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85°
Thursday, jun 4
Tag:
Arson
Police & Fire
Third Arrest Made In Gasoline-Fueled CT House Fire Tied To Alleged Drug Dispute
A third suspect has been arrested in connection with a house fire that investigators say was intentionally set in Thompson. Cassandra Lee Heredia, 32, of Windham, was charged with aiding attempted murder and conspiracy to commit arson, according to Connecticut State Police. The fire happened on May 13, 2024, in the North Grosvenordale section of town. Investigators said the blaze was no accident. They found it had been started in three separate locations using gasoline. A gas can was found about a third of a mile from the scene. Troopers also recovered an iPhone. DNA from the device …
Police & Fire
Teen, Man Charged In Explosion At Harvard Medical School; FBI Details What Agents Found
The FBI says two Massachusetts men have been arrested after an explosion shook a building at Harvard Medical School. Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominique Frank Cardoza, 20, of Cardoza, are accused of setting off a Roman candle firework inside the Goldenson Building at 220 Longwood Avenue in Boston, federal investigators said. Agents with the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force made the arrests with help from Harvard University Police. Ted Dox, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston office, said the two bragged about what they did and then tried to cover it up.&nbs…
News
PA Gov. Shapiro’s Mansion Firebomber Cody Balmer Sentenced — Watch New Video Evidence
Cody A. Balmer has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro in a firebombing attack that endangered 22 people inside the Governor’s Mansion in Harrisburg, prosecutors announced on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Balmer admitted to all charges, including attempted murder, aggravated arson, 22 counts of arson (one for each person endangered), burglary, and related offenses, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo. The Sentence Judge Deborah E. Curcillo accepted a plea agreement in which Balmer, 38, was sentenced to a state correctional institution for 2…
News
Facebook Friend Stabbed, Burned Alive By Gang Member: Life Sentences Mount
The final member of a violent Lehigh Valley gang has been convicted in the 2018 torture-killing of 18-year-old Tyrell Holmes, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Thursday, Oct. 9. Zahmire Welcome, 27, of Whitehall, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and kidnapping by a Northampton County jury after more than a week of testimony. He faces a mandatory life sentence when he is formally sentenced on Jan. 14, 2026. Welcome was the last of four men charged in connection with Holmes' killing — all members of a gang that called itself “Money Rul…
Police & Fire
Man Sentenced In Fires That Destroyed Historic CT Church
A teenager who set a string of arson fires, including one that destroyed a nearly 200-year-old Connecticut church, will spend at least three years in prison, authorities announced. The man pleaded guilty in June to a string of 2023 fires when he was 17 years old, the State's Attorney's Office said on Tuesday, Sept. 23. His name was not released since he was a juvenile at the time of the crime. Investigators found the teen set the fires in April 2023. One blaze destroyed the Congregational Church of Eastford, which was built in 1829, and others damaged buildings at Crys…
News
Charlie Kirk Murder: Person Of Interest Released Hours After Utah Campus Shooting
A person of interest who was apprehended in connection with the murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was released hours later. The individual was released from custody following an interrogation by police, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X Wednesday night, Sept. 10. No suspects had been arrested as of 8:45 p.m. "Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency," Patel said. Related Report: Who Was Charlie Kirk? College Dropout, Forbes 30 Under 30 Influencer Assassinated At Rally Kirk, 31, was …
News
Influencer 'Drew Disaster' Commits Arson In Botched Suicide Attempt: Affidavit
A popular content creator is facing felony charges after allegedly setting her Middletown home on fire in a suicide attempt that killed one of her cats, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Thursday, Sept. 4. Drew Yvonne Mehalick-Headley, 29 — known to her hundreds of thousands of followers as “Drew Disaster” — allegedly lit the bedroom of her mobile home on Caravan Court around 4:39 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, according to Middletown police. Flames ripped through the residence before firefighters were able to knock down the blaze and rescue Mehalick-Headley, authorities said…
Obituaries
Police ID 74-Year-Old Man Found Dead In Southington House Fire
Authorities have identified the man found dead inside a burning Southington home early Monday as 74-year-old Stephen Chapin. Chapin was discovered in a bedroom at 2 Chaffee Lane around 2:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 25, according to Southington authorities. No one else was inside the residence. Firefighters received multiple 911 calls about the blaze and arrived to find heavy flames shooting from the front of the house. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but authorities said Wednesday they have ruled out arson.
