Every day, police officers respond to reports of all sorts of events and nonevents, most of which never make the news. Here is a sampling of lesser-known — but no less noteworthy — incidents from police log books (a.k.a. blotters) in our suburbs.
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
On Nov. 7, the Shirley Police Department shared on Facebook a whimsical photo of Sergeant Jesus Ostolaza Jr. reaching his hand up to the sky, touching a rainbow. “When you happen to see a rainbow, which are now becoming more prevalent due to the changing climate and weather patterns,” the post said, “you take the opportunity to enjoy them.”
Advertisement
GRAND THEFT AUTO ... (OR SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY)?
On Nov. 7, Bridgewater police received a 911 call from a Summit Drive resident who claimed that someone had tried to steal their vehicle and crashed it into a tree. But that turned out not to be the case. Upon further investigation, police learned that the vehicle had actually been left in drive and crashed into the tree on its own.
SPECIAL DELIVERY
At approximately 8:15 a.m. Nov. 3, Gloucester firefighter-paramedics responded to a report of a woman going into labor at a home on Veterans Way. The woman was put into an ambulance so she could deliver the baby at the hospital, but the baby had other plans and was going to arrive sooner than expected. While they were on their way to the hospital, the mother reached advanced stages of labor, and firefighter-paramedics Lukas McRobb and George Black determined they needed to stop the ambulance to deliver the baby. The healthy baby boy — who measured 19 inches and weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces — was delivered along Route 128 about a mile from Beverly Hospital. Gloucester Fire Chief Eric Smith applauded the actions of McRobb and Black. “Our Firefighter-Paramedics are dedicated, highly-trained first responders with advanced medical skills that are vital in exactly these kinds of situations,” Smith said in a statement. “All of us at the Gloucester Fire Department wish this family a healthy and happy future.”
Advertisement
HAZMAT SITUATION AT T.J. MAXX?
When you’re shopping for clothes, you don’t expect to get pepper-sprayed, but that’s what happened to some folks on the evening of Oct. 30, when Brookline police were dispatched to investigate a robbery and possible hazmat situation at T.J. Maxx on Harvard Street. Police were told a woman had fled the store with some stolen merchandise, and as she was attempting to make her getaway she was followed by a store employee and the security alarms went off. The employee told police that the woman had a canister in her right hand and as she made her escape, she sprayed the entryway behind her with what was believed to be pepper spray. She then fled with a male suspect in a medium-sized black pickup truck and headed toward Coolidge Corner. According to police, several customers and members of the staff complained of having respiratory issues from the pepper spray being released inside the store. EMS was called and multiple people were treated at the scene, two of whom were taken to the hospital out of an “abundance of caution,” police said.
FIRE RAISED HER IRE
At 12:22 p.m. Oct. 2, Hingham police and fire got a call from a woman on Hemlock Road who was upset that her neighbor was adding more brush to an outdoor fire and not putting it out. According to the log entry, the caller was “livid” and said she would “sue the town if her house catches on fire” and she’d be waiting outside to speak to the fire department. The first responders who arrived at the scene reported that no new material had been added to the fire and the neighbor was extinguishing it, once and for all.
Advertisement
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.