Allegany fire
Times Herald file photo
Extensive damage is evident at 3122 Buffalo Road, Allegany, following a fire in early April. The Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office has arrested the home's owner for insurance fraud following a lengthy investigation.
Posted: Friday, September 11, 2015
By KELSEY BOUDIN, Olean Times Herald
LITTLE VALLEY, NY
The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a former Allegany man who allegedly caused a fire at his own home in early April.
Following an extensive, months-long investigation by the Cattaraugus County Fire Investigation Team (CATTFIT), authorities on Tuesday charged Harry P. Scull, 41, of 3629 N. Authority Road, Great Valley, with second-degree insurance fraud, a class C felony. The sheriff’s office announced the arrest Friday.
The house fire occurred the evening of April 6 at 3122 Buffalo Road. Firefighters with Allegany Engine Co. responded at approximately 9:30 p.m. that day and were soon joined by several other volunteer agencies to douse the blaze consuming the small, single-story residence.
Nearby residents that evening reported what Allegany Engine Co. press officer Gordon Scott described as “a loud, ground-shaking explosion” near the intersection of Buffalo Road and North 7th Street.
No injuries were reported. No one was home at the time, Scott said at the scene that evening.
The home was deemed a total loss. Extensive damage to the property hindered investigation efforts at first, Scott told the Times Herald in weeks following the fire.
“The building was basically blown apart,” he said in April. “It’s hard to trace now (because) they have to sift through all of the charred floors and walls and make sure there wasn’t an accelerant, and if there was, what it was.”
Scull was released under supervision, according to a sheriff’s office report.
No further details were available on how the fire was caused. Attempts to call investigators for comment Friday afternoon were unsuccessful.
Fishkill woman arrested for insurance fraud
Abbott Brant, Poughkeepsie Journal 7:18 p.m. EDT September 11, 2015
(Photo: courtesy police photo)
BEACON, NY
A Fishkill woman was arrested Thursday as a result of an insurance fraud investigation, according to police.
State police Bureau of Criminal Investigation from the Wappinger barracks arrested Town of Fishkill resident Raquel Estrada-Moschetto, 51, for third-degree grand larceny, third degree insurance fraud, and second-degree forged instrument, all class D felonies.
The arrest came after an investigation revealed that from December of 2014 to May of 2015, Estrada-Moschetto fraudulently cashed numerous insurance checks made payable to a deceased person by forging signatures of the deceased person, according to police. The checks had a total value of over $8,000.
Estrada-Moschetto was arraigned at the City of Beacon Court and was remanded to the Dutchess County Jail in lieu of $20,000 cash or $40,000 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Sept 16.
State police were assisted by the New York State Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Unit.
Bucks County woman accused of insurance fraud
Posted: Friday, September 11, 2015, 3:31 PM
To pay the bills, a Bucks County woman pretended she and her husband each had cancer, billing Allstate $500,000 in fake claims that she typed up on her home computer, according to police.
Cynthia Clarey, 60, of Fairless Hills, was charged Friday with more than 30 felony counts of fraud, forgery and identity theft. She was released on $100,000 unsecured bail.
Clarey ultimately fleeced Allstate out of about $130,000 before the insurance company became suspicious, police said.
The affidavit of probable cause said she claimed her husband had prostate cancer. But the document does not indicate what kind of cancer she claimed to have. She allegedly wrote up fake bills for herself from a gastrointestinal specialist.
When she was caught, Clarey allegedly told police she suffered from "financial hardship due to her husband's medical bills and other expenses."
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue firefighters rescue injured worker off upper deck of cargo ship on Friday. (Courtesy of Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue)
By Erika Pesantes Sun Sentinel
Worker struck in face with rod on cargo ship at Port Everglades
A 48-year-old worker suffered injuries to his face while on a cargo ship at Port Everglades on Friday afternoon, a fire-rescue official said.
The man was tugging at a metal rod that swung his way and struck him in the face while he was on an upper deck of the ship, according to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles.
The agency's technical rescue team set up an aerial platform on the dock to remove the injured worker from the ship. While on a stretcher, the worker was propped onto the aerial platform's basket and lowered to the dock where he was loaded onto a rescue truck.
The man was alert and conscious and taken to Broward Health Medical Center, Jachles said.
His injuries are not life-threatening, he said.
Cleanup is underway after a water main ruptured at West Hunting Park Avenue and Westmoreland Street.
Updated 7 mins ago
NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia Water Department crews are assessing the damage caused by a broken 48-inch water main in North Philadelphia.
The break occurred around 8:00 p.m. Saturday on Hunting Park Avenue near Westmoreland Street.
Philadelphia Water Department spokesperson John DiGiulio tells Action News approximately 15 million gallons of water spilled onto the streets and into properties before crews could arrive and shut off the main around 9:45 p.m.
Police blocked off part of the road due to the high water, but not before a car became partially submerged.
PWD crews are working to restore water to customers by rerouting water.
They will be on scene Sunday to assess damage caused by the break.
"Once our cleanup efforts are done on Hunting Park, we'll begin assessing the damage to the water main and working to excavate to get a visual on it," DiGiulio said.
The break caused Hunting Park to be closed between 29th Street and Fox Street as part of the roadway caved in.
The break occurred blocks away from where a 48-inch water main broke at a shopping plaza at Fox Street and Roberts Avenue back in June.
During that break, the fire department evacuated people from affected businesses, which included Planet Fitness, Hair Buzz, Dollar General, ShopRite and Ross.
Photos from the scene showed Philadelphia firefighters rescuing several people.
Firefighters evacuated stores afer a 48-inch water main ruptured in Philadelphia on June 18, 2015.
Back in January 2014, another main ruptured in the area, damaging multiple stores. That break took four months to repair.