Buffalo · Bissell Avenue · Firebombing Report

A Caller Reports a Cocktail Bomb Thrown Into a Bissell Avenue Home, Drawing Engines, a Ladder and Police

Yesterday just after 5 PM, Buffalo Fire struck a Signal Level 3 to a Bissell Avenue house on a report police relayed as an attempted arson and possible bombing.

Yesterday at about 5:15 PM, Buffalo Fire dispatch put out a preliminary Signal Level 3 to 76 Bissell, between Walden and McKibben, sending Engine 22, Engine 21, Ladder 14 and F11. Dispatch relayed that “Pops from police reporting an attempt of arson, possible bombing of a home”

Moments later, a battalion chief was sent in with more detail: a 911 caller had reported “an individual reporting a cocktail bomb thrown into their home” The scene settled around charcoal left on a porch of a two-and-a-half-story wood frame home, with police and fire investigators on scene. No active fire or injuries carried through the traffic before the thread closed.

Buffalo · Lafayette Square · Gun Call

A Fight at Lafayette Square Spills Into the Streets With a Man Reportedly Armed, the Gun Passed Off Before Officers Close In

Yesterday afternoon, a brawl at Lafayette Square sent a man with blonde dreads running up Washington; officers believed the gun had been handed off and hidden before they reached him.

Yesterday at about 4:20 PM, a Buffalo officer radioed a fight at Lafayette Square and called for sector cars as a man took off southbound up Washington, turning west on East Eagle. Supervisors urged units responding into the square to slow down.

A few minutes later the call was sharpened into a man-with-a-gun report: the suspect had blonde dreads and was possibly back near North Division and Washington, where officers reported spotting him running back into the circle. An officer radioed that if he no longer had the gun on him, “he just hid it around that area, and my guy's trying to find out where” The scanner traffic did not establish an arrest or a recovered weapon before the thread closed.

Buffalo · Niagara and Carolina · Assault

Nine Juveniles Reported Beating an Elderly Man With a Two-by-Four Near Niagara and Carolina

Yesterday evening, an officer outside police headquarters was flagged down by a citizen who said he'd just watched a group of young people attack an elderly man with a board.

Yesterday at about 9:31 PM, an officer put out a call for units near Niagara and Carolina after being approached by a citizen outside headquarters. As the officer described it, the man “said he just witnessed a group of nine young juveniles beating an elderly white male with a two-by-four”

Officers were sent toward the scene. The scanner traffic did not establish the victim's condition or whether anyone was taken into custody before the thread closed.

Buffalo · Self-Inflicted Gunshot

A Man Shoots Himself in the Chest and Bleeds in His Car as Units Chase Conflicting Addresses in the Dark

Shortly after midnight, Buffalo officers scrambled on a suicide attempt — a man awake and breathing but bleeding, who had shot himself in a car and shattered the driver's window.

At about 12:20 AM, a Buffalo officer called for Delta District cars on a suicide attempt, dispatch relaying that “a male possibly shot himself in the chest” Updates came quickly: the man was awake and breathing, but reported bleeding heavily.

Officers worked the call through a stretch of radio trouble — one noting the mobile computer terminals were down — while confirming the wound and asking dispatch to step up the ambulance. An arriving officer radioed that the man had shot himself in his car and “shattered his driver window” AMR was reported on scene within minutes. The scanner traffic did not establish the man's condition after transport.

Cheektowaga · Bailey / Hewitt · Gun Call & Pursuit

A Gun Call Near Bailey and Hewitt Touches Off a Motorcycle That Runs the Line Into the City on Lovejoy

Yesterday evening, Cheektowaga officers juggled a gun complaint and an unlit, unplated motorcycle that bolted westbound out of the town.

Yesterday around 8:47 PM, Cheektowaga units were working a gun complaint in the Bailey and Hewitt area — a dark male with dreads and a neck tattoo — when officers tried to stop a motorcycle running with no lights and no plates. The bike went westbound on Williams and crossed into the city.

As an officer put it, “he went left, or west on Lovejoy. We didn't chase or anything” The rider turned west on Lovejoy, and officers noted they didn't chase. The stop was written up as a reckless operation that ran well into the city before officers let it go.

