Sound Shore

Two Port Chester men have been charged in separate burglaries.

Byron Chavarria, 20 of 412 Orchard St. was accused of two residential burglaries Monday and is a person of interest in several more, police said.

They said on Saturday, Chavarria stole a drawer of woman’s underwear along with jewelry and computers from a Locust Avenue home, and on Monday he took jewelry from a Willett Avenue home, police said.

Police Capt. John Telesca called Chavarria “a one man crime spree.” Chavarria’s Orchard Street room was full of “all kinds of stuff,” including Kindle e-book readers, iPods, jewelry, as well as the stolen underwear, Telesca said.

Chavarria was leaving 325 Willett Ave. Monday afternoon as residents of the multi-family building were coming home. When confronted, he said he had been looking for “Oscar” and ran off. The victims discovered thatdiamond earrings, an iPod and other jewelry had been taken from the home, and identified Chavarria after police drove them around the area looking for the culprit.

Chavarria was charged with two counts of second-degree burglary. Police said they are continuing to try to identify the sources of the property found in his room.

In the the other case, Kip Hartman, 44, of 4 Willow St. was accused Sunday of the August 18 burglary of business offices at 200 William St.
Hartman has 35 arrests in Port Chester alone, Telesca said. He was in custody on allegations of shoplifting Sunday when police identified him as the William Street burglar using a surveillance photo of that crime, Telesca said.

Hartman was charged with third-degree burglary.

A 44-year-old New Rochelle man found dead at the bottom of his apartment building stairwell this past weekend apparently died accidentally, city detectives said Tuesday.

Simon Oliva-Montes of 153 Webster Ave. had a fracture in the back of the skull; he apparently hit his head and died from the injury, New Rochelle Detective Capt. Joseph Schaller said.

Oliva-Montes, a native of Mexico, was found at 11:32 a.m. Saturday after a resident heard a large noise outside his basement apartment at 153 Webster Ave. The neighbor found Oliva-Montes in a  pool of blood and called the police.

Olivia-Montes, who police believe was fatally injured in a fall, lived in the building where his body was found. Schaller said toxicology results are not available yet.

A pedestrian killed Friday night when he was struck by a minivan has been identified as a Connecticut resident.

Port Chester police said today that Israel Valdez, last known to have lived in Norwalk, died of severe head injuries and blood loss after being struck by a van on Westchester Avenue.

Valdez and a 19-year-old Port Chester man, Freddy Alvales, apparently stepped into traffic from between cars just before 10 p.m., police Capt. John Telesca said. The men were between Pearl and Poningo streets.

Alvales was taken to Westchester Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Valdez was pronounced dead at Greenwich Hospital.

The 65-year-old driver of the minivan, a Port Chester man, will probably not be charged, Telesca said. The county team that investigates fatal accidents has not issued its report, but Telesca said he anticipates the incident will be deemed an unfortunate accident.

A large, angry crowd gathered Friday at the scene, upset that a man had died, Telesca said. No one was arrested, he said.

Another day begins at Oakland Beach in Rye around 9 a.m. today.

(Photo by Theresa Juva, The Journal News, LoHud.com)

Reporter Leslie Korngold has posted Pelham Manor police blotter.

Railroad bridges as artistic canvas?

Apparently that’s the concept behind a $60,000 state grant to create art displays on the five train bridges that run through Port Chester. Mayor Dennis Pilla said the public art project would involve Port Chester, the MTA and SUNY Purchase. The idea is to build trusses that would attach sculpture or other displays onto each bridge.

Art students could compete over the design, and invite public participation, the mayor said. The displays would change periodically. Thoughts? Leave a comment below.

For now though, the big question at the train station is whether Port Chester commuters will have to pay higher fares to the city than their farther-afield neighbors in Greenwich. See our earlier post on that, and check out the comment from the CT Rail Commuter Council.

Thrift-store lovers rejoice: Goodwill has just announced it will be opening a New Rochelle store Sept. 16. The store will be located at 8 Joyce Road, in the ShopRite Plaza on Palmer Avenue at Exit 16 off I-95.

There will be a brief ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. on opening day, and for the first four days of business there will be drawings for gift certificates. Normal business hours will be 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday-Sunday.  The 14,000-square-foot facility, which includes an area for customers to make donations, will employ as many as 20 individuals, according to a press release. This is the fourth Goodwill store in Westchester County; the others are in Baldwin Place (Somers), Croton-on-Hudson, and Elmsford.

Revenues from Goodwill’s stores support the organization’s work to help all people overcome barriers to employment, including persons with disabilities and other special needs. Donations are tax deductible. They will be accepted at the store starting September 1 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Goodwill accepts clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, household goods, linens, computers, books, and small appliances or electronics in good working order. After the store opens, donations can be dropped off anytime during business hours.

New Rochelle police are investigating the death of a man in his 40s who was found bleeding profusely from the head and dead at the bottom of an apartment stairwell.

New Rochelle Detective Capt. Joseph Schaller said detectives did not think that there was any foul play involved in the man’s death. Detectives are awaiting the results of a Westchester County Medical Examiner autopsy to determine the cause of death, said Schaller, commander of the Detective Division.

The man’s body was discovered in the basement at 153 Webster Ave. at 11:32 a.m. Saturday. It could not be determined if there were any head wounds but the man had bled profusely from the head, Schaller said. Police have not yet released the name of the victim.

Mamaroneck town, Mamaroneck village and Larchmont will hold a joint ceremony Sept. 11 to mark the terrorist attacks of 2001 and the local victims who were lost. The event will be held at 10 a.m. at the Girl Scout 9/11 Memorial Rock at Memorial Park on Myrtle Boulevard in Mamaroneck town.

Participants will include members of the local police and fire departments, the Mamaroneck Ambulance District, local Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and public officials from all three communities.

Kids relished in the dwindling days of unofficial summer with plunging down waterslides and playing in sprays of water at Harrison’s Ron Belmont Pool Complex in Passidomo Park. The pool closes for the season after Labor Day.  Harrison children go back to school Sept. 7.

The $11.2 million complex, named after longtime recreation superintendent Ron Belmont, opened last summer and includes a 7,900-square-foot main pool for an estimated 500 bathers, a 779-square-foot wading pool, and a large tree-like fountain.

(Photos by Theresa Juva, The Journal News, LoHud.com)