14° and Clear
Image
Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
8-06-2025 12:25am
Police Log: Inappropriate Touching, Homeowner Interrupts Crime In Progress, and Other Stories
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The news described in this installment of 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 Michael DiLalla and police staff to Westwood Minute through written records and conversations. Occasionally, Westwood Minute may weave a few facts that it obtains from other sources into these stories.
Monday, July 28th
A Solitary, Lewd Act
9:24 a.m. Police received a complaint of a male in a white Mercedes at McDonalds on Providence Highway, who was committing a lewd act by himself in the car. Police referred the incident to Norwood Police, as the incident occurred in Norwood.
Saturday, July 26th
Harassment by a Neighbor
11:11 a.m. A resident of Norwood reported being harassed by another Norwood resident inside the Roche Bros. store on Washington Street. The complainant told police that her neighbor approached her and told her to stay out of the neighbor’s business. The complainant reported that the harassment has been ongoing. The complainant was referred to Norwood Police and the Housing Management Office.
Argument Causes a Disturbance
2:55 p.m. Police responded to calls regarding a disturbance at the apartments on Highland Glen Road. Police note that the argument between a tenant and maintenance worker was only verbal, not physical.
Cooperative Culprits
7:46 p.m. Police received information from the Target store in University Avenue regarding a shoplifting that had just been viewed on store video, in which one suspect was waiting in a parked car. Police located and approached the female suspect in the car, and asked her to call her boyfriend. He had entered the nearby Homesense store, located in the same shopping center.
The female suspect did as instructed, and the male party exited the store and spoke with police. He admitted to stealing a blanket from Target, which police discovered in the car. The blanket, worth $80, was returned to Target.
The suspect, a 29 year-old from Dedham, was charged with one count of shoplifting by asportation. He was released on personal recognizance.
Friday, July 25th
Homeowner Walks In on Crime in Progress
1:05 p.m. Westwood Police responded to 586 Pleasant Street in Norwood on a request by Norwood Police for assistance with apprehending a group of females, suspected of breaking and entering a Norwood home, who had fled into the area, on foot. All six suspects were later apprehended by Norwood Police. For more details on this story, read Westwood Minute's article, Norwood Police Arrest Family Members Suspected in Home Break-In, with Ties to Organized Group Across Multiple States.
Popped Tire Causes 2-Car Accident
3:18 p.m. Police responded to the scene of a 2-vehicle crash on East Street with reported injuries. One vehicle was headed east, when its front tire “popped,” causing it to swerve and hit a second, oncoming vehicle from the opposite, westbound direction. The second vehicle also swerved, in order to avoid the first vehicle.
Both vehicles sustained disabling damage. The air bag deployed in the second vehicle, whose driver suffered a head injury. That driver, a Needham resident, was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham.
Police issued a citation for a marked lanes violation to the driver of the eastbound car, a resident of Westwood.
Thursday, July 24th
Securing a Home
2:37 p.m. A resident of Canton Street reported returning home to find the house’s doors wide open. An officer responded to check and ensure that the property was secure.
Wednesday, July 23rd
Fired Coworker Accused of Inappropriate Touching
4:04 p.m. A female employee of the Target store in University Avenue complained of harassment by a male coworker, whom she claimed would sneak behind her and stand uncomfortably close. She claimed the coworker would often ask other employees where to find her in the store, and would tap her thigh area. Although she had reported the incidents to store management, and the coworker had been fired, the complainant was informing police out of concerns that the individual might return to the store. She had been told that he had called the store and made threats against her.
Police followed up with the store manager, who told police that she, herself, also had experienced an unwanted encounter with the fired individual. She claimed the individual had cornered her in the manager’s office and had inappropriately touched her on a past occasion. She told police that she had not filed a report because she did not view him as a threat.
Police contacted the individual, informing him that a report had been filed, and advising him to stay away from the store and the complainant. Police also provided the complainant with information regarding obtaining a harassment prevention order.
