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Wellesley police notify community about Blue Whale Challenge strangeness at Sprague

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We received a community notification from the Wellesley Police Department regarding an unusual/suspicious incident that occurred at the Sprague School on September 13, 2017 in the morning:

A Sprague School student reported that he had seen an unidentified male with a beard in the bushes near the Oak Street side of the school on Wednesday morning before school.  The student reported that the man offered the boy a cell phone and asked him to help him participate in the “Blue Whale” challenge.  The student immediately left the scene and there was no further contact.  The person was described as a white male possibly in his 20s, 5 feet 6 inches tall, with long brown curly hair that was in a ponytail.  The male also had a beard but no mustache.

The Wellesley Police Department is working with the Wellesley Public Schools to investigate this incident.  The Wellesley Police Department is sending this message so the entire community can be aware of the unusual circumstances.  We have not had any other reports of this type of behavior.  The incident is being actively investigated by the Wellesley Police Department.  

Please remind your child to report anything that seems strange to a teacher/parent and to quickly get away from any strange situation.  Please call 9-1-1 to report any suspicious incidents or people as well.

This isn’t the first time Wellesley officials have warned families about the “Blue Whale Challenge.” Back in July, Superintendent David Lussier sent out an email to families warning about the deeply creepy “game,” which has made the rounds on social media.

In the “Blue Whale Challenge,” participants are encouraged to carry out a list of fifty tasks that start out with cutting, move on to desensitizing oneself to heights by, say, going to a roof and standing on the edge, and culminating in suicide. Throughout the tasks, the administrator, known as the “whale”, who does not participate in the tasks, is said to require proof through pictures and other occasional check-ins. The term blue whale comes from the phenomenon of beached whales, which is likened to suicide.

Although some reports of the challenge have been uncovered as a hoax, one administrator arrested earlier this year by police who have taken it all very seriously is now in a Siberian jail. An unrepentant Philipp Budeikin, 21, was arrested by Russian police and claimed that his victims were nothing more than biological waste and that he was simply cleansing society. According to The Daily Mail, Budeikin was identified as the ringleader of the Challenge and “was imprisoned by a Siberian court in the country’s first conviction of a so-called administrator of macabre social media death groups preying on vulnerable teenagers.”

Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, Britain and France have also reported the existence of Blue Whale groups.

Superintendent Lussier in his July email said:

Dear Members of the Wellesley Community,

I want share information that school districts across the state have received about a dangerous social media app called, “The Blue Whale Challenge.” The Blue Whale Challenge is an app that instructs its participants (many preteens) to carry out increasingly dangerous tasks and self-harm over 50 days. Users are encouraged to tag friends on social media and ‘challenge’ them to participate in the game.

USA Today (May 25, 2017) reported on how it works – “Over the course of 50 days, an anonymous administrator assigns kids self-harm tasks. The challenges may start by asking kids to watch a scary movie and then grow increasingly dangerous to include acts like cutting. On the 50th day, the participant is supposed to commit suicide. The game can reach kids through social-media channels like Instagram, SnapChat, YouTube and texting.”

It’s very concerning because these apps are targeting a very vulnerable population. We would encourage parents to:

* ask your kids if there are ANY new games or popular challenges that they or their friends are hearing about or playing on social media or online

* search for hashtags like #BlueWhaleChallenge and/or photos of a blue whale on your kids’ social media accounts.

This message is not meant to alarm anyone, but rather to encourage parents to be proactive in protecting their children from potential negative influences on the internet.

Best regards,

David Lussier

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Wellesley school superintendent warns families about dangerous “challenge”

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Superintendent of Wellesley Schools, Dr. David Lussier, has sent out an email to parents warning about a deeply creepy “game” that has been making the rounds on social media for the past several months. In “The Blue Whale Challenge,” participants are encouraged to carry out a list of fifty tasks that start out with cutting, move on to desensitizing oneself to heights by, say, going to a roof and standing on the edge, and culminating in suicide. Throughout the tasks, the administrator, known as the “whale”, who does not participate in the tasks, is said to require proof through pictures and other occasional check-ins. The term blue whale comes from the phenomenon of beached whales, which is likened to suicide.

Although some reports of the challenge have been uncovered as a hoax, the family of a Texas teen says that it believes the sinister game led to its 15-year old son’s death. In addition, at least two administrators have been arrested in the past few months by police who have taken it all very seriously: an unrepentant Philipp Budeikin, 21, was arrested by Russian police earlier this spring, claiming that his victims were nothing more than biological waste and that he was simply cleansing society. In June, Ilya Sidorov, 26, a Moscow postman, was arrested in that city and reportedly told police that he had developed the “game.”

Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, Britain and France have also reported the existence of Blue Whale groups.

Here’s the letter from Supt. Lussier:

Dear Members of the Wellesley Community,

I want share information that school districts across the state have received about a dangerous social media app called, “The Blue Whale Challenge.” The Blue Whale Challenge is an app that instructs its participants (many preteens) to carry out increasingly dangerous tasks and self-harm over 50 days. Users are encouraged to tag friends on social media and ‘challenge’ them to participate in the game.

