Table of Contents
Aug. 2
7:32 p.m. — Officer Robert Picariello was patrolling the Neck and causeway area when he noticed a moped being operated by a man who was not wearing a helmet. Picariello turned around and stopped the moped on the causeway. The operator told the officer he knew a helmet was required and said he was only out for a short ride. Picariello issued a verbal warning for the helmet violation. The operator then pushed the moped to a legal, safe parking spot on Ocean Avenue, where he planned to wait for someone to drop off a helmet.
11:45 p.m. — Officer Taylor Nolasco and another officer were dispatched to Kenneth Road for a reported house party. When they arrived at the address given by the caller, the officers saw and heard nothing unusual. A drive around the area led them to a different home on Kenneth Road. Nolasco recognized it as a short-term rental where police had responded to similar complaints several times about a month earlier. About six people were sitting on the back porch talking and grilling. The officers spoke with the main renter and relayed the complaints. The renter said the group was almost done grilling and would move inside when finished.
Aug. 3
8:53 a.m. — Officer Christian Hennigar called the manager of the Marblehead Mountain Bike Club from the station about alleged vandalism in the Green Street Woods. The manager said she built a small shed in the woods at the start of the season to store trail tools. She said she had filed a police report about vandalism to the shed before. She said someone had allegedly damaged it again, this time by kicking down its side walls. The manager said she plans to build a sturdier shed next year. She told Hennigar she only wanted her conversation with police on record. Hennigar documented her statements, and the incident remains open.
10:09 a.m. — Officer Charles Sweeney was dispatched to the station and spoke by phone with a Harbor Avenue resident about alleged identity fraud. The resident said the Farmers and Merchants Bank in New Castle, Virginia, had contacted him about someone who allegedly tried to open an account using his driver's license. The resident said he confirmed the bank was legitimate and had it email him the details. According to the bank, the person showed a teller a picture of the resident's license. The bank denied the application and flagged the interaction. Sweeney advised the resident to have his license number flagged with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. He also suggested the resident report the matter to the Craig County Sheriff's Office in New Castle, Virginia.
Aug. 5
7:51 a.m. — Officer Sean Sweeney spoke with a driver for New England Seafood Company about an alleged minor crash involving his work truck at the Commercial Street dock. The driver said that "a couple of days ago" he backed his large truck down to the gangway to conduct business. He said a black pickup truck parked beside him on the downward-sloping street, then rolled forward into his front bumper as it was leaving. The driver said the pickup's operator was upset about how the truck had been parked. He said the two agreed at the time that neither vehicle was damaged, and they did not exchange information. Days later, he said, his company noticed damage to the truck, assumed it came from that incident and asked him to report it. Sweeney noted the driver never gave a specific date, even when asked to write one down. His only evidence was a time-stamped photo that showed no definitive damage. Other employees had driven the truck since the alleged incident, and it was not available for inspection. Sweeney documented the driver's account. Given the lack of evidence and the unclear timeline, he determined there was not enough reason to investigate further.
Aug. 6
7:21 a.m. — Officer Nicholas Fratini was sent to Lee Street after a resident reported finding a 5-year-old girl. The resident told Fratini the girl had become separated from her mother at Crosby's Market. Fratini then located a woman who said she and the girl had walked to Crosby's together and walked home together. She said she remembered the girl entering the home with her, and that at some point after they returned, the girl left the house. Police determined no crime was involved.
8:43 a.m. — Officer Brandon Boutilier took a report in the station lobby from a Green Street resident about alleged identity fraud involving his late mother's name. The resident said he received an Experian alert about an unpaid Xfinity debt, even though he has no Xfinity accounts. He said a debt collection agency then called him about a $750 Comcast Xfinity bill. The account was tied to an address in Millis, Massachusetts, where his mother lived before she died in 2023. The resident said he needed a police report to show the debt collectors. Boutilier advised him to file a Federal Trade Commission affidavit through IdentityTheft.gov and told him a copy of the report would be ready for pickup later that day. The incident remains open.
Aug. 7
8:30 a.m. — Officer Andrew Clark met with highway department workers at Phillips Street and Locust Street about alleged illegal dumping. The workers said the town engineer wanted police to document a recurring problem: people have been dropping bagged dog waste into catch basins around town. That morning, crews pulled roughly 15 to 20 bags out of the basin at that corner. Shortly after they finished cleaning it, the workers said, they watched a man walking his dog drop a waste bag into the same basin. They photographed the man but could not identify him. Clark documented the matter. He recommended placing trail cameras at problem locations to identify and deter violators, and posting on social media that the practice is illegal and that police are aware of it.
