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9-06-2024 12:05am
Police Log: Vehicle Fire Clogs Up I-93 in Canton and Other Stories
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The news described in Westwood Minute's weekly Police Log article series is primarily based on selected incidents from the Westwood Police Department's daily log, and information provided by Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and police staff through written records and conversations. Occasionally, Westwood Minute may weave a few facts that it obtains from other sources into these stories.
Tuesday, September 3rd
Truck Fire in Canton, Hazmat in Norwood, and Brush Fire in Westwood
In the short time frame of around 2:15 p.m. to 4:24 p.m., Westwood emergency responders were called to assist in three separate fire incidents in Canton, Westwood, and Norwood.
Westwood Police report that a paver truck caught fire in neighboring Canton. Westwood Fire Department responded. Westwood Police note that the asphalt truck fire caused a closure of Interstate 93, with traffic backed up westward to Great Plain Avenue in Needham, and traffic backed up eastward to Braintree.
Around the same time, Westwood Police and Westwood Fire responded to a brushfire at the 700 block of Clapboardtree Street.
Westwood emergency dispatch also sent responders to assist with a Tier 2 hazmat (hazardous materials) incident in Norwood at 140 Morgan Drive, the address of Home Market Foods, due to an ammonia leak.
Home Market Foods, a manufacturer of protein-based foods, was in the news two years ago for having an ammonia leak which led to the death of one worker and the hospitalization of another. Also, four years ago, a grease fire in an industrial oven at the food facility led to a two-alarm fire response from local firefighters.
Monday, September 2nd
Keyed Car
2:23 p.m. A resident of Conant Road reported that the resident’s 2014 Jeep Cherokee had been keyed while parked in the driveway, sometime after 2:30 a.m. that morning. Photos that the owner provided to the police showed damage to both sides of the vehicle and the hood. Other vehicles in the same driveway were left untouched.
Email Request for $2K is a Scam
10:15 p.m. A resident of Gay Street reported a possible scam after receiving an email which stated that she must send $1,950 to someone who had encrypted photos from the resident’s cell phone. The email sender was hansondomalubf0@gmail.com.
Westwood Police note that any such email correspondence should be treated as a scam.
Sunday, September 1st
Better Car than Driver
2:51 a.m. Around the 300 block of High Street, police responded to the scene of a one-car accident. A 2023 Nissan Rogue was found with a damaged passenger-side tire, and with fluid leaking from it. The vehicle was inoperable.
The driver, a Franklin resident, told police that he was traveling straight on High Street when a vehicle attempted to pass from behind him. This caused him to drift to the right of his lane to avoid a sideswipe. As a result, the Rogue clipped the street curb, causing damage to his car's tire and oil pan. No injury was reported.
Saturday, August 31st
Unresponsive Man on Ground
11:25 a.m. An officer responded to the Shell gas station at 75 Providence Highway on the report of a male lying on the ground, possibly intoxicated. The officer arrived to find a man from Framingham lying on the ground in the recovery position. He was unconscious, but breathing.
The man’s girlfriend, a resident of Dover, told the officer that the man had taken a sleeping pill and she was unable to wake him. Westwood Fire paramedics responded and administered Narcan. The man was roused from unconsciousness and transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham.
Suspicious Delivery Person Found at Back of a Home
8:34 p.m. A resident of Green Hill Road reported that one hour earlier, the resident observed a man, possibly in a UPS uniform, about 5’10” and thin, who was on the back deck of the resident’s home. When the resident asked the man what he was doing, the man replied that he was looking for an address on Green Hill Road. The address was nearby.
Thursday, August 29th
Almost $9K in Fraudulent Checks Cashed
9:25 a.m. A resident of Conant Road reported that someone had cashed two fraudulent checks on the resident’s account, in the amounts of $4,200 and $4,700. Both checks had the same check number on them. One was made payable to a female name, and the other was made payable to a male name. The checks appeared identical to the blank check of the same number which was still in the victim’s checkbook, unused. No checks appeared to be missing.
The resident reported the belief that the fraudulent checks were manufactured. The resident closed the bank account on which the checks were written and is seeking a refund from the bank. Detectives are investigating.
Shattered Window
2:55 p.m. A man from Middleborough reported that the window of his grey, Lexus IS 350 had been shattered while parked at a location in Westwood. Police did not observe any projectile in the car which might have been responsible. Nothing was reported missing from the car.
Compromised Social Security Number
5:26 p.m. A resident of Pond Street reported that three credit inquiries had been attempted by unknown persons or entities, related to the resident’s social security number. The resident was alerted to the inquiries upon being notified by two credit card companies.
There do not appear to be any new accounts opened in the resident’s name. No money appears to be lost.
Police have advised the resident to contact the U.S. Social Security Administration to notify the agency that the social security number has been compromised and to contact police if any more suspicious activity occurs.
Tuesday, August 27th
Complaint filed with Disabled Persons Protection Commission
1:45 p.m. An officer took a statement from a resident. A complaint was filed with the Disabled Persons Protection Commission on behalf of a family member of the complainant.
Loud Argument
4:57 a.m. Two officers responded to Washington Street on the report of a disturbance at a multi-family home. Upon entering the hallway of the home, police heard loud yelling. The officers knocked on the door of the apartment where the yelling emanated. The resident adult female and her male guest explained that they were having a verbal argument, and were still comfortable with spending time together. Police asked that they keep their noise level down.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
Updated 9/5/2024 at 6:32 a.m.