USA Today (May 25, 2017) reported on how it works – “Over the course of 50 days, an anonymous administrator assigns kids self-harm tasks. The challenges may start by asking kids to watch a scary movie and then grow increasingly dangerous to include acts like cutting. On the 50th day, the participant is supposed to commit suicide. The game can reach kids through social-media channels like Instagram, SnapChat, YouTube and texting.”

It’s very concerning because these apps are targeting a very vulnerable population. We would encourage parents to:

* ask your kids if there are ANY new games or popular challenges that they or their friends are hearing about or playing on social media or online

* search for hashtags like #BlueWhaleChallenge and/or photos of a blue whale on your kids’ social media accounts.

This message is not meant to alarm anyone, but rather to encourage parents to be proactive in protecting their children from potential negative influences on the internet.

Best regards,

David Lussier

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Wellesley Police log: Call the forensic anthropologist; BB gun incidents; fleeing an ambulance

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Wellesley police stationWellesley Police Log Week of 09/11/17 to 09/17/17

Arrests

On September 14, 2017 at 6:50 a.m. Officer D’Innocenzo was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street near Arnold Road when he observed a red Mazda take an abrupt right turn onto Arnold Road.  Officer D’Innocenzo turned onto Audubon Road and encountered the vehicle a second time at the intersection of Audubon and Fox Hill Road.  He queried the vehicle’s registration which showed that the registration was not active and the registered owner’s license was revoked.   The operator attempted to evade being stopped by Officer D’Innocenzo and travelled back onto Worcester Street.  Officer D’Innocenzo stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, who indicated he knew he was not supposed to be driving.   He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and was transported to Dedham District Court.

On September 16, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. Officer Carrasquillo was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street near Bancroft Road when he observed a black colored Buick sedan.  He conducted a query of the vehicle’s license plate which showed that the registered owner’s license was suspended and there was an active warrant issued by the Westborough District Court for her arrest.  Additionally the registration was revoked.  Officer Carrasquillo stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver.  She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later bailed.

Incidents

On September 11, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. Officer Popovski and Detective Gallagher responded to a residence on Oxbow Road to pick up an object that had been found buried in the front yard while a utility company was doing work.  Detective Gallagher photographed the object, which appeared to be a bone and forwarded the photographs to a Forensic Anthropologist who indicated it was a neck vertebrae of a cow.  The bone was then disposed of by Detective Gallagher.

On September 12, 2017 at 7:30 a.m. Officer Gerard spoke to a male reporting party at the police station about harassing text messages he was receiving from a person known to him.  He stated that he received several messages in 2015 and 2016 and they eventually stopped until recently he began receiving them again.  Officer Gerard advised the reporting party of his options to request a harassment prevention order through the Dedham District Court.

On September 12, 2017 at 1:36 p.m. Officer J. Popovski was dispatched to a business on Central Street for a report of a past theft.  She spoke with the business owner, who indicated that two women had entered the store around 12:53 p.m. and left the store at 1:06 p.m.   After they left, store employees noticed three pieces of jewelry missing.  The items were 3 necklaces with a total value of $228.  Officer J. Popovski is investigating.

On September 12, 2017 at 4:06 p.m. Officer J. Popovski spoke with a reporting party from Hickory Road about a stolen bicycle.  The bicycle had been left by the garage overnight.  It was described as a red Trek bicycle valued at $400.  On September 18, 2017 the reporting party contacted the police department and advised the bicycle had been located.

On September 12, 2017 at 5:15 p.m. Officer Knapp was dispatched to CVS on Worcester Street to speak with a store employee about a credit card fraud incident that had recently occurred.  The store employee indicated he had received a call from a female party who stated her credit card had been stolen and it was used at CVS.  The female party asked him to review the store security footage which showed a female party purchase 4 – $200 Visa gift cards and then attempt to make a second purchase of $1,000.  Officer Knapp is investigating.

On September 12, 2017 at 6:53 p.m. Officer Griffin spoke with a female party at the police station about a dispute she was having with her roommate.  She indicated that her roommate moved into the apartment and was not happy with the living arrangements so she advised her that she would be moving out at the beginning of October.  She was upset that she would not have adequate time to find a new roommate.  The roommate indicated that the reporting party had begun sending constant text messages so she blocked her number.  The reporting party was attempting to make arrangements to show the apartment to other prospective roommates and was unable to do so because the bedroom door was locked and eventually hired a locksmith to gain access to show the room.  Both parties agreed to communicate via text message for the dates and times in which perspective roommates would come and view the apartment.

On September 13, 2017 at 8:38 a.m. Officer Cunningham spoke with a female reporting party at the police station about fraudulent charges on her credit card for I-Tunes totaling $89.97.  The reporting party stated that her credit card company had flagged them as fraudulent and contacted them.  There are no suspects.

On September 13, 2017 at 3:48 p.m. Officer Dennehy spoke to a female reporting party who indicated that between 8:00 and 8:30 this morning her grandson encountered a male party in a wooded area near the Sprague School.  The male party asked if he wanted to participate in a challenge and he went back to his friends on the basketball court.  The student informed his grandmother of the encounter when he returned home from school that afternoon.  The School Resource Officer and School Department are investigating the matter.  No reports of similar incidents have been made.