10:17 a.m. — Officer Brandon Boutilier responded to Ocean Meadow Lane for a neighbor noise complaint. The caller said the neighbor behind him plays pickleball in his yard every day and that a group was playing at that moment. Boutilier noted that he had responded to the same address Wednesday and found the noise reasonable for the time of day. The caller said the neighbor hosts daily tournaments and private lessons, which he believes violates zoning rules. Boutilier explained the issue was largely a civil matter and said he did not consider the noise unreasonable at 10:30 a.m. He then spoke with the neighbor on Schooner Ridge. The neighbor said he had a permit to build the court and plays only from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. When Boutilier arrived, no one was playing; the neighbor and his wife were sitting on the front porch. The neighbor said he had installed acoustic panels on the court's fence and was building a shed behind the court to help block the sound. He said he does not host players daily and would be mindful of the noise.
Aug. 8
9:40 a.m. — Officer Christian Hennigar responded to Schooner Ridge for another noise complaint about a pickleball game. He found the game and judged the noise level reasonable, then went to the caller's home on Ocean Meadow Lane. The caller said he had already filed reports about noise from the Schooner Ridge court and was taking steps to resolve it. He said he wanted to keep documenting the disturbances because the games had become a daily event. He said they typically run from about 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and resume around 12:30 p.m. into the afternoon. Hennigar documented the caller's statements.
9:25 p.m. — Officer Christian Hennigar and Officer Jason McDonald responded to the RipTide on Pleasant Street for a report of an unwelcome customer causing a disturbance. The caller said the customer had already left before officers arrived. According to the caller, the woman was allegedly getting into verbal altercations and yelling at other customers and staff. She was asked to leave several times before her companion eventually escorted her out. Before leaving, Hennigar advised the caller to contact police if the woman returned.
Aug. 9
8:42 a.m. — Officer Taylor Nolasco was dispatched to Ocean Meadow Lane for another noise complaint about pickleball. The caller said the games are an ongoing issue that constantly disturbs his peace. He said he had documented 12 incidents on his phone over the past few days. He also said the homeowner was away, so the players should not be there, and argued that police should be able to do something about it. Nolasco said she would confirm with the homeowner whether the players had permission and would document the complaint. At the Schooner Ridge court, she found four people playing and four watching from the side, and judged the noise level reasonable. One of the players told Nolasco the group was allowed to be there. The player then got the homeowner on the phone, and he confirmed they had permission to play.
8:06 p.m. — Officer Nicholas Michaud, assigned to motorcycle patrol, was dispatched to Treat Road for a report of children climbing a fence and jumping into a private pool. At dispatch's request, Michaud first checked the railroad tracks behind the caller's home. He covered the stretch from the post office to Atlantic Avenue but found no one matching the description of a group of children in swimsuits. The homeowner told Michaud that every night since Friday, children had allegedly run from the tracks into his yard and jumped in his pool. He said he had locked the gate the day before, but that evening a child climbed the fence. He said he chased the child off before the child reached the water. He said the earlier incidents happened around 5:30 p.m., while this attempt came around 8 p.m. The homeowner said he had no "No Trespassing" signs on the track side of the property but planned to post them. Michaud said he would try to increase patrols along the tracks on nights he is working the motorcycle. The incident remains open.
Aug. 10
10:53 a.m. — Lt. Jason Conrad, the officer in charge, was flagged down by the manager of West Marine on Atlantic Avenue. The manager was concerned that a man had been living in his car in the store's lot since Saturday and asked Conrad to check on him. At the back of the lot, Conrad found a man who appeared to be asleep in a Nissan Sentra. Conrad woke him and explained that the manager had asked him not to park there, noting that the lot is posted for customers only and that other vehicles are subject to towing. The man apologized and agreed to move. He told Conrad he works as a DoorDash driver, is currently unhoused and usually parks behind a McDonald's in Salem. Conrad described him as polite and cooperative. Before the man left, Conrad offered any help or services police could provide, and the man said he would reach out if needed. The manager was satisfied with the outcome.
