Airbags were stolen from a number of vehicles in several Arlington neighborhoods overnight Friday.
The thefts were reported in the Buckingham, Bluemont and Westover neighborhoods. In all, seven vehicles were “forcibly entered into and had their air bags stolen,” according to the Arlington County Police Department.
Airbags are a lucrative target for thieves, who can reportedly sell them on the black market for a couple hundred dollars. Arlington has been no stranger to even larger airbag theft sprees over the years.
More on last week’s series of thefts, from and ACPD crime report:
LARCENY FROM AUTO (series), 2021-08130066/08130067/08130078/08130083, 4400 block of N. Pershing Drive/5700 block of 11th Street N./700 block of N. Kensington Street/5600 block of 5th Street N. At approximately 6:54 a.m. on August 13, police were dispatched to the late report of a larceny from auto. The investigation revealed that in total, seven victim vehicles were found to have been forcibly entered into and had their air bags stolen. Additionally, tools were stolen from one of the vehicles. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.
(Updated at 9:15 a.m.) A theft suspect in Pentagon City ran onto the tracks Sunday afternoon, causing major delays for riders.
The theft was reported around 2 p.m., from a store on the 1200 block of S. Hayes Street, a block that includes the Pentagon City mall and the Pentagon Centre shopping center.
The man was spotted by officers at the Pentagon City Metro station and fled onto the tracks. Officers were unable to locate him during their initial search, but he was seen again at the Metro station around 4:45 p.m. Arlington County police along with Metro Transit Police and Pentagon police were then able to establish a perimeter and take him into custody.
Trains were halted in the area and a shuttle service established before the suspect, a 27-year-old Maryland man, was finally taken into custody.
More from ACPD and social media:
LARCENY (Significant), 2021-07180152, 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 2:08 p.m. on July 18, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect entered a business, allegedly selected merchandise and left without paying. The suspect fled from responding officers into the Pentagon City Metro and entered the tracks. The tracks were searched with negative results. At approximately 4:42 p.m., the suspect was observed inside the Pentagon City Metro. A perimeter was established, and with the assistance of Metro Transit Police and Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the suspect was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. While in custody, he provided false information to officers regarding his identity. Deallen Price, 27, of District Heights, MD was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny, False ID to Avoid Arrest, Obstruction of Justice and Trespassing.
Blue/Yellow Line Delay: Expect delays in both directions due to an unauthorized person on the tracks at Pentagon City.
Pentagon city metro and Pentagon metro stations closed and trains on blue and yellow lines delayed. pic.twitter.com/Xyc39x8WF8
— ZaidBenjamin زيد بنيامين (@ZaidBenjamin5) July 18, 2021
UPDATED: Blue/Yellow Line Delay: Svc suspended btwn Nat'l Airport & L'Enfant Plaza/Arl Cem due to a person on the tracks outside Pentagon City. Shuttles established.
Monday’s Arlington crime report included a number of other notable incidents, including:
A woman was arrested Friday afternoon after robbing a store at the Pentagon City mall and handing the stolen items to a teen boy while fleeing into the Pentagon City Metro station.
A man drove onto the sidewalk and struck a man he had recently argued with at a Buckingham area restaurant early Sunday morning.
A man in his 50s or 60s exposed himself to a man along Wilson Blvd in Ballston Friday afternoon, then started masturbating and following the victim while continuing to masturbate.
A man grabbed a woman inappropriately and pulled her towards him, while she was sitting outside a business in the Clarendon area early Saturday morning.
More from the Arlington County Police Department, below.
Mariflor Ventura in her home, overflowing with donated necessities (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Donations pile up in the home of Mariflor Ventura (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Donations pile up in the home of Mariflor Ventura (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Mariflor Ventura made headlines earlier this year for helping her Buckingham neighbors during the pandemic.
Dubbed an “Arlington superwoman” by ABC 7, Ventura has been finding and distributing donations and handing out food and basic supplies for a year — an experience that has changed her life.
But now, she is drowning in donations and buckling under the weight of unyielding need. Still, Ventura is determined to give a leg up to people who have fallen on hard times and is looking for ways to structure and sustain her work.
