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Crime Down In NY, Hochul Says: Here's How Much Murder, Shootings, Property Offenses Decreased
Crime fell across New York in 2026, with new state data showing declines in overall offenses, violent crime, robberies, murders, and property crime in communities across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
The 28 police departments participating in New York's Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative reported a 7 percent decrease in index crime during the first five months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Those departments reported 29,654 index crimes from January through May, down from 31,752 during t…
AI Goes Dark: ChatGPT, Claude, Grok Hit By Widespread Outages
If your favorite AI chatbot suddenly stopped answering Thursday morning, Sept. 3, you weren't alone.
Tens of thousands of users reported problems with some of the world's biggest artificial intelligence platforms as ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Gemini all saw spikes in outage complaints, according to Downdetector.
OpenAI's ChatGPT appeared to take the biggest hit.
More than 37,000 outage reports had been filed for the service by around 11 a.m. ET, Forbes reported, citing Downdetector. Reports began surging after 9 a.m. and climbed sharply around 11 a.m.
OpenAI confirmed it was investigating…
Horse Slaughter Transport Leads To PA Man’s Arrest In New York: Police
A Pennsylvania trucker transporting horses for slaughter in Canada has been arrested in New York, police said.
Robert M. Seitz, of Lewistown, PA, was pulled over around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2 on U.S. Route 11 south of De Kalb, NY, according to state police. Inside his trailer, troopers found multiple horses “tagged for transport to Canada for slaughter,” investigators said.
New York State Police had been investigating a facility in Pennsylvania, Rotz’s Livestock in Shippensburg, owned by Bruce Rotz, according to authorities. They received a complaint on Friday, Aug. 28 about Rotz truc…
The Athletic Reveals Findings On Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel Relationship
A brand-new report by "The Athletic" found Dianna Russini, one of its lead NFL reporters, violated the outlet's standards by not disclosing her relationship with New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel.
Russini, who lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey, with her husband and children, resigned in April after Page Six published photos of the two at a resort in Sedona, AZ. Pictures showed them lounging around a pool, hugging, and holding hands, which sparked a firestorm of controversy around the league and a heated debate over journalistic ethics.
The Athletic said it did not conclude …
Drunk Capital Region Driver Slams Into Pole, Dodges Injury But Not Charges: Police
A drunk Capital Region driver crashed her car into a utility pole but avoided serious injury, police said.
Jennifer Siatkowski, 35, of Schenectady, was traveling on Lake Road through Ballston on Friday, Aug. 21 around 5 p.m., the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said Sunday, Aug. 23.
Siatkowski was behind the wheel of a 2013 Hyundai headed westbound when she left the road and hit the pole, investigators said. First responders arrived and treated her for non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.
At the scene, Siatkowski refused a blood test to determine if she was drunk, poli…
Fake Check For $4,800 Lands Capital Region Man In Handcuffs: Police
A Capital Region man has been arrested for trying to deposit a fake check for nearly $5,000, police said.
Vincent M. Patrick, 41, of Troy, was cuffed Sunday, Aug. 23 on a warrant out of Halfmoon Town Court, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said.
Patrick entered a credit union in Halfmoon on Feb. 2 with a falsified check for $4,853.91 and plans to defraud the establishment, investigators said. He did not succeed, according to authorities.
Instead, Patrick was charged with first-degree possession of a forged instrument, then arraigned in Halfmoon court, cops said. He was released on his …
NJ Times Square Stabbing Victim Was On Her First Day Back From Maternity Leave
Erin Piacenti was on her first day back following maternity leave when she was fatally stabbed in Times Square on Monday, Aug. 31.
Piacenti, a Chester, NJ resident, had welcomed her daughter Madison five months ago, according to a GoFundMe set up to support her daughter and husband, Frank.
"Becoming a mother was Erin's lifelong ambition, and Madison gave her the greatest possible joy," Shray Gupta, who organized the fundraiser said. "Erin's life was defined not by the circumstances of her death, but instead by the way she lived. Erin was deeply devoted to her family and friends, except…
Albany Man Stabbed Twice In Head, Cops Hunt For Answers, Suspect: Police
A man was stabbed twice in the head in Albany on Tuesday night, Sept. 1, police said.
The 33-year-old victim was treated at Albany Medical Center around 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Albany Police Department said.
When medical personnel spotted the victim’s wounds, they contacted police, and officers responded to the hospital, authorities said. The man suffered two stab wounds to the back of his head and a dislocated shoulder, police said.
The man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, but investigators were “unable to determine the location” of the stabbing, cops said. Anyone with informati…
Capital District Woman’s Identity Theft Scheme Hits Two Bank Branches For Almost $10K: Police
A Capital Region woman stole $9,700 through fraud from a North Country credit union, police said.
Tina Seamans, 47, of Schenectady, was already locked up in Warren County, but she was transferred to Moriah for arraignment, then shipped back to prison, New York State Police said Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Seamans withdrew $4,200 from the Port Henry branch of TrailNorth Federal Credit Union and $5,500 from the Elizabethtown branch earlier this year, investigators said.