Aug. 11
2:41 p.m. — Officer Sean Sweeney watched a white pickup truck park between two homes on Gerry Street. The driver got out and moved toward a bush in one of the yards in a crouch, looking around as he went. He threw what appeared to be liquid on the bush, hurried back to his truck, still crouching, and drove away at a high rate of speed. Sweeney checked the bush and found white foam on its leaves. He radioed the plate to dispatch and identified the driver through his license photo. Sweeney then spoke with a resident, who cleared things up: the man had been trying for some time, using various methods, to eliminate a wasp nest in the bush. His stealthy approach was apparently an effort to avoid being stung. The nest sits near the back door of a nearby business. Police determined no crime was involved.
Aug. 12
12:01 a.m. — Officer Samuel Rizos was dispatched to Goldthwait Road for a report of a suspicious car circling the area, described as a dark, sporty sedan with square brake lights. Rizos found a car matching that description parked and running near Goldthwait Beach, with two teenagers inside. When he drove past, the car pulled away and made a series of quick turns through side streets before heading down Gallison Avenue toward the water. Knowing the street was a dead end, Rizos waited at the top. After several minutes, two young men walked out on foot. Rizos found the car parked and empty on Stevens Road. He then located the pair walking at Atlantic Avenue and Vassar Road. The two initially said they had been walking home from a friend's house and had not been driving. After several minutes, they admitted they had moved a friend's car as a prank. The names they gave did not match any records, but a registry search appeared to identify one of them. Rizos spoke to them about the importance of being truthful with police and about not pranking their friends. Back at the station, Rizos called the car's registered owner, who said his son was supposed to have the car and was at a friend's house. The owner later called back to confirm that his son's friends had been playing a prank and that his son was heading home. He thanked Rizos for calling.
Aug. 13
7:48 p.m. — Officer Jason McDonald and Officer Robert Picariello were dispatched to the Tedesco Country Club on Tedesco Street for a trespassing complaint. A club employee said he had just encountered two men with a dog and a child on the fourth hole who were neither members nor guests. He said that when he told them to leave the private property, they allegedly became verbally abusive. After he said he was calling police, they left the course and walked out onto West Street. Picariello located the two men on West Street, and McDonald identified them there. The men admitted they had gone onto the course to throw a Frisbee for the dog. Both were given verbal no-trespass orders barring them from returning to the club's property. McDonald later called the employee to let him know the report would be on file if the club needed addresses to file formal no-trespass orders. The incident remains open.
Aug. 15
9:25 a.m. — Officer Taylor Nolasco was dispatched to Ocean Meadow Lane for yet another noise complaint about pickleball at the Schooner Ridge court. The caller said the games remain an ongoing nuisance that constantly disturbs his peace. Nolasco explained that if he wants to pursue a pickleball ban, he should take it up with officials at Abbot Hall or sponsor a warrant article seeking to prohibit it. She added that as long as the noise is reasonable, playing is not a crime. The caller asked Nolasco to go over and confirm the players had permission to be there. At Schooner Ridge, she found four people playing and judged the noise reasonable. One player said the homeowner was away but had given the group permission. The homeowner confirmed that by phone.
Aug. 16
3:04 p.m. — Officer Charles Sweeney met a Gregory Street resident in the station lobby. The resident said someone was allegedly using his email address to order items on Walmart's website. He said he was unsure whether his bank information had been used but was monitoring his accounts closely. He had also contacted Walmart to report the fraudulent use of his email. Sweeney documented the report.
Aug. 17
11:26 a.m. — Officer Brandon Boutilier took a stolen e-bike report in the station lobby from a Boston resident. The man said his black e-bike was stolen from outside his Boston home about a year ago and that an AirTag attached to it was now pinging near Hillside Avenue. He said he never reported the theft to Boston police and could not provide a photo of the bike. Boutilier and Detective Sgt. Sean Brady went to Hillside Avenue. When the man arrived, he told them it was the wrong house and led them to a unit on Hines Court. A resident there said she knew nothing about an e-bike, but she did have an AirTag her husband had found. She brought it out, and the man confirmed it was his. She said she had texted the phone number associated with the tag after her husband found it. The man acknowledged receiving the text but had never replied. Boutilier later reached the husband by phone. The husband said he works in Boston and found the tag, with no bike attached, in a park there. He said he picked it up hoping to return it to its owner and knew nothing about a bike. The incident remains open.
Aug. 21
11:49 a.m. — Officer Adam Mastrangelo took a report in the station lobby from a boat owner who said items were allegedly stolen from his boat on three separate occasions over recent weeks. The boat, a Cobia 201CC named Baby Ruth, is kept on a mooring in Salem Harbor. The owner said a 12-pack of Coors Light disappeared between Aug. 7 and 8; 10 wine coolers between Aug. 8 and 9; and three fishing rods and reels between Aug. 9 and 14. The owner filled out a property loss sheet, which Mastrangelo left for Detective Sgt. Sean Brady. The case was forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Division.
