Roaming Cows, Pesky Solicitors Top Northampton Twp. Crime News

NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, PA —Roaming cows, solicitor arguments, and fireworks complaints were among the reports police handled recently.

The Northampton Township Police Department released its blotter of criminal incidents for the period of Sept. 4 through Sept. 17.

During the tour, Patrol handled 34 alarm calls, 26 abandoned 911 calls, 75 medical calls, 13 bookings, eight domestic disputes; 12 civil disputes; 142 traffic monitoring details, and 31 crime prevention details.

These are the criminal incidents:

Sept. 4

Fireworks —Patrol responded to Madison Court and Independence Drive for a report of fireworks in the area. A check of the area did not locate any fireworks.

Animal Complaint —Patrol responded to Bridgetown Pike for a report of wandering cows. Upon arrival, after a thorough check, they were unable to locate any wandering cows.

Fire —Patrol responded to Independence Drive for a report of open burning. Upon arrival, officers found an individual with a small charcoal grill cooking food, with a means to extinguish it readily available. No hazard was observed.

Sept. 5

Hit & Run —The complainant came into headquarters to report a hit and run in a parking lot on 2nd Street Pike. The complainant states they parked their car and went into the store. When they came out, their vehicle had been hit, damaging the front bumper. A witness told the complainant the color and make of the vehicle and provided a tag. Officers identified the vehicle owner and had a patrol car go to the residence. No one answered the door. Patrol will follow up.

Sept. 6

Hit & Run —Patrol responded to a parking lot on Bustleton Pike for a report of a hit and run. The complainant states that they returned to their parked vehicle to find a notification from their dash screen that their vehicle had been hit. In checking the vehicle, they found there was damage to the trunk of the vehicle. A check of the area was made for surveillance cameras.

Public Drunkenness —Patrol responded to a parking lot on 2nd Street Pike for a report of an individual laying down outside a vehicle. Upon arrival, patrol found the individual on the ground. The individual was observed by EMS and refused transport. The individual was provided a ride home.

Sept. 7

Fraud —The complainant came into headquarters to report identity theft. They stated that they received a bank statement from a bank which they did not have an account with. The statement shows it was opened in May with a $0 balance and two transactions for unknown subjects. It appeared to be unemployment benefits run through the account. The complainant was given an identity theft package and the case was referred to detectives.

Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to 2nd Street Pike for a report of a one-vehicle accident. The complainant states they were traveling on 2nd Street Pike when a deer entered the roadway. They were unable to avoid hitting the deer. Their vehicle was damaged but did not require a tow.

Sept. 8

Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to Hals Drive for a two-vehicle accident. Unit #1, while backing out of their driveway, struck Unit #2 which was stopped on Hals Drive. There was minor damage to both vehicles and no injuries were reported.

Animal Complaint —Patrol responded to 2nd Street Pike for a report of cows in the roadway. On scene, the cows were located on a property. The cows’ owner was notified and en route to remove them to their property.

Sept. 9

Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to Bustleton Pike and Knowles Avenue for a report of two-vehicle accident. Unit #1 was on Knowles Avenue attempting to make a left onto Bustleton Pike when it struck Unit #2 who was traveling on Bustleton Pike. Both vehicles sustained damage but did not require a tow. No injuries were reported.

Sept. 10

Burglary —Patrol responded to Nelson Drive for a report of a burglary. The resident states that sometime between last night and early this morning their glass doors were smashed. The scene was processed for evidence and referred to CID.

Fire —Patrol responded to Galloway Road for a report of a utility pole fire. Upon arrival a small fire was found burning on top of the pole. Northampton Township FD arrived and stated PECO had been notified.

Sept. 11

Open Doors —Patrol responded to Holyoke Road for a report of an open door. The complainant states they were looking after their neighbor’s home when they found the front door open. Police officers checked the interior of the home and things appeared okay. Patrol secured the front door and contacted the homeowner to advise of their findings.

Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to Hatboro and Tanyard Roads for a report of a two-vehicle accident. Unit #1 was traveling on Hatboro Road at the intersection with Tanyard Road when their vehicle was struck by Unit #2 which was traveling on Tanyard Road. Both vehicles sustained disabling damage and were towed from the scene. The driver of Unit #2 reported injuries but refused EMS.

Theft —Patrol responded to Temperance Lane for a report of a theft. The complainant states that their home is being renovated and when they stopped by they found several of their power tools missing. The value exceeds $2,000. A check for surveillance cameras was made. The case was referred to detectives.

