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9-15-2025 8:11pm
Police Log: Police Cruiser Rear-Ended by Juvenile, Neighbor Suspects a B&E, 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, September 8th
Lifeworks Client Reports a Scam
10:22 a.m. A client of Lifeworks reported being victim of a scam. The client had assigned Lifeworks as her payee and agent, and Lifeworks received a billing statement in July, regarding an overdraft on the client’s account. Upon investigation, it found five unauthorized purchases via credit card at the Westwood Wegmans supermarket, totaling $2,500. The client works at Wegmans. Lifeworks reported the incident as fraud to Discover, the client’s credit card company. The credit card company disagreed, and the victim wished to document the incident.
Driver Injured in One-Vehicle Crash
2:24 p.m. Police responded to a one-vehicle crash on Canton Street, where they found a black Mercedes-Benz in front of a tree, with severe front-end damage. All airbags had deployed, and the windshield was cracked. The driver sat on the ground, with a laceration on his hand.
The driver was treated by Westwood Fire paramedics. He informed police that he was eating a bag of chips when the car veered off the road. He assured police he had not been texting on his phone, but had looked down into his bag of chips.
The driver, a resident of Randolph, was transported to the hospital for evaluation.
Sunday, September 7th
Removing a Theft Detection Device
6:51 p.m. Police received a report from the Target store on University Avenue of a male, wearing a grey hat and black jacket, who was cutting tags off of merchandise, and placing the merchandise into his jacket. The suspect was also reportedly following employees around in the store.
Staff accompanied an officer to the suspect’s location in the store. He accompanied them to the store office where he emptied his pockets, which contained a cutting device. Staff told police it was the same cutting device the suspect used to remove price tags. The suspect also had on his possession trading cards worth $26.55.
The suspect, a Lynn resident who has previously lived in Westwood, was arrested and charged with shoplifting, second offense. He was also discovered to have a warrant for his arrest for the unlawful removal of a theft detection device from Salem District Court .
Saturday, September 6th
Neighbor Suspects B&E after Witnessing Suspicious Behavior around Cars
2:54 a.m. Police were summoned to Hampton Road where a resident reported that passengers of a darker colored sedan were trying to enter neighborhood cars. The caller told police that he heard car doors shutting, which woke him. He observed an idling vehicle in the road, and heard whispers in his neighbor’s driveway. He observed that the doors to a white, Ford Edge were open, which he believes belongs to his neighbor’s granddaughter. Police arrived, and did not see anything amiss, but noticed fresh spit on a rear passenger window. Police drove around the area. They did not find any evidence of a breaking or entering.
BB Gun Destroyed
1:37 p.m. A resident of Fieldstone Road surrendered a BB gun to police for destruction.
Party Causes a Disturbance
8:22 p.m. Police received a call from Alder Road regarding a loud party. Music from a DJ was reported causing the walls to rumble.
10:12 p.m. Police spoke to a homeowner on Alder Road about a complaint of loud music. The homeowner informed police that the music would be discontinued.
Friday, September 5th
Fraudulent Charges on Verizon Bill
10:07 a.m. A resident of Highland Glen reported fraud when a $2,000 charge appeared on a Verizon bill from an account opened in his name. The resident did not open the account.
New Yorker Charged with Stealing Television
11:39 a.m. Police responded to the Target store on University Avenue for a shoplifting in progress. Store staff reported that a suspect had placed a stolen television into a light colored Ford sedan. The sedan had the image of a crown on its windshield. The sedan left the parking lot, with the television sticking out of its trunk. An officer observed a Ford Taurus turning from the parking lot onto University Avenue. It had a Rhode Island registration.
The officer made the traffic stop and encountered a female driver, who spoke no English. A Spanish speaking officer was called to assist.
The woman told police that her husband had paid for the television, and she was picking it up.
Staff from the Target store disputed that claim, stating that the woman had taken the item off a shelf, rather than picked it up at the customer service desk where pre-purchased items are found.
When asked for a receipt, the woman said it was in her husband’s possession. Upon being contacted, the suspect’s husband said the receipt was lost.
Based on the evidence, the suspect was arrested for stealing $1,099 in merchandise. The resident of Brooklyn, New York, was charged with shoplifting along with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Fraud on Local Assistance Organization
12:08 p.m. Police received a report from a local, assistance organization regarding attempts by residents of Worcester, Chelsea, Fitchburg, and Westfield to fraudulently obtain assistance valued in excess of $1,000. The organization was able to prevent any loss of funds. Police are investigating.
Police Cruiser Rear-Ended by Juvenile
3:20 p.m. Police responded to a two-car accident involving a juvenile resident of Westwood who crashed into a police cruiser. The juvenile’s white, 2006 Lexus rear-ended the police cruiser, the latter which had stopped on High Street for a pedestrian in the crosswalk. The officer involved in the accident was transported to the hospital with injuries. The juvenile’s vehicle was totaled. The juvenile admitted to not paying attention, and received a citation for following too closely.
Wednesday, September 3rd
Unwanted Mail
10:55 a.m. A resident of Pond Street complained that an older woman was stuffing mailboxes with leaflets. Police advised the complainant that placing the leaflets within the mailboxes is not a crime; however, it would be a crime to remove the contents of the mailbox(es).
Suspected Shoplifter Arrested
9:36 p.m. Staff of the Target store on University Avenue reported to police that they observed a female concealing merchandise in her purse. The 50-year-old female was apprehended by police while exiting the store with $185 in unpaid merchandise. She was arrested for shoplifting. The suspect was found in possession of a belt, shirt, shoes, purse, coin purse, and several pieces of jewelry.
Tuesday, September 2nd
One Thing Leads to Another
9:10 a.m. An officer in the area of Brigham Way observed a BMW pass by with a very dark window tint. Upon conducting a query on the vehicle’s license plate, the officer learned that the registered owner had a suspended license. The officer made the traffic stop, and discovered that the driver, a resident of Norwood, was the owner of the car. She was cited for operating a motor vehicle after license suspension, driving an unregistered motor vehicle, and given a warning for the dark window tint.
Unruly Patient Gets Appointment Cancelled
11:31 a.m. Police responded to Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center on University Avenue in response to a report of an unruly patient. The patient was waiting for an appointment, which had been cancelled because the provider did not feel safe. Police escorted the patient off the property, and she will plan to rebook an appointment.
Unwanted Visitor
5:32 p.m. A resident of Mill Street requested that an allegedly trespassing man be removed from a roadway, which the resident claimed was a private road. However, police believed it to be a public road. Police spoke to the unwanted party, who was from Westwood Conservation Commission, and the man agreed to leave.
Losing $58,000 in Scam
5:37 p.m. A resident of Deerfield Avenue complained of losing $58,000 in a scam. In August, the homeowner had received an invoice for $58,245, from an email purporting to originate from a home remodeling company. The letter contained directions for the homeowner to deposit the amount, via ACH transfer, to a Chase Bank account. The homeowner did as requested.
On September 2, the homeowner learned from the owner of the remodeling firm that no such invoice was emailed. Police learned that the company’s computer system had been hacked. Investigation revealed that the bank account at issue was located in Florida.
Vandal Knocks Down Mailbox
6:55 p.m. A resident of High Rock Street reported vandalism, where the resident’s mailbox was knocked off its post.
Thanks to Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this Westwood Minute article.
