Crime & Safety

Police, Fire Say 'Loud Explosion' Possibly Just Car Backfiring

The following information was provided by the Peabody Police Department. Where charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

The following are excerpts from reports in the Peabody Police Department press log from Dec. 16-18.

Sunday, Dec. 16

  • 3:22 p.m. A caller on Tracey Street reported two males were out front with a bat. Police said the pair was gone when they arrived. The incident was related to an incident that happened the night before.
  • 4:33 p.m. The Fire Department responded to an oven fire at an Avalon Drive residence. The residents were outside the unit when emergency responders arrived and there was extensive smoke. Firefighters removed the oven and vented the unit.
  • 7:15 p.m. A caller on Columbia Boulevard reported a male was kicking the front door and ripping the mailbox off the house. Police said the person was gone when they arrived.
  • 8:17 p.m. DPS was notified of a large tire in the road on Gardner Street.
  • 9:02 p.m. A caller on Tracey Street reported a UPS package was delivered to her apartment on Dec. 13 and was now missing.  She believed the package was supposed to be signed for and said she would contact UPS to find out if someone else accepted the package.
  • 9:05 p.m. A caller reported teens were drinking alcohol in two cars on Blanche Road. Police checked the area, but were unable to find anyone.
  • 11:33 p.m. A caller reported a past break-in to a truck parked at Carrabba's. The owner said sometime that evening an $1,100 custom bicycle was taken from his truck bed.
  • 11:36 p.m. A caller at SpringHill Suites reported a car break-in. A GPS device was stolen.

Monday, Dec. 17

  • 7:06 a.m. Police received multiple reports of possible gunshots in the area of the Burke School. An officer checked the area and said everything appeared quiet. It was most likely that the sounds were coming from Middleton. Middleton police received the same complaints and they checked the area as well.
  • 10:21 a.m. A caller reported hearing a loud explosion and could see smoke in the area behind 12 Park St. Police and firefighters checked the area, but could not find anything. Police said it was possibly just a car backfiring.
  • 11:31 a.m. A caller on Walnut Street said the flagpole outside his barber shop was damaged.
  • 4:36 p.m. A caller reported a male driving a green van followed a child to a home on Barnstable Road. An officer was unable to locate the van and spoke with the youth who confirmed the van appeared to be following him. He said it sped off once he ran into the house.
  • 5:11 p.m. An elderly male pedestrian was struck by a Honda Accord on Main Street. He was transported to Salem Hospital. See related story.
  • 7:14 p.m. A caller reported a vehicle was operating erratically at the corner of Lowell Street and Stockton Road. The caller said the vehicle was driving on the wrong side of the road and on the sidewalk at multiple times. An officer reported the driver was elderly and disoriented. His family members were contacted to come pick him up.
  • 9:56 p.m. A caller at a Swampscott Avenue home reported her boyfriend's car was vandalized and some power tools were taken -- she suspected the tenants on the first floor. Police said the car tires were punctured while it was parked in the driveway.

Tuesday, Dec. 18

  • 12:22 p.m. A caller on Piedmont Road reported vandalism to his house. He said a rear window was damaged.


For questions on this log, email peabody@patch.com.


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