Police Log: String of Car Break-ins, Employee Theft at Target

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.

Arrests

None

Incidents

Jan. 25, 1:28 p.m.: Target conducted an investigation on an employee suspected of stealing products from the store. Target security found that an employee working in the online order fulfillment department was selecting additional items not on the order list and placing them into a carriage. He put the items in separate bags, and at the end of his shift he would take the bags and leave the store. In total he took $2,925.50 in merchandise from April to Jan. 25, including Apple watches, Apple AirPods, and an iPad Pro. A summons to Waltham District Court was requested for the 59-year-old man from Boston for larceny over $1,200.

Jan. 25, 8:20 p.m.: A Bromfield Street resident reported that her purse was stolen while she was at work in Somerville. When the woman arrived home, she was alerted by her two credit card companies that her cards had possibly been used fraudulently. Two of her credit cards were used at Target in Watertown. One purchase was for $659, and the other for $424. Watertown Police are investigating the fraudulent charges, and are working with Target security. 

Jan. 26, 4:14 p.m.: An Arsenal Street resident reported that she received an email from a company that saw her resume on LinkedIn, and offered her a paid internship. After a discussion she accepted the internship, and the company said she would receive a check for $700. In return would send $700 worth of Amazon gift cards back, and then they would send her a laptop to use for work. The check was from a company called Next Site, from Birmingham, Ala. After it was deposited, the woman realized the check could not be cashed. She has already sent the $700 in Amazon cards. At that point, all communication stopped, and the woman could not get in contact with anyone. Police called Next Site and spoke with the owner, who said he had not written any checks to anyone in Massachusetts. He had been informed by his bank on previous occasions that someone had written fake or fraudulent checks in the name of his company. The woman is out the $700 in gift cards. 

Jan. 27, 1:30 p.m.: A Watertown man attempted to purchase a dog through a breeder in Chattanooga, Tenn. The breeder and the victim went back and forth on the price and pick-up dates. The victim sent a $500 deposit to the breeder through Venmo. After that, all communication stopped, and the victim was unable to contact the breeder. Police are investigating, The man lost $500.

A series of vehicle break-ins were reported on the night of Jan. 28 into the morning of Jan. 29. The nine vehicles broken into were on Edenfield Avenue, Locust Lane, Morton Street, Sparkle Street, Rose Avenue, and King Street. Police believe that all the of the vehicles were left unlocked. Two pairs of sunglasses were taken from one car, worth a total of $500. Change was taken from most of the vehicles and all of them appeared to have been ransacked. On Jan. 30 at 3:50 p.m., a Warren Street resident came in to the Police Station to show them surveillance camera video of an incident that Police believe may be linked to the break-ins. On Jan. 29, at about 2:52 a.m., the camera captured what appears to be an adult male walking down their driveway attempting to open their car doors. The video shows the suspect pulling on the door handles, but the doors were locked. The man then moved on. The suspect was wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt with the hood up and possibly jeans. Police remind the public to please ensure that your vehicles are locked. 

Jan. 29, 3:13 p.m.: A Watertown woman reported unauthorized charges on her credit card. She said on Dec. 6, her JetBlue credit card was fraudulently used to purchase airline tickets totaling $1,239.66. JetBlue is investigating. 

Jan. 30, 10:16 a.m.: Police went to an apartment building on Pleasant Street and spoke with a resident who said her bicycle was stolen from the underground parking garage. According to the victim, she believes the suspect entered through the open garage door. The bike is described as a gold colored men’s 12-speed bicycle which was about 15 years old. The make and model are unknown. She last saw the bike on Jan. 26.

Jan. 31, 9:35 a.m.: Arsenal Wine & Spirits reported a credit card fraud. The owner was notified on Dec. 24 of a charge back, which occurs when someone is disputing a charge. The charge was made on Nov. 28 when a customer called the store to purchase four bottles of Moët imperial rosé, which cost $239.94. Shortly after that purchase, a person came into the store and picked up the four bottles. It appears the person was using a stolen or cloned credit card. Police contacted owner of the card, who is from Connecticut. He had no knowledge of the purchase and had never been to the store.