‘He Died A Hero’: Former MLB Prospect Drowns Saving Strangers As Family Watches ‘He Died A Hero’: Former MLB Prospect Drowns Saving Strangers As Family Watches
‘He Died A Hero’: Former MLB Prospect Drowns Saving Strangers As Family Watches Chase Childers, a former Baltimore Orioles minor league prospect, died a hero in South Carolina after rushing into floodwaters to save a group of swimmers — sacrificing his life to protect theirs. According to Pawleys Island Police, officers received a 911 call at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, reporting “multiple swimmers in distress near Shell Road Ocean.”  One man — later identified as Childers — was missing, and a search was immediately launched by police, Midway Fire Rescue, and the US Coast Guard. At approximately 6:15 p.m., rescue teams recovered Childers' body fro…
Mom Paralyzed In Hamptons Boat Crash Faces Setbacks As Support Grows: 'Will Continue To Fight' Mom Paralyzed In Hamptons Boat Crash Faces Setbacks As Support Grows: 'Will Continue To Fight'
Mom Paralyzed In Hamptons Boat Crash Faces Setbacks As Support Grows: 'Will Continue To Fight' The Long Island mother paralyzed in a Memorial Day weekend boat crash is now facing new challenges in her recovery — but her family is staying hopeful as community support pours in. Brooke Skrocki, the 28-year-old fiancée of Edward Hillkewicz, was left with life-altering spinal injuries after he piloted a speeding boat while drunk, slamming into a jetty in Hampton Bays with her, two other adults, and their two young daughters aboard, the Suffolk County DA’s Office said. While her children, ages 2 and 6, were not physically injured, Skrocki was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital an…
Marine From NY Dies At 22: Community Rallies To Bring His Platoon To His Services Marine From NY Dies At 22: Community Rallies To Bring His Platoon To His Services
Marine From NY Dies At 22: Community Rallies To Bring His Platoon To His Services When Rockland County native and Lance Corporal Ryan James Barnard died earlier this month while serving with the US Marine Corps in Hawaii, his community he called home responded with one goal: bringing his brothers in arms to his services to say goodbye.  Barnard, a 22-year-old from Valley Cottage, died on Wednesday, July 2, while stationed at Kaneohe Bay, assigned to the Third Littoral Combat Team, Second Platoon, Ares Company. A Marine through and through, Ryan was known for his deep loyalty, quiet strength, and unwavering commitment to those around him, his obituary said.  His…
NJ Nightlife Icon DJ Ammo Dies Suddenly, Shockwaves Spread Through NYC Club Scene NJ Nightlife Icon DJ Ammo Dies Suddenly, Shockwaves Spread Through NYC Club Scene
NJ Nightlife Icon DJ Ammo Dies Suddenly, Shockwaves Spread Through NYC Club Scene Friends, family, and fans are mourning the sudden loss of Mossna M. Varasteh, a Bergen County native known worldwide as DJ Ammo, whose reach spanned from New York City to Asia. Varasteh, 42, died on Tuesday, July 8. He had gone to bed, gotten up around 5 a.m., gone back to sleep and was found unresponsive just hours later, his loved ones said. An exact cause has not yet been identified. Ammo had recently returned from performances in Japan, Germany, Amsterdam, and Aruba, and was still DJing major New York City events just weeks before his passing. He got his start in the summer after 8th g…
'World Is Dimmer Without Him': 17-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed In LI Crash Was 'Gift To Us All' 'World Is Dimmer Without Him': 17-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed In LI Crash Was 'Gift To Us All'
'World Is Dimmer Without Him': 17-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed In LI Crash Was 'Gift To Us All' Support is surging for the family of a 17-year-old Long Island boy who was killed in a motorcycle crash. Robert “RJ” Buerkle, of West Babylon, was gravely injured after his motorcycle collided with a turning pickup truck on Tappan Avenue in Babylon just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, as Daily Voice reported. He was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where he was pronounced dead. The 84-year-old pickup driver was not injured. In the wake of the heartbreaking loss, the community has rallied around his family. A GoFundMe campaign launched for his mother and sibli…
Feds Join Fight To Save 175-Year-Old NJ Family Farm From Bulldozers: 'Not For Sale' Feds Join Fight To Save 175-Year-Old NJ Family Farm From Bulldozers: 'Not For Sale'
Feds Join Fight To Save 175-Year-Old NJ Family Farm From Bulldozers: 'Not For Sale' The federal government is joining the fight to assist a New Jersey farm that has been a fixture off the Turnpike for more than a century.  A 175-year-old family farm in Cranbury (Middlesex County) is now at the center of a high-stakes legal and political showdown after the township began the process of seizing the land for a housing development, triggering a wave of public outrage, national media attention, and direct intervention from the Trump administration. The farm, located at 1234 South River Road, has been in the Henry family for over 150 years.  It’s widely known throughout the com…
