Alleged burglar fights Niskayuna homeowner

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Yet another Niskayuna burglary has resulted in a physical altercation between the homeowner and the alleged intruder.

At 1:55 p.m. Tuesday, the Niskayuna and Schenectady Police Departments were called to Ravine Road in Niskayuna for a report of a burglary. There, they found suspect Mohammed Selim, 30, of Niskayuna, involved in a physical conflict with the homeowner.

According to Niskayuna police, the burglary victim was upstairs when Selim attempted to climb through a window into the residence. The victim’s dogs began to bark. Selim fled, but the Ravine Road resident pursued him, police said.

A bystander called 911 after seeing the two men fighting. Police then took Selim into custody.

Selim has been charged with second-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief and possession of burglar tools.

“We are looking at Mr. Selim for a couple other burglaries,” Niskayuna Deputy Chief Michael Stevens said. “We have other open burglaries, we have him and a couple other known associates we’re looking at right now to see if we can close any.”

Selim was arraigned in Niskayuna Town Court and sent to Schenectady County Jail without bail.

This latest altercation between burglar and resident is the third such incident in Niskayuna since the beginning of 2015. In January, Eastern Parkway resident Jason Adams chased a career criminal half a mile after a tussle that involved a tumble down the stairs and a broken aquarium.

In April, a Balltown Road resident encountered 43-year-old Fardin M. Sharifipour and confronted him physically. In that incident, Sharifipour escaped the homeowner but was later intercepted by police.

“We’ve been lucky thus far,” Stevens said, noting the fact that homeowners have come out mostly unscathed from these encounters.

“It’s always our fear that [homeowners] lose one of them. And now they’re hurt on top of their property being damaged or stolen,” he said.

“The safest thing for people to do is to try to retreat,” Stevens reiterated. He said in the unlikely event of a home invasion, people should find a safe room, lock the door, then call the police.

“That’s obviously the number one thing we want,” he said.