E-Bike Strikes Deer, Police Investigate Fraud Incidents In Upper Makefield

UPPER MAKFIELD, PA — The Upper Makefield Police Department reported the following accidents, incidents, and arrests in August, including an e-bike that struck a deer, numerous cases of fraud, and the theft of an Apple Watch.

Accident Report

The following accidents were reported in the township. None of them resulted in serious injury.

• Three vehicle crashes at Taylorsville Road and Route 532
• Route 532 and Highland Road
• Dolington Road and Route 532
• 900 block of Taylorsville Road
• 1600 block of River Road
• A vehicle struck a bench and a building at the Washington Crossing Convenience Store (no injuries and no damage to the building).
• An e-bike struck a deer that had run in front of the bike on Stoneybrook Road.
• A vehicle struck a fence on River Road and then left the scene.
• An Amazon van damaged a privately owned stone wall.

Arrests

• During a traffic stop on River Road and Rt. During a traffic stop for an equipment violation, police discovered an active arrest warrant for a passenger wanted out of New Jersey for a probation violation. The passenger was taken into custody, was arraigned on the charge of being a fugitive from justice, and was remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility to await extradition to New Jersey.
• A vehicle stop on Rt. 532 and River Road resulted in the driver being arrested on an outstanding warrant for a contempt of court charge out of Montgomery County. The driver was arrested without incident.
• A vehicle stop for an equipment violation in the area of Taylorsville Road and Heritage Hills Drive resulted in the discovery of numerous bags of marijuana and related paraphernalia. A court date will be forthcoming for the driver.

Suspicious Person

• Officers investigated a suspicious person at Colonial Farms and found that the subject had two active arrest warrants out of Georgia, however, the warrants did not allow for extradition. The individual was provided a ride out of the township.

Fraud

• A $9500 counterfeit check was presented to a bank in Colorado in the name of a township resident and included their proper account number and bank information. Upon receipt of the check by The First National Bank, they immediately recognized it as counterfeit, did not release the funds, and informed the account holder of the incident.
• A township resident was contacted by their bank after an unknown person had attempted to cash their checks that had been "washed" (altered). No loss was sustained.
• A resident was alerted that a check they had mailed had been stolen. The check was cancelled and no loss was sustained.
• A resident reported that their debit card had been compromised and was used to make an online purchase of a laptop computer totaling $2051.99. The card was cancelled and may have been compromised when used out of state.
• A resident thwarted a phone scam in which the caller identified themself as an officer with the NYPD. The scammer claimed that the resident was involved in a money laundering scheme. No personal information was given and no money was lost.
• A resident applied for a passport via a third party website that turned out to be fraudulent. Their info was compromised and preventative steps were taken to limit their exposure to identity theft.
• A resident was the target of a pop-up computer scam and fortunately, did not engage with the scammer.

Theft

• An Apple Watch that had been ordered was stolen from its package before delivery. The total amount of the theft was $549.

Vandalism

• The dirt infield at one of the baseball fields at Lookout Park was damaged by a motorized/e-bike.

Newtown-Makefield Motor Carrier Task Force

On August 12, a motor carrier inspection detail was conducted in Newtown Borough which resulted in the following: 13 inspections, three citations, 25 warnings, three vehicles being placed out of service and one driver placed out of service