by Chase Bank about a suspicious transaction on her business account. A check numbered 2446 was deposited via mobile in the amount of $8,220 made out to a person with a Braintree address. She said she was still in possession of that check number and it was blank. Her checks are located in her personal office at the business which has security cameras inside. She had not seen any suspicious activity on the camera recently. Only she, an employee and a cleaner who she has had for 12 years have access to the office. She mailed two checks in December 2024 via USPS, but they never made it to the recipient and were cancelled. One of the checks was number 2336 for $6,000. Her signature on the check was forged. Belmont Police were able to locate the suspect the check was made payable to. Criminal charges are pending further investigation.

Saturday, Jan. 25

12:40 p.m.: A White Street resident reported a large piece of stone wall to her yard went missing. She believes it may have been pushed by a plow due to the snowstorm on Jan. 19. She has not been able to locate it.

1:24 p.m.: A Belmont resident reported falling on ice at 3 p.m. on Jan. 24 on the sidewalk in front of his residence on White Street. He cut his scalp, needed seven stitches and lost a hearing aid. He took himself to the emergency room. A resident of the home said she would contact the landlord to let them know about the incident.

Monday, Jan. 27

1:42 p.m.: Ongoing dispute between neighboring tenants on Trapelo Road over a furnace. One tenant is harassing the other. Belmont Police advised the victim to seek a harassment order against the offender at Cambridge District Court. Officers told the offender not to go near the victim’s furnace or he would face criminal charges and could be arrested. There have been previous disputes with previous tenants and the offender.

4:26 p.m.: Collision between an ambulance and an SUV at the intersection of Trapelo Road and Beech Street. The ambulance was transporting a patient to Belmont Manor nursing home. The operator of the ambulance was issued a citation for following too closely

Tuesday, Jan. 28

10:26 a.m.: A Belmont resident who was recently away in Florida observed numerous transactions in his Bank of America Account that were not made by him. He is not sure how his card number was compromised. He immediately notified a representative of Bank of America. The fraudulent transactions totaled $4,744.60. The bank said they would work with him to get his money returned, but he needed to file a police report.

4:50 p.m.: A 2015 Toyota collided into the curb and a yellow post on the traffic island at the intersection of Concord Avenue and Leonard St. The vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage and appeared to be leaking liquid. The vehicle was towed. The operator was issued a citation for marked lanes violation and improper turn.

Wednesday, Jan. 29

12:13 p.m.: A Foster Road resident reported packages of medications stolen. There were no cameras on the property or neighboring properties.

1:47 p.m.: A 2016 Subaru collided with a 2024 parked Hyundai. The operator of the Subaru was attempting to parallel park and said she inadvertently stepped on the accelerator but meant to step on the brake. It was later discovered the operator of the Subaru was operating with a suspended license. A criminal complaint was filed for operating after suspension of a license.

Thursday, Jan. 30

9:54 a.m.: A Belmont resident reported he was a victim of identity fraud. He received a request to verify his identity for his unemployment account, but he does not have an unemployment account. The Department of Unemployment Assistance informed him a claim was unemployment was filed under his name on Dec. 19. The claim was denied. He informed them the claim was fraudulent.

10:36 a.m.: Ongoing neighbor dispute. One neighbor feels like the other is watching them and making harassing and offending remarks like, “Faggot,” and “I’m going to get you arrested” and “I hope you get gang raped.” The offender’s mother said her son is constantly being harassed by the neighbors. The incident is still under investigation.

6:07 p.m.: A Belmont resident reported fraud. He received a pop-up message on his computer from Microsoft instructing him to call 833-656-9580. He called the number and spoke to “Neil,” a security analyst for Microsoft. He explained to him there was unusual activity on his computer between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. where someone was going on pornographic website cand causing viruses to his computer. He said he would install inti-virus to protect him. He shared his IP address with Neil to allow him remote access to the computer. He watched Neil save all his files and was then transferred to another associate, James Anderson. He provided him with his Microsoft ID number and a phone number of 808-206-9794. He was on the phone for several hours with Mr. Anderson, reviewing and installing various applications on his computer. Mr. Anderson said he had to go to another appointment and would call back. He became suspicious and called back saying he would bring the computer to Staples to have it looked at. He was asked to confirm his social security number. He would not provide that information. Mr. Anderson said he already knew his social security number and read it back to him. He hung up and is now nervous what other information they could have on him. He was advised to run a credit check through one of the major credit bureaus and ensure no new accounts are opened in his name. He was also advised to monitor his bank accounts.

6:18 p.m.: Ongoing neighbor dispute. One neighbor was complaining the other neighbor’s son was looking in her window. Her son was advised to refrain from any interaction with the downstairs neighbor. Belmont Police advised the downstairs neighbor to notify the landlord about any issues with the second-floor neighbors.

Belmont Police responded to 1 domestic call and seven mental health calls between Jan. 18 and Jan. 31.