2 People Beaten To Death Before Killer Set House On Fire, Only To Die In Blaze: Police 2 People Beaten To Death Before Killer Set House On Fire, Only To Die In Blaze: Police
2 People Beaten To Death Before Killer Set House On Fire, Only To Die In Blaze: Police Two people were beaten to death before their killer intentionally set a house on fire — only to die in the blaze, police announced on Tuesday, Aug. 18. The deadly fire at 508 Morgan Drive in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was not accidental, forensic evidence revealed during what Lower Swatara Township Police called an "exhaustive investigation." Two of the victims suffered severe blunt-force trauma at the hands of the third person before that individual intentionally set the fire inside the house, according to Lower Swatara Township police. The person who set the fire then died of fire-rel…
Woman Gets Manslaughter Charge In 2025 Wreck That Killed CT Man, Cops Say Woman Gets Manslaughter Charge In 2025 Wreck That Killed CT Man, Cops Say
Woman Gets Manslaughter Charge In 2025 Wreck That Killed CT Man, Cops Say A woman has been indicted on a manslaughter charge more than a year and a half after a crash on I-684 in Putnam County left a Connecticut man dead, police announced.  Mount Vernon resident Makayla S. McIntyre was arrested on Monday, Aug. 17, in connection with the January 2025 crash in the town of Southeast that killed 65-year-old New Milford resident Michael T. Keller, New York State Police said on Tuesday, Aug. 18.  The crash happened around 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, when McIntyre, who was 23 at the time, lost control of her vehicle while traveling north on I-684,…
Smoke On Plane From Cockpit Forces Emergency Landing (PHOTOS) Smoke On Plane From Cockpit Forces Emergency Landing (PHOTOS)
Smoke On Plane From Cockpit Forces Emergency Landing (Photos) Smoke reported inside a plane traveling from Virginia to New York forced an emergency landing in Pennsylvania Monday night, officials said. The American Eagle flight was traveling from Arlington, Virginia, to Albany, New York, when it diverted to Harrisburg International Airport after smoke was reported inside the cabin on Monday, Aug. 17, according to an airport spokesperson. Emergency crews were dispatched to HIA for an Alert 2 around 9:35 p.m., according to dispatch and airport officials. The aircraft landed safely around 9:45 p.m. and stopped near the end of the runway, officials said.…
Penn State Cocaine Ring Leader From NY Surrenders: AG Penn State Cocaine Ring Leader From NY Surrenders: AG
Penn State Cocaine Ring Leader From NY Surrenders: AG The accused leader of a cocaine trafficking operation tied to Penn State students and two fraternity houses is now behind bars after failing to appear in court a day earlier, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Agostino Abbatiello, 24, of Westbury (previously of Carle Place), New York, surrendered Tuesday morning and had his preliminary arraignment before Magisterial District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker, according to the Attorney General's Office. Gillette-Walker denied him bail. Abbatiello had failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment on Monday, …
Explosion Rocks CT Road After Car Crashes, Bursts Into Flames Explosion Rocks CT Road After Car Crashes, Bursts Into Flames
Explosion Rocks CT Road After Car Crashes, Bursts Into Flames A loud explosion startled the area as firefighters rushed toward a burning car.  Crews responded to the 200 block of Old Jewett City Road in Preston shortly before midnight on Friday, Aug. 14, the town's fire department said in a Facebook post.  Crews heard the explosion as they raced to the scene. The car was sitting off the road, flames roaring from the windows.  Crews pulled a handline and quickly put out the fire. The driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Fire officials said items inside the vehicle caused the explosion but did not disclose what it was.&n…
Hayden Panettiere's Ex Speaks Out After Her Tragic Death Hayden Panettiere's Ex Speaks Out After Her Tragic Death
Hayden Panettiere's Ex Speaks Out After Her Tragic Death Wladimir Klitschko, the ex-fiancé of Hayden Panettiere, made his first public comments since the actress' tragic death. "Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief," Klitschko, a former champion boxer, wrote on social media. "The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives." Panettiere, a Rockland County native, known for her…
1 Dead, 1 Detained Following Shooting In CT; State Police Investigating 1 Dead, 1 Detained Following Shooting In CT; State Police Investigating
