Day: July 28, 2020

Pedestrian Struck By Car in Essex Tuesday


Police reported a 38-year-old man was struck by a car attempted to cross Eastern Boulevard near Orville Road in Essex. He was attempting to cross against the pedestrian signal at a crosswalk on Tuesday, July 28 around 5 a.m.

He was hit by a 2020 Nissan Sentra that was traveling east on Eastern Boulevard. The man was transported to a local hospital by medics. He is in critical condition. The driver of the Nissan remained at the scene.

The Baltimore County Police Crash Investigation Team continues to investigate the crash. Any witnesses are asked to call the crash team at 410-887-5396.

County Offers Grants to Chambers of Commerce


Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski a $600,000 grant program designed to assist chambers of commerce and business associations in their missions to support businesses in their communities.

The grant program will fund initiatives that support local businesses by providing educational programming and marketing efforts to help sustain the viability of this important economic sector that has been hit especially hard by the pandemic.

“Our independent small businesses and our neighborhood business corridors are an important element of our local economy and they add to our overall sense of community,” said County Executive Olszewski. “These grant funds will quickly go where they are needed to provide critically-needed support to help our small businesses districts.”

The COVID-19 Business Corridor Sustainability Grant Program is narrowly focused on providing financial support to Baltimore County’s small business associations and chambers of commerce so that they can provide professional-level services to support member and nonmember businesses in their communities.

A total of $600,000 will be awarded to eligible applicants, capped at $20,000 per organization. Applicants will be required to submit a proposal that demonstrates how the organization plans to utilize these funds to support small businesses in Baltimore County by providing COVID-19 related services.

These grant funds will enable the County’s chambers and small business associations to pay staff or outside experts to conduct virtual educational programming on COVID-19 related recovery efforts such as accounting requirements for government assistance programs or negotiating forbearance agreements with landlords and financial institutions. Funds could also be used for marketing campaigns to help promote community patronage and support for local “Main Street” businesses.

Apply Now

Applications are open now and available.

Applicants must be a not-for-profit business association or chamber of commerce that:
•Serves businesses located in Baltimore County
•Has been in operation as of January 1, 2020
•Has at least one paid staff member, and provides an employee roster listing all employees as of January 31, 2020
•Is registered and in good standing with the State of Maryland, if required to do so by law
•Is not currently in default on any loans, or out of compliance with any grants from Baltimore County, or delinquent on any taxes owed to Baltimore County
•Submits a complete and acceptable application and proposal by 5 p.m. on Monday, August 31

Baltimore County staff will review the application to ensure proper completion, and an inter-agency committee will be responsible for reviewing each application submitted to determine eligibility.

Police Report Airbag Thefts as Latest Trend


Police are investigating a series of airbag thefts in Baltimore County since late June, targeting mostly Honda vehicles.

Since June 26 there has been a general increase in thefts from autos, but specifically airbags. Police have determined that most of the vehicles being targeted are Honda Civics and Honda Accords. The department has experienced thefts of airbags in the Lansdowne area of Precinct 1 Wilkens, the Rodgers Forge area of Precinct 6 Towson, and additional incidents in Precinct 4 Pikesville and Precinct 12 Dundalk.

Most of the thefts are occurring during the overnight hours and involve the suspect breaking out the driver side window of the vehicle and stealing the airbag out of the steering wheel.

Avoid These Thefts

In a number of cases where the suspects did not succeed in stealing an airbag, some type of anti-theft device was used. While most car alarms will not sound if only the glass window is broken out, a sounding alarm has prevented the theft in some instances. In cases where a steering wheel locking device has been used on the car, the thief was not able to steal the airbag. Police are recommending the use of these devices to deter the theft of airbags, and the theft of your vehicle. Make sure that your doors are always locked and try to park in a well lit area.

If you see a vehicle driving through your neighborhood slowly during the overnight hours, safely try to get a description of the vehicle and call 9-1-1 immediately. The sooner you call police, the sooner we are able to respond and are more likely to locate and stop the suspicious vehicle to determine if there is any criminal activity at foot.

If you are the victim of a theft from auto or theft of your airbag, contact police immediately by calling 410-887-2222. Make sure you have your airbag replaced by a dealership or certified repair shop as criminals are known to sell stolen airbags to less reputable auto repair shops.