Daily Voice Readers’ Choice

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Suffolk Arsonist On The Lam After Torching Vacant Home With Fireworks, Police Say Suffolk Arsonist On The Lam After Torching Vacant Home With Fireworks, Police Say Suffolk Arsonist On The Lam After Torching Vacant Home With Fireworks, Police Say
Suffolk Arsonist On The Lam After Torching Vacant Home With Fireworks, Police Say An arsonist set off fireworks at an abandoned house on Long Island just days before Independence Day, starting a house fire, police said. The blaze on Louise Drive in North Bay Shore was reported Thursday, July 2 shortly after 2:30 p.m., the Suffolk County Police Department said. Video captured a man walking into the vacant garage, then placing a firework in the driveway and setting it off, police said. He also set off fireworks inside the attached garage, then left the scene on a red motorcycle, according to authorities. Cops are offering a cash reward for any tips that lead to an arrest …

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by Joe Wilkinson
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Husband Of Harvard-Stanford UPMC Doctor Charged With Murder, Arson As Daughter Slept Husband Of Harvard-Stanford UPMC Doctor Charged With Murder, Arson As Daughter Slept Husband Of Harvard-Stanford UPMC Doctor Charged With Murder, Arson As Daughter Slept
Husband Of Harvard-Stanford Upmc Doctor Charged With Murder, Arson As Daughter Slept A Harvard and Stanford graduate who became a UPMC pediatrician was killed by her husband, who then set her body on fire inside their Harrisburg home while their 7-year-old daughter slept upstairs, police said. Jonathan Alan Gatto, 41, was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated arson, arson, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the killing of his wife, Dr. Julia Pederson, 41, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice. Gatto is being held at Dauphin County Prison without bail following his arrest on Tuesday, Oct…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Power Grid Emergency Issued In NY: What To Know About Unusual October Alert Power Grid Emergency Issued In NY: What To Know About Unusual October Alert Power Grid Emergency Issued In NY: What To Know About Unusual October Alert
Power Grid Emergency Issued In NY: What To Know About Unusual October Alert The world's largest power grid operator has issued an emergency alert as unusually warm October weather and widespread equipment outages put pressure on electricity supplies across the region, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania. PJM Interconnection issued a Maximum Generation Alert and Load Management Alert for Tuesday, Oct. 13, as higher electricity demand and planned equipment outages put pressure on the regional power supply. The alerts mean power companies are being asked to keep as much equipment running as possible, including postponing maintenance that could take power plants or t…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Duct-Taped Passenger Facing Federal Prison Duct-Taped Passenger Facing Federal Prison Duct-Taped Passenger Facing Federal Prison
Duct-Taped Passenger Facing Federal Prison The American Airlines passenger who had to be restrained with duct tape and zip ties during a flight that was diverted to Maryland is now facing a much bigger problem on the ground. Layne Lundeen, 67, of Tucson, Arizona, was indicted on charges stemming from a confrontation aboard a Dallas-to-Newark flight that was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Anne Arundel County on Thursday, Sept. 3. Federal prosecutors announced the indictment on Tuesday, Oct. 13, alleging that Lundeen assaulted a fellow passenger and interfered with flight attendants and cre…

