MONROE, CT — Two 62-year-old Monroe men got into a fight in the parking lot outside Jennie’s Pizzeria, 380 Monroe Turnpike, Saturday evening, leading to the arrest of one.
At approximately 5 p.m., officers responded to the call of an assault, after a verbal dispute became physical.
Officers tracked down one of the men in his white Ford pickup truck in the Rite Aid pharmacy driveway. He told them he was backing out of a parking space in the parking lot at 380 Monroe Turnpike, when the other man quickly drove by him, nearly hitting his truck.
When he saw the vehicle park in front of the restaurant, he parked his truck alongside it and spoke through the passenger window of his truck, telling the other driver, “you need to slow down,” and asking why he was speeding through a parking lot, according to his account.
Police said the pickup truck driver told officers the other driver put his keys and wallet on top of his vehicle, which made him upset. He exited his truck and walked up to the man. He told police the other man pushed him right away, so he punched him in the face.
The other driver pushed him to the ground, so he got back into his truck and left, according to his account.
The other driver told officers he parked and was going to get his food from Jennie’s, when the white pickup truck pulled up and its driver opened his window and started screaming and cursing at him.
The driver got out of his truck and got into the customer’s face, shoving him twice and throwing a punch that connected with the left side of his face, the man told police.
He told officers he pushed the truck driver to get away from him, knocking him to the ground.
When the truck driver got up and left, the other man walked into the restaurant and an employee called 911.
Police said surveillance video backs up this account, adding the victim never put any items onto the hood of the vehicle or got close enough to touch the truck.
The video also shows the man get out of his pickup truck, walk to the front of it, roll up his sleeves and shove the victim, throw a punch, then attempt to kick him after the other man pushed him away. The victim pushed him again, making him fall to the ground, according to police.
The driver of the pickup truck was charged with second-degree breach of peace and third-degree assault. He was released on a promise to appear in court on Oct. 3.
National Child Passenger Safety Week
In support of National Child Passenger Safety Week, the Monroe Police Department’s Certified Child Protective Services Team is hosting its annual Child Safety Seat event this Saturday, Sept. 23, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Parents are strongly encouraged to bring their children to be personally fitted to their seat. The MPD’s certified team of officers will measure each child’s height, weight and seatbelt position to ensure a safe and proper fit, as well as answer any car seat questions parents may have.
If your child is in need of a child safety seat, call ahead to inquire about seat availability. Appointments are not required and inspections will be conducted on a first come basis.
For information, call Youth Detective Nicole Buckley at 203-452-2831, ext. 1304, or email her at [email protected].
ATV accident injures 7-year-old
A seven-year-old boy was taken to Bridgeport Hospital after sustaining injuries when an ATV he was riding flipped over outside his family’s Knorr Road home Sunday afternoon.
Police said the 90cc ATV the child was riding is only recommended for children age 12 and older, adding the boy was not wearing the proper protective gear, only a bicycle helmet.
He was evaluated by Monroe EMS personnel before being taken to the hospital.
His father, a 34-year-old Knorr Road man, was charged with risk of injury to a minor and released on a promise to appear in court on Sept. 25.
The incident occurred around 4:24 p.m.
A $103,000 scam
A 41-year-old Monroe woman told officers a man she met on Match.com talked her into investing in cryptocurrency, helping her to invest a total of $103,000. But when she tried to cash in on the generous return on investment, she learned it was all a scam.
Police said the victim never met the man in person, because whenever she attempted to meet or have a FaceTime conversation, he made excuses. They began talking in late April 2023 and he reportedly convinced her to invest in cryptocurrency in May.
Police said the man she corresponded with told her he moved to the U.S. from China in 2010 and lived in New York, before moving to Hamden two years ago.
He set up an investment account for her and the woman deposited $3,000 through Crypto.com. In June, she took out a $50,000 loan from a company and another $50,000 from her savings account and invested it toward cryptocurrency, police said.
All of the money was transferred from her account through the Kraken App and ultimately deposited into a Tapbit app on her phone, according to the report.
The victim checked the app on Aug. 25 and noticed there was over $186,781 in her cryptocurrency account. She attempted to transfer $60,000 of the earnings to her Chase Bank account and looked up information for Tapbit online.
When she spoke with a customer service representative, police said she was told her the app on her phone was fraudulent and Tapbit does not have an active account in her name, police said.
The woman told officers she had already contacted the three major credit bureaus to flag her credit and has been in contact with her bank and the credit union where she got her loan.
The case is still under investigation.
DUI on Main
A 44-year-old Bridgeport man was charged with DUI after allegedly driving his gray Toyota sedan erratically on Main Street Saturday afternoon.
At approximately 3:18 p.m., police responded to a complaint of the sedan crossing over the center line into oncoming traffic while being driven north on Route 25, near Judd Road.
Officers located the vehicle near Pepper Street and noticed both passenger side tires going over the white fog line on the shoulder of the roadway, police said. When the driver pulled into a parking lot in the 410-block of Main Street, officers activated their lights and siren.
Police said the driver spoke with a slurred speech, had the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and his eyes were bloodshot and glossy.
Officers observed an open can of beer in the cupholder, as well as a clay cup with a salted rim containing a dark liquid, which the driver later admitted to being a Bloody Mary, according to the report.
Police said they identified the man from his Mexican passport.
Field sobriety tests were not performed to standard, leading to the man’s arrest for DUI, failure to maintain the proper lane and failure to have a driver’s license. He was released after posting 10 percent of his $500 bond for an Oct. 3 court date.
Later at headquarters, police said breath tests, taken 20 minutes apart, showed blood alcohol levels of 0.176 and 0.170, more than double the legal limit of 0.08.
Theft at Chestnut Market, arrest
A 20-year-old Bridgeport man turned himself in on a warrant Monday, charging him with the theft of over $654 from the cash register when he worked at Chestnut Market, at the Shell gas station at 133 Main St., in August.
He was charged with fifth-degree larceny and released after paying 10 percent of his $500 bond for an Oct. 3 court date.
On Aug. 25, police said the store manager showed officers surveillance footage of the employee stealing the money.
Flock of turkeys causes crash
A 47-year-old Monroe woman slammed her silver 2017 GMC Terrain into a utility pole, while trying to avoid a flock of wild turkeys in the middle of Old Newtown Road Sunday evening.
At approximately 5:39 p.m., she told officers she was heading north and crossed the center line to avoid hitting the turkeys, striking the curb on the shoulder. Her vehicle traveled about 90 feet on the south shoulder, before hitting a mailbox post, bushes and a utility pole, splitting it and damaging Eversource equipment, according to police.
Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service personnel treated the driver for injuries at the scene, but she refused transport to a hospital, police said.
She was issued an infraction for failure to drive in the established lane and a verbal warning for speeding. Her damaged GMC Terrain was towed by Family Garage.
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Why wasn’t the pickup truck driver also charged with a crime against the elderly since the victim was over 60 years of age?
He wasn’t Bill, I wonder if it’s because they were the same age.
I feel that the fact that the assailant and victim were both elderly shouldn’t matter , Bill. I’m surprised that the police didn’t add the charge and would be interested to know why. Maybe the DA will add a charge.