Unsettling Incident in Supermarket Restroom
11:09 p.m. A customer of Wegmans supermarket on University Avenue reported an unsettling incident in the store restroom involving her 6-year-old son and a store employee. The complainant told police that her husband and their son used the store restroom together, and upon leaving the restroom, the son told her he was uncomfortable and wanted to leave.
When she inquired what happened, she learned that an employee had picked up the child at his waist to help him reach the soap. The mother told police that her child had not asked for any help and the employee had not asked permission to pick him up. The boy described the employee as squeezing the boy’s waist hard, making him uncomfortable.
The complainant told police that the boy’s father did not see the incident. However, when the father emerged from a restroom stall, the employee allegedly appeared shocked to see the husband, and reportedly said, “Oh, I’m sorry,” before exiting quickly.
The employee has been identified with store assistance, and claims there was no inappropriate touching.
Detectives are investigating.
Tuesday, July 22nd
Head-on Car Crash Sends Driver to Hospital with Head Injuries
11:11 a.m. Police responded to a serious accident between two vehicles on High Street that resulted in sending one person to the hospital. A resident of Bellingham was driving east and a resident of Burlington was driving west, both on High Street, when the cars crashed, head-on. The Burlington resident, who had visible head injuries, required assistance in exiting the vehicle. The victim was transported by Norwood Fire to the hospital. It is currently unknown why one of the vehicles crossed the double yellow line.
Stolen Check
3:25 p.m. A resident of Westwood Glen Road reported that a check, deposited to a third party on behalf of his employer before being transferred to his own account, was stolen before the resident could transfer it. The resident does not believe his financial accounts are compromised.
Shoplifting Suspect Can't Remember Stealing
6:31 p.m. Staff at the Target store on University Avenue reported a shoplifting that occurred on July 18th, when a female entered the store and exited with unpaid clothing and a bath mat. The store was able to identify her from her use of a credit card at another Target location. Police confirmed her identity as a resident of Dorchester, aged in her mid-20s.
Upon police contact, the suspect claimed not to remember stealing. Police informed the suspect that the store possessed video evidence of the shoplifting and informed her that she was being charged with shoplifting by concealing merchandise. Target is also trespassing her from all of its Norfolk County stores for one year.
Pranksters Ring Doorbell
9:45 p.m. Police received a complaint from a resident of Fisher Street, who stated that 6 to 8 youths had been ringing the home’s doorbell. Police checked the area but the youths were not found.
Searching for a Missing Person
10:02 p.m. Police responded to a request from Yarmouth Police for assistance in locating a missing individual, believed to be suicidal, who had ties to Westwood. The individual’s phone was located on East Street in Westwood. Westwood Police were unable to locate the missing person.
Monday, July 21st
Standby Generator Goes Missing
12:19 p.m. Police received a report from a property management company that a diesel standby generator was missing from 410 University Avenue, the former site of a business tenant, Exela. The generator, which usually sits on a concrete pad, is wired to the building, and likely requires a crane for removal, was missing. It’s estimated value is $50,000.
Illegal Dumping of a Car
4:44 p.m. Staff at the Audi Westwood dealership on Providence Highway reported an abandoned vehicle parked on the property since July 14th. It had flat tires, and dust inside the vehicle gave police the impression that it had not been used for years. Its owner was unable to be contacted.
Police learned that the vehicle was towed to the dealership by AAA upon request. It was registered to a person at an address at which the home had just been sold on July 14th. Police determined that the abandoned vehicle was an unlawful disposal of property.
Online Harassment
7:08 p.m. A resident of Winter Street and her mother reported harassment from someone online with the name, “Martin Luzzul.” The resident had met the individual on TikTok, and their conversation had moved to Snapchat when the individual asked the resident to send photos of herself in a bikini. The individual threatened to ruin her life if she did not do so. The resident was confident that there was no sensitive information the person could possess which could be harmful.
Thanks to Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