Amherst · Campbell / French · Threats

A Man Who Threatened to Kill Tim Hortons Employees Turns Up Again Near Campbell and French — With Rifles Noted at His Home

Early this morning, Amherst police worked a recall of a customer-trouble call, the subject spotted near a Tim Hortons a day after he'd been trespassed and threatened staff.

Early this morning, at about 6:53 AM, Amherst police were handling a “customer trouble recall from yesterday, party threatened to kill employees” The subject had been seen in an older Jeep near the Tim Hortons at Campbell and French, and dispatch flagged a hazard for responding cars: rifles were noted in the house.

Officers called for extra cars to cover and worked the area, but no one had eyes on the man. Dispatch advised that he resided at 470 Campbell, the address where he had been trespassed the day before. A threat against staff at an Amherst coffee shop, with weapons flagged at the subject's home, is a rare enough call for the town to draw the extra units. The scanner traffic did not establish that he was located before the thread closed.

Wyoming County · Birdcow Road · Second-Alarm Barn Fire

A Second-Alarm Barn Fire on Birdcow Road Pulls Departments From Across Wyoming County Into the Night

Yesterday evening, a 40-by-120-foot barn burned near Perry Center, drawing a second alarm and mutual aid from a string of volunteer companies.

Yesterday at about 8:46 PM, Wyoming County Fire dispatched a barn fire at 7429 Birdcow Road, between Lake Leroy and Simmons, near Perry Center. Crews reported a roughly 40-by-120-foot barn burning on the north side of the road, across from the main kettle barn.

A second alarm went out quickly, committing fill-in companies at Perry and Perry Center and pulling units from Leicester, Castile, Silver Springs, Warsaw Center and Wyoming to the scene, with water-supply and relay operations set up as the fire spread toward a second structure. The response ran deep into the evening before companies cleared.

Buffalo · Missing Child

A Second Missing-Child Alert of the Evening: 10-Year-Old Benjamin Marks Gone Since the Morning School Bus

Yesterday evening, with the district already swamped, Buffalo put out an alert for a 10-year-old boy who left for school in the morning and never came home.

Yesterday at about 7:31 PM, amid a run of calls that included twenty juveniles kicking cars near Abbott, North McKinley and Elm, a Buffalo dispatcher put out a missing-child alert for a boy identified on the air as Benjamin Marks, date of birth 10-15-2010, “missing, lasting around 6:45 a.m.”

The traffic described him as having left for school and not returned. It was the second missing-child case the night carried, alongside the search for 13-year-old Christopher out of the East Ferry area. The scanner traffic did not establish that he had been located before the thread closed.

↗ Related: see_also

Cattaraugus County · Rushford · Structure Fire

A Rushford Structure Fire Pulls Tankers and a Full Mutual-Aid Assignment to County Road 7

Yesterday afternoon, Cattaraugus County dispatchers upgraded a structure fire on County Road 7 to a full interior response, calling in tankers and standby crews from neighboring departments.

Yesterday at about 4:52 PM, Cattaraugus County Fire dispatched a mutual-aid structure fire at 9176 County Road 7 in Rushford, requesting a tanker from Linden to the scene and Farmersville to stand by at Rushford Hall.

Within minutes dispatch upgraded Farmersville to a full response with interior crews and called a second tanker, as the response grew to commit companies across the county's hall-to-hall mutual-aid network. The scanner traffic did not establish the cause or extent of damage before the thread closed.

Hamburg · Pierce Avenue · Armed Robbery

A Masked Gunpoint Robbery on Pierce Avenue — Suspect in Underwear Over His Face Flees Toward Lake Street

Overnight, Hamburg police took a call of a man held at gunpoint on Pierce Avenue by a suspect wearing underwear over his face.

At about 3:01 AM, Hamburg police were dispatched to 18 Pierce Avenue for a report of a person held at gunpoint. The only description the caller could give, an officer relayed, was “a white male wearing underwear over his face and he left on foot towards Lake Street”

Officers responded with both cars already working the area. The scanner traffic did not establish that the suspect was located before the thread closed.