On September 13, 2017 at 8:40 p.m. Office Wall was dispatched to Worcester Street westbound near the Mazda Dealership for a report of a projectile that had penetrated the car window as the reporting party was driving in the area of Westgate Road.  The reporting party was concerned it may be a bullet that had gone through the window.  Officer Wall and detectives viewed the damage and believed the hole was likely caused by a BB pellet and had come from the eastbound side of Worcester Street as the reporting party was driving.  There are no suspects and no reports of similar incidents have been made to the police department.

On September 14, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. Officer Wall was dispatched to a business on Worcester Street for a report of a motorcycle that was stolen overnight.  The male reporting party stated that he leaves the motorcycle at his place of employment and when he left work the previous night at 8:45 p.m. it was there.  He returned to work at 6:30 a.m. and found the motorcycle was gone.  He described it as a blue and black Honda CBR F4I.  The motorcycle has been entered into the NCIS system as stolen.  There are no suspects at this time.

On September 14, 2017 at 8:27 a.m. Officer Cunningham responded to the area of the Wellesley Town Hall for a male party that had fled an ambulance onto the railroad tracks.  Officers were able to locate the male party and return him to the ambulance for transport to the hospital.

On September 15, 2017 at 8:21 a.m. Officer Kane spoke with a male reporting party about a road rage incident that had occurred at 5:30 a.m.   The male party stated while driving eastbound on Washington Street a Mercedes took a left turn from a parking lot and abruptly cut him off.  The reporting party stated he encountered the male operator of the Mercedes a second time at Quebrada Bakery while getting a coffee and a verbal exchange occurred.  Officer Kane spoke with the other party who had a different version of events and neither party wanted to pursue the matter further. 

On September 15, 2017 at 9:24 a.m. Officer Kane was dispatched to the area of Washington Street near Worcester Street for a report of a dispute between an Uber driver and a customer.   Both parties indicated that there was a disagreement about the route to be taken to Boston and a verbal dispute occurred.  The female party indicated she would take the matter up with Uber Headquarters and was provided a ride to the Woodland train station.

On September 15, 2017 at 1:36 p.m. Officer Kane took a report about fraudulent activity on a cellular phone account.  The reporting party had purchased a new phone for her son in early August and had some difficulty getting the phone activated and returned to the store where she bought the phone and returned it.  She then purchased another new phone with a new phone number.  It showed that the original phone number was activated with a data plan on her cell phone account.  She contacted her cellular phone service provider who advised her to file a police report before they would suspend the account.  She indicated when she returned the first phone a young woman assisted her at the store and had asked for her cellular account pin number to assist her.  She thought perhaps this individual was responsible for the fraudulent activity.  Officer Kane is investigating.

On September 15, 2017 at 8:08 p.m. Officer Keenan spoke with a business owner on Washington Street about a possible scam.  The report is incomplete at this time and no further information is available.

On September 16, 2017 at 10:03 a.m. Officer Lindelof spoke with a reporting party from Ravine Road about a purchase that was made online and the merchandise ordered had not been received.  The male reporting party purchased a watch online on September 10, 2017 from a seller who had not shipped the watch.  He has indicated to the seller that he must either ship the watch immediately or reimburse the money paid for the watch.  The seller indicated that he would ship it on Monday, September 18, 2017.  Officer Lindelof will follow up with the reporting party to see if he received the watch.

On September 16, 2017 at 5:46 p.m. Officer Keenan was dispatched to Bristol Road for a report of a child that had been struck in the leg by a BB or pellet.  The child indicated he had been playing in his yard and heard loud bangs and felt something hit his leg.  He said shortly after he was hit in the leg the loud bang sounds stopped.  He indicated the noise had been coming from a neighbor’s property.  Officer Keenan responded to the neighbor’s property and observed several youths in the driveway.  He spoke with the resident who initially indicated he did not possess a BB gun, but later indicated he did and turned it over to Officer Keenan.  Officer Keenan contacted the youth’s parents and afforded them the opportunity to speak to him about the incident, which they declined.  The youth will be summonsed to Dedham Juvenile Court for Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon and Violation of Wellesley Town Bylaw which prohibits the use of firearms or pellet guns within 500 feet of a dwelling.

On September 16, 2017 at 11:00 p.m. Officer Dixon was dispatched to Bethel Road for a report of a suspicious person on the property.  He located a female party who seemed agitated but indicated she was fine.  After speaking with Officer Dixon she entered her vehicle and left the property.  The reporting party stated he would potentially issue a letter of no trespass to the female party.

On September 17, 2017 at 9:42 a.m. Officer Joseph spoke with a female party who stated her personal information had been compromised in a data breach and she recently learned a retail store credit account had been opened in her name that she had not authorized.  She contacted the credit reporting bureau to set up a credit freeze and was advised she needed a police report. 

MORE: Wellesley Police log (9/4-9/10): Airbnb party, property line dispute, trespassing kids

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