1 Dead, 1 Detained Following Shooting In CT; State Police Investigating One person is dead, and another has been detained after an early-morning incident in Connecticut. Troopers responded to a home on South Road in Somers at about 4 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, after someone reported suspicious activity. Officers found a person suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The person died at the scene. State Police did not identify them.  Police also found a second person there. Investigators detained that individual while they work to learn what happened. Authorities stressed that there was no ongoing threat to the community.  The Eastern District…
CT Man Pleads Guilty In Years-Long Child Sex Abuse, Trafficking Case: State CT Man Pleads Guilty In Years-Long Child Sex Abuse, Trafficking Case: State
CT Man Pleads Guilty In Years-Long Child Sex Abuse, Trafficking Case: State A Connecticut man has admitted to sexually abusing a child and later forcing her to perform sexual acts with another man, prosecutors said. Steven Lemieux, 45, of Vernon, pleaded guilty Friday, Aug. 14, to first-degree sexual assault, conspiracy to commit first-degree sexual assault, and trafficking in persons, the state Division of Criminal Justice announced Monday. A judge is set to sentence him on October 23.  Vernon police found that the abuse began in 2012, when the victim was 7 years old. Lemieux and a co-defendant repeatedly assaulted the child while she slept, investigators sai…
International Manhunt Ends With BF Captured After GF Found Slashed, Hidden In Closet: DA International Manhunt Ends With BF Captured After GF Found Slashed, Hidden In Closet: DA
International Manhunt Ends With BF Captured After GF Found Slashed, Hidden In Closet: DA An international manhunt for a man accused of slashing his girlfriend’s throat, hiding her body in a closet, and fleeing the country ended with his capture in Honduras, prosecutors announced on Monday, Aug. 17. Darwin David Espinal-Del Cid, 27, of Telford, Pennsylvania, was taken into custody by Honduran agents with the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation during an operation coordinated with the FBI early Monday in Pespire, Honduras, according to Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan. Espinal-Del Cid is accused of killing his girlfriend, 23-year-old Maria Bernarda Popol Garcia, as…
Woman Faces More Charges in Alleged DUI Crash That Severely Injured Passenger In Old Lyme Woman Faces More Charges in Alleged DUI Crash That Severely Injured Passenger In Old Lyme
Woman Faces More Charges in Alleged DUI Crash That Severely Injured Passenger In Old Lyme A Connecticut woman faces additional charges after police say she sped off a road in a pickup truck, struck a utility pole and seriously injured her passenger, authorities said.  Kelsey Velez, 31, of Plainfield, turned herself in to Connecticut State Police last week after authorities charged her with second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, reckless driving and first-degree reckless endangerment, officials said. The charges stem from a crash shortly after 2 a.m. Sept. 7, 2025, in Old Lyme. Investigators said Velez was driving a 23-year-old man home from an East Lyme bar when she l…
Newington Man Killed In Hartford Mass Shooting; 4 Others Wounded Newington Man Killed In Hartford Mass Shooting; 4 Others Wounded
Newington Man Killed In Hartford Mass Shooting; 4 Others Wounded Police have identified the 32-year-old Connecticut man who was killed in a shooting outside of a nightclub that wounded four others.  Joseph Texidor, of Newington, was identified as the man who died following a shooting near SoulBaila, a Hartford nightclub on Wethersfield Avenue, early Sunday morning, Aug. 16, police said.  Hartford officers received a ShotSpotter alert around 1:40 a.m. Police arrived to find a large group of people and Texidor lying unresponsive. Emergency crews declared him dead at the scene. Four other victims were taken to area hospitals in pri…
New Texts Emerge In Mystery Death Of Designer Aboard Investor’s Hamptons Boat: Report New Texts Emerge In Mystery Death Of Designer Aboard Investor’s Hamptons Boat: Report
New Texts Emerge In Mystery Death Of Designer Aboard Investor’s Hamptons Boat: Report A Long Island designer found dead on a boat last year complained of being “harassed” by her company’s only investor days before her body was found on his boat, according to a new report. Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, 33, had even blocked Christopher Durnan, 61, for months to ignore his calls and texts, the New York Post reported Saturday, Aug. 15. But Nolan-O’Slatarra’s business partner, Dylan Grace, convinced her to unblock Durnan because he was now on the receiving end of Durnan’s communication, according to the Post. Durnan was concerned about fraud by the operators, according to texts obtain…
Off-Duty Philadelphia Police Officer Shot Dead ID'd: Reward Offered For Suspect (UPDATE) Off-Duty Philadelphia Police Officer Shot Dead ID'd: Reward Offered For Suspect (UPDATE)
