SOMERVILLE — At 11:50 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, Detective Jon Thermidor of the Somerville Police Department was dispatched to City Hall on Highland Avenue to conduct a well being check on a woman who was trying to break into the building after successfully doing so earlier in the day.
(The account and quotations in this article were taken from the Personnel Narrative of Det. Thermidor.)
“It appeared that a female who had broken into that same building earlier in the day at around 5 a.m. and avoided apprehension had returned to the same area and was trying different doors attempting to re-enter the building,” Det. Thermidor said. “I would also add that the female in question was also seen by [a witness] trying different doors, attempting to enter Somerville High School (93 Highland Avenue) moments before she walked over to 81 Highland Avenue. Those two buildings are notably located directly next to each other.”
Since the woman wasn’t at City Hall when he arrived on scene, Det. Thermidor responded to the high school where he saw the woman – whom he recognized as Patricia De Mendoza – speaking with other Somerville police officers.
According to police, Patricia Majano De Mendoza, 45, is a resident of 13 Wigglesworth Street in Somerville.
“I recognized Ms. De Mendoza from a previous encounter on December 9th, 2023 at the Somerville High school at around 9:30 p.m.,” Det. Thermidor said. “During that encounter, Ms. Mendoza had broken into the high school and camped in one of the classrooms for what was believed to be an entire night. Video footage from inside the school showed her walking around, accessing the staff’s personal properties, dancing and entertaining herself inside during closed hours.”
Following the incident on Dec. 9, Det. Thermidor determined De Mendoza was “a confused person” and took her to her Wigglesworth Street residence. Once there, he spoke with her housemates and elderly mother, who explained that she has “not been herself” lately.
“They reported that she had been acting confused, having conversations with herself and at times banging her head against walls, all statements that confirmed my suspicions,” Det. Thermidor said. Adding, “Due to the description of those events by her mother, I requested an ambulance at the scene for a psychological evaluation. She was later voluntarily transported to Cambridge Hospital by Cataldo Ambulance personnel.”
Det. Thermidor said that earlier in the day, he received an email about the 5 a.m. break-in from a building facilities manager at City Hall. The email contained photos and “a timeline of Ms. Mendoza conducting the activities previously mentioned at the high school, on school grounds, and also near city hall.”
“It was believed that Ms. Mendoza gained access to City Hall at that time. Moreover, [the building facilities manager] brought me inside City Hall and walked me to a corner office where some small items were believed to be left behind by Ms. Mendoza,” Det. Thermidor said. “Those items were: a small box containing a puzzle, rosary beads inside a glass box and two small religious flyers with Spanish writings, none of which belonged to the staff.”
Det. Thermidor placed De Mendoza under arrest for Attempt to Commit a Crime and Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime to Commit a Felony. She was then transported to Somerville Police headquarters for booking.
“At the time of this arrest, the defendant had four documented incidents in the span of a week where she was witnessed inside a public building during closed hours without authorization,” Det. Thermidor explained.