“I love Arlington,” she said. “Whatever I can do, I’m here.”
Ventura, who is a bus attendant with Arlington Public Schools, began helping her neighbors last year during the lockdowns when school was virtual. Through a local Facebook group, she found items for free and distributed them to her neighbors.
The network expanded quickly, especially after giving an interview in Spanish, which reached immigrant communities as far as Woodbridge.
“This year has been busier than when I started,” she said. “I’m going to have to take a vacation from the donations to spend time with my kids.”
“I stopped fundraising because I don’t want to manage money,” which could open her up to criticisms about how it is spent, she said.
The Amazon wishlist goes beyond the basics. There are decorations so families could have proper graduation parties for their older kids and bubble wands, water guns and coloring books to occupy kids this summer.
All these ideas have come from Facebook group members, she said.
“They have good ideas and they like to help,” she said.
But Ventura has a wishlist of her own: A separate space for the donations, a nonprofit designation, and a regular assistant to keep track of appointments and help distribute items.
She has been considering the now-vacant apartment downstairs from her. Even the nearest storage facility is far away and the move might confuse people who are used to coming to her house. There was talk about finding a church basement, but that fell through, she said.
As it stand right now, her home is filled with donated items waiting to be given away.
“There’s no space to clean — there’s a tiny little space where we watch TV in the dining room area,” she said. “Some days, I give up and say, ‘I’m not going to do anything. I’ll just try to relax.'”
She laughs. “Normally, I’m a very organized lady. My mom taught me to have my clothes picked out for the next day.”
Ventura said some connections are working on turning the organization into a nonprofit, but that will take some time. In the interim, she imagines creating some kind of free thrift store.
The Arlingtonian knows what it’s like to have nothing. At one point, Ventura lost her job, her apartment and her car. But someone opened a door for her to start working at the county, and she worked her way up.
“From my experience, I can help more people,” she said.
She said it is hard for many immigrants to adjust to life in the U.S. — to find jobs, seek out assistance or just feel comfortable visiting a park.
“I hear from them that it’s their dream to come here, but when they come, they [realize] it’s not easy to live here,” she said. “It’s hard to find a job and if you don’t have family here, it’s harder. It’s just like they are stuck. Somebody has to help them up.”
Ventura said her neighbors are also returning the favor.
“It’s not like I’m the hero,” she said. “They see how I help and they’re helping in return.”
Culpepper Garden senior living center recently planted over 28,000 daffodils, which are on display and open to the public (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Culpepper Garden senior living center recently planted over 28,000 daffodils, which are on display and open to the public (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Culpepper Garden senior living center recently planted over 28,000 daffodils, which are on display and open to the public (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Culpepper Garden senior living center recently planted over 28,000 daffodils, which are on display and open to the public (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
A dazzling array of daffodils are now on display at Culpepper Garden.
The affordable senior living facility at 4435 N. Pershing Drive planted the flowers as part of the first phase of an ongoing restoration of its gardens. The garden now contains 28,000 daffodils of over seven varieties.
The daffodils’ official debut will be at a planned Spring Garden Walk on Saturday, April 10, from noon to 3 p.m. The Spring Garden Walk is the first in a series of events in the garden planned throughout this year, according to a press release.
The celebration also comes after a recent renovation to Culpepper Garden’s independent living building. The press release noted that apartments are available to people over the age of 62 living at less than 60% of area median income ($52,920).
“The Spring Garden Walk is the first in a series of interactive garden events planned throughout 2021,” the senior care organization said in a press release. “Sponsorships and funds generated through these events will be used to complete the full restoration of the historic gardens planted by Dr. Charles W. Culpepper, a scientist and botanist who worked for the Department of Agriculture.”
The daffodils commemorate the work of Culpepper, who sold the five-acre tract of land to non-profit Arlington Retirement Housing Corporation in 1973.
The gardens can be accessed via private, self-guided tours. There is no charge for the tours, but donations to Culpepper Garden are encouraged. A limited number of guided tours are also available, with advanced reservations available by contacting Jasmin Witcher at 703-528-0162 or emailing [email protected].