Off-Duty Philadelphia Police Officer Shot Dead ID'd: Reward Offered For Suspect (Update) The off-duty Philadelphia police officer shot and killed over the weekend has been identified as police search for the man suspected in his murder. Officer Alhassane Barry, 29, a two-year veteran assigned to the Philadelphia Police Department's 12th District, was shot on the 7200 block of Elmwood Avenue on Sunday, Aug. 16, according to police. Barry was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 8 a.m., police said. A second adult man was also shot and taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. His condition has not been released. The Philadel…
Ex-Yale Officer Guilty In Child Porn Case Sentenced To Federal Prison Ex-Yale Officer Guilty In Child Porn Case Sentenced To Federal Prison
Ex-Yale Officer Guilty In Child Porn Case Sentenced To Federal Prison A former Yale University police officer is heading to federal prison after he admitted to having dozens of images and videos of child sexual exploitation material, officials said.  Otilio Green, 44, of Hamden, was sentenced to six years behind bars on Friday, Aug. 14, the US Attorney for the District of Connecticut said. He must report to prison on Sept. 14. Green must also serve seven years of supervised release and pay $10,000 in fines. Green pleaded guilty in February to receiving child sexual abuse material.  Authorities arrested Green in April 2025, while he was working for …
Loaded Gun, Racial Slurs Spark 2 Arrests Outside CT Bar, Police Say Loaded Gun, Racial Slurs Spark 2 Arrests Outside CT Bar, Police Say
Loaded Gun, Racial Slurs Spark 2 Arrests Outside CT Bar, Police Say Two men face serious charges after separate confrontations outside a Connecticut bar, including one involving a loaded gun, police said. The arrests happened early Sunday, Aug. 16, at the Americana Café in the 700 block of Norwich Road in Plainfield. Officers reached the bar at about 1:05 a.m. after receiving a report of a man causing a disturbance with a firearm. Police found a crowd in the parking lot and approached 29-year-old Peter Sousa. Officers ordered Sousa to comply, but he resisted an attempt to detain him, according to Plainfield police. After officers took Sousa to the ground, …
NY Cocaine Pipeline To Penn State Frats Lands Aspiring Lawyers, Entrepreneurs Charges (UPDATE) NY Cocaine Pipeline To Penn State Frats Lands Aspiring Lawyers, Entrepreneurs Charges (UPDATE)
NY Cocaine Pipeline To Penn State Frats Lands Aspiring Lawyers, Entrepreneurs Charges (Update) Aspiring lawyers, entrepreneurs, finance students, and former athletes are among 14 people accused in a cocaine trafficking operation that allegedly moved kilos of drugs from New York to Penn State fraternity houses, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Monday, Aug. 17. Thirteen defendants were Penn State students at or around the time of the alleged conduct in 2023 and 2024, while the 14th is the father of one of the accused students, according to the Attorney General's Office. Agostino Abbatiello, of Westbury, New York, and Thomas Robinson, of Pittsburgh, were identified…
1-Year-Old Dies After Being Left In Hot Car: CT Dad Due In Court 1-Year-Old Dies After Being Left In Hot Car: CT Dad Due In Court
1-Year-Old Dies After Being Left In Hot Car: CT Dad Due In Court A Connecticut father held on a $1 million bond is expected in court after his 1-year-old son died in a vehicle at a strawberry farm over the weekend.  Kevin Pell, 47, is expected to appear in court Monday, Aug. 17, on a charge of risking the injury of a minor, court records show.  Police arrested Pell after responding to Strawberry Farm at 153 Rockville Road around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Pell told police he had left his son in the vehicle. He said the child was blue and not breathing when he returned to check on him. Officers arrived and found Pell performing CPR, East Windsor …
Actress Hayden Panettiere Dead At 36: Report Actress Hayden Panettiere Dead At 36: Report
Actress Hayden Panettiere Dead At 36: Report Hayden Panettiere, a Rockland County native known for her role on "Heroes" has died, her representatives told ABC News on Sunday, Aug. 16. She was 36 years old and died in South Carolina. "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," her father Skip Panettiere said in a statement. "She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her -- and to the millions who watched her onscreen." Born in Palisades, Panettiere attended South Orangetown Middle School, while regularly acting in film and TV, being …
MASS SHOOTING: 5 Shot Outside Virginia State University Dorms As Campus Locks Down MASS SHOOTING: 5 Shot Outside Virginia State University Dorms As Campus Locks Down
Mass Shooting: 5 Shot Outside Virginia State University Dorms As Campus Locks Down Gunfire shattered the early morning quiet at Virginia State University before dawn Saturday. Five people were shot outside residence halls in the 3300 block of Boisseau Street at around 1:28 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, triggering a lockdown and massive police response as investigators began searching for answers, campus officials confirmed. One victim was critically injured. The other four suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to an update from VSU. All five were taken to area hospitals. What led to the shooting remains unclear. In an early-morning alert, …
