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Ben Crnic

Reporter

bcrnic@dailyvoice.com

Ben Crnic graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Geoscience in 2021. He has previously worked as a reporter with the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Connecticut, and has also contributed work to the Connecticut Mirror. Ben joined the Daily Voice team in October of 2022.

Ben Crnic's Contributions

News
Double Homicide: Teen Who Beat Aunts Dead In Spring Valley Faces Life In Prison, DA Says Double Homicide: Teen Who Beat Aunts Dead In Spring Valley Faces Life In Prison, DA Says
Double Homicide: Teen Who Beat Aunts Dead In Spring Valley Faces Life In Prison, DA Says A teen accused of brutally killing her two aunts inside a Rockland County home has been indicted on multiple murder charges and faces life behind bars, prosecutors announced. Alan "Alina" Abad, 19, of Westwood, New Jersey, was arraigned on Tuesday, Feb. 25, in Rockland County Court, where a grand jury indicted them on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder, according to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II. Prosecutors allege that on Saturday, Feb. 15, around 6:30 p.m., Abad beat their two aunts, Evelyn Aguilar-Agustin and Anabelly Aguilar, t…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Fugitive Who Raped Young Girl Taken Back To Westchester To Face Justice After 18 Years: DA Fugitive Who Raped Young Girl Taken Back To Westchester To Face Justice After 18 Years: DA
Fugitive Who Raped Young Girl Taken Back To Westchester To Face Justice After 18 Years: DA A 52-year-old man who fled the country after allegedly raping a young girl in Westchester nearly two decades ago has been returned to New York to face justice, prosecutors said.  Galo Herrera, a Mexican national, was arraigned in Westchester County Court on Monday afternoon, Feb. 24 on rape and sexual assault charges after being apprehended by Mexican authorities and extradited to New York, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday, Feb. 25.  According to prosecutors, between December 2006 and January 2007, Herrera forcibly raped a young girl unde…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Swatting Sting: Man Admits To Fake 911 Call About ‘Cracked Skull’ In Amawalk, Police Say Swatting Sting: Man Admits To Fake 911 Call About ‘Cracked Skull’ In Amawalk, Police Say
Swatting Sting: Man Admits To Fake 911 Call About ‘Cracked Skull’ In Amawalk, Police Say A Putnam County man has been apprehended for a swatting incident that led to a large emergency response in Westchester, with investigators linking him to multiple similar hoaxes, police said. Mahopac resident Mikel Kolaj, 31, was arrested and charged with three counts of falsely reporting a crime after allegedly placing a false 911 call about a violent assault in progress at an Amawalk residence, New York State Police announced on Tuesday, Feb. 25.  The hoax call came in on Thursday, Feb. 20, at around 11:15 a.m., when an unknown female caller reported "My neighbor is assaulting his wi…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Child Airlifted After Hitting Head At Thunder Ridge Ski Area In Patterson Child Airlifted After Hitting Head At Thunder Ridge Ski Area In Patterson
Child Airlifted After Hitting Head At Thunder Ridge Ski Area In Patterson A 7-year-old child was airlifted to a hospital after suffering a head injury and losing consciousness at a ski area in Putnam County, first responders said. The incident happened on Sunday, Feb. 23, when the child hit their head at the Thunder Ridge Ski Area in Patterson, according to the Patterson Fire Department. Emergency crews, led by Patterson Fire Chief Joe Pignatelli, soon arrived at the ski area and worked with the Putnam Lake Fire Department and Putnam County Sheriff's Office to establish a safe landing zone in an open field parking area at Thunder Ridge. The child was initiall…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Man Caught Twice With Mason Jars Full Of Marijuana, Skips Court Date In Chester: Police Man Caught Twice With Mason Jars Full Of Marijuana, Skips Court Date In Chester: Police
Man Caught Twice With Mason Jars Full Of Marijuana, Skips Court Date In Chester: Police A 38-year-old man was twice caught driving with a suspended license in Orange County while allegedly transporting mason jars full of marijuana, police said. The first incident happened on Saturday, Feb. 8, around 1:30 a.m., when Town of Chester Police officers responded to a driver slumped over the steering wheel of a car stopped in the roadway at Kings Highway and Laroe Road., the department announced on Tuesday, Feb. 25.  Officers found the 38-year-old driver, Goshen resident Robert L. Coyle, disoriented, and after further investigation, determined he was intoxicated and operating wi…