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by Zak Failla and Cecilia Levine
Breaking News
Drunk LI Driver Who Left Passenger To Die Adds Two Years To Prison Term With Witness Threat: DA Drunk LI Driver Who Left Passenger To Die Adds Two Years To Prison Term With Witness Threat: DA Drunk LI Driver Who Left Passenger To Die Adds Two Years To Prison Term With Witness Threat: DA
Drunk LI Driver Who Left Passenger To Die Adds Two Years To Prison Term With Witness Threat: DA A Long Island man who fled a drunken crash that killed his passenger got an extra two years on his prison term Tuesday, Oct. 13 after threatening a witness, authorities said. Elvin Maradiaga Ortiz, 35, of Hempstead, was sentenced to 21 years behind bars, the Nassau County District Attorney’s office said. He was initially supposed to get 19 years as part of a plea deal, according to authorities. However, Ortiz’s long list of crimes grew even further when he was charged with witness intimidation, which tacked on the extra two years, the DA’s office said. Investigators said Ortiz threatened t…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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LI Drug Dealer Who Sold Weed Gummies To Middle Schoolers And Fled For Canada Learns His Fate LI Drug Dealer Who Sold Weed Gummies To Middle Schoolers And Fled For Canada Learns His Fate LI Drug Dealer Who Sold Weed Gummies To Middle Schoolers And Fled For Canada Learns His Fate
LI Drug Dealer Who Sold Weed Gummies To Middle Schoolers And Fled For Canada Learns His Fate The man who sold weed gummies that sent 12 Long Island middle schoolers to the hospital has been sentenced to prison time Wilmer Castillo Garcia, 24, of Mastic, got two years behind bars at his sentencing hearing Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. His sentence was part of a plea deal he took on July 23, according to authorities. Castillo Garcia was selling the THC gummies through Instagram when a student at William Floyd Middle School purchased them and distributed them to classmates in March 2025, investigators said. All 12 students received medical atten…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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Mom Killed Husband, 3-Year-Old Son At Great Wolf Lodge In Poconos: Police Mom Killed Husband, 3-Year-Old Son At Great Wolf Lodge In Poconos: Police Mom Killed Husband, 3-Year-Old Son At Great Wolf Lodge In Poconos: Police
Mom Killed Husband, 3-Year-Old Son At Great Wolf Lodge In Poconos: Police A family vacation at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos ended with a father and his 3-year-old son stabbed to death inside their hotel room, and the child's mother charged with both killings, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Metallica Rose Harrison, 27, of Towanda, Pennsylvania, is charged with two counts of criminal homicide in the deaths of her husband, Charles "Chaz" Harrison, and their 3-year-old son, identified in court documents only as T.H. The killings happened inside Room 2030 at Great Wolf Lodge, located at 1 Great Wolf Drive in Scotrun, Monro…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Fired Suffolk Health Aide Didn’t Let Dismissal Stop Her $5K Medicaid Fraud: Investigators Fired Suffolk Health Aide Didn’t Let Dismissal Stop Her $5K Medicaid Fraud: Investigators Fired Suffolk Health Aide Didn’t Let Dismissal Stop Her $5K Medicaid Fraud: Investigators
Fired Suffolk Health Aide Didn’t Let Dismissal Stop Her $5K Medicaid Fraud: Investigators A Long Island health care aide turned her month-long employment into an extended scheme and stole $5,000 from Medicaid, authorities said. Latricia Hires, 34, of Bridgehampton, was arrested and arraigned in Riverhead on Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. Hires got a job in September 2025 as an aide for two residents at L’Arche – Long Island, a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Riverhead, investigators said. Her employment was terminated on Oct. 17, 2025, but she continued billing Public Partnerships LLC, the fiscal intermedi…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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LI Men Killed In Shockingly Similar Car Crashes At Highway Toll Booth Identified: State Police LI Men Killed In Shockingly Similar Car Crashes At Highway Toll Booth Identified: State Police LI Men Killed In Shockingly Similar Car Crashes At Highway Toll Booth Identified: State Police
LI Men Killed In Shockingly Similar Car Crashes At Highway Toll Booth Identified: State Police Both drivers who died in fiery crashes into a highway toll booth on Long Island last month were identified Tuesday, Oct. 13 by police. Vijay P. Cheema, 74, of Fort Salonga, died in the Monday, Sept. 14 crash into the Sunken Meadow State Park toll booth on the north end of Sunken Meadow State Parkway in Kings Park, New York State Police said. Gregory W. Salone, 70, of Kings Park, died Monday, Sept. 21 after crashing into the exact same toll booth exactly one week later, state police said. Cheema’s death in the first crash was ruled a suicide, according to state police. Investigators did not…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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Long Island Man, 50, Killed After Stopping In Left Lane On I-95 Long Island Man, 50, Killed After Stopping In Left Lane On I-95 Long Island Man, 50, Killed After Stopping In Left Lane On I-95
Long Island Man, 50, Killed After Stopping In Left Lane On I-95 A 50-year-old Long Island man has been identified as the victim of a fatal crash on Interstate 95 in Westchester County after his SUV was struck by another vehicle while stopped in the left lane, police said. Nassau County resident Pankaj R. Bakshi, 50, of Floral Park, died following the two-vehicle collision on northbound I-95 in Port Chester on Monday, Oct. 12, New York State Police confirmed on Tuesday, Oct. 13.  The crash happened around 5:55 a.m. near mile marker 14.8 on the New York State Thruway. According to police, Bakshi was driving a 2025 Chevrolet Suburban that ha…

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by Ben Crnic
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Delta Flight From JFK Evacuated Upon Arrival In Israel After Bomb Threat: Reports Delta Flight From JFK Evacuated Upon Arrival In Israel After Bomb Threat: Reports Delta Flight From JFK Evacuated Upon Arrival In Israel After Bomb Threat: Reports
Delta Flight From JFK Evacuated Upon Arrival In Israel After Bomb Threat: Reports A Delta flight from John F. Kennedy Airport to Tel Aviv was evacuated on arrival Tuesday morning, Oct. 13 due to a bomb threat, according to multiple reports. Passengers on Delta Flight 234 were rushed off the plane shortly landing at Ben Gurion Airport, the main commercial airport in Israel, due to the anonymous claim that a bomb was on board, the Jerusalem Post reported. The plane was then moved to a remote parking area on the tarmac and searched by security teams, according to Israeli news source Ynet. Nothing suspicious was found in the aircraft, officials said. Normal operations resum…

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by Joe Wilkinson
Breaking News
WATCH: Humpback Whale Crashes Into Small Boat Off Long Island Coast: ‘Holy!’ WATCH: Humpback Whale Crashes Into Small Boat Off Long Island Coast: ‘Holy!’ WATCH: Humpback Whale Crashes Into Small Boat Off Long Island Coast: ‘Holy!’
Watch: Humpback Whale Crashes Into Small Boat Off Long Island Coast: ‘Holy!’ A giant humpback whale crashed into a boat off the coast of Long Island on Saturday, Oct. 10. The shocking collision was captured on video by Steven Heid, who shared the clip on social media. The whale approached Heid’s boat quickly as he was fishing in Moriches Inlet, the video shows. It appeared to be feeding, as dozens of fish are seen flying through the air in the moments before the whale slammed into the boat’s side. View this post on Instagram While the whale made solid contact with the side of the boat, appearing to even “bite” the sid…

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by Joe Wilkinson