TV News Star Accused Of Sexual Harassment In Lawsuit Against ABC News: Reports TV News Star Accused Of Sexual Harassment In Lawsuit Against ABC News: Reports
TV News Star Accused Of Sexual Harassment In Lawsuit Against ABC News: Reports Former ABC News Chief Correspondent and New Jersey native Matthew Gutman is named in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former ABC News colleague who alleges he made sexual remarks that contributed to a hostile work environment. Former ABC News producer Samira Said filed the lawsuit Friday, Aug. 14, in Los Angeles Superior Court against 48-year-old Gutman, ABC News, and its parent company, The Walt Disney Co., according to the New York Post and Los Angeles Times. In one incident, Gutman allegedly initiated a conversation rating a female correspondent's appearance, the outlets report,…
CT Man, 71, Charged With Having Child Sexual Abuse Material CT Man, 71, Charged With Having Child Sexual Abuse Material
CT Man, 71, Charged With Having Child Sexual Abuse Material A 71-year-old Connecticut man was arrested and accused of possessing child sexual abuse material following an investigation at his Cheshire home. John Zelisko, of Cheshire, was arrested Thursday, Aug. 14, and charged with second-degree possession of child sexual abuse material, police said. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children sent a cybertip to the Connecticut State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force notified Cheshire police on June 19. The tip said suspected child sexual abuse material had been uploaded from a Cheshire home. Detective S…
NY Man Charged In $600K CT Senior Scam Involving Fake Cops, Apple Support: Police NY Man Charged In $600K CT Senior Scam Involving Fake Cops, Apple Support: Police
NY Man Charged In $600K CT Senior Scam Involving Fake Cops, Apple Support: Police An elderly Connecticut woman lost nearly $600,000 after scammers posed as Apple Support and local police, authorities said. Vishavjit Singh, a 26-year-old man from Queens, New York, was identified as a suspect after a lengthy West Hartford police investigation and was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 13, authorities said. He was charged with first-degree larceny and interfering with an officer. The West Hartford victim reported the scam to police on March 28, 2025. It began with an error message claiming that someone had hacked the victim’s laptop. A woman then called and claimed to work for App…
CT Driver Accused Of Killing Father Of 2 In Head-On Crash Had 5 Tequila Shots: Cops CT Driver Accused Of Killing Father Of 2 In Head-On Crash Had 5 Tequila Shots: Cops
CT Driver Accused Of Killing Father Of 2 In Head-On Crash Had 5 Tequila Shots: Cops A Connecticut man faces several charges after police said he caused a drunken, fiery head-on crash while intoxicated that killed another driver on Route 66 last year. Jose Raul Cornejo, 56, of Middletown, turned himself in to authorities this week on an active arrest warrant stemming from an Aug. 29, 2025, collision in Middlefield, Connecticut State Police said. He was being held on a $150,000 bond. Police said Cornejo crashed into an oncoming car on Meriden Road shortly before midnight. Troopers found 46-year-old Venancio Papalotzi-George unconscious inside a badly damaged Honda Civic. Po…
Flock Around, Find Out: NJ Man Praised After Allegedly Destroying Controversial Cop Cam Flock Around, Find Out: NJ Man Praised After Allegedly Destroying Controversial Cop Cam
Flock Around, Find Out: NJ Man Praised After Allegedly Destroying Controversial Cop Cam A 31-year-old New Jersey man was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 13, for cutting down a Flock safety camera, police said. Andrew Wardell, a Brick resident, intentionally cut down the Flock camera at 181 Drum Point Rd. by the Exxon gas station on Wednesday, July 8, Brick Township police said. Wardell is charged with criminal mischief, police said. Wardell's arrest comes amid national controversy over Flock cameras. Earlier this week, three deputies in Georgia were arrested for using the license plate readers to stalk people, some of whom they were dating. In response, Flock rolled out new safegua…
Mayor Charged After Using $1.5M In COVID Loans For Campaign, Taxes, Mortgages: Feds Mayor Charged After Using $1.5M In COVID Loans For Campaign, Taxes, Mortgages: Feds
Mayor Charged After Using $1.5M In COVID Loans For Campaign, Taxes, Mortgages: Feds A Massachusetts mayor is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he turned pandemic relief money into cash for his political campaign, personal tax debts and high-interest mortgages. Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena, 61, was arrested Friday, Aug. 14, and charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.  The case centers on more than $1.5 million in Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds obtained for Tenares Tire Services Inc., a Lawrence tire and auto service business DePena owned. The loans carried a 3.75 p…