2:55 p.m. — Officer Christian Hennigar met a Corinthian Lane resident at the station about possible fraud. The resident appeared very stressed. She said she was confused about why a company called Sparta Capital Management had mailed her a demand for $779.34 for a past-due loan. She had not lost any money. She said she reported the letter to Marblehead Bank, which also tried and failed to reach the company. Hennigar called the phone numbers listed on the letter but could not reach anyone. An internet search turned up multiple sources describing the company as a scam. Hennigar explained to the resident that the letter was most likely a scam and said he would document the incident. He advised her to contact police if she received any more mail from the company. A report was also filed with AgeSpan, a regional elder services agency.
5:14 p.m. — Officer Christian Hennigar responded to Jersey Street for a report of a stolen ring. The resident said she had just returned from a sailing trip in Maine and had been away since Aug. 14. She said a $2,400 ring she ordered from Macy's was allegedly taken from its box before it reached her. According to the resident, the package was supposed to arrive by UPS around 12:50 p.m. Aug. 14. Her daughter came by, picked up the package and brought it to an upstairs bedroom. Security footage showed the daughter picking up the box without noticing a hole in its underside. The resident pointed out that the footage showed no UPS driver at that time, only a U.S. Postal Service carrier who appeared to deliver mail but no packages. She had not yet contacted UPS or Macy's but planned to. Hennigar advised her to reach out to both companies and forwarded the report to the Criminal Investigation Division.
Aug. 22
11:16 a.m. — Officer Christian Hennigar met a Merritt Street resident at the station about attempted fraud. The resident said a man called her claiming to work for the U.S. Treasury Department. He demanded that she pay $919 for a "past due" Walmart credit card purchase. The caller also asked for her bank account numbers and a photo of her passport, and told her not to mention the conversation to her bank or her family. She hung up. Hennigar advised her to monitor her credit and to visit IdentityTheft.gov.
2:35 p.m. — Officer Christian Hennigar responded to the Marblehead Yacht Club on Cliff Street for a person overboard. When he arrived, the harbormaster's boat and the club launch were pulling a man from the water onto the launch. The dock master brought the man back to the dock, where medical personnel evaluated him. He declined further medical help. The man told Hennigar he had been standing at the stern of his boat, Zen, facing the bow, when a wave knocked him off balance and sent him backward into the water. He said he was in the water for about two minutes. The dock master said he was inside the club when he learned someone had fallen in. He said he rushed to the launch and immediately lowered a ladder when he reached the man, because it was clear the man was struggling to get out of the water on his own.
Aug. 23
10:55 p.m. — Officer Nicholas Michaud was dispatched to Harbor Avenue for a report of earlier suspicious activity. A young woman told Michaud that around 5:30 p.m. she was playing mixed doubles tennis with friends at the Eastern Yacht Club on Foster Street. She said a black SUV drove by and its driver stopped to photograph them, which did not seem especially strange at the time. About 15 minutes later, the SUV returned, and the driver parked and watched them play. She described him as a man in his 50s, about 5 feet 10, with short dark hair. He apologized for interrupting, said he was visiting from Burlington and asked whether he could take a picture of himself holding a racket as if playing. The group agreed, and one friend hit a few balls toward him. He then asked whether one of the women would pose with him so it looked like he was playing doubles. The young woman declined, but a friend agreed, mainly to get him to leave. The young woman said the encounter made her uncomfortable, and she called her mother for a ride home. Her mother decided to report it. Michaud advised the young woman to call police if anything similar happens so officers can try to identify the man. Michaud and the mother both told her it is fine to ask whether someone at a private club is a member and to contact staff or police, since a nonmember would be trespassing. Michaud said he would pass the information to the officer in charge to share with other shifts.
Aug. 24
9:57 a.m. — Officer Brandon Boutilier responded to Front Street for a report of a landscaping crew being harassed. A crew member told him that about five minutes earlier, a resident came out and complained about noise from the crew's Bobcat. She said the woman photographed the work and said she was trying to sleep. The crew member said she started recording video of the woman until the woman went back inside. She said the crew was using the Bobcat to carry bricks to their truck and would soon be finished with it. Boutilier then spoke with the resident. She said she was concerned the crew did not know what they were doing because they were trying to carry too many bricks at once. She said the crew member did not like being photographed and began yelling at her and recording her. She said the argument never became physical and that her main concern was the Bobcat. Boutilier advised both parties to keep their distance for the time being and told the resident the crew should be done soon.