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Mount Vernon Girl, 13, Dies: Remembered As 'Bright Light' By Community Mount Vernon Girl, 13, Dies: Remembered As 'Bright Light' By Community
Mount Vernon Girl, 13, Dies: Remembered As 'Bright Light' By Community A community in Westchester is grieving the loss of 13-year-old Avayah Almond, who died on Friday, Feb. 21. Almond's death was announced on Monday, Feb. 24 by Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, who said she died from suicide.  "As a community, we must work together to support our young people and families who are suffering in silence or trying to navigate challenges and systems that are not easy," Patterson-Howard said, adding that Avayah was a "bright young light." She also said Avayah's family, friends, and classmates are "devastated" by the loss.  In th…

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by Ben Crnic
News
$127K Scheme: Woman Steals From Wallkill Employer, Buys Luxury Car In Its Name, DA Says $127K Scheme: Woman Steals From Wallkill Employer, Buys Luxury Car In Its Name, DA Says
$127K Scheme: Woman Steals From Wallkill Employer, Buys Luxury Car In Its Name, DA Says A 46-year-old woman has admitted to embezzling more than $127,000 from her Orange County employer and even going as far as to forge a contract that showed she owned the company, prosecutors said. Meghan Henesy, 46, of Panama City, Florida, pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 24, in Orange County Court to second-degree grand larceny, according to Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler. Henesy worked as a bookkeeper and office manager for a Wallkill-based title insurance company from 2020 through 2022, during which she carried out a series of fraudulent schemes to steal company funds for…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Teen, 18, Hid Gun Under Pillow After Firing At Rival Gang In Middletown: DA Teen, 18, Hid Gun Under Pillow After Firing At Rival Gang In Middletown: DA
Teen, 18, Hid Gun Under Pillow After Firing At Rival Gang In Middletown: DA An Orange County teenager has admitted to gun charges after firing shots at two people he believed were rival gang members, prosecutors announced. Middletown resident Dylan Saldana, 18, pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 24, in Orange County Court to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with an incident in November, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler said on Tuesday, Feb. 25.  The shooting occurred on Nov. 19, 2024, around 7:00 a.m., when Saldana was walking on Wickham Avenue in Middletown. Prosecutors say he saw two people he believed were associated w…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Car Stolen Outside Strip Mall: Suspect Leads Cops On Chase In Chester, Police Say Car Stolen Outside Strip Mall: Suspect Leads Cops On Chase In Chester, Police Say
Car Stolen Outside Strip Mall: Suspect Leads Cops On Chase In Chester, Police Say A man was apprehended after stealing a car at an Orange County strip mall, leading police on a chase through multiple towns, and crashing on Route 17, authorities said.  The incident began just before noon on Friday, Feb. 21, when Edward Keegan, 34, of Chester, allegedly stole a vehicle from in front of Liquor King in The Chester Mall at 78 Brookside Ave., according to the Town of Chester and Village of Chester Police Departments.  Shortly after, police responded to a panic alarm at the store and learned that a white Nissan Sentra had been stolen from in front of the business, aut…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
I-87 GUN BUST: Duo Nabbed With Loaded Firearm In Tuxedo, Police Say I-87 GUN BUST: Duo Nabbed With Loaded Firearm In Tuxedo, Police Say
I-87 GUN Bust: Duo Nabbed With Loaded Firearm In Tuxedo, Police Say Two men were apprehended after police found them with an illegally-possed loaded firearm during a traffic stop on Interstate 87 in Orange County, authorities said. The arrests happened around 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, when troopers pulled over a 2023 gray Honda sedan for vehicle and traffic violations on the New York State Thruway in Tuxedo, State Police announced on Monday, Feb. 24.   During the stop, troopers discovered the driver, Jamar Mikel Sanders, 20, of the Bronx, and his passenger, Zaquan Clark, 28, of Utica, were in possession of a loaded Taurus G2 handgun, police sai…

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by Ben Crnic
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