News
NY Dad, 3 Kids Died In Fire — A Decade Later, Man Accused Of Setting It Is Charged, DOJ Says
More than a decade after a house fire killed a father and three children, and seriously injured a fourth in upstate New York, a longtime suspect has been federally charged. Edward Leon, 53, of Fultonville, was indicted this week by a federal grand jury on a charge of malicious use of fire to destroy property resulting in death, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Albany. The fire broke out on May 2, 2013, at a Schenectady rental home on Hulett Street. It killed David Terry and three of his children: Michael Terry, Layah Terry, and Donovan Duell. A fourth child, Sa’fyre Terry, survived…
Police & Fire
Miami Man Nearly Beheads, Murders Mom Who Came To Check On Him: Police
A 40-year-old Miami Beach man was arrested and charged with murder after an eight-hour SWAT standoff over the weekend after his New Jersey mother's body was found nearly decapitated in a dumpster, police said. Anthony Caruso, 40, was arrested on Sunday, July 20, following the standoff at his apartment on Washington Avenue, according to a criminal complaint filed by Miami Beach Police. Police were dispatched to 800 Washington Ave.,, for a welfare check after Elizabeth Caruso’s son-in-law reported not hearing from her for over six hours, the affidavit says. Elizabeth had arrived mid-day Satu…
Police & Fire
CT Woman Claimed To Be Devil Before Setting House On Fire, Shooting At Boyfriend: Cops
A 42-year-old man told police he awoke to his girlfriend pointing a gun at his head and claiming she was Lucifer. She told him that they needed to kill the neighbors before she allegedly set their home on fire, authorities said. Megan Dunkin, 31, of Harwinton, turned herself in to police on Tuesday, June 24. She faces multiple charges in connection with the incident, according to the Connecticut State Police. The ordeal began on June 12, when Dunkin’s partner said she started rambling and running around their home, an arrest warrant stated. He later found her burning a hole in a shower curt…
News
Knife-Wielding Shoplifter Torches Tent, Threatens CVS Workers In Bristol, Police Say
A Connecticut man returned to a CVS store wielding a knife after shoplifting, then allegedly set fire to a tent at a homeless encampment during a second violent outburst, authorities said. Officers responded to the CVS Pharmacy at 60 Middle St. in Bristol on Tuesday, June 17, around 2:10 p.m. for a report of a disturbance involving a knife, according to a press release from the Bristol Police Department. Witnesses told officers that the suspect, later identified as Christopher Gomez, 33, of Stratford, had first stolen merchandise from the store. He then returned with a knife, threatened emp…
Police & Fire
‘Gallons Of Gas’: Family Recounts Terror In NJ Arson Attack That Left Mom, Son In ICU
New and heartbreaking details have emerged about the horrific arson attack that left five family members hospitalized in New Jersey. The blaze broke out around 10:09 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, at a home on Prospect Street in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Perth Amboy Police Chief Larry Cattano said. Authorities say Gerardo Rosario-Vasquez, 46, broke into the home carrying gallons of gasoline and intentionally set it ablaze. He has since been charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, and home invasion. He remains hospitalized at St. Barnabas in Livingston.…
News
‘Death To America’ Man Who Tried To Firebomb US Embassy In Tel Aviv Arrested At JFK: DOJ
A man who once lived in Colorado is facing federal charges for attempting to firebomb the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Sunday, May 25. Joseph Neumeyer, 28, a dual U.S.-German citizen, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport after being deported from Israel, according to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. Molotov Cocktails Outside The Embassy Neumeyer allegedly showed up at the U.S. Embassy’s Tel Aviv branch on Sunday, May 19, with a dark backpack loaded with three Molotov cocktails. Se…
Schools
CT Student Charged With Sparking Bathroom Fire At Middle School — 4 Injured
When fire alarms went off at Washington Middle School in Meriden on Monday, May 19, it seemed like a typical drill. But it quickly turned into a real emergency. Students were rushed out of the building and gathered at Falcon Field as fire crews responded to a reported blaze inside the school. Meriden firefighters found a fire had been set in a second-floor girls’ bathroom using paper towels. The building filled with smoke and the strong smell of fire, and crews had to work fast to clear the air. Three school employees were taken to MidState Medical Center to be checked for smoke exposure. A…
Schools
Plainville Middle School Student Hospitalized, Charged After TikTok Laptop Fire Stunt: Police
A Connecticut middle school student who was hospitalized for smoke inhalation has now been charged with intentionally setting the laptop fire that led to the emergency, authorities said. Plainville firefighters responded to the Middle School of Plainville on Thursday, May 8, around 10:15 a.m., after a school-issued laptop began smoking. The school was evacuated, but students were later allowed to return once the building was deemed safe, Plainville police said. The teen was reportedly following a social media trend called the "Chromebook Challenge" when he stuck scissors into the mac…
