Latest news with #Kerrisdale
CBC
23-06-2025
- CBC
Vancouver senior shares harrowing story of necklace, bracelet robbery
Hairstylist Richard Jeha was in his home neighbourhood of Kerrisdale when someone walked up to him, spoke very fast, and took his valuable cross necklace and bracelet. The thieves sped off in a car. Vancouver police Const. Tania Visintin said her heart breaks for Jeha. It comes as the Lower Mainland experiences a rise in "distraction thefts."
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Yahoo
Police warn 'heartbreaking' distraction thefts could rise in the summer
Police in the Lower Mainland are warning the longer, brighter days of summer mean distraction thefts, in which robbers quickly try to confuse victims while stealing from them, are expected to increase. Jewelry, valuables and money are often stolen in the thefts, which have been a problem for years, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). Richard Jeha, a hairstylist and owner of Richard Jeha Salon, said he was robbed of treasured jewelry — a bracelet from a loved one and a cross on a gold chain — that he was wearing, while walking his dog in Vancouver's Kerrisdale neighbourhood earlier this month. Jeha said it was still light out when he was approached by a woman offering him a strange-looking ring. She proceeded to ask him for the bracelet he was wearing. It was a gift from a loved one in Lebanon, Jeha told CBC's On the Coast. The woman said her husband, waiting in a nearby car with a small child, would pay for Jeha's bracelet. "I said, 'No, no, no, I don't want any of that.' ... Anyway, she came from behind me, grabbed my elbow and pushed it into his window." The man in the vehicle grabbed Jeha's hand, which the woman was holding, and slid his hand under the bracelet. "He put his finger and just yanked it off me," Jeha said. The man also stole Jeha's cross necklace, which he had had since he was five years old. Jeha tried to yell at the couple, but to no avail. "It wasn't more than a minute or so that she's in the car, and they took off." Two boys helped Jeha call 911 after the incident. Police concerned about distraction thefts The VPD said the incident is very similar to other distraction thefts, however sometimes people aren't even aware they're being robbed. "This has been going on for years and years and years. It's a very sophisticated group that's doing this," Const. Tania Visintin said. About 70 cases of distraction theft have been reported to VPD since the beginning of the year, according to Visintin. She said distraction thefts commonly occur in residential areas; the south and southeast parts of Vancouver are particular hotspots for this type of crime, possibly because there are more homes. Visintin said a common strategy the robbers use is to approach a victim with a sob story. She noted they can come up to victims in yards or even on porches or patios. "It's not just one group; it's several groups, so it does make catching them very difficult for us. But because there's such an increase right now, we're doing a lot of work, especially behind the scenes, a lot of covert things that I can't unfortunately speak about," Visintin said. "We're taking this as a priority because these are innocent people that are getting targeted, and it's very heartbreaking to see." Police in other Lower Mainland cities have also sent out warnings about distraction thefts. Burnaby RCMP said three thefts in recent weeks have resulted in two victims losing family heirlooms. In March, Surrey Police Service noted there had been more than a dozen incidents of distraction theft in the first three months of the year. If you are approached by a stranger and feel uncomfortable, police recommend yelling and making noise to try attract the attention of others nearby. Jeha said he wished he would have not visibly worn his cross over his shirt. "That was something, a well-learned lesson." But Jeha said the incident hasn't changed how he feels about his neighbourhood and that he continues to feel safe walking in his community.
CBC
22-06-2025
- CBC
Police warn 'heartbreaking' distraction thefts could rise in the summer
Social Sharing Police in the Lower Mainland are warning the longer, brighter days of summer mean distraction thefts, in which robbers quickly try to confuse victims while stealing from them, are expected to increase. Jewelry, valuables and money are often stolen in the thefts, which have been a problem for years, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). Richard Jeha, a hairstylist and owner of Richard Jeha Salon, said he was robbed of treasured jewelry — a bracelet from a loved one and a cross on a gold chain — that he was wearing, while walking his dog in Vancouver's Kerrisdale neighbourhood earlier this month. Jeha said it was still light out when he was approached by a woman offering him a strange-looking ring. She proceeded to ask him for the bracelet he was wearing. It was a gift from a loved one in Lebanon, Jeha told CBC's On the Coast. The woman said her husband, waiting in a nearby car with a small child, would pay for Jeha's bracelet. "I said, 'No, no, no, I don't want any of that.' ... Anyway, she came from behind me, grabbed my elbow and pushed it into his window." The man in the vehicle grabbed Jeha's hand, which the woman was holding, and slid his hand under the bracelet. "He put his finger and just yanked it off me," Jeha said. The man also stole Jeha's cross necklace, which he had had since he was five years old. Jeha tried to yell at the couple, but to no avail. "It wasn't more than a minute or so that she's in the car, and they took off." Two boys helped Jeha call 911 after the incident. Police concerned about distraction thefts The VPD said the incident is very similar to other distraction thefts, however sometimes people aren't even aware they're being robbed. "This has been going on for years and years and years. It's a very sophisticated group that's doing this," Const. Tania Visintin said. About 70 cases of distraction theft have been reported to VPD since the beginning of the year, according to Visintin. She said distraction thefts commonly occur in residential areas; the south and southeast parts of Vancouver are particular hotspots for this type of crime, possibly because there are more homes. Visintin said a common strategy the robbers use is to approach a victim with a sob story. She noted they can come up to victims in yards or even on porches or patios. "It's not just one group; it's several groups, so it does make catching them very difficult for us. But because there's such an increase right now, we're doing a lot of work, especially behind the scenes, a lot of covert things that I can't unfortunately speak about," Visintin said. "We're taking this as a priority because these are innocent people that are getting targeted, and it's very heartbreaking to see." Police in other Lower Mainland cities have also sent out warnings about distraction thefts. Burnaby RCMP said three thefts in recent weeks have resulted in two victims losing family heirlooms. In March, Surrey Police Service noted there had been more than a dozen incidents of distraction theft in the first three months of the year. If you are approached by a stranger and feel uncomfortable, police recommend yelling and making noise to try attract the attention of others nearby. Jeha said he wished he would have not visibly worn his cross over his shirt. "That was something, a well-learned lesson."
