CT Musician Remembered After Fatal I-91 Crash: He 'Meant So Much To So Many' CT Musician Remembered After Fatal I-91 Crash: He 'Meant So Much To So Many' CT Musician Remembered After Fatal I-91 Crash: He 'Meant So Much To So Many'
CT Musician Remembered After Fatal I-91 Crash: He 'Meant So Much To So Many' A 44-year-old Connecticut man killed in an Interstate 91 crash is being remembered for his talent as a musician and for the lives he touched. Matthew Bennett, of Enfield, was fatally injured in a crash Thursday evening, Oct. 1, near Exit 36 in Windsor. He was driving south when his car and another vehicle collided, sending him into a guardrail and rolling across the interstate, according to Connecticut State Police. Emergency crews took Bennett to Hartford Hospital, where he later died from his injuries, police said. Troopers are investigating the cause of the crash. Bennett played bass fo…
Woodbridge Murder-Suicide: Police ID 2 Found Dead Inside Home Woodbridge Murder-Suicide: Police ID 2 Found Dead Inside Home Woodbridge Murder-Suicide: Police ID 2 Found Dead Inside Home
Woodbridge Murder-Suicide: Police ID 2 Found Dead Inside Home Authorities have identified a couple who were found dead inside a Connecticut home last week and ruled the deaths a murder-suicide.  Jo Ann Karales, 66, and William Karales, 71, were found dead inside their Orchard Road home in Woodbridge shortly before noon Friday, Oct. 2, police said. Officers were called to the home for a welfare check after an employee told police they had not arrived for work and were not answering their phones.  Woodbridge police officers discovered their bodies after climbing through a window at the back of the house, authorities said. Authorities took the…
Fifth Measles Death Reported In US As Outbreak Tops 1,000 Cases Fifth Measles Death Reported In US As Outbreak Tops 1,000 Cases Fifth Measles Death Reported In US As Outbreak Tops 1,000 Cases
Fifth Measles Death Reported In US As Outbreak Tops 1,000 Cases A fifth measles-associated death has been confirmed in Pennsylvania as the Commonwealth’s outbreak surpassed 1,000 cases across 39 counties, health officials said. An unvaccinated Lancaster County resident with confirmed measles died, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Wednesday, Sept. 30. The department did not release the person’s age, sex, or other identifying details. The death is the fifth Pennsylvania resident to meet the state’s measles-associated death definition this year, officials said. As of Monday, Oct. 5, Pennsylvania had confirmed 1,004 measles cases and 198 hos…
Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels
Dead Passengers, Fake Drivers: NJ Woman, Colombian Lover's $13M Scheme Unravels Some of the passengers were dead. Some of the drivers had never driven a car. But a New Jersey woman and her Colombian lover apparently had no trouble taking taxpayers for a ride. For years, prosecutors say, Jael Watts, 45, of Alloway, operated Pearl Transit Corporation, a New Jersey-based company that purported to have drivers scattered across the country giving rides to elderly and disabled people while also conducting outreach for homeless Americans. Watts and Luis Pino-Copete, 42, of Bogota, Colombia, were convicted following a multi-week federal trial in Utica of orchestrating a spraw…
Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence
Fashion CEO, Wife Found Shot Dead Outside California Residence A fashion company CEO and his wife were found shot dead outside their California home, according to multiple reports. Neighbors identified the couple as Bryan and Michelle Walker, who built the women’s clothing brand, Bryn Walker.  They were found outside their home on Panoramic Way in Oakland, California, on Friday, Oct. 2, The Berkeley Scanner reported. Police had not publicly released their names when the Scanner published its report. Michelle was 63. Reports differed on Bryan’s age. A neighbor who heard gunfire discovered the couple around 10:45 a.m., according to the Scanner, ci…
Police Break Window To Reach Unconscious Driver After Naugatuck Elementary School Drop-Off Police Break Window To Reach Unconscious Driver After Naugatuck Elementary School Drop-Off Police Break Window To Reach Unconscious Driver After Naugatuck Elementary School Drop-Off
Police Break Window To Reach Unconscious Driver After Naugatuck Elementary School Drop-Off Police smashed open a car window to reach an unresponsive driver near a Connecticut elementary school after morning drop-off, authorities said.  Aidon Young, 37, of Naugatuck, was arrested after officers responded at 9 a.m. to the intersection of Spencer Street and Andrew Avenue outside Andrew Avenue Elementary School in Naugatuck for reports of an unresponsive driver, police said.  Officers found Young in the driver’s seat. The car was in park, but his foot remained on the brake, police said. Young was taken to Waterbury Hospital for evaluation. Witnesses reported seeing Young …
Waterbury Woman Kills Boyfriend, Charged With Murder: Police Waterbury Woman Kills Boyfriend, Charged With Murder: Police Waterbury Woman Kills Boyfriend, Charged With Murder: Police
