NIAGARA FALLS

Man charged after youth hockey game

Falls police were called to the Hyde Park Ice Rink about 5:45 p.m. Saturday after a retired member of the Niagara Falls Police Department reported being threatened after a youth hockey game.

The victim said he was leaving the rink with members of his family when Kenneth W. Wigdorski, 43, 1708 Colvin Blvd., North Tonawanda, approached him with his son and tried to instigate a fight. The report said Wigdorski was angry over a comment he believed the victim made to his son.

The victim, a coach of a youth hockey team, said when he refused to fight, Wigdorski, as well as seven or eight players and a team manager began to taunt him as his family stood by.

When the ex-cop said he was calling the cops, Wigdorski replied, “I’ll wait here. But hurry, I don’t want to be late for dinner.”

He was eventually charged with third-degree menacing.

As the victim was filling out a police report, he told officers his son called him to say he had just received a threatening call. The son was urged to contact the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department.



Vacant home hit by fire

Falls firefighters responded to 549 Fifth St. for a burning vacant home early Sunday morning.

Falls police noted it appeared the fire began in the rear of the building and caused damage to a neighboring structure at 553 Fifth St.

Firefighters responded to the scene about 12:45 a.m. A nearby resident told police they came home about 11:45 p.m. and smelled burning rubber. They then saw two older teens rushing away on bikes. The witness said the two teens were later among the crowd watching the fire.

A member of the Falls Fire Department said Sunday night the blaze is being investigated.

No one was injured. One of the homes was owned by a local man while the other was listed as being owned by a California man, police said.



Niagara Falls

• DWI: Tanisha M. Bradberry, 39, 2024 Forest Ave., Apt. 1, was charged with DWI and no seat belt about 11 p.m. Saturday, according to Falls police. Bradberry was stopped after police received complaints of her ’98 Pontiac Sunfire swerving in the road. Stopped near 24th Street and Forest Avenue, she failed field sobriety tests and refused a chemical test.

• DWI: Michael A. Westfall, 19, 104 Crystal Ave., Buffalo, was charged with DWI and first-degree unlicensed operation about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Falls police. On patrol in the LaSalle area, police found Westfall asleep in a running car with its headlights on. After being awoken, Westfall told police he had left a Main Street bar after his girlfriend abandoned him. Officers eventually charged him and his blood alcohol content was measured at 0.08 percent.

• DWI: James R. Bergthold Jr., 41, 3011 Panama St., was charged with DWI, failure to stop at a stop sign and unreasonable speed about 3 a.m. Sunday, according to police. Bergthold was stopped after police said he sped through a stop sign at 17th Street and Walnut Avenue. He failed two sobriety tests and was taken into custody, officers said. He refused a chemical test.

• CHARGED: Randy T. Archer, 19, North Tonawanda, was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and failure to obey a traffic signal about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, according to Falls police. Archer was charged after police found him driving through a closed construction lane at Robbins Drive. A computer check revealed several driver’s license suspensions for failure to appear in court, the report said.

• CHARGED: Alfred J. Chiodo, 88, 2477 Willow Ave., was charged with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to stop at a stop sign and no turn signal about 1 p.m. Saturday, according to Falls police. Called for a report of a man driving with an invalid license, police said they watched Chiodo drive through a stop sign and fail to signal a turn as he returned home.

• CHARGED: Anthony A. Zaccarella, 57, 7103 Buffalo Ave., Apt. 2, was charged with second-degree burglary and fourth-degree criminal mischief about 10:45 a.m. Sunday, according to police. He was charged after a 21-year-old acquaintance said he entered her apartment without permission.

• STOLEN CAR: A 25-year-old Jerauld Avenue resident told police he parked his ’92 Chevy Blazer on the street near his home about 3 a.m. Sunday and noticed it was missing about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Police noted there was broken glass where the truck had been parked.

• BURGLARY: A 25-year-old 20th Street resident told police someone entered their apartment through an unlocked kitchen window and took a computer and some DVDs. Police noted the resident was in the process of moving from the apartment and the items had been packaged to move out.

• BURGLARY: The director of operations for a hotel in the 400 block of Buffalo Avenue reported that sometime Saturday night someone entered the hotel and took 100 feet of copper pipe from the basement. It was unclear how the suspects had entered the hotel but a similar theft had occurred the night before, the employee reported. The estimated loss is $1,100.

• BURGLARY: A 49-year-old Buffalo Avenue resident told police they came home about 6 p.m. Saturday to find their front door kicked in. A Playstation game system, DVD player and microwave oven were taken. Police noted a 19-year-old slept through the entire incident in a bedroom.

• INCIDENT: A 63-year-old Woodlawn Avenue woman told police she heard glass breaking about 1:15 a.m. and heard what she thought was two people in her kitchen. When she yelled out “What are you doing?” they fled. Officers later located a brick used to smash a rear door window and found other evidence at the scene.