On April 4, 2024, Norwalk Police responded to a larceny complaint at Walmart on Main Avenue involving an ex-manager accused of embezzling $238,000 between July 2023 and April 2024. The suspect, Erfan Ahmadi, fled to Texas, but with the assistance of Walmart Investigators and the Texas Rangers, he was located, arrested, and held for extradition. On September 24, 2024, Norwalk Detectives traveled to Texas and brought Ahmadi back to Connecticut, where he was charged with Larceny in the First Degree.
During the early morning hours of Tuesday, September 24, 2024, the Norwalk Police Department Special Victims Unit received information regarding a Snapchat post that referenced a potential school shooting and bombing. The investigators traced the post to a home in Norwalk. Officers arrived at the location and identified a 14-year-old as the individual responsible for the post. Further investigations by patrol officers and Special Victims Unit investigators revealed that another Norwalk youth, aged 13, was also involved in sharing or creating the post. Through interviews with both minors and their parents, it was concluded that the post was not credible and was related to an online gaming platform the youths were engaged with and was meant as a hoax. Both juveniles were charged with Breach of Peace and summoned to juvenile court.
The investigators quickly determined that this threatening post was a hoax, and no Norwalk Public School was ever targeted. In partnership with the Norwalk Public Schools, we want to reassure everyone that we are working tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff in schools.
We are asking the community to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the Norwalk Police Department. Malicious posts intended to bring public alarm and fear will be fully investigated, and enforcement will be taken. We need everyone’s cooperation when reposting or sharing information on social media. While well-intentioned, continued sharing of these messages can lead to unnecessary fear and concern, increasing stress across the community.
On September 14, 2024, at 5:38 PM, Norwalk Combined Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a motorcycle collision with a vehicle on Winfield St. near the intersection of Pequot Dr. Norwalk Police, Norwalk Fire Department, and Norwalk Hospital Emergency Medical Service responded immediately and provided medical aid to the motorcycle operator, Dwight Clifford St. John of Norwalk. St. John was transported to Norwalk Hospital by ambulance, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The incident is still under active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Christopher Wasilewski by phone at 203-854-3035 or via email. Anonymous tips can be shared through the Norwalk Police Tip Line at 203-854-3111, online through the Norwalk Police website, or by texting “NORWALKPD” followed by the message to TIP411 (847411).
On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the Norwalk Police Special Services Division, along with the State of Connecticut Consumer Protection Drug Control Division, executed a search and seizure warrant at ZaZa Smoke & Convenience Store, located at 336 Westport Avenue.
This warrant was part of an ongoing investigation into smoke shops selling cannabis without a proper license. In Connecticut, it is illegal to sell products with a total THC concentration greater than 0.3% without a cannabis license issued by the Department of Consumer Protection.
Police had received new information that the store was selling marijuana and products exceeding the legal THC limit, which was confirmed during the search.
Several hundred products containing more than 0.3% THC were found in the store, including marijuana and THC gummies. Each gummy contained 50 mg of THC, significantly above the legal limit of 1 mg per gummy. The marijuana was packaged in misleading containers, and US currency was also seized, which will be applied for under Asset Forfeiture Statutes.
Cynthia Rojas, a 21-year-old from Stamford, was arrested and charged with possession of over 1.5 to 5.8 ounces of cannabis, the sale of more than 1 kilogram of cannabis, illegal sale or manufacture of cannabis, possession with intent to sell more than 1 kilogram of cannabis, and use of drug paraphernalia. She was held on a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Stamford court on September 24, 2024.
A Fed Ex driver was robbed at knife point in Norwalk, and police are currently looking for the suspect, who fled in a blue Subaru, according to unconfirmed radio reports. There is no information about location at this time.
On September 6, 2024, at Norwalk Police Officers observed a disturbance on the grounds of the Oyster Festival in the area of Fort Point Street and Seaview Avenue. Shortly thereafter, it was discovered that two juveniles had sustained stab wounds. Officers immediately summoned emergency medical services, who rendered aid to the two juveniles and transported them to the Norwalk Hospital. A male juvenile was arrested at the scene. The male was charged with one count of assault in the first degree and one count of assault in the second degree. The suspect was ordered held at the Juvenile Detention Center in Bridgeport while awaiting arraignment.
The investigation revealed that this was not a random incident as the suspect and the victims were acquainted with one another. Anyone with any additional information about this incident can contact the Detective Bureau at 203-854-3111.
The annual Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival starts Friday September 6, 2024, and runs through Sunday September 8, 2024. Motorists should expect delays in lower East Norwalk as well as South Norwalk due to festival traffic. Seaview Avenue will be closed from Fort Point Street to East Avenue during the festival operating hours. East Avenue between Seaview Avenue and Van Zant Street will be one-way for northbound traffic only from Friday at 4:00pm through Sunday at 9:00pm.
On both July 18, 2024, and July 22, 2024, Norwalk Combined Dispatch received reports of several copper plumbing fixtures stolen from Yankee Doodle and North Water Parking Garage. Detectives processed both crime scenes and obtained video footage from the surrounding areas. Through their investigations, they identified the suspect in both incidents as Johnathan Williamson, a 34-year-old resident of Stamford. Arrest warrants were obtained, and on August 28, 2024, Williamson, who was already in custody for similar charges, was brought to Stamford Court, where he was charged with Larceny in the Fifth Degree and Larceny in the Sixth Degree. His bond was set at $25,000 for the July 18 incident and an additional $25,000 for the July 22 incident.
A Norwalk man, Leroy Martin Pressley Jr., is in custody following a violent kidnapping and sexual assault in Bridgeport. On August 16, 2024, a woman reported that she was kidnapped at gunpoint, threatened, and assaulted in her eastside Bridgeport apartment by Pressley, with whom she had a prior domestic relationship. An investigation by the Bridgeport Police Department’s Special Victims Unit led to two felony warrants for Pressley’s arrest. On August 20, Norwalk police, assisted by the FBI, located Pressley and arrested him during a traffic stop. Pressley was also found in possession of illegal narcotics. After being charged with drug violations in Norwalk, he was transferred to Bridgeport Police custody, where he faces multiple charges, including first-degree sexual assault and first-degree kidnapping. His bond is set at a combined $750,000