Fraud —Patrol responded to 2nd Street Pike for a report of fraud. The complainant states while using their computer a pop-up appeared purporting to be from Apple Care. The complainant contacted the phone number and spoke with an unknown person who said their bank account had been hacked. The complainant was told that a large amount of money had been sent to a bank in Hong Kong from their account and that a pseudo account would be created for the Complainant to deposit another large amount into in order to release the original amount allegedly transferred. The complainant went to their credit union to make an overseas transfer to fund the “pseudo account,” however, the credit union told them they would not do overseas wire transfers. The complainant then withdrew the large amount of money and went to another bank that would do overseas transfers, and deposited the money but was told they would have to wait for the check to clear. The caller told the complainant they would call back tomorrow to complete the transfer, and told the complainant not to tell anyone. The complainant did tell their daughter who knew it was a scam, and took steps to stop the wire transfer. The complainant believes they may have released some of their personal information to the caller. The case was referred to detectives.

Sept. 12

Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to Buck Road for a report of a one-vehicle accident. The complainant states they were driving on Buck Road when two deer jumped out in front of their vehicle. The complainant was unable to avoid both and hit one of the deer. The vehicle had minor damage but did not require a tow.

Motor Vehicle Theft —Patrol responded to Pine Avenue for a report of a stolen vehicle. The complainant states that early this morning they received a text notifying them that the master setting for their vehicle had been changed. The complainant went outside and found their vehicle missing. The complainant states they had recently lost a set of their keys. The vehicle was later found in Philadelphia. It was returned to headquarters for processing.

Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to Sackettsford Road for a report of a two-vehicle accident involving a bicycle. The bicyclist states that they were traveling on Sackettsford Road when they were struck by Unit #1 also traveling on Sackettsford Road. The driver of Unit #1 pulled over immediately. The bicyclist was transported to St. Mary Medical Center by EMS.

Sept. 13

Fraud —A resident came into headquarters to report attempted fraud. The resident stated that they were notified via email of the use of 40,500 of their American Airlines miles. They did not use the miles nor did they authorize anyone else to use them. American Airlines agreed to refund the miles but requested a police report.

Sept. 14

Theft from Vehicle —The complainant came into headquarters to report a theft from a vehicle. The complainant states that sometime overnight their vehicle was broken into on Cottonwood Drive and items valued at about $200 were stolen from the vehicle along with checkbooks. They had already been in contact with their bank to cancel the checks. The case was referred to detectives.

Hit and Run Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to 2nd Street Pike for a report of a hit and run. The complainant states they were waiting to turn left onto 2nd Street Pike from Almshouse Road when they were struck from behind by a black sedan that continued on Almshouse Road without stopping. Complainant’s vehicle sustained minor damage and did not require a tow.

Sept. 15

Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to Newtown-Richboro Road for a three-vehicle accident. Unit #3 was stopped in traffic on Newtown-Richboro Road when they were struck by Unit #2 who had been struck by Unit #1. All three vehicles sustained damage but did not require a tow, and there were no injuries reported.

Criminal Mischief —Patrol responded to Crest View Drive for a report of criminal mischief. The complainant states they were home all day working when their child came home from school and advised that the siding on the garage had been vandalized with some kind of brown or black liquid substance. A check of the area for surveillance cameras was made and multiple neighbors provided surveillance videos.

Sept. 16

Traffic Accident —Patrol responded to 2nd Street Pike and Merry Dell Drive for a report of a two-vehicle accident. Unit #1 indicates they were traveling on 2nd Street Pike and took their eyes off the road and when they looked back Unit #2 was stopped. Unit #1 was unable to stop or avoid Unit #2 and struck them in the rear. Both vehicles sustained damage but did not require a tow. No injuries were reported.

Solicitor Complaint —Patrol responded to Crescent Drive for a solicitor complaint. The resident said that two individuals were soliciting and refusing to leave their property. The resident said they told the individuals they were not interested and the solicitors started a verbal disagreement. The solicitors finally left the property. The resident was able to give a description of the vehicle, which had Arizona plates. Patrol made a check of the area and did not locate the solicitors.

Juvenile Problem —While on patrol, officers located two juveniles operating an electric scooter at 2:30 a.m. in the area of Lower Holland Road and Lark Drive. When questioned, they indicated they had been to Wawa and were headed home. Patrol contacted the parent for a pickup since the scooter had no illumination and the juveniles were not wearing reflective clothing.

Sept. 17

Fire —Patrol responded to Richard Road for a report of an electrical fire. Responding also was the Northampton Township Fire Department. A machine, found in the rear of the building, was on fire and it was contained to that machine. The fire department extinguished the fire.

Solicitor Complaint —The complainant came into headquarters to report a solicitor complaint. The complainant states that they were awoken by someone ringing their doorbell yesterday. By the time they made it to the door and corralled their dog, the individual walked away. They said the individual returned and rang their bell again, at which time an autogenerated message played stating the complainant was unable to answer the door. The individual responded to the camera and then proceeded to knock on the door until the complainant answered it again, and the individual left stating “It’s just a fundraiser.” The resident said the entire transaction seemed odd.