The Watertown Police Department has reported several incidents of theft, fraud, and suspicious activity over the past week, raising concerns among residents about safety and security in the area.
On July 10, a resident of Pleasant Street was alarmed to receive emails from Best Buy and Target, indicating that credit cards had been opened in his name without his consent. The unauthorized use of the cards included the purchase of Apple AirPods from a Target location in Massachusetts. Fortunately, the resident was able to cancel the cards, but the incident raises questions on how his personal information may have been compromised.
The very next day, on July 11, a woman shopping at Target discovered her phone, which had been placed in the child seat of her shopping cart, was missing after she passed through self-checkout. The phone contained a digital wallet with her credit cards, license, and cash. Despite her quick report to police and attempts to track the phone using the find iPhone app, officers were unable to locate it. The last detected location of the phone was in Brighton, but Boston Police were unsuccessful in retrieval efforts.
Also on July 11, another resident reported theft, noting that several clothing items were missing from their room on Coolidge Hill Road. The items had vanished during the resident’s absence from June 20 to July 3.
In a worrying trend, a Pleasant Street resident received an alarming email from Experian on July 11, indicating a drop in their credit score. A review of the individual’s credit report revealed that an account with DTE Energy had been fraudulently opened in Detroit in March and closed later that year in August.
A business located on Dexter Avenue also fell victim to cybercrime on the same day, as their email system was hacked, leading to the redirection of transactions worth a staggering $28,634 from its bank account to an unknown account in Florida. Police are currently investigating the breach.
Elsewhere, a man left Target on July 11 without paying for a cart full of items valued at $218, highlighting continuing issues with shoplifting in the area. Subsequently, on July 12, another theft occurred at the same store. A man used an electric scooter to make off with multiple pairs of headphones, totaling $220 in merchandise.
The saga of theft continued as a stand-up electric scooter worth $1,000 was stolen from the vestibule of CVS on Main Street the same day.
On July 13, a series of suspicious incidents continued to be reported. An officer on patrol saw a grey Jeep swerving and pulled it over, only to discover the driver, Gary Greene, 64, of Somerville, had a suspended license, leading to his arrest for marked lanes violation and driving with a suspended license.
In another incident that day, a woman reported an attempted break-in at her home on Belmont Street early in the morning. She noted hearing noise at her door and witnessing a man trying to open it before he fled the scene. Authorities are continuing their investigations into this attempted burglary.
Additionally, a car parked in a driveway on Fitchburg Street was rummaged through between the evening of July 12 and the morning of the 13th, with just $5 in quarters reported missing.
That same day, Target again faced a significant shoplifting incident as an individual stole $471 worth of various merchandise from the store.
Police arrested another man, Barry Spencer, 56, of Boston, for attempting to steal $142 worth of items from Target. Spencer, who also had a warrant for his arrest, faced charges for shoplifting along with the outstanding warrant for intimidation of a witness.
Officers arrested Igor Desouza Schulz, 34, of Watertown, on July 13 on a bench warrant from Brockton District Court.
Another theft was reported on July 14 when a bicycle valued at $250 was taken from an office building on Arsenal Way, with the last sighting of the bike being on July 11.
As the week progressed, reports of financial fraud continued to alarm residents. On July 17, a Maple Street resident discovered their black BMW SUV was missing. After using a GPS tracking device, they found it had been moved to Worcester. When police arrived at the location, they found only a piece of the vehicle with the GPS.
Adding to the list of incidents, a Melendy Avenue resident was contacted by Citibank regarding eight unauthorized transactions on their debit card, totaling a significant $877.
Later that day, Officer Cathy Welch heard a loud noise and observed a hit-and-run incident on Arsenal Street. Officers followed the vehicle and found it had a strong odor of alcohol, along with several beer cans visible inside. The driver, Olvin Lopez-Orellana, 25, of Boston, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and had a warrant for several charges including larceny and assault on a police officer.
As the police continue to investigate these incidents, residents are reminded to report any suspicious activity and to keep their personal belongings secure, as the community deals with this troubling wave of theft and fraud.
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