Police & Fire
CT Deputy Fire Chief On Paid Leave Amid Arson Investigation: Report
A Connecticut firefighter with nearly two decades of experience was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into several "fire-related incidents," authorities said. East Lyme Fire Department Deputy Chief Erik Quinn was placed on leave beginning Monday, May 5, officials confirmed. East Lyme First Selectman Daniel Cunningham, who informed news outlets about the probe on Tuesday, did not provide specific details about the investigation. A request for additional information was not immediately returned. However, WFSB reported that authorities are investigat…
Police & Fire
Navy Sailor Gets 50 Years For Killing Wife, Setting CT Home On Fire With Baby Inside
A New London Navy sailor who admitted to starting the fire that killed his wife and nearly killed his 13-month-old baby was ordered to spend 50 years in prison, authorities said. George Dodson, 26, was sentenced to half a century behind bars for the brutal murder of his wife, 23-year-old Shelby Dodson, during a horrifying attack in 2022, the Division of Criminal Justice said on Wednesday, April 30. He pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and risk of injury to a minor earlier this year in New London Superior Court. New London police and firefighters responded to a 911 call in July 202…
News
Bonfire Left Burning Sparked 15,000-Acre NJ Wildfire, 19-Year-Old Man Charged: Prosecutor
A 19-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with setting the massive wildfire that scorched 15,000 acres and destroyed a commercial building this week, officials announced. Joseph Kling, of Ocean Township (Waretown), was charged with Aggravated Arson and Arson in connection with the Tuesday, April 22 blaze, according to a joint statement from Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, NJ DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette, and Ocean Township Police Chief Michal Rogalski. The fire was first spotted at 9:45 a.m. by the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower, which reported seeing smoke near Jones Roa…
News
College Student In Boston Firebombed Tesla Dealership While On Spring Break, Feds Say
A college freshman on spring break is now facing federal charges after allegedly tossing a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership, torching two Cybertrucks in a late-night firebombing. Owen McIntire, 19, of Kansas City, Missouri, who attends college in Boston, was arrested and appeared in federal court in Massachusetts on Friday, April 18. Prosecutors say the charges stem from a Monday, March 17 blaze at the Tesla Center in Kansas City, where he’s accused of using incendiary devices, including one that didn’t detonate, to start a fire that destroyed two vehicles worth more than $100,000 eac…
News
Listen
: Cody Balmer’s 911 Call Before Firebombing Gov. Shapiro’s Residence Mentions Palestine
Just hours before Molotov cocktails were hurled into the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, a man now charged in the attack made a chilling 911 call claiming Gov. Josh Shapiro was targeting Palestinians and hurting his family. Cody Allen Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, is accused of breaking a window at the Governor’s official residence with a hammer and throwing incendiary devices inside while Shapiro, his wife Lori, and their children were sleeping early Sunday, April 13. In a 911 call obtained by Daily Voice on Friday, April 18, Balmer told dispatchers: “Governor Josh Shapiro needs to know t…
News
‘Irritable And Agitated’: Cody Balmer’s Mom Sought Help Days Before Governor’s Mansion Arson
Days before the firebombing at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, the mother of accused arsonist Cody Balmer pleaded with police, fearing her son was suffering from a mental health breakdown, Penbrook police announced in a release on Tuesday, April 15. On April 10 — just three days before the Molotov cocktail attack that forced Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family to evacuate — Balmer’s mother, Christie, contacted the Penbrook Police Department to report that her son had left home without explanation. She told officers that she believed he stopped taking his medications about a year ago and …
News
Hospitalized After Confessing: Cody Balmer Admits Firebombing PA Governor’s Mansion
The man accused of firebombing Pennsylvania’s Governor’s Residence while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept has been hospitalized for a medical event, authorities announced on Monday, April 14. Cody Allen Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, remains under Pennsylvania State Police supervision while receiving treatment at an area hospital. Officials said the medical episode was unrelated to the fire or his arrest. Balmer will be arraigned at Dauphin County Prison once he is cleared for release, state police said. A surveillance video captured Balmer climbing over a wall onto the Governor’s Residen…
News
Shocking Photos Show Firebombed Damage Inside PA Governor’s Mansion After Arson Attack