Waterbury Woman Kills Boyfriend, Charged With Murder: Police A 39-year-old Connecticut woman has been charged with murder after police say she fatally stabbed her boyfriend during an argument. Officers were called to the area of 40 Chestnut Ave. in Waterbury on Friday, Oct. 2, at 10:34 p.m. for reports of a man bleeding, according to Waterbury Police. Police found 35-year-old Joseph Rodriguez of Waterbury suffering from apparent stab wounds to his chest and arm. He was taken to a local hospital for emergency treatment. Investigators determined Rodriguez was injured during an argument that turned physical with his girlfriend, 39-year-old Destiny Smit…
Dead Puppy, Fake Sex Ad: Naugatuck Woman Accused Of Targeting Animal Control Officer Dead Puppy, Fake Sex Ad: Naugatuck Woman Accused Of Targeting Animal Control Officer Dead Puppy, Fake Sex Ad: Naugatuck Woman Accused Of Targeting Animal Control Officer
Dead Puppy, Fake Sex Ad: Naugatuck Woman Accused Of Targeting Animal Control Officer A 35-year-old Connecticut woman who is facing animal cruelty charges is now accused of targeting an animal control officer who investigated her by using a fake online ad offering sex, police said. Melissa Mae Ahlgren, 35, of Naugatuck, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 1, on three outstanding warrants. She is being held on $110,000 in bonds, police said.  The animal cruelty case began Aug. 6 after animal control learned that a 5-week-old puppy in Ahlgren’s care was seriously ill, police said. Prospect Animal Control helped get the puppy to an emergency veterinary hospital, but its c…
2 Found Dead Inside Woodbridge Home After Employee Raises Alarm 2 Found Dead Inside Woodbridge Home After Employee Raises Alarm 2 Found Dead Inside Woodbridge Home After Employee Raises Alarm
2 Found Dead Inside Woodbridge Home After Employee Raises Alarm Police found two people dead inside a Connecticut home on Friday, Oct. 2, during a welfare check.  An employee who worked for the two called police around 11:50 a.m. to report they could not reach the homeowners inside the Orchard Road Home in Woodbridge.  Police entered through one of the home's back windows. Inside, they found two people dead. Authorities have not identified either person or whether the deaths were suspicious.  Woodbridge police are investigating. The Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit also responded to process the scene. Police believe the incid…
Fake Federal Agents Steal $6.5M In National Fraud; Victims Didn't Know They Were Scammed Fake Federal Agents Steal $6.5M In National Fraud; Victims Didn't Know They Were Scammed Fake Federal Agents Steal $6.5M In National Fraud; Victims Didn't Know They Were Scammed
Fake Federal Agents Steal $6.5M In National Fraud; Victims Didn't Know They Were Scammed Two more victims of a nationwide gold scam involving fake federal agents had no idea they had been swindled until troopers contacted them, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Friday, Oct. 2. The scheme has been linked to approximately $6.5 million in losses across the country, with victims identified in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington State, according to police. The releases do not say whether the newly detailed losses are already included in that figure. “There are victims that are completely unaware that they are even victims,” Trooper Lauren Lesher wrote in an email to Daily Vo…
Former Yale Football Coach Tony Reno Dies At 52 After Lengthy Illness Former Yale Football Coach Tony Reno Dies At 52 After Lengthy Illness Former Yale Football Coach Tony Reno Dies At 52 After Lengthy Illness
Former Yale Football Coach Tony Reno Dies At 52 After Lengthy Illness Tony Reno, the coach who guided Yale football to five Ivy League championships, has died at 52, the university’s athletic director announced on Friday, Oct. 2.  Reno stepped down for health reasons in February. He had been living with a neurodegenerative disease since August 2025.  Even as his health declined, Reno coached the Bulldogs through every game of the 2025 season. Yale won another Ivy League title and reached the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. His loss reaches beyond the sidelines in New Haven. His son, Dante, serves as Yale’s starting quarterback. Re…
Men Avoid Prison After Setting Off Blast Inside Harvard Medical School Men Avoid Prison After Setting Off Blast Inside Harvard Medical School Men Avoid Prison After Setting Off Blast Inside Harvard Medical School
Men Avoid Prison After Setting Off Blast Inside Harvard Medical School Two Massachusetts men received probation after admitting to setting off an explosion inside a Harvard Medical School research lab.  Logan David Patterson, 19, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 21, of Bourne, set off a large commercial firework that triggered a fire alarm at the school’s Goldenson Building in Boston around 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2025, federal prosecutors said. US District Judge Angel Kelley sentenced each man to three years of probation. She also ordered them to pay $28,517 in restitution to the medical school. Both men pleaded guilty in April 2026 to conspir…