CTV News
13-06-2025
- CTV News
Do you recognize this man? Video shows suspect in 16 break-ins across Vancouver's west side
Video provided by the Vancouver Police Department shows a suspect wanted in connection with 16 break-ins. Authorities are asking for the public's help identifying a suspect wanted in connection with 16 break-ins committed across several of Vancouver's wealthiest neighbourhoods. The Vancouver Police Department said the individual is linked to a series of thefts throughout Marpole, Kerrisdale, Arbutus Ridge, Oakridge and Shaughnessy since January. The suspect has been entering homes through unlocked doors – either early in the morning or late at night, and 'often when people are home' – then stealing cash or valuables, police said in a news release Friday. The most recent happened early Friday morning near Marguerite Street and West 41st Avenue. 'We are actively working to identify and arrest this suspect,' said Const. Tania Visintin, in a statement. 'Until we find him, we're asking people to take extra precautions and to call police immediately if you encounter him.' Authorities also released a surveillance video and several images of a suspect Friday, along with a description. The individual is believed to be an Asian man in his 30s, who normally wears a dark baseball cap, dark hooded jacket, dark pants and dark running shoes, plus a medical facemask and blue gloves. While Visintin described the thefts as 'brazen' and 'frightening,' she said no one has been injured during any of the incidents reported so far. Authorities suspect the culprit lives on Vancouver's west side, and has been walking to the targeted homes. The burglarized properties are all located between West 16th and West 70th avenues, and between Oak and Elm streets. The Vancouver Police Department said patrols have been increased in the area, as officers canvass for video and witnesses. Authorities asked anyone with information on the suspect's identity to call 604-717-0610.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Trump has driven me to become a Canadian': Threats prompt American to apply for citizenship after 52 years in Vancouver
Terri Clark has deep American roots. She had ancestors who sailed to the New World on the Mayflower in 1620. One of her ancestors signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. 'He's the only one who put his address on,' she explains. 'Charles Carroll. Everybody said, 'Why did you put your address on?' He said, 'You know what? There are so many Carrolls in Maryland and Virginia, I want the King to know where to get my head, not anybody else's.' She still owns property in Connecticut, and votes in American elections. But she has lived in Vancouver since 1973, when she came north to marry Peter Clark, an Englishman she met in Mexico. She has been civically engaged since she arrived in Canada. For many years, she was the head of communications for the Vancouver park board. She currently runs the Kerrisdale business improvement association. Clark has never bothered to become a Canadian citizen, partly because she has such deep American roots. But U.S. President Donald Trump's taunts and threats to make Canada the 51st state have ticked her off so much that she has finally applied for Canadian citizenship, 52 years after moving to Vancouver. 'Trump has driven me to become a Canadian,' states Clark. 'The irony is, if we lose this battle, I'll be an American again. But you know what? We're not going to lose the battle. We're not going to lose it.' It sounds like a speech out of the movie classic Casablanca. She is so passionate about Canada retaining its independence from the U.S. that this week she got the Kerrisdale BIA to haul 30 Canadian flags out of storage and hang them up on the streets. 'I feel so strongly about it,' she said, while dismissing the 51st state talk as 'ridiculous.' 'He's after our minerals. He's after our access to the Arctic. He's after our water. I've said right from the start that's what he's after.' She has submitted the forms to become a Canadian citizen and hopes she meets the grade for citizenship. But she also plans to stay an American citizen. 'I'm not denouncing my U.S. citizenship. I file income tax every year,' she said. 'But my loyalty is to Canada, and I will treasure the right to vote.' Clark was born in Danbury, Connecticut, and grew up in Patterson, New York, whose claim to fame was it was home to actors Robert Montgomery and his daughter Elizabeth (of the TV show Bewitched). Clark went to American University in Washington, D.C. 'I really wanted to go into diplomacy,' she relates. 'But we found out really early on that they didn't really want women in diplomacy at that point.' So she switched to communications. On a photography trip to Mexico, she got access inside Santa Prisca Cathedral in Taxco, where she met her future husband. 'This really good-looking guy and good-looking woman come to the door (of the cathedral),' she said. 'They're standing at a sign that says, in Spanish, 'Your women have to cover their heads.' So we yelled over, 'That just means that your wife has to cover her head.' And he said, 'This isn't my wife.' 'We all said, 'Well, hello.' Anyway, long story short, I married that guy. He was English, living in Canada.' She applied to come to Canada to join him, but was rejected before her father ('a small-time politician in New York') phoned Jacob Javits, the senator from New York, and got her in. She came to Vancouver on her 23rd birthday on March 30, 1973. She hopes to celebrate her 75th birthday as a Canadian citizen, but it will probably take a few months longer. jmackie@
