A senior citizen withdrew $4,000 from the bank to pay two women who scammed her with a false promise of much more cash in return.
That scam, occurring outside the Amity Stop & Shop, is among the incidents in the latest west side crime round-up from top neighborhood cop Lt. Rose Dell. Her write-up follows:
FROM 12/01/19 to 12/07/19 POLICE RESPONDED TO 153 CALLS FOR SERVICE IN THE WESTVILLE/WEST HILLS SECTION OF NEW HAVEN. THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF NOTABLE INCIDENTS:
Monday at 4:30 in the morning, a resident of Long Hill Terrace saw two males with flashlights checking car doors. Three officers and a patrol sergeant searched the area and could not locate the males. Officer Joseph DiNatale found a silver Chevrolet Colorado parked in a driveway with the driver’s side door wide open. He contacted the owner who checked the vehicle and found his Garmin GPS and a bag of coins were missing.
A resident of Ramsdell Street was contacted by an unknown male named Jonathan on Facebook who requested that he use Western Union to send him $25 to help with medical expenses for his sick grandmother. He also asked the resident for his driver’s license number and date of birth. The resident sent Jonathan the money and his information and then never heard from him again.
A 76-year old female was the victim of yet another fraud at the Stop & Shop on Amity Road. On 12/4, she returned her cans and bottles at the store when she was approached by two elderly females. They told her they had been “very lucky” and had come into a large amount of cash. One of the females showed her what appeared to be a large stack of bills wrapped in plastic wrap inside an envelope. The two women told the resident she could have a $30,000 share of the money if she gave them $5,000 in cash. The resident agreed to withdraw the money at the nearby Bank of America. She withdrew $4,000, the maximum cash withdrawal permitted, and gave it to the females. One of the females said she needed to bring the money to the Dollar Tree to have it counted by her boss. The female went into the Dollar Tree and never returned.
On 12/7, around 11 a.m., a mom and her 13-year-old son walked home from the corner store at 122 Wilmot Road. They were approached by a group of 6 teenage males who grabbed the 13-year old’s shopping bag and took off with his chips, Kool-Aid, sunflower seeds and bread. The males all ran towards the Westville Manor housing complex.
Saturday evening a resident of South Genesee Street reported that there was a large group in front of her house arguing. One of the males, described as Hispanic with “puffy” hair, screamed, “You know what time it is. I have a gun on me and five warrants.” The group then dispersed in multiple vehicles.