The Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad halted all train traffic for about 20 minutes on April 22 while police rescued a 75-year-old Berwyn man who got himself and his bicycle stuck on the railroad bridge over First Avenue.

Riverside police received a 911 call at about 12:50 p.m. from the man, who said he was on the railroad embankment immediately adjacent to Parkview Road. Police arrived at the scene and found the man standing at the top of the train trestle, with his bike a short distance away, lodged between the rails.

The man reportedly told police he thought he could ride his bike across the bridge, even though it is not intended for any type of non-train traffic. The man said he decided to call police after deciding he might fall and injure himself if he tried to descend the embankment on his own.

Police were able to assist the man down and retrieved his bike. A BNSF police officer who arrived at the scene gave the man a verbal warning for trespassing on the railroad right of way. 

Prom picture problems

Riverside police ticketed vehicles belonging to 10 high school students who were part of a throng of that descended on Blythe Park School on the afternoon of April 20 to snap some pre-prom photos.

Police received multiple complaints from residents of the areas about vehicles illegally parked near the school, which is a popular setting for couples to take pictures.

Officers reported having trouble reaching the school in their cars due to gridlocked traffic on Eastgrove Road. One officer able to get through to the rea made two announcements on the loudspeaker of his squad car that illegally parked cars would be ticketed.

After waiting several minutes and seeing only a few cars moving, police began writing $50 citations. Some vehicles, said police, were blocking residential driveways.

“You could not fit an ambulance or a fire truck or any vehicle down those roads,” said Police Chief Thomas Weitzel. “Residents were parking two to three blocks away. They had to walk to their homes.”

Text message scam

A 40-year-old Brookfield woman who is an immigrant from South America called police on April 18 to report that she was the victim of fraud.

The victim told police she received a text message on a cellphone app called WhatsApp, which she uses to communicate with relatives in her native country. The message requested $350 for bail for her brother to be sent via Western Union to a location in Bolivia.

She later learned her brother was not in trouble and had not requested money, but that he was locked out of WhatsApp on his cellphone. It was later learned that the money wired to Bolivia had been collected by someone claiming to be the victim’s brother.

Florida fugitive arrested

A 35-year-old man wanted on two out-of-state felony warrants related to domestic violence incidents will be extradited to Pinellas County, Florida, after his arrest on April 18 in Riverside.

Police pulled over Brian D. Peak’s red Honda Civic at about 8:15 a.m. after the vehicle allegedly blew through a stop sign at Longcommon Road and East Burlington Street, causing other motorists to slam on their brakes to avoid a crash.

Peak didn’t have a driver’s license on him at the time, and a computer name check revealed that his Florida driver’s license had been suspended and that he had two active no-bond warrants out for his arrest.

According to police, Peak said he had been living in North Riverside since mid-2017 after moving from St. Petersburg, Florida, an area he was trying to avoid due to the outstanding warrants there.

Peak reportedly spent eight years in Florida prison for kidnapping and has an extensive criminal record that includes arrests for fraud, battery, burglary, robbery and weapons and drug offenses. 

Bike stolen

A resident of the 4100 block of Deyo Avenue, Brookfield, called police on the afternoon of April 20 to report that someone had stolen his son’s bicycle, which was left leaning against the house, unlocked.

The bike was described as a Haro BMX-style bike with a black frame, blue spoked wheels and blue handle bar grips. The loss was estimated at about $300.

Vehicle vandalized

A resident of the 4000 block of Sunnyside Avenue, Brookfield, called police on April 21 to report that someone had spray-painted “Gayoo” on his vehicle, which was parked in the alley overnight on April 20-21.  

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, April 16-22, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

— Compiled by Bob Uphues