An iPhone reports a crash that never happened
Every day, police officers respond to reports of all sorts of events and nonevents, most of which never make the news. Here is a sampling of lesserknown — but no less noteworthy — incidents from police log books (a.k.a. blotters) in our suburbs.
FALSE ALARM
On the morning of Dec. 6, Bedford police dispatch received an automated message reporting that an iPhone was involved in a crash in the area of 394 North Road. When the number was called back, the person who answered said he dropped his cellphone and it dialed automatically and there was no emergency. It turned out that his iPhone has a crash detection feature, which is available on newer models of the iPhone and Apple Watch. According to Apple’s website, the crash detection feature is designed to detect “severe car crashes — such as front-impact, side-impact, and rear-end collisions and rollovers — involving sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other passenger cars” and automatically calls emergency services after a 20-second delay if it doesn’t receive a response from the user. This was a false alarm.
WATCH OUT FOR THOSE PIPES
At 9:58 a.m. on Dec. 13, Hingham police got a 911 call from someone near the Stars on Hingham Harbor restaurant who said they saw a small black Toyota driving around with pipes sticking out of its back window, and the pipes were so long they were almost hitting other vehicles. The caller told police the Toyota was heading toward the Route 3A rotary. According to the log entry, the two poles were sticking out 5 feet from the window, and they were almost hitting oncoming traffic. The poles nearly struck a box truck as the Toyota passed Rockland Street, and the “poles have shifted and are not out as much,” according to the log. The Toyota eventually ended up in Hull, and a responding officer reported that the poles had been fixed so they were no longer sticking out so far.
THESE COWS ARE NIGHT OWLS
Shortly after midnight on Jan. 7, Stow police got a call from a person who was concerned that cows were roaming around the Pilot Grove Farm after dark. Police spoke to the owner of the farm, who explained that the cows had free range of the fields and were able to come in and out of the barn. The owner told police that she would go check on them to make sure everything was OK, just to be sure.
BUMPER STICKER BROUHAHA
At 9:18 a.m. on Dec. 16, Bridgewater police received a call from a man in Central Square who said another man “did not like the stickers he had on his vehicle” and threatened to harm him.
FEATHERED VISITOR SHOWS UP UNANNOUNCED
At 3:48 p.m. on Dec. 17, Hingham police received a call from someone on Andrews Isle Road who reported there was a bird trapped in their fireplace. It turned out to be a woodpecker. According to the log entry, the officer who responded to the call said the woodpecker was successfully “removed and sent on its way.”
TIRED HUSBAND
At 9:01 p.m. on Dec. 12, Hingham police answered a 911 call from someone in the vicinity of Patriot Cinemas on Shipyard Drive who saw a man slumped over the steering wheel of a box truck. The caller told police the driver appeared to be breathing, but when they knocked on the window he was unresponsive. First responders who arrived at the scene reported there was nothing to worry about: The man was taking a nap in a U-Haul truck while he was waiting for his wife to get out of work.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.