NY 22-Year-Old Was Killed Days After Graduation—Now His Name Is Giving Others A Second Chance NY 22-Year-Old Was Killed Days After Graduation—Now His Name Is Giving Others A Second Chance
NY 22-Year-Old Was Killed Days After Graduation—Now His Name Is Giving Others A Second Chance Just weeks ago, Simon Brault was celebrating a milestone: graduating from Hudson Valley Community College with a degree in Electrical Construction and Maintenance. Now, his family is preparing to lay him to rest—while launching a scholarship in his name that will help other young adults in need. Simon, 20, died after being stabbed on a Clifton Park street Saturday, May 31, in what investigators allege was a senseless attack involving two teens, as Daily Voice previously reported.  Both suspects have since been arrested. Investigators did not publicly speculate on a possible motiv…
Twin Girls Killed In NY Tornado That Claimed Third Victim Remembered For 'Enthusiasm, Laughter' Twin Girls Killed In NY Tornado That Claimed Third Victim Remembered For 'Enthusiasm, Laughter'
Twin Girls Killed In NY Tornado That Claimed Third Victim Remembered For 'Enthusiasm, Laughter' A small hamlet in upstate New York is reeling after a rare tornado killed six-year-old twin sisters and also claimed the life of a 50-year-old woman. The powerful EF-1 twister touched down in Oneida County, in the town of Kirkland, at around 4 a.m. Sunday, June 22, according to the National Weather Service. Deputies responded to reports of damage across the county following severe weather. Among the hardest hit areas was the hamlet of Clark Mills, where peak winds reached 105 miles per hour, as Daily Voice reported. Emergency crews were first called to a residence on Milstream Court, where…
Pastor's Daughter, 21, Killed In NY Jet Ski Accident Remembered As 'Caring, Talented' Pastor's Daughter, 21, Killed In NY Jet Ski Accident Remembered As 'Caring, Talented'
Pastor's Daughter, 21, Killed In NY Jet Ski Accident Remembered As 'Caring, Talented' Tributes are pouring in for a young woman who died following a jet ski crash on Great Sacandaga Lake in Fulton County. Grace Clark, 21, was killed when the jet ski she was operating collided with a pontoon boat just north of the Broadalbin Boat Launch on Monday evening, June 23, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. Clark’s passenger, a 29-year-old man from Schoharie County, survived the impact and remains hospitalized at Albany Medical Center. Nobody on the pontoon boat was injured. A preliminary investigation found that the boat was traveling at about 20 miles per hour, while …
Bagel Shop Manager’s ICE Detention Sparks Outcry, Fundraiser In Port Washington Bagel Shop Manager’s ICE Detention Sparks Outcry, Fundraiser In Port Washington
Bagel Shop Manager’s ICE Detention Sparks Outcry, Fundraiser In Port Washington A Long Island community is rallying behind a beloved bagel shop manager who was detained by federal immigration agents outside his workplace. Fernando Mejia, the longtime manager of Schmear Bagel & Café in Port Washington, was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday, June 12, as he arrived to work, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched in his support. Mejia overstayed a visa 20 years ago, CBS News reports. Described as a “pillar” of the Port Washington community, Mejia is known for greeting customers with a smile, high-fiving local school kids…
Crash Report Reveals Heroic Dad, Son Died Trying To Save Suicidal Brother From Bristol Amtrak Crash Report Reveals Heroic Dad, Son Died Trying To Save Suicidal Brother From Bristol Amtrak
Crash Report Reveals Heroic Dad, Son Died Trying To Save Suicidal Brother From Bristol Amtrak A 110 mph Amtrak train struck a father and his two sons during a frantic struggle on the rails in Bristol Borough, Bucks County, on Thursday, April 3 at 6:02 p.m., newly released investigative records obtained by Daily Voice through a Freedom of Information Act request on Wednesday, June 11 show. Christopher Cramp, 56, and his eldest son, David Cramp, 31, were pulling 24-year-old Thomas Cramp off the tracks when all three were hit by southbound Train 85, according to the redacted Amtrak Police report. Thomas had just fallen toward an adjacent line after what officers believe was a suicide at…
Father Killed While Trying To Save Sons From Fire Was Devoted NY Dad, Heroic Lineman Father Killed While Trying To Save Sons From Fire Was Devoted NY Dad, Heroic Lineman
Father Killed While Trying To Save Sons From Fire Was Devoted NY Dad, Heroic Lineman Services have been scheduled to honor the life of a Hudson Valley father and dedicated lineman who died while trying to save his sons from a burning home.  Shane Webb Munn, age 50, of Goshen, died on Saturday, May 31, after he rushed back into his burning home on Pulaski Highway in a desperate effort to rescue his two sons, Ryan, 17, and Travis, 12.  All three died as a result of the fire, which was reported around 8:10 p.m. at 876 Pulaski Highway, as previously reported by Daily Voice.  According to New York State Police, Munn had been seen using a weed trimmer outsid…