Robberies and thieves aplenty in Greenburgh

Police responded Dec. 14 on a report of a man who walked into Rite Aid on E. Hartsdale Avenue, filled a garbage bag with merchandise valued around $450 and left without paying. He reportedly ran toward the Hartsdale train station. Police looked for him but couldn’t find him.

The following day, employees reported the same man returned to Rite Aid and stole about $200 of merchandise. They said he ran out when confronted. An employee said he stole razors, face protectors and two space heaters. 

Police responded to Rite Aid two days later on a report that the same man stole $234 in merchandise. The employee told police it seems like the thief times his theft to coincide with a train departure from the Hartsdale train station. In this case, the suspect allegedly stole perfume. 

Police returned to the Rite Aid store Dec. 23 for a report of a man stealing a leg pillow valued at $19.99 and then running toward the Hartsdale train station. The employee alleged it was the same man suspected in the prior incidents. 

Brazen thieves target store

On. Dec. 15, employees of a beauty supply store on N. Central Avenue called police to report a woman was suspected of stealing about $6,800 worth of merchandise. She was reportedly wearing purple scrub pants and described as being 5 feet, 8 inches with straight black hair. She was in the company of another woman, also tall, wearing teal scrub pants and yellow crocs. Police looked for the suspects without result. 

Thieves returned to the store Dec. 21, and reportedly stole more than $1,500 in merchandise. Employees said a couple entered the store carrying small bags. They took items off the shelf, placed them in their bags and left without paying. Shortly after that, two other women entered the store and did the same thing. After their spree, they headed toward Shake Shack. A few hours later, three other women entered the store, stealing about $2,500 in merchandise. 

Employees at the same beauty supply store contacted police again on Dec. 23 to report two women and a man stole perfume valued at $5,417. They stole 41 packages of assorted perfumes; all wore face coverings. They were reported entering a black Mercedes with New York license plates. The store provided surveillance video to the police. 

Fraud

A N. Central Avenue resident Dec. 16 reported an airline customer service department contacted him about fraudulent activity on his account. Forty thousand miles were stolen, valued at about $1,000. The airline is investigating. 

A Rochambeau Drive resident Dec. 29 reported receiving a letter in early December about a collections notice involving a Sprint account she never opened. She told police her name and her parents’ former address were used to open the account. Police provided a report for her to give to Sprint. 

Rough encounter at ShopRite

A ShopRite employee on S. Central Avenue reported an encounter Dec. 16 with a thief he chased down and confronted in the parking lot of the store. The employee told police he had a physical altercation with the thief, who scratched him in the neck and then dropped all the stolen items and ran away. The complainant refused medical assistance and a report was made. 

A man was reported stealing liquor from ShopRite Dec. 21. He is alleged to have stolen more than $200 in alcoholic beverages before fleeing on foot in an unknown direction. 

ShopRite employees told police Dec. 24 a woman stole $621 in grocery items from the store. When confronted in the parking area, she abandoned the cart and all the items were recovered. 

A larceny in progress was reported at ShopRite Dec. 26; police saw two men, whom store employees alleged were the thieves, with a shopping cart at the bus stop on the corner of S. Central Avenue and Ardsley Road. Alvin Barden, 46, and Gregory Flowers, 59, were detained, identified by a store employee as the thieves, and arrested on scene. According to police, the men stole 11 bags of frozen shrimp and two half gallons of fruit juice. They were charged with petty larceny. 

Fare beater 

A yellow cab taxi driver for a Queens, New York, company told police Dec. 21 he picked up a man near Grand Central Terminal in New York City and drove him to Jean Lane in Hartsdale, but as they got closer to the destination the man began to protest and wanted to get out of the car. The driver concluded the ride and said the fare was $130. The man said he didn’t have cash on him and needed to go inside the house to get it. He then got out of the car and ran away, heading south on Secor Road. The driver has video, which he said he would provide to police to help identify the suspect; the driver said he would press charges if the man were found.

Tires and rims only 

A man reported $12,000 worth of tires and rims were stolen from his car while parked in front of his girlfriend’s house on Fieldstone Drive Dec. 22. He found his car left on four car jacks. Nothing was taken from inside. Police are investigating. 