Jamestown · West 4th Street · Armed Subject

A Man in a Tactical Vest and a Pistol Reported in the Doubletree Lobby on West 4th Street

Yesterday evening, Jamestown police were sent to a downtown hotel on a report of an armed man standing in the front lobby.

Yesterday at about 8:36 PM, Jamestown police took a weapons call at the Doubletree on West 4th Street, dispatch relaying “a male with a tactical vest and a pistol in the front lobby”

An officer asked whether the man had menaced or threatened anyone; dispatch replied that the report did not state so and that information was still being entered. The scanner traffic did not establish the outcome before the thread closed.

Buffalo · TPS BNIA Shuttle · Tales of the Tarmac

Feathers in the Fuselage: Shuttle Drivers Swap Bird-Strike War Stories at the Airport

Early this morning, the airport shuttle channel turned reminiscent as two drivers traded hangar lore. “Were you here a couple years ago when the plane hit all those birds” came the opening salvo — met with an incredulous “All feathers in here?” The wires don't record whether the birds got frequent-flyer miles.

Wyoming County · Sign-Off

A Deputy's Dog Day: "This Was My Dog, Paul, and I Love You"

Yesterday afternoon, a stretch of Wyoming County sheriff's traffic closed on a note no 10-code covers. “Good-bye, this was my dog, Paul, and I love you” Whatever the story behind it, the sign-off landed with a tenderness the scanner rarely carries.

Cheektowaga · PlayStation Diplomacy

Console Peace: "Give Her the PlayStation"

Yesterday evening, with a family squabble over a gaming console on the board, a Cheektowaga dispatcher cut to the only ruling that mattered. “This is all nonsense. Goodbye to the listener grandma. Give her the Playstation” Conflict resolution, East Side style.

Town of Tonawanda · Old Friends

"Good to See You, Andy": A Warm Word Between the Static

Yesterday night, between a domestic on Princeton Boulevard and the next string of unit numbers, two familiar voices found a second to be human. “Good to see you, Andy” — “Good to see you” A small courtesy, keyed open and gone again.

Cheektowaga · Woof Woof

Bark of Approval: An Officer Takes a Tow and Gets a "Woof Woof" Back

Yesterday afternoon, an officer radioed in to take a hook for a Camaro. The reply from the other end of the channel skipped the acknowledgment and went straight to “Woof woof” — followed, a beat later, by a perfectly straight-faced “10-4”

Amherst · South Ellicott Creek Road · Fatal Crash

73-Year-Old Dies in Crash on South Ellicott Creek Road

Yesterday at 8:25 PM, Amherst Fire's Ellicott Creek company was dispatched to 301 South Ellicott Creek Road, between Grass Point Drive and McIntosh Place, for a 73-year-old diabetic man who dispatch said had died in a car accident.

Amherst · Allenhurst · Burglary

Amherst Patrol Called Back to Allenhurst Address as Window Smashed, SUV Flees Toward Oxford

Yesterday at 10:11 PM, Amherst Police sent a car back to a house on Allenhurst — dispatch flagged it as a recall, telling the responding officer “this time a window got smashed, left in a black SUV towards Oxford”.

A second unit checking the surrounding block reported no broken window at his location, suggesting the damage was limited to the one address.

Buffalo · Brunswick Avenue · Gun Call

Video Appears to Show Brunswick Avenue Gun-Call Suspect Cocking Firearm at Victims

Overnight, just after 1 AM, Buffalo police responded to a gun call at 3231 Brunswick Avenue[*], where a C District unit held a suspect matching dispatch's description — a heavyset Black man in a tan beanie and maroon sweatshirt — who officers noted had changed out of the jean shorts he'd been wearing into pants after running back into the house.

Victims said they had video of the encounter, and officers reviewing it on scene said it showed “pulled some sort of firearm out of a satchel, cocked the gun, pointed it at the victims, put the gun back in the satchel, ran in the house, and then shortly after ran back out of the house”; a later look at the footage showed the suspect walking away afterward carrying a dark satchel.

Officers debated whether to bring the suspect back to the scene for identification or take him directly to E District, where the investigation continued into the early morning.

