Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/policefire/)
Courtesy of the Watertown Police Department. Police arrested a Boston man for allegedly dealing fentanyl in the Watertown. See the announcement from the Watertown Police Department below. On April 22, 2025, Watertown Police, working with the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force, arrested Wilkims Soto-Suazo for selling fentanyl to Watertown residents. Mr. Soto Suazo was arraigned [April 23] at Waltham District Court for Trafficking Class A Fentanyl over 36 grams (44.4 grams located).
The Watertown Fire Department has run its own ambulance since 1975, and has offered paramedic service since 2017. The one ambulance cannot always cover all the calls, however, and the City Council is looking at whether to add a second ambulance. Currently, when the WFD’s ambulance is not available, Watertown uses Pro EMS, a private ambulance company in Cambridge. Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson told the City Council’s Committee of the Budget and Fiscal Oversight that there is a significant difference in response time depending on which ambulance is dispatched. “Regarding response times, National Fire Protection Association standards require emergency medical services to respond within 9 minutes 90 percent of the time,” Nicholson said, according to the Committee report.
Two people were struck by a vehicle’s side mirror during a protest at the Tesla repair facility on Pleasant Street in Watertown Saturday. No serious injuries were reported. Watertown Police officers, who were on the scene of what is becoming a weekly protest, attended to the two people struck. Both refused medical treatment, according to the statement from the WPD. Police also identified a suspect, but no further information was released.
A third set of alleged customers of a multi-state prostitution ring that used local luxury apartments, including in Watertown, were revealed on Friday. Among the apartment buildings in which the brothel operated out of was Blvd & Bond apartments in Arsenal Yards in Watertown, as well as buildings in Watertown, Cambridge, Dedham Virginia and California. The 10 men identified in court Friday, according to NBC10 Boston, include: Amrit Chaudhuri of Brookline, Mitchell Rubenstein of Chestnut Hill, Marshall Berenson of Cambridge, Harmanpreet Singh of Woburn, Kenneth Posco of Fitchburg, George Wu of Needham, Patrick Enright of Wakefield, Suren Chelian of Lexington, Sankara Asapu of Malden, and John Cascarano of Hingham. The Boston Globe reported that the court “identified a complaint that police sought” against Paul J. Urban of East Bridgewater. He did not receive the proper summons, so his hearing will take place on April 25.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. March 20: Someone entered the lobby of an office on Main Street and took two laptops — a MacBook and a Dell — each of which was valued at $500. March 20: A person went into Best Buy to buy a 65-inch TV that cost $2,300. The transaction was not complete but the person loaded the TV into a Subaru Forester and drove away. Police are investigating.
The identities of 10 more men who allegedly bought sex through a local brothel ring that operated out of luxury apartments, including in Watertown, were revealed on Friday. One of the men, Paul Toner, is a Cambridge City Councilor, according to WBUR. The multi-state prostitution ring used apartment buildings in Watertown, Cambridge, Dedham Virginia and California, including Blvd & Bond apartments located in Arsenal Yards in Watertown. The 10 defendants revealed on Friday were: Toner, of Cambridge; James C. Cusack, of Concord; Anurag Bajpayee, of Cambridge; Jeffrey Henry, of Exeter, N.H.; Steven Riel of Laconia, N.H.; Howard Redmond, of Tewksbury; Frederick G. Rosenthal, of Marblehead; Timothy Ackerson, of Waltham; Matthew Ellis Fulton, of Belmont; and Nathaniel Welch, of Concord. Last week, the first dozen suspects were revealed.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. March 8: Police responded to Best Buy for a shoplifter. They got the man’s description and located the suspect near Hampton Inn & Suites. The man admitted to shoplifting from Best Buy and had two speakers in a bag. When he took the speaker he removed the “spider” anti-theft devices.
Watertown Fire DepartmentFirefighter Joseph Toscano, a 21-year veteran of the Watertown Fire Department, died on March 17, 2017 after collapsing during a fire. St. Patrick’s Day is a somber one for the Watertown Fire Department. Each year since 2017 Watertown Firefighters pay tribute to Joe Toscano, who lost his life fighting a fire on Merrifield Avenue. On Monday, current and former members of the Watertown Fire Department lined up on Bigelow Avenue, near the home where Toscano collapsed and died during a house fire.
The following announcement was provided by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office:
Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian is pleased to announce registration for the 2025 Youth Public Safety Academy (YPSA) will open at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. YPSA is an educational and affordable summer program that is open to all children – ages 8-12 – living in Middlesex County (link to promotional video). Older children also have the opportunity to participate as a Counselor-in-Training. Held at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO) Training Academy in Chelmsford, YPSA is comprised of five, one-week camps. Registration is $100 per child (per week) and includes transportation to and from designated bus stops; daily breakfast, lunch and snacks; and a graduation ceremony held each Friday.