Who stole the suits? 

An Argyle Road couple reported Dec. 24 assorted skirts, jackets, suits and coats stored in two garment bags in a closet mysteriously went missing. The clothes are valued at thousands of dollars. The couple said they don’t use a cleaning service and no one has been in their house besides their son. A report was made for documentation.

Items missing from gym lockers

A man Dec. 27 told police he went to Planet Fitness on S. Central Avenue to work out and put his wallet in a locker without a lock. His wallet was gone when he returned. Management personnel told police other people have reported their wallets missing and named a possible suspect. 

A man reported Dec. 27 money was taken from his wallet, parked in a locked locker at 24 Hour Fitness on S. Central Avenue. His lock was damaged and $60 taken. 

Police returned to Planet Fitness Dec. 27 to speak with the man named as a possible suspect in the locker thefts. He appeared distraught and said he didn’t understand why police wanted to speak with him. He admitted having a wallet on his person that didn’t belong to him. He said he thought it was lost. The owner of the wallet was contacted and said he didn’t want to press charges, and the man was released and told to not come back. 

A woman Dec. 29 reported she just finished working out at Planet Fitness when she saw her handbag sitting on a bench after she was certain she’d secured it in a locked locker. Between $300 and $400 was stolen. Her combination lock didn’t appear damaged or tampered with. 

Distracted 

Two hundred dollars were stolen from a woman who told police Dec. 27 she was distracted by a woman in a store on S. Central Avenue who asked her about flavors of cake. She suspects the woman removed her wallet from her handbag while they were talking. 

How’d that happen? 

A Tamarack Trail resident called police Dec. 27 to report someone withdrew approximately $1,600 from her bank account. She’s since notified the fraud department of her bank and they are investigating. 

Wallet stolen, cards used 

A Pinewood Road resident Dec. 27 told police she was shopping at Marshalls on N. Central Avenue when she realized her wallet wasn’t in her purse. When she got home, she found several fraudulent charges were made using her credit cards; $200 at the Cheesecake Factory; $1,000 at an Apple Store and another $500-plus at North Face. 

Car rifled, nothing taken 

On Dec. 28, an Andrea Lane resident reported his car was rifled and his glove box was tossed. His home security system showed two men had entered his car and then fled in a gray SUV. The reporting party said nothing was taken from the car, which was unlocked. The SUV in question was reported stolen from Connecticut. 

Repeat offender 

Police went to HomeGoods Jan. 2 on S. Central Avenue to speak with the loss prevention officer about an older man wearing a black puffer jacket and black pants who was suspected of stealing comforters and sheets valued at around $200. He’s thought to be the same man who stole two comforters, a box of knives and a hamper, items valued in total at about $274 one day earlier. At that time, however, he was wearing a red jacket. 

Kitchen skirmish

A man went to the police station Jan. 2 to report he was the victim of menacing. He said he was involved in an incident reported earlier that day at a restaurant on N. Central Avenue where another employee got into a verbal argument with the chef and plates of food were thrown at that employee and her elbow was hit by the plates. While the argument was happening, the reporting party said the chef grabbed a knife from the kitchen and ran around the kitchen divider, toward the complainant.

The employee who had plates thrown at her spoke to police at the restaurant. She said due to the rude things the chef said to her, she is also a victim of harassment. She reported a second man assisting the chef who also threw plates at her. Neither the chef nor the assistant at the time were available to be interviewed by police. 

Arrests

Ronald L. Nelson, 38, was charged Dec. 16 with possession of a forged instrument in the second degree on S. Central Avenue. The circumstances of his arrest were not provided. 

Dylan T. Gerardi, 23, was arrested Dec. 20 on S. Central Avenue on a police officer’s executive warrant. 

Cisco Ward, 47, was arrested Dec. 22 on N. Central Avenue, charged with petty larceny. 

Dwight D. DePina, 23, was arrested Dec. 29 on S. Central Avenue, charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, third degree. 

Philip Orsini, 21, was arrested Jan. 2 on S. Central Avenue, charged with assault in the second degree. 

This report, covering Greenburgh police activity in Edgemont and Hartsdale from Dec. 14 to Jan. 2, was compiled from official information.