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The news described in Westwood Minute's weekly Police Log article series is primarily based on selected information from the Westwood Police Department's daily log and information provided by Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and police staff. Occasionally, a few facts from other sources may be woven into these stories.
Saturday, May 20th
Mistaken address
6:49 a.m. A resident of Sycamore Drive reported that a man in a black Jeep with New Hampshire plates was parked in the resident’s driveway and refused to leave. Police determined that the man from Manchester was picking up a passenger, but had arrived at the wrong house. Police provided directions to the driver to the correct house.
Jogger Struck by Vehicle on Washington Street
11:20 a.m. A jogger was struck by a vehicle on Washington Street near Roche Bros. grocery store after he crossed the street and ran into the path of a 2012 Toyota, according to a witness. The police report indicates that the jogger, a man from Norwood, was running northbound on the Washington Street sidewalk, and did not activate the pedestrian signal. The Toyota was driven by a woman from Dedham, and was headed south on Washington Street. The jogger was injured, but conscious and alert. He was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Boston.
Not Fleeing - Just in a Hurry
11:18 p.m. Central security for Wegmans supermarket informed police that a man was observed running both into and out of Wegmans via a store camera. Police spoke with local Wegmans staff who did not have any problems to report. Another officer checked the area and noted that heavy rains had been reported. The man whom central security observed running is believed to have been trying to avoid the rain.
Wednesday, May 17th
Wandering Tot
10:11 a.m. A caller reported being at the Gables University Station apartments with a 3 to 4 year-old boy who appeared to be lost. Police officers responded and determined that the child had exited the building with his mother who was having a cigarette while he wandered away. His mother was found and identified.
Tuesday, May 16th
Missing Boy
2:54 a.m. Westwood Police received a call from Norwood Police requesting assistance in locating a 13 year-old black male, who was described as 5’7”, skinny, wearing all black clothing and a kerchief and Crocs. The boy was last seen at 1:00 a.m. on Washington Street, possibly heading toward Boston. Westwood Police checked the Islington area around Washington Street but was not able to locate him.
Monday, May 15th
Permit Required for Door-to-Door Solicitations
4:03 p.m. Police received a report from Draper Avenue about an individual soliciting door-to-door without a permit. Police located the individual, a representative for a pest control company, on Winter Street. Police advised the individual to stop approaching residents at their doors until a solicitation permit is obtained from the police.
Bicycle Stolen from Apartment Building Garage
8:58 p.m. Police responded to Gables University Station apartments to take a report of a stolen bicycle. The green and black bike was last seen around 8:30 a.m. that morning, when the owner was leaving for work. Upon returning home around 5:00 p.m., the bike was discovered to be missing. It had not been securely attached to anything, but had a lock placed between its wheel and frame. It was stored at the back of a parking spot in the first floor garage of the apartment building.
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Saturday, May 13th
Wallet Stolen while Shopping
1:37 p.m. Police responded to Marshalls where a female told police that her wallet was stolen. She had left Marshalls and was in Wegmans when she received notification of four credit card transactions for items from the Apple store in Braintree. The items totaled $97. The victim believes she may have left her wallet on the counter at Marshalls after making a payment there.
Resident Loses $5,000 in Text Messaging Scam
4:14 p.m. A resident of Mill Brook Road reported that a family member had received a text message in which the sender threatened to hack into the resident’s bank account unless $5,000 was withdrawn and deposited in a bitcoin machine at a private business in Norwood. This was done. The family then received instructions to begin purchasing gift cards. At that point, the residents determined this was a scam. Their total loss of about $5,000.
Bomb Threat Hoax
9:21 p.m. Westwood Police and Fire departments responded to Wegmans on the report of a bomb threat. Police received a report of a bomb threat over the phone in which the caller asked for that the grocery store’s service desk provide card numbers for iTunes gift cards worth $500. The caller claimed that if police were notified, a bomb would be detonated. In response, the store management announced an early closing. Police and fire personnel entered the store after customers departed, to ensure it had been vacated. A state trooper from an explosive squad did a sweep of the store with a bomb detecting dog, and no physical threat was found. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has determined that the caller’s phone number, which showed a New Jersey area code, was spoofed, and actually originated in India.
Friday, May 12th
Loud Explosion
9:55 p.m. A caller reported hearing a loud explosion near School Street playground, sounding like fireworks. Police responded and spoke to four juveniles at a home on School Street. They claimed to have heard the same noise but stated they did not know what it was.
Tuesday, May 9th
1:04 p.m. A resident of Longwood Drive reported a computer scam involving an email that appeared to be from Best Buy’s Geek Squad. The email contained a bill for services beyond what he had agreed to.
The resident had purchased a computer from Best Buy along with services to set it up, but had not purchased any extended service.
When the resident contacted the given phone number, someone with a strong accent spoke quickly and requested $250 and then another $100 to pay a contract fee related to the bill. The supposed Best Buy employee told the resident that his bank account was empty and needed to be replenished. Upon discussing the situation with his bank, the resident was advised this was a scam. No money has been reported lost.
Rear-end Accident with Injuries at Church and High Streets
3:01 p.m. Injuries were reported from a rear-end crash at the intersection of Church and High streets when a 2015 Ford driven by a man from South Easton rear-ended a 2019 Toyota driven by a woman from Norfolk. Westwood Fire paramedics transported a passenger of the Toyota to Newton Wellesley Hospital. The driver of the trailing Ford had visible injuries to his hand, but he declined transportation to a hospital. He admitted that the Toyota had stopped in front of him and that he was unable to stop in time. Police issued him a citation for failure to yield. Both vehicles were towed.
Monday, May 8th
Hit and Run Collision
5:25 p.m. Two parties involved in a chain reaction accident stemming from being rear-ended complained to police that the vehicle causing the accident, a white car, had fled the scene.
The parties informed police that they were traveling west on High Street past Lowder Brook Drive when a white car rear-ended the party driving a Jeep, pushing it into the other party’s vehicle which was a Subaru. The white car left the scene.
The speed of the collision was low due to heavy traffic. The Jeep exhibited only a minor crack to the license plate bracket while the Subaru had no visible damage. Police attempted to locate a white car with front-end damage, but were unsuccessful.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and Westwood Police for contributing information for this article.