Charred walls, melted fixtures, and soot-stained ceilings — shocking new images reveal the devastation inside the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence after an arsonist set it ablaze while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept. The photos, released by the Commonwealth on Sunday evening, show extensive fire damage throughout the stately Harrisburg mansion’s interior, particularly concentrated near the front entrance. Blackened walls, debris-strewn floors, and scorched furniture paint a harrowing picture of the overnight attack that officials say could have ended in tragedy. Commonwealth Medi…
News
Cody Balmer Set Fire At Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Residence While Family Slept, State Police Say
A Harrisburg man is accused of setting fire to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Sunday, April 13. The blaze broke out around 2 a.m. at the mansion on North Front Street in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, authorities said. Shapiro, his wife Lori, and their children were safely evacuated by Pennsylvania State Police and Capitol Police after troopers banged on their door to wake them. The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire quickly extinguished the flames. No injuries were reported, though the fire caused “signi…
News
Arsonist Sets PA Governor Josh Shapiro’s Residence On Fire
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to evacuate their residence as an arsonist set the governor’s residence ablaze while they slept overnight. The blaze broke out at 2 a.m. on Sunday, April 13, in North Front Street in the city of Harrisburg in Dauphin County. Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement they has confirmed that the fire was a deliberate act of arson. The alleged arsonist has since been identified and arrested, click here to read our full report. The Shapiro family was located in a different part of the mansion and was safely evacuated…
Police & Fire
West Hartford Arsonist Busted Admiring Hartford Bus Station Fire: Police
An early morning fire that police say was intentionally set at a CTfastrak station caused more than $13,000 in damage and led to the arrest of a West Hartford man. Aaron Davis, 43, of West Hartford, was arrested after troopers were called to the Sigourney Street CTfastrak station in Hartford for reports of a fire on a wooden bench, Connecticut State Police said. As police investigated the scene around 5 a.m., they said multiple bystanders approached, asking questions or watching the response. Troopers noticed one man lingering longer than anyone else and observing the damage, which caught t…
Police & Fire
CT Man Who Once Set Fiancée On Fire, Now Accused Of Strangling Victim In Domestic Attack: Cops
A 48-year-old Connecticut man with a history of horrific domestic attacks was arrested and charged with another one, this time allegedly strangling the victim, police said. He previously set his fiancée on fire after she called off their engagement. Kevin L. Epps, of Darien, was arrested on Wednesday, March 19, and charged with two counts of strangulation, unlawful restraint, threatening, and disorderly conduct, authorities said. Police responded to a domestic violence call around 1:30 p.m. to a home on Post Road in Darien. Officers identified Epps as the suspect and located him…
Police & Fire
Quadruple Murder: Mass. Man
Guilty
Of Vicious Slaying Of Cousin's Wife, 3 Young Children
A jury convicted a Massachusetts man of the brutal quadruple murder of his cousin's wife and her three young children at their Worcester County home, prosecutors said. Matthew Locke, 38, formerly of Ware, was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of Sara Bermudez, 38, Madison Bermudez, 8, James Bermudez, 6, and Michael Bermudez, 2, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office said. Locke, a cousin of Moses Bermudez, committed the March 1, 2018, murders while Moses was out of town in California, authorities said. The trial lasted four weeks and included…
Police & Fire
Arsonist Torches $1M Worth Of Vehicles In Secluded Farmington Construction Yard
Connecticut State Police are asking for the public's help to track down an arsonist who caused $1 million in damages after they torched construction equipment in Hartford County. Hammonasset Construction told police that someone set ablaze several vehicles parked in a secluded construction yard near exit 39A on I-84 in Farmington, authorities said. The company said the fire happened over the weekend, Oct. 12-13. Investigators said the fires would have been visible from both sides of the interstate. They ask anyone who saw the fire or has information on who set i…
Police & Fire
Elderly Woman Set Bloomfield Apartment Fire, Admits It During Rescue: Police
A 70-year-old Connecticut woman admitted to starting a fire at her apartment as firefighters were putting out the flames, authorities said. Hartford County resident Maria Salas, 70, of Bloomfield, is charged with first-degree arson, and was being held on a $500,000 bond, Bloomfield Police said. Firefighters were called to the apartments at 24 Dorothy Driver around 3 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20, to find it engulfed in flames. As firefighters evacuated the building, Salas told them that she had set the blaze, police said. She didn't explain why or how. Crews removed an 89-year-ol…
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