State police troopers and federal agents remove a roof rack from a vehicle in the driveway located at 5/7 Fairview Street in Westfield Thursday afternoon. Items from the vehicle were tagged as “evidence” and removed to a waiting U-Haul truck driven by federal agents. Also on scene were FBI agents, U.S. postal agents, state police troopers, narcotic agents and FBI photographers. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – Federal officials swooped down on a Fairview Street house early Thursday morning and spent the day examining, packing and removing property from the residence and the associated garage, and examining vehicles.
Neighbors said that at 7 a.m. they found cars parked in the quiet residential neighborhood near the target house, a multi-family with an address of 5 and 7 Fairview Street.
At about 2 p.m. there were about 20 vehicles, with both Massachusetts and Connecticut registration plates, parked on the side of the streets near the house.
The house was swarming with plainclothes agents, some of whom were wearing jackets emblazoned with letters such as FBI, State Police, or Narcotics, but most were recognizable as law enforcement agents only by the badges hanging around their necks and the side arms holstered at their waists.
Federal and state law enforcement agents remove a crossbow with a high-power scope and arrows as part of a court authorized order on a multi-family home located at 5/7 Fairview Street in Westfield. Law enforcement personnel documented and tagged numerous items which were packed into evidence containers and placed into a secure U-Haul truck where federal agents were waiting. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
The two addresses at the duplex are apparently entered via a common hallway so it was not obvious which of the two addresses was the target of the raid. Neighbors said the residents “kept to themselves” and said that the address was constantly visited by DHL Express trucks but did not know if the shipping company was there for incoming or outgoing shipments.
The neighbors also said that the residents had multiple vehicles including a Porsche one person said was worth $90,000.
That car was parked in the garage which looks to be equipped with security cameras and motion activated lights. The other two vehicles parked in the driveway included a Lexus or similar vehicle and an SUV.
A narcotics agent checks a box as state and federal law enforcement agents seize property from an apartment located at 5/7 Fairview Street in Westfield yesterday afternoon. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Agents went so far as to secure hand tools and removed a rack from the SUV along with fishing equipment and a trolling motor, which were seized by the agents. An agent arrived driving a U-Haul box truck which agents loaded with bagfuls of property, as well as a great deal of outdoor sporting equipment.
A canoe, fishing poles, a trolling motor, and an automotive type battery which could be used with the trolling motor, as well as other sporting supplies, were taken by agents.
Agents also seized a very elaborate crossbow with a scope and a box of what looked like aluminum precision arrows which were tipped with lethal triple bladed arrow heads.
Federal and state law enforcement officers load a canoe into a waiting U-Haul truck as other agents, background, remove items from an apartment located at 5/7 Fairview Street in Westfield yesterday. Agents and troopers were on scene after executing a court order to seize property at that location. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Agents also removed what appeared to be a case suitable for carrying a long gun, as well as a desktop computer and what could have been a laptop computer.
“It looked like they were taking everything” said one bystander. “Basically, everything they touched, they were taking.”
Springfield FBI supervisor Mark Karengekis told Westfield News media partner, WWLP 22News, that the search of the residence by FBI and several other agencies was a court-authorized action, but said he cannot be any more specific.
City police profess to be in the dark about the operation.
A supervisory officer said only that the agents are working on a federal investigation and have not involved city police.
The Westfield police log notes, at 7:27 a.m., that city police were notified that “state police and federal agencies” were executing a warrant.
A patrol officer arrived at the scene but stayed only 23 minutes.