A thief stole a man’s motorcycle while the rider was suffering a medical emergency, according to Arlington County police.
The incident happened just after noon this past Friday, on the 200 block of N. Glebe Road in Buckingham. Police say a man rode his motorcycle to a pharmacy, then suffered “a minor medical emergency” while inside.
Medics arrived and started to treat the rider on scene.
“After being checked by medics, he realized his motorcycle was missing and reported the theft,” according to ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
A witness also “reported observing the suspect allegedly approach the motorcycle and begin to tamper with it,” police said. The suspect’s description was broadcast on police radio, and the stolen motorcycle — which had a distinctive color pattern — was soon spotted.
“A Virginia State Trooper located the suspect in the area of I-66 at exit 73 pushing the motorcycle,” per ACPD. A 21-year-old man from Falls Church “was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny: Motor Vehicle. He was held on a secured bond.”
Separately, two other auto crimes of note were included in the most recent ACPD crime report.
First, nine Hondas were broken into and stripped of airbags overnight Friday into Saturday, near the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Glebe Road.
LARCENY FROM AUTO (Series), 2021-03130069, 4700 block of 20th Road N. At approximately 7:14 a.m. on March 13, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny from auto. Upon arrival, it was determined an unknown suspect(s) forced entry into nine Honda vehicles and stole the airbags. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.
Second, a suspect broke into five vehicles “with a metal object” at an apartment complex near the I-395 and S. Glebe Road interchange. The suspect, a 24-year-old Baltimore man, was arrested on scene.
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Significant), 2021-03140038, 2300 block of S. 24th Road. At approximately 4:20 a.m. on March 14, police were dispatched to multiple reports of a male suspect breaking into vehicles with a metal object. Upon arrival, officers located a suspect matching the description provided by the reporting parties and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined the suspect allegedly damaged five vehicles and destroyed the entry door and window to a residential building. [The suspect] was arrested and charged with misdemeanor Destruction of Property (x5), felony Destruction of Property, and Tampering with a Vehicle.
“Due to uncontrollable circumstances related to parking availability, we made the decision to sell our building and move into a shared property relationship with Arlington Church of the Brethren,” according to the church’s website. The church has only tiny lots for drop-off, and there are few available street parking spots within easy walking distance.
The church building has been on the market since then, according to Saul Corral, of Fairfax Realty of Tysons, who represents the church.
“It’s such a beautiful building, inside and out,” he said, adding that there are impressive old beams that are hard to come by in modern architecture.
Contracts have been drafted with potential buyers three times already, “but unfortunately, they’ve fallen through,” Corral said.
The fourth time could be the charm for the church. A potential buyer is studying whether or not the investment is feasible, and this study period expires at the end of April, he said.
Previous buyers have had their contracts cancelled based on what they intend to do with the building, he said.
“That’s where the contracts fall through,” Corral said. “Buyers that have other intentions put a contract on it and they’re not approved” by the Arlington County Zoning Department.
The church lot is zoned for single- and multi-family dwellings, according to a county zoning map.
Although the church is vacant, the founding location of a full-time preschool, Children’s International School, continues to operate on the site.
The preschool school has been housed in the church since it was founded in 1985, and has since expanded to three more locations in Arlington and Alexandria. It expects to be able to continue operating from the building, managers have told parents.
A widespread power outage is currently affecting parts of Arlington.
More than 3,500 Dominion customers were without power in the county as of 9:30 p.m. Affected neighborhoods include Ballston, Bluemont, Buckingham, Ashton Heights and Lyon Park, according to the power company’s outage map.
Residents near those neighborhoods might have seen their power flicker around 9 p.m.
The outage happened after a driver in a Toyota Prius slammed into a utility pole in the Buckingham area. On social media, the Arlington County Fire Department said it is “unknown” when power will be restored.
#Alert: Power outage in the area north of Rt 50 by Glebe Rd is due to a pole being struck. @DominionEnergy is en route. Expected time before power is restored is unknown. pic.twitter.com/lOToxRE9eq
Update at 10:15 p.m. — Power has been restored to most customers, but about 500 in the Buckingham area, near the crash, remain in the dark.
