LEWISBORO, N.Y. - Lewisboro Police responded to an unusual number of reported drone sightings during the first half of December – coinciding with similar reports in New York City and throughout the Northeast.
The first reported drone sighting was near Mead Street and Schoolhouse Road in Lake Waccabuc on Dec. 12. However, no drone was there when police arrived. Two drones were reported near a home and gas station in South Salem on Dec. 13, both at altitudes of approximately 250 feet high. One was hovering, and the other was moving left to right for about two minutes, and both were flashing red lights.
An officer on patrol spotted three drones flying in a triangle formation on Friday night, Dec. 13. They flew south and then four more drones appeared, flying north. The officer canvassed the town park and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation for drone operators but found nobody in either location. At Ward Pound Ridge, the officer observed three more drones flying north to south, and three flying south to north. The officer reported his findings to Chief David Alfano, who immediately notified Westchester County Police.
Three more drone sightings took place that week, the first two of which were in South Salem. Drones were reported at the park and playground complex on Dec. 14 and at the government offices building on Dec. 15.
Later that day, an anonymous caller reported more drones – and this time, they were flying right over Lewisboro police headquarters. The officer who took the call stepped outside to look, but the report was unfounded.
Amid all the drone activity as well as inclement weather, the Lewisboro Police responded to a spate of motor-vehicle accidents and traffic infractions:
An accident involving property damage took place at the Acme in Goldens Bridge on Wednesday morning, Dec. 4. A vehicle backing out of a parking space left the scene after hitting the driver’s rear side of another parked vehicle. A bystander witnessed the accident and wrote down the departing vehicle’s license plate number. A Lewisboro officer arrived on scene and ran the number through eJustice, which returned a vehicle matching the bystander’s description and bearing an out-of-town address. This information was provided to the owner of the parked vehicle, who was able to drive away from the scene.
That following Saturday afternoon, a person backing up from an EV charging station in Goldens Bridge collided with and damaged a parked car. The two vehicle owners exchanged their license, registration, and insurance information, and the first car agreed to pay damages to the second before police arrived.
On Tuesday, Dec. 10, two vehicles were traveling north on Route 123 in South Salem when a deer ran across the road. The first car stopped short causing the next car to swerve and hit a utility pole. The pole snapped in two, damaging overhead wires. This motorist was taken to an urgent care center in Danbury, Conn., by an unidentified motorist after complaining of head pain, and was later brought to a Connecticut hospital. East Towing moved his damaged vehicle.
An accident involving damage took place in Cross River on Friday, Dec. 13 when a driver attempted to turn left off Route 121 onto westbound Route 35. This caused one eastbound car to stop and a second car to strike both the stopped car and the car turning left. Police completed an accident report on scene.
On Monday, Dec. 16, an accident took place on Route 22 near Green Hill Road in Goldens Bridge. While handling that incident, the officer witnessed a second accident that occurred on northbound I284. A car spun out after hitting ice, causing fender damage to the owner’s rear quarter panel and significant rear-axle damage. The occupants refused medical assistance at the scene and the Lewisboro officer left once a state DOT “Help” truck arrived.
Later that same morning, an accident involving damage took place when a vehicle slid off a South Salem roadway, striking a utility pole.
On Thursday, Dec. 19, a vehicle traveling east on Route 35 struck the rear of a car that had slowed or stopped in a line of traffic. While no injuries were reported, the first vehicle was damaged and had to be transported by East Towing to its yard in Bedford. The individuals exchanged license, registration, and insurance info.
An accident took place on Friday, Dec. 20 in the Orchard Square Plaza parking lot in Cross River. A vehicle struck another while attempting to pull into a parking spot; the owner of the parked vehicle was inside the car. The vehicle owners came to an agreement on the damage and declined to file a police accident report. There were no injuries.
Wet pavement caused the driver of a car to lose control on Route 121 in Cross River on Saturday, Dec. 21. The vehicle collided with a road sign and a utility pole.
Yet another collision took place on Lambert Ridge Road in Cross River later that morning. A vehicle traveling south collided with a vehicle backing up at an intersection, causing damage.
Later that day property damage but no injuries resulted from a rollover on Main Street in South Salem. The vehicle ended up leaning against a utility pole, which was undamaged. A nearby rock wall sustained some damage as did several mailboxes. The car was towed away by East Towing.
Vehicle impoundments took place on the following dates (reason is in parentheses): Monday, Dec. 9 in Cross River (registration suspension for parking violations and license suspension for unanswered summons); on Tuesday, Dec. 10, also in Cross River (equipment violation and Conn. license expiration); in Katonah on Friday, Dec. 20 (license suspension, insurance lapse, and expired registration); and in Goldens Bridge on Tuesday, Dec. 17 (expired learner’s permit and lapsed inspection sticker).
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