Crime & Safety

Police: MBTA Station Bike Thief Flees Down Train Tracks

The following information was submitted by the Salem Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.


The following is an excerpt from the Salem Police Department's log: 

Thursday, Oct. 10

  • At 5:29 p.m., police responded to a report of a possible homeless camp near a park on Jackson Street.
  • At 6:18 p.m., police responded to a reported water main break on Canal Street. The DPW was notified.
  • At 6:56 p.m., police responded to a motor vehicle accident involving a cyclist near the intersection of Washington and Church streets. After speaking to witnesses and those involved, police determined that the cyclist was riding while intoxicated and no citation was issued.
  • At 7:14 p.m., police responded to a report of a drunk woman on Essex Street. Katherine E. Clary, 27, of 12 Palmer St., Salem, was arrested for reportedly having an outstanding warrant.
  • At 7:32 p.m., a man called police to report that he caught someone cutting the lock to his bike at the MBTA station on Bridge Street. The suspected bike thief, described as a thin white man in his 30s with scruffy facial hair, wearing a green baseball cap, fled onto the MBTA train, exited through a rear door and then ran along the railroad tracks toward Beverly. Although a K-9 unit was called to the scene, police were unable to locate the man. The suspect reportedly left a blue bag on the train containing assorted women's clothing and a large set of bolt cutters. The bag was seized as evidence.
  • At 7:40 p.m., a taxi drive on Bridge Street called police to report that a customer hadn't paid their fare. 
  • At 8:35 p.m., police responded to a report of panhandling on Paradise Road.
  • At 8:41 p.m., police responded to a reported assault with a knife near the intersection of Salem and Harbor streets.
  • At 10:18 p.m., police made an arrest on Salem Street. Matthew J. Watson, 34, of 31 Salem St., Salem, was arrested for reportedly having an outstanding warrant.
  • At 10:28 p.m., police responded to a domestic dispute on Central Street.

Friday, Oct. 11

  • At 1:11 a.m., police responded to a report of kids trying to take a flag off of a flagpole on Washington Square South.
  • At 1:21 a.m., police responded to a shoplifting incident at the 7Eleven on Norman Street. The clerk told police a woman came in, purchased a cigar and stole artificial flowers off of the counter. 
  • At 2:54 a.m., police responded to a domestic dispute on Prescott Street.
  • At 3:22 p.m., an unlicensed 16-year-old was arrested by Salem State University police on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
  • At 7:04 a.m., police responded to a report of homeless people trespassing on Boston Street. A group of three people were moved along.
  • At 7:26 a.m., the superintendent of a construction site on Goodhue Street called police to report that someone cut the fencing around the site overnight and stole more than $7,000 worth of equipment.
  • At 8:55 a.m., police responded to a report of illegal dumping on Lafayette Street.
  • At 12:48 p.m., an officer disposed of hypodermic needles discovered on Winter Street.
  • At 3:12 p.m., police responded to a report of a homeless man in a dumpster on Lafayette Street.
Other Arrests:

Michael A. Eng Jr., 30, of 78 Beaver St., Salem, was arrested for reportedly having an outstanding warrant.

Ronald H. Talbot, 57, of 335 Lafayette St., Salem, was arrested for reportedly having an outstanding warrant.

Melissa J. Young, 29, of 1 Gates Road, Peabody, was arrested for reportedly having an outstanding warrant. 

If you have a question about this police log, please send it to Salem Patch


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