The credit union filed a fraud complaint with state troopers on Tuesday, Aug. 11, and the investigation led them to identify Seaman…
Teen Gunman Captured In Shooting Of Albany Woman, Police Say
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder for shooting a 20-year-old woman in the Capital Region, police said Wednesday, Sept. 2.
The woman was shot Sunday, Aug. 9 near 1st Street and Judson Street in Albany, the Albany Police Department said. She was wounded with one bullet to the abdomen and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, cops said.
The attacker got away at the time, but over the next several weeks, investigators identified the 15-year-old boy, a Rensselaer resident, as the shooter, authorities said.
He was located Tuesday morning, Sept. 1 as cops carried out a…
Capital Region Man Facing Child Sex Abuse Case Arrested Twice In Eight Days: Police
A Capital Region man had sexual contact with a child under 11 and provided alcohol to minors, according to state police.
Ryan Ouimet, 28, of Sand Lake, was booked on Thursday, Aug. 20, released the following day, then rearrested on Thursday, Aug. 27, New York State Police said.
Investigators began looking into Ouimet on Wednesday, Aug. 19 after receiving a report of him sexually assaulting a child under age 11 in Sand Lake that month, according to authorities. He was arrested Aug. 20 and charged with first-degree sexual abuse and child endangerment, troopers said.
Ouimet was released on Fr…
NJ Woman Killed In Times Square Stabbing, Suspect Fatally Shot By Police
A 32-year-old New Jersey woman was killed after she was stabbed in Times Square Monday, Aug. 31, authorities said.
At 4:24 p.m., police responded to Times Square after Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old Queens woman, had stabbed Erin Piacenti, a Chester resident, and a 68-year-old man, the New York City Police Department said. The victims were transported to a nearby hospital where Piacenti was pronounced dead, the NYPD said. The other victim was in stable condition, police said.
Cisneros, seen in a video shared to Instagram by bboypop97, displayed two large knives and advanced toward police, w…
Bakery Windows Smashed, Cash And Cake Stolen In Capital Region: Police
A New York man caught on camera smashing into a bakery to steal food and cash has been arrested, police said.
Riley Sautter-Walker, 22, of Glenville, has been charged with third-degree attempted burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, and third-degree tampering, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said.
The burglar threw rocks through the window of Dolce & Biscotti bakery in Clifton Park on Tuesday night, Aug. 25, according to surveillance video obtained by WRGB. The suspect took $500 cash, a cake, and shut off the electricity, the station reported.
Sautter-Walker was arrested in th…
PNC Bank VP Killed After Speeding Acura Veers Off PA Turnpike, Hits Tree: State Police
A PNC vice president was killed when his SUV veered off the Pennsylvania Turnpike, went down an embankment, and struck a tree early Tuesday, Sept. 1, state police said and public records show.
Christopher M. Ruane, 55, of Canonsburg, was driving a 2020 Acura MDX west on Interstate 76 in Fannett Township, Franklin County, around 5:20 a.m. when the crash happened near mile marker 195.9, according to an updated Pennsylvania State Police release.
Ruane was traveling "at a high rate of speed" when the Acura veered off the roadway, traveled down an embankment, and struck a tree, police said. He …
Corrections Sergeant, Wife, Kids Killed When Car Plummets Down Embankment (Update)
A correctional sergeant, his wife, and their two children were killed when their car plunged about 60 feet down a steep embankment on Saturday, Aug. 29, state police said.
Pennsylvania State Troopers were called around 10:16 a.m. to the area of 1365 Rock Mountain Drive in Gibson Township, Susquehanna County, where first responders found the sedan down the embankment.
Peter Thatcher, 45, and Sandra Thatcher, 45, both of Tunkhannock, police said, died in the crash along with their 11-year-old son, Noah, and 10-year-old daughter, Layla. Public records, their school, and their church later…
0.27-bac Driver Crashes Into Ditch In Capital Region, Cops Say
A drunk driver’s BAC was measured at 0.27% after he drove into a ditch in the Capital Region, authorities said.
Clifford E. Murphy III, 57, of Northumberland, was found at the crash scene in Moreau on Wednesday, Aug. 26 around 9 p.m., the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said.
Officers responded to Mott Road and found Murphy’s car in a ditch on the side of the road, authorities said. No other vehicles or people were involved in the incident, police said.
After the investigation, Murphy’s BAC was measured at 0.27%, more than three times the legal limit, and he was booked on two DWI counts, …
18-Year-Old Thief Took $3K From Capital Region Mall: Police
A Capital Region teenager was arrested for swiping cash and items from a store over several days, police said Sunday, Aug. 30.
Angel M. DeJesus Jr., 18, of Ballston Spa, was nabbed Wednesday, Aug. 26 for the thefts at Wilton Mall in Saratoga Springs, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said.
Cops responded to an active larceny complaint at the mall around 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, and the ensuing investigation led to DeJesus’s arrest, authorities said. Detectives determined DeJesus had stolen currency and merchandise from a store between Wednesday, Aug. 19 and Monday, Aug. 24, according to the …
