SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. - Inclement weather in January kept the Lewisboro Police Department busy responding to stuck and stalled vehicles, downed trees, and numerous traffic accidents. In addition to weather-related calls, the department handled several unusual incidents.
A couple from South Salem visited Lewisboro Police headquarters on Jan. 2 to report that they had been fraudulently billed each month by Comcast. Because they live in the Town of Lewisboro, they do not have Comcast services and have never been customers. Their bank is investigating the matter, but they sought a police report prior to contacting Comcast.
On Saturday, Jan. 3, police assisted EMS with a bicyclist who had fallen in Goldens Bridge. The cyclist was traveling westbound and attempted to turn left, extending her left hand in the accepted cycling signal. As she began the turn, she swerved to avoid a passing car and fell. The driver reportedly mistook her hand signal as an indication that he should pass on the left. EMS transported the cyclist to the hospital with pain in her left hip after she fell onto her left side.
A resident came to headquarters on Wednesday, Jan. 7, to turn in a cellphone she had found in her mailbox the previous day. She initially left it there hoping the owner would retrieve it, but when no one did, she turned it over to police for safekeeping.
During a commercial vehicle inspection at Lewisboro Town Park on Jan. 8, officers discovered a truck driver had an open arrest warrant from a nearby town. That municipality’s police department took the driver into custody.
Vehicle Accidents
While January saw a higher-than-usual number of collisions, the following were the most noteworthy:
Monday, Jan. 5:
A driver traveling north on Route 123 in South Salem reported that his brakes locked, causing him to cross the double yellow line into the southbound lane. He collided head-on with another vehicle, spun out, and came to rest near the rear left side of the second vehicle. The responding officer discovered the driver had an outstanding arrest warrant, but the issuing municipality declined to extradite.
Monday, Jan. 12:
A garbage truck operator backing into a driveway in Goldens Bridge struck low-hanging wires with the top of his truck. The wires fell into the roadway and ignited a small fire. The Goldens Bridge Fire Department extinguished the fire and notified NYSEG. The responding officer also contacted the Lewisboro Highway Department at NYSEG’s request after the fire caused a deep crack in the roadway.
Saturday, Jan. 17:
A driver traveling north on a roadway in Katonah lost control in snowy conditions while navigating a curve. The vehicle left the roadway, struck two mailboxes, crossed a driveway, knocked down a transformer pole, hit a tree, and came to rest in a ditch. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed by Sal’s Towing.
Wednesday, Jan. 28:
A collision between a school bus and a van occurred on Avery Road in Cross River. The bus had pulled to the side of the road when the van attempted to pass it. The van’s passenger-side mirror struck the closed stop sign on the driver’s side of the bus. The only damage was to the van’s mirror. No students were injured.
Infractions and Impoundments
On Friday, Jan. 2, an officer conducting surveillance in Cross River observed a white sedan speeding on Route 35. When the officer activated his lights, the driver accelerated, turned right, and pulled into a driveway. The driver did not speak English, and his passenger translated. The officer observed that the registration sticker did not match the vehicle. A check through eJustice revealed the vehicle had been unregistered since April 2024. The driver possessed only an Ecuadorian driver’s license.
Sal’s Towing impounded the vehicle. The driver was issued six tickets: unlicensed operation, operating an unregistered vehicle, improper right turn, disobeying a traffic control device, operating without insurance, and no registration sticker. The passenger was also ticketed for permitting his vehicle to be driven by an unlicensed operator.
On Monday, Jan. 5, an officer conducting a commercial vehicle inspection in Goldens Bridge identified two out-of-service violations on a dump truck. The driver received tickets for operating without a medical certificate and for having an inoperable emergency brake. The vehicle was removed by Lisi’s Towing.
On Friday, Jan. 9, an officer conducting traffic surveillance in Goldens Bridge stopped a pickup truck with improper license plate covers. The driver could not produce valid insurance documentation, and the truck’s registration had been suspended in December. The driver was ticketed for covered plates, operating an unregistered vehicle, and operating without insurance. Sal’s Towing impounded the vehicle.
On Monday, Jan. 12, an officer traveling west on Route 35 in South Salem observed an eastbound vehicle with a tinted windshield. After stopping the vehicle, the officer learned the driver’s license had been suspended. Sal’s Towing impounded the vehicle, and the driver was issued tickets for unlicensed operation and having a non-transparent windshield.
On Thursday, Jan. 15, a vehicle was impounded following a traffic stop in South Salem. The driver was cited for speeding, driving with an expired license, and operating an unregistered vehicle.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, two officers on patrol in Cross River stopped a vehicle traveling west on Route 35 after observing the windshield tinted below the AS-1 line. The vehicle displayed a Florida dealer plate, and the driver provided a photo of his license on his cellphone. A DMV check revealed the license had been suspended on four occasions. The driver received two tickets and a court appearance ticket. His brother later arrived to remove the vehicle.
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, officers stopped a pickup truck with a cracked windshield on Route 123 in South Salem. The driver produced an Ecuadorian identification card but no valid license. Sal’s Towing impounded the vehicle, and the driver was issued three tickets.
On Friday, Jan. 30, officers stopped a vehicle in South Salem for lacking a front New York license plate. The driver produced New York and Connecticut driving permits but no insurance. A check of the rear plate revealed it was registered to a different vehicle. The driver was issued five tickets, and East Towing impounded the vehicle.
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