Philadelphia is getting ready for the arrival of Pope Francis and Catholics from Connecticut who will travel to the city to see him.

It will be the Pope's first trip to the United States. He plans to stop in Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who visited Bridgeport today, said the city is expecting at least a million people the weekend of Sept. 26.

Connecticut residents who have not bought tickets to see the Pope in New York or Washington, D.C. still have a chance to see him for free in Philadelphia, according to Nutter.

The only Philadelphia event that requires a ticket will take place Sept. 26 at Independence Hall. Some 10,000 free tickets were claimed in a matter of minutes.

"In the Philadelphia events, they're open to everyone from across the country and around the world, so because they're much smaller venues, I guess they’ve had to limit the number of tickets that are available," said Nutter.

Visitors will not need tickets for the Pope's appearance at the closing festival of the World Meeting of Families, also held Sept. 26, or for the celebration of Mass on Sept. 27, according to organizers.

Nutter said the easiest way to get around will be to use mass transit.

"We’re not allowing in-bound traffic in to certain parts of center city," he explained.

Visitors can also still find places to stay.

"There’s still hotel availability and some really great deals out there so folks should go on whatever websites they go on, you can still get a hotel in Philadelphia in Center City," said Nutter.

But with so many people traveling to Philadelphia, the mayor said security will be tight.

"We just need to make sure that we have as few conflicts, for instance, between pedestrians and motorists, and how many vehicles are on the streets of our city," said Nutter.

The mayor said it’s hard to know what the economic impact will be with all the people coming, but the city is expecting guests to do a fair amount of spending.

A Norwich, Connecticut man and member of the United States Navy was arrested after TSA agents found a loaded gun in his carry-on bag at a Syracuse Hancock International Airport checkpoint on Sunday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Syracuse police said Timothy Bass, 40, was traveling to his base in Honolulu, Hawaii and said he forgot the weapon was in the carry-on bag.

According to the TSA, agents officers found a .32 caliber semi-automatic handgun with eight bullets in it in Bass' carry-on luggage that was placed on the conveyor belt as he was going through the airport checkpoint on Sunday morning.

TSA officers immediately contacted the Syracuse Police Department.

Police said Bass does not have a valid permit for the gun and he was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Bass was held in the Onondaga County Justice Center, pending arraignment.

Police are searching for a Stratford resident whose home on Yarwood Street was the scene of a drug investigation and officer-involved shooting last week.

Tariq Young, 22, of 25 Yarwood Street, is wanted for sale of narcotics and sale of narcotics in a school zone, according to Stratford police. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Investigators searched his home last Friday and found heroin, prescription drugs, cocaine and two loaded hand guns, one of them stolen, according to police.

During the search, William Rucker, 41, allegedly attacked police with a hammer. An officer shot him the hand.

Rucker and a woman who lives at 25 Yarwood Street, Tonya Rankin, were both arrested.

Anyone with information on Young's whereabouts is urged to call Stratford police at 203-285-4145.

Police are searching for two men who smashed the drive-thru window of a Burger King in Watertown and stole cash from four registers early Saturday morning.

Surveillance footage shows two men approaching the window around 4 a.m. Saturday. Police said one used a 5-pound hammer to break the glass, and the men crawled inside.

They pried open the drawers of four cash registers and stole an undisclosed amount of money. According to police, one of the robbers made off with an entire register drawer.

Authorities said they left behind physical evidence that is being processed for DNA analysis.

The robbers are seen exiting the store at about 4:10 a.m. Police said they ran through the rear parking lot.

One of the culprits was wearing a sweatshirt with a grayish hood and sleeves and a dark-colored body. Police said he was also clad in light pants, dark sneakers and gloves and wore a bandanna over his face.

At one point, the bandanna fell off. Investigators have sent the footage of his exposed face to the Connecticut State Police crime lab.

The second suspect was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, dark sneakers, dark gloves and a face mask. Both are of average build and