3:56 p.m. — Officer Tyler Bates took a report at the station from a Leo Road resident about a hacked Facebook account. The resident said her account was hacked about five years ago, locking her out. She said the account, which still carries her name, regularly posts items for sale. She wanted it on record that she is not the one selling them. She said she has tried without success to get Facebook to take the account down. She also submitted an affidavit with further details.
Aug. 25
9:43 a.m. — Officer Brandon Boutilier responded to the area of the Old Town House to help a woman who had lost her car key. She said she lost it sometime between parking and walking into Mookie's. She had no spare, but an AirTag on her key chain was pinging from several locations at different times, including Orne Street, Beacon Street, Farrell Court and Intrepid Circle. With permission from the officer in charge, Boutilier drove her home. He then searched Farrell Court without success. Back at the station, Boutilier learned that the woman's husband had shared the AirTag's tracking link with Lt. Michael Everett. Boutilier used the link to follow the signal, which moved between Farrell Court and Intrepid Circle, and knocked on several doors. He found the keys with an Intrepid Circle resident who had mistakenly taken them from the counter at Mookie's. The resident said that when an employee asked who had left keys behind, she thought they were hers, not realizing her own keys were already in her pocketbook. Boutilier took the keys and returned them to their owner.
4:23 p.m. — Officer Jason McDonald spoke with an Atlantic Avenue resident at the station who reported that his black and green Trek mountain bike, valued at $750, had allegedly been stolen from his building's parking lot. The resident said he last saw the bike there Aug. 24 and that it was not locked. A property sheet was completed and forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Division. The incident remains open.
Aug. 27
5:57 p.m. — Officer Dennis DeFelice met with a Lafayette Street resident at her home about a missing package. The resident said she was expecting an iPad from Xfinity, to be delivered by UPS with a required signature from the account holder. She said she was away during the first delivery attempt and found a missed-delivery notice on her door Aug. 26. At 2:27 p.m. Aug. 27, she received a notice saying the package had been left at her home. Her security footage, however, showed no delivery attempt. The resident had contacted both Xfinity and UPS to open a lost-package claim, and both companies advised her to file a police report while they investigate. DeFelice noted there is currently no proof the package was ever delivered to the home.
Aug. 28
1:31 p.m. — Officer Christian Hennigar met at the station with the town's pickleball ambassador about alleged vandalism at the pickleball courts at Seaside Park. The ambassador said she and many others play there every morning. She said that when they arrived that day, they found a broken Adirondack chair along with cigarettes and empty alcohol cans on the court. Video she provided also showed that a bucket of pickleballs had been dumped out and scattered across the court. She said she had been in touch with the police chief about the incident. Hennigar advised her to report any future vandalism.
Aug. 30
8:59 a.m. — Officer Nicholas Fratini spoke with a man at the station who said he could not find his car after a night out at Maddie's. The man said he remembered parking in the Crosby's lot. He said he had checked with both businesses and with their towing company, and none of them reported having his car. Fratini located the car parked at the Marblehead Community Charter Public School.
Sept. 1
1:01 p.m. — Officer Adam Mastrangelo took a fraud report in the station lobby from a Clifton Heights Lane resident. The resident said that at 11:34 a.m. Aug. 31, someone allegedly tried to withdraw money from his TD Bank checking account at a branch in Burlington County, New Jersey. He said the person had a copy of his driver's license and the last four digits of his Social Security number. That branch refused the withdrawal, but the resident said the person then allegedly withdrew $5,400 at a different TD Bank branch, which he could not name. The account has since been closed. The resident was advised to contact the credit reporting agencies about monitoring. The case will be forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Division.
10:20 p.m. — Officer Jason McDonald spoke with a Village Street resident at the station who said he lost his iPhone in Boston on Aug. 30. He said he did not know where he lost it but realized it was missing while riding in a stranger's car. He said he has since been locked out of his Google and Apple accounts. He also said someone had allegedly tried to use credit cards saved on the phone, though he could not show a list of the transactions. McDonald advised him to print the transactions for the report. The resident said he had notified his banks and credit card companies. McDonald also advised him to report the loss to Boston police. The incident remains open.