Cheektowaga · Buffalo Airport Hotel · Shooting Reported

Shooting Reported at Buffalo Airport Hotel Room; Victim or Witness Unclear

Yesterday at 7:24 PM, Cheektowaga police dispatch sent a unit to the Buffalo Airport Hotel at 4600 Genesee Street, Room 205, after a report involving a woman and what dispatch described as a shooting; it was not immediately clear on the air whether she was a victim or a witness.

A second unit was ordered to cover the first responding officer at the hotel as the call developed.

Cheektowaga · South Colby · Domestic Dispute

Cheektowaga Domestic Turns Physical After Drinking, Choking Allegation

Early this morning, just after 12:37 AM, Cheektowaga police were sent to a domestic dispute at 13 South Colby, between Dinges and Parker, after a caller said he had been choked and his phone broken during an argument between two parties who had both been drinking.

Dispatch said one man would be waiting outside the residence and another in the bathroom, and passed along a warning that one occupant, identified as Anthony, has bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, before asking a nearby unit to cover the call.

Cheektowaga · Wagner Avenue · Burglary in Progress

Homeowner Watches Burglar on Home Camera as Cheektowaga Police Swarm Wagner Avenue House

Just after 1:16 AM, Cheektowaga Police were sent to a house on Wagner Avenue[*] [heard: Wagner] after the homeowner called in watching his own security camera and told dispatch “I got the homeowner on the phone, he sees my camera”, with the first patrol cars rolling before he lost sight of the intruder.

As more units arrived, the homeowner reported he could no longer see the suspect on camera but could still hear him moving around inside; officers noted the property backed up to houses on Atlantic Avenue[*] [heard: Atlantic] and sent a car to cover that side as well.

Dispatch found the front door locked, pointing to a rear entry, and assigned separate officers to the back door and an alleyway exit; by 1:21 AM at least six patrol cars had been assigned to the block as officers worked to confirm whether anyone remained inside.

Depew · Transit Road · Rock-Throwing

Rocks Thrown From Rail Overpass Smash Window on Norfolk Southern Superintendent's Vehicle

Yesterday at 6:02 PM, Depew Police were asked by Norfolk Southern's own police to check the railroad overpass over Transit Road just north of Gould Avenue after a group of juveniles threw rocks onto the road below, one of which struck and smashed a window on the Norfolk Southern superintendent's vehicle.

Officers canvassing the area got no suspect description or plate from Norfolk Southern police, but a witness described at least two teenagers, one in a tan hoodie, who appeared to have come down from the tracks — one last seen heading toward Gould Avenue, the other further down the rail line.

Eden · Town Line Road · Brush Fire

Large Brush Fire Draws Multiple Eden Companies to Town Line Road

Yesterday at 8:19 PM, Hamburg Fire Dispatch sent Eden companies to a brush fire the Sheriff's Office had called in at the intersection of Eden-Evans Center Road and Town Line Road, reporting it was “reported quite large”.

At least six Eden apparatus — 9-1, 9-2, 2, 5 and 7-1 — along with an engine and two area-cover units, responded as dispatch narrowed the fire's location to Town Line Road between Eden-Evans Center Road and Derby Road.

Crews on scene noted freshly excavated ground and a pond behind the fire area complicating access, with one engine finding a driveway across a ditch to reach the rear of the property; a Scranton Fire EMS run for a dizzy 91-year-old at Southwestern Boulevard was dispatched concurrently and did not draw from the brush-fire response.

Jamestown · East 2nd Street · Attempted Abduction Report

Caller Says Stranger Tried to Take Her Children on Jamestown's East 2nd Street

Yesterday at 5:40 PM, Jamestown police dispatch sent units to 840 East 2nd Street for a suspicious-person call after a caller said a white male had tried to take her children.

A follow-up transmission said the man was reported to still be on scene, possibly behind the house, as officers checked the area.

Chautauqua County · Fairmount · Child Seizure

3-Year-Old Goes Unresponsive After Seizure at Hall Avenue Home

Yesterday at 7:42 PM, Chautauqua County Fire dispatch sent Ambulance 105, Ambulance 1, and County Medical 70 on an ALS call to 16 Hall Avenue in the Fairmount-Harding area for a 3-year-old child who had a seizure and was then reported unresponsive.

A follow-up transmission a moment later confirmed the child was still breathing as crews were en route.