Accused Ferndale Purse Snatcher Jesse Zalesky Tackled By Officer

A Fedale city code enforcement officer jumped into action Tuesday when he was witness to a purse snatching.

According to a Fedale police report, a woman was sitting on the patio of the Torino Coffee Shop about 2:30 p.m. when a man reached over and took her purse. The report said the woman yelled out that her purse had been taken and that her daughter began chasing the man.

City code enforcement officer Joseph Piro was in the area and heard what was going on. The report said he chased the man down an alley and caught up to him on Vester Street, forcing the man to the ground.

"I heard some screaming, I looked over to the cafe and there was a bunch of women who had jumped up, and there was a guy running," Piro said. "As I caught up to him he looked behind and that's when I grabbed him through the shoulders and took him down."

Piro is a certifiably trained officer who has gone through training at a police academy.

Fedale police officers also responded and arrested the man on a larceny charge.

The suspect has been identified as 23-year-old Jesse Ramon-Scott Zalesky.

"My job does not entail going and chasing bad guys," Piro said. "But if I can help then that is one less person on the street who is going to take something from someone, or something worse."

Piro said he has been applying for police officer jobs across Metro Detroit, but has not found anything yet.