Wife Strangled With Neckties, Husband Charged With Homicide: DA (UPDATE) Wife Strangled With Neckties, Husband Charged With Homicide: DA (UPDATE)
Wife Strangled With Neckties, Husband Charged With Homicide: DA (Update) A husband has been charged with killing his wife, who was found on a bedroom floor with multiple men's neckties wrapped around her neck, authorities announced on Friday, Aug. 14. Michael P. Myers, 59, of Bristol Borough, was arrested after his wife, 54-year-old Dawn Myers, was found dead inside their home at 1305 Wood Street early Thursday, Aug. 13, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office. Myers is charged with criminal homicide, strangulation, aggravated assault, intimidation of witnesses or victims, possession of an instrument of crime, and false imprisonment. Court recor…
Mom Died Fearing Daughter's Accused Killer Would Never Face Trial: Now, He Will Mom Died Fearing Daughter's Accused Killer Would Never Face Trial: Now, He Will
Mom Died Fearing Daughter's Accused Killer Would Never Face Trial: Now, He Will Janet Pizzelli became known for her fight to see the man accused of killing her 27-year-old daughter, Mary Rose Fealey, face justice. But when the 61-year-old mother died of breast cancer in December 2025, less than two years after her daughter's murder, she believed that day might never come. Now, months after her death, the outcome she had hoped for has arrived: David Shroitman, the 30-year-old Somerville man charged in Fealey's killing, has been found competent to stand trial. On Thursday, Aug. 13, Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober made the ruling, following another…
Large Section Of CT Church Collapses, Investigation Underway Large Section Of CT Church Collapses, Investigation Underway
Large Section Of CT Church Collapses, Investigation Underway A large section of a Danbury church collapsed, but no one was hurt or trapped inside. Firefighters responded to the Danbury Lighthouse Ministries, 26 West St., around 4:30 p.m. Thursday after a caller reported the partial collapse, the Danbury Fire Department said. Crews arrived to find that a large portion of the building had caved in. It's unclear what caused the collapse.  Eversource secured the church’s electrical and natural gas services. There were no injuries. The church’s owners are now working with contractors to stabilize the section that remains standing. The D…
Sleeping Child Thrown Onto Walmart Parking Lot Pavement: Police Sleeping Child Thrown Onto Walmart Parking Lot Pavement: Police
Sleeping Child Thrown Onto Walmart Parking Lot Pavement: Police A sleeping child was thrown onto the pavement outside a Lancaster County Walmart, leading to a man's arrest, police announced on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Justin Martin Wagner, 41, of Lancaster, was arrested following the incident at the Walmart at 890 East Main St. in Ephrata Township at 6:58 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11, according to the Ephrata Police Department. Wagner had been causing a disturbance inside the store before witnesses saw him take a sleeping child from a shopping cart, lift the child into the air, and throw the child onto the pavement in the parking lot, police said. Wagner was la…
Motorcyclist Killed In Route 17 Crash Identified As CT Rider Motorcyclist Killed In Route 17 Crash Identified As CT Rider
Motorcyclist Killed In Route 17 Crash Identified As CT Rider The motorcyclist killed in a three-vehicle crash on Route 17 has been identified as a 36-year-old Connecticut man, police said. David Garneau, of Portland, died from his injuries after the collision near Portland Golf West on Wednesday, Aug. 12. The crash happened around 5:30 p.m. at the golf course entrance on Gospel Lane, Portland police said. Authorities identified him on Thursday.  Garneau was traveling north when his motorcycle struck the side of an SUV turning left into Portland Golf West, according to police. The impact threw him into the southbound lane, where another vehicle …
CT Woman Guilty Of Streaming Sexual Abuse Of Teen Sentenced To Prison: Feds CT Woman Guilty Of Streaming Sexual Abuse Of Teen Sentenced To Prison: Feds
CT Woman Guilty Of Streaming Sexual Abuse Of Teen Sentenced To Prison: Feds A Connecticut woman will spend more than a decade in federal prison after admitting she enticed a teenager into illegal sexual activity that she then streamed online, prosecutors said.  Elizabeth Jordan, 43, of West Haven, has been detained since August 2024. She and Joshua Bailey pleaded guilty in federal court on Nov. 3, 2025, to enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, according to the US Attorney for the District of Connecticut.  US District Judge Sarala V. Nagala sentenced Jordan in Hartford to 12 years behind bars and five years of supervised release. Fed…