Vehicle crash into Arlington pole @ 89 N Glebe Rd knocked out power to 2016 customers at 9pm. With proactive switching we restored all but 181 customers. Our crews are repairing the damage. We hope to have all restored by 3am Thanks for their hard work & for customers’ patience! pic.twitter.com/svJYuMXcNK
A woman was intentionally struck by a vehicle and pinned against a dumpster over the weekend, according to an Arlington County Police crime report.
The incident happened shortly before 5:30 p.m. Saturday, on the 200 block of N. Glebe Road in the Buckingham area, and followed an argument between the suspect and the victim.
Police say the suspect, a 36-year-old Arlington woman, struck the victim with a car in a business parking lot, pinning her against a dumpster. The victim, who knew the suspect, was hospitalized with serious but non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
The suspect was arrested “without incident” the next morning and faces a number of charges.
More from ACPD:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2020-11210144, 200 block of N. Glebe Road. At approximately 5:24 p.m. on November 21, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim and known suspect were engaged in a verbal dispute and physical altercation earlier in the day, during which the suspect assaulted the victim, causing minor injury. At the time, the victim declined prosecution and medical attention. The verbal dispute continued while they were travelling in a vehicle together. The suspect, and driver of the vehicle, stopped in the parking lot of a business and the victim exited the vehicle. The suspect then allegedly struck the victim with the vehicle, pinning her against a dumpster. The suspect then fled the scene in the vehicle prior to police arrival. The victim sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. During the course of the investigation, the suspect was identified and a vehicle description was developed. At approximately 8:51 a.m. on November 22, police located the parked vehicle occupied by the suspect and a second subject in the area of 2nd Street S. and S. Fillmore Street. Officers made contact with the suspect as she attempted to walk away from the vehicle and detained her without incident. Toccara Puller, 36, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding, Felony Hit and Run, and Possession of a Schedule I/II Controlled Substance. She was held on no bond. The second subject provided officers with a false name, but was subsequently identified and determined not to be involved in the Hit and Run incident. However, he was determined to be wanted out of the City of Alexandria, and in possession of a concealed weapon and controlled substance. Joshua Fletcher, 41, of Washington D.C., was arrested and charged with Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Identity Theft, and Possession of a Schedule I/II Controlled Substance. He was held on no bond.
A thief or thieves stole the airbags from nearly two dozen cars in a single parking garage this week.
The theft took place at some point between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning on the 4400 block of 4th Road N., in the Buckingham neighborhood near Ballston.
“Upon arrival, it was determined that between 5:30 p.m. on November 18 and 8:00 a.m. on November 19, an unknown suspect(s) smashed the windows to approximately 21 vehicles inside a secured garage and stole the airbags,” the Arlington County Police Department said in a crime report today. “There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.”
Arlington has seen a rise in crime, particularly vehicle-related property crimes, over the past couple of years. Airbags are a popular theft target for criminals due to their resale value on the black market.
The same gathering on Oct. 31 that took Bishop O’Connell High School online until December has forced St. Thomas More Cathedral School to do the same.
Two St. Thomas More employees tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a Halloween gathering also attended by Bishop O’Connell students who tested positive and prompted the school to cancel in-person classes.
The parochial PreK-8 school in Buckingham told students and staff school would be virtual through next Monday, with in-person instruction set to resume on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
According to the school’s calendar, confirmation, which was set for Monday night, has been postponed and will be rescheduled.
“When Bishop O’Connell closed… my employees went to be tested,” Principal Cathy Davis told ARLnow on Monday morning. “The minute we heard about the positive tests, we looked at our protocols.”
The children and staff of the parochial school are divided into cohorts so that one or two classrooms can isolate if a case appears. But her team decided that the smartest thing to do was to revert to virtual, she said, adding that the transition was easy since the prep work had already been done distributing devices and setting up Google Classrooms.
Davis said administrative staff will be drafting on a report after this series of events and will see what lessons can be learned, such as whether employees have to sign certain COVID-19 commitments. Currently, the school operates on the honor system, with a pledge to prioritizing student safety.
Unlike Bishop O’Connell students, whose return is scheduled for Dec. 1, St. Thomas More students and staff, including the two who tested positive, are slated to return prior to the Thanksgiving break.
“In terms of Pre-K and second-grade children, the better way is in-person,” Davis said. “Our goal is to be in-person.”
When Davis broke the news to parents, she said she “expected unrest,” since 83% of population are dual-working parents.
“Even I have been amazed at how positive everyone is,” she said.
She predicted the school will transition right back to in-person classes.
“Certainly I wish this didn’t happen, but if it has to happen, it’s nice to know we have a strong community who gets this is our new normal,” Davis said.
In October, officials from the Arlington Public Health Division repeatedly warned against celebrating Halloween with trick-or-treating, nightlife and indoor gatherings. Cases in the county, meanwhile, are on an upswing and just reached a fresh peak since the initial spring wave.
Groundbreaking for The Cadence apartments in Buckingham (staff photo by Jo DeVoe)
Rendering of the Cadence (Image via Wesley Housing Development Corporation)
Overhead view of The Cadence project and surrounding affordable housing complexes (photo via Google Maps, additional markings by Jo DeVoe)
Groundbreaking for The Cadence apartments in Buckingham (staff photo by Jo DeVoe)
Groundbreaking for The Cadence apartments in Buckingham (staff photo by Jo DeVoe)
Groundbreaking for The Cadence apartments in Buckingham (staff photo by Jo DeVoe)
Shelley Murphy, President and CEO of Wesley Housing, speaking at the groundbreaking for The Cadence apartments in Buckingham (staff photo by Jo DeVoe)
The empty Red Cross building (4333 Arlington Blvd) in Buckingham will come down in a few weeks to make way for a new apartment building called The Cadence.
The building, developed by Wesley Housing Development Corporation, will have 97 units, all set aside for low- and moderate-income households. It is part of a complex that includes 19 nearly complete market-rate townhouses a stone’s throw away.
Local officials, project financiers and construction company representatives gathered for a socially distanced groundbreaking on Tuesday afternoon at the site in Buckingham. The event also commemorated renovations that will begin next year on the neighboring complexes, Whitefield Commons and Knightsbridge apartments, which Wesley also operates for low-income residents.
“The cadence that we set has changed tempo a few times, from where we were to where we are going, but we’re still moving ahead and at this point, we see no reason that we won’t stick the rest of the schedule going forward,” quipped Shelley Murphy, President and CEO of Wesley Housing.
Mark Weisner, the president of Bozzuto Construction Company, which is building The Cadence apartment building, said his company has “a lot of work to do in the next 24 months,” when the building is set to open its doors to renters.
Wesley’s presence in Northern Virginia continues to grow, as well as its staff. The nonprofit owns and operates 2,000 affordable housing units across the region, with about 690 units located in Arlington, including a mixed-income apartment building in Rosslyn that opened in 2017. The company also provides services and programs to residents.
Libby Garvey, the chair of the Arlington County Board, said this groundbreaking is an important milestone for the county, which — like every in-demand urban area — struggles to maintain affordable housing when wealthy families also desire to move in.
“Healthy communities provide work and housing opportunities for all levels of the social and economic spectrum,” Garvey said. “The pandemic has shown clearly how important housing is to everyone’s health.”
Murphy said the moderate-income units and market-rate townhouses in The Cadence make good on a promise that Wesley made to the community to bring more income diversity to Buckingham, which has a significant number of affordable housing units already.
“We want to make sure we are helping Arlington County build neighborhoods of opportunity,” she said.
Knightsbridge and Whitefield Commons provide “extremely deep affordability” for families with an average income of less than $20,000 and $30,000 a year, respectively, she said. The Cadence will cater to families of four who earn between $62,000 and $80,000 a year.
Wesley also promised to preserve the Whitefield Commons — which was built in 1943 and formerly known as the Windsor Apartments — and to encourage residents to seek transportation alternatives to cars. The developer faced some opposition from neighbors, who said Buckingham’s percentage of affordable housing units is much higher compared to other neighborhoods.
The project has received state and county funding, loans and tax credits. Additional funding comes from Wesley selling the land for the townhouses to Tysons-based home builder Madison Homes.
