Thieves break into parked car, steal wallet: A New Rochelle man’s wallet was allegedly stolen from his parked car April 8, according to a New Rochelle Police report. The complainant told police someone busted the front passenger side window of his parked car between 9 a.m. April 7 and 6:15 a.m. April 8 and stole his wallet which contained two credit cards, a social security card and his driver’s license. No surveillance cameras are in the area, according to the police report.
Case closed on stolen power tool: The New Rochelle Police Department closed the case of a stolen power tool following a request April 19 from the complainant, according to a police report. The complainant told police he did not see anyone in the area on the day the power tool was stolen. He told police that the description of the alleged thief that he provided in the initial police report was that of a neighbor and he does not believe she is responsible for the crime. The power tool belonged to his boss and he filed the police report after receiving instructions from his supervisor, he said. Police closed the case because there were no witnesses to the theft, no surveillance camera footage and the complainant asked the case to be closed, the police report said.
Unknown person withdraws money from couple’s credit card account: A New Rochelle couple lost a large sum of money from an unknown suspect who allegedly withdrew money April 6 from their credit card account, according to a New Rochelle Police report. The complainant told police that on March 31, someone made two transactions, one for $2,993 and a second for $3,014 from her and her husband’s credit card account. She told police that neither she nor her husband authorized the transactions. She told police that she had received a letter from the bank notifying her that a third person’s name was attached to their account. The woman told police that she doesn’t know the third person.
Thief uses woman’s name to purchase iPhones: A New Rochelle woman’s name and social security number were allegedly used by an unknown person to purchase three Apple iPhones April 5. The complainant told police that on Jan. 21, UPS delivered a box to her home address. When she opened the box, she found three iPhones, which she did not order, she told police. At approximately 5 p.m. Jan. 21, an unknown male rang her doorbell, identified himself as a UPS employee and asked her if she had received a box containing iPhones. The man told her, “It was the wrong name and wrong deliver. I will take it back.” The woman told police she returned the box to the man and he left. The woman told police that she is now receiving letters from a collection agency for Sprint that state she owes $2,650 for the phones. Sprint told the complainant that her name, social security number and other identifying information was used to purchase the phones, according to the police report. The complainant described the suspect as a 20-year-old black male who is 5’7” tall with a slim build and a medium completion, the police report said.
NRHS student threatened by another student: A New Rochelle high school student was allegedly threatened April 5 by another student at the school, according to a New Rochelle Police report. Later that month, the complainant provided a written statement to the NRPD and positively identified the suspect from photos, the police report said. The district attorney’s declined to pursue the case due to lack of evidence, the police report said.
Alleged burglar breaks window of home: A New Rochelle woman reported an attempted burglary April 10. The complainant told police that at approximately 1:50 a.m., while she was sleeping, she heard a window break. When the woman got out of bed to get her daughter, who was sleeping on the couch, she saw a person run away from the window and travel south towards a nearby lake, she told police. The woman told police she wasn’t able to identify the person. Officers noticed a handprint on the broken glass, which they wanted to collect as evidence, but the woman refused, the police report said.
Unknown person opens credit card in woman’s name: A New Rochelle woman told police that someone opened a credit card using her personal information April 9 and charged $250. The complainant told police she received a credit card in the mail from J. Jill, a woman’s clothing store, but told police she never applied for the card. She also told police that she called J. Jill’s immediately and they told her that an unknown person used her name and social security number to open a credit card March 31 at the J. Jill store located at Westchester Ave. in White Plains. The representative from J. Jill also notified her about the purchases made on the card, the police report said.
Game controllers stolen from GameStop: Thieves allegedly stole two, black PS4 Game controllers April 9 from GameStop in New Roc City, according to a New Rochelle Police report. The complainant, who is an employee of the store, told police that at approximately 2 p.m., he saw a black male in front of the PS4 controllers. The employee told police when he walked over to the area where the man was standing, he discovered a black bag near the man and two, black PS4 game controllers missing. Responding officers reviewed the surveillance camera footage and saw the man standing near the merchandise, but the video did not show him stealing the controllers, the police report said. The complainant told officers the camera stopped recording once the suspect stepped out of the coverage area. Officers found the suspect and the black bag on Anderson Street and stopped him but were unable to locate the controllers, the police report said.
Man steals two bottles of Zantac: A man allegedly stole two bottles of Zantac April 8 from Conway store on Industrial Lane, according to a New Rochelle Police report. The Loss Prevention employee told police that he saw the suspect take the two bottles of Zantac pills from the shelf and leave without paying for them, the police report said. The store owner decided not to press charges, the report said.
Man posing as computer repairman steals money from man’s bank account: A man claiming to be a Stopzilla repairman stole money from a New Rochelle man April 8, according to a New Rochelle Police report. The man told police he needed his computer repaired and contacted Stopzilla for servicing, the police report said. He told police that he contacted Stopzilla March 7 and they charged him $211.99 and $158.99 to repair his computer, the report said. However, the following day, a man claiming to be from Stopzilla contacted him and told him that the program he had purchased wasn’t working properly and therefore he would be reimbursed for it, the report said. The complainant told police he became suspicious when the man on the other end of phone asked him which bank he had used to pay for the repairs. He told police that when he allowed the representative to access his computer using the internet, he noticed the man was shifting money back and forth from his two personal accounts, the police report said. The complainant immediately contacted the bank about the matter and they put a hold on both his accounts, he told police. NRPD advised him to contact them if he sees any fraudulent activity in either of his bank accounts.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A spokesperson for Stopzilla issued a statement to Talk of the Sound: “this man claiming to be a Stopzilla repairman was in no way associated with our company. Unfortunately there are many companies misrepresenting themselves as Antivirus companies even though they are not and they are gaining access to peoples computers as if they are going to repair them. We constantly monitor our brand to ensure that our products are not being marketed in a deceitful way. We also have a warning on our website that these kinds of things can happen.
Arrest Reports
Maria Alejandra Hernandez, 36, of New Rochelle, was arrested April 10 and charged with one count of DWI and one count of leaving the scene of a property damage accident.
Richard N. Raffaele, 17, of New Rochelle, was arrested April 10 and charged with one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance, one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana.
Oscar D. Valencia, 18, of New Rochelle, was arrested April 11 and charged with one count of reckless endangerment, one count of reckless driving and one count of operating a motor vehicle while impaired.
[Name removed after all charges dropped on July 21, 2016, documents to this effect were provided to Talk of the Sound] was arrested April 21 and charged with one count of third-degree robbery.
Contributed by Christine Arceneaux and Salahuddin Ahmed
