Fitchburg man steals phone and cash from elderly Uber driver, assaults him during chase on Leominster Rail Trail

LEOMINSTER — On Sunday, September 1, 2024, Officer Caulin Salvi of the Leominster Police Department was dispatched the area of the Rail Trail behind Big Steve’s Car Wash on North Main Street following a report of a larceny from the person.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed personnel narrative of Officer Salvi and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“Dispatch stated that the reporting party had been punched by a male in a white shirt who had taken his phone and run inbound on the trail,” Officer Salvi said. “I entered the Rail Trail from Battles Street, and advised Officer [Laurinda] Dion, who was downtown, that I was approaching from outbound. I had my solid blue cruise lights activated to warn pedestrians on the trail and was approaching the area slowly when I observed a male in a white t-shirt walking towards me with a black item in his hand.”

Officer Salvi said that he parked his cruiser as he stepped out, the man fled.

“I pursued on foot to the rear of McGovern Hyundai Route 2, which is adjacent to the trail,” Officer Salvi explained. “I called out to the male to stop and he appeared to make several indecisive movements about which way he wanted to go. For a brief moment, he had been obscured by the corner of the building and I saw him throw something into the corner.”

Officer Salvi stated that, based on the description from the initial call for service and the individual’s current behavior, he was aware that force had reportedly already been used. Additionally, he could not determine if the man was armed.

“I drew and activated my taser and ordered the male to the ground,” Officer Salvi said. “He tossed more items onto the pavement and laid down. I ordered him to place his hands behind his back and he did so. I placed him in handcuffs and locked them. At this time, I was still the only officer in the area and moved the male to my cruiser with the items he had thrown to the ground.”

Officer Salvi reported that after securing the suspect, later identified as Jeremy Colon, in his cruiser, Colon expressed feelings of anxiety and mentioned that he wasn’t feeling well.

According to police, Jeremy Colon, 30, is a resident of 29 Goddard Street, Apt. 1, Fitchburg, MA.

At this time, Sergeant Ny Mao arrived on scene and an ambulance was requested for Colon, Officer Salvi said.

“Officer Dion had now located the victim, [name redacted], and brought him to my location to conduct a show up when Leominster Fire Department paramedics moved Jeremy into the ambulance,” Officer Salvi said. “Before I could give full instructions, [the victim] was already telling me that Jeremy was definitely the man that had interacted with him. I had [the victim] describe his phone, a black iPhone with a black belt clip, which I had secured already and presented for further identification. [The victim] immediately recognized his phone and further added that his daughter and son-in-law on their wedding day are [the picture on] the lock screen.”

The victim, who police say is a male over the age of 60, stated that, in addition to his phone, $40 had also been taken from him.

“[The victim] explained to officers that he had given Jeremy a ride and was charging him $35,” Officer Salvi said. “[The victim] reportedly did not have change to break $40 and Jeremy had suddenly swiped the $40 (in two $20 bills) out of his hand and the phone from his center armrest. Jeremy had then fled from the area and [the victim] gave chase. [The victim] caught up to Jeremy and they both argued before Jeremy punched [the victim] in the face. [The victim] had a small penny-sized red mark on his left cheek to the left of his lips and slight blushing on the same cheek.”

Officer Salvi said that Colon was Mirandized in the backseat of his cruiser and informed that he was under arrest for armed robbery.

“I attempted to help Jeremy understand by giving a less legal definition and compared it to mugging,” Officer Salvi said. “He was then seen by Leominster Fire Department paramedics who evaluated him and determined that he was under the influence of drugs and Jeremy wanted medical attention. Jeremy was suspected to have been under the influence of cocaine and was profusely sweating to the point that his entire t-shirt was soaked through to his upper chest. My cruiser was running and the A/C was on max to provide comfort, this did not appear to help Jeremy in any way.”

“In Jeremy’s left pocket were his I.D. and two crumpled $20 bills,” Officer Salvi said. “In his right pocket were $70 (three $20 bills and a $10 bill). The two $20 bills from the left pocket were secured as evidence and are believed to be the $40 taken from [the victim]. I returned to [the victim] and had him walk me through the event once more.”

The victim told Officer Salvi that he knows Colon through a mutual friend. This friend recommended the victim to Colon as an Uber driver and the victim had given Colon one ride previously, Officer Salvi recounted.

“[The victim] added that once he had caught up to Jeremy, Jeremy had told [him] that he was ‘going to rock him’ if he kept following him,” Officer Salvi said. “[The victim] states that Jeremy then punched him in the face and as Jeremy ran away, [the victim] fell and scraped his knee.”

Officer Salvi said the victim declined medical treatment for the scrape and was told that the $40 was taken into evidence.

Colon was charged with the following:

• Unarmed robbery on a person age 60 or older
• Assault and battery on a person aged 60 or older
• Larceny from a person

Officer Salvi noted that after searching Jeremy Colon’s Board of Probation record, he found that Colon had previous convictions for assault and battery, assault, and larceny from a person.

Colon’s bail was set at $1,000.

He was arraigned in Leominster District Court on Sept. 3, 2024. Following his arraignment, Colon was released on bail under the condition that he stay away from/not contact the victim. He attended a pretrial conference on Sept. 30, 2024.

Colon’s next court date is a probable cause hearing scheduled for Oct. 28, 2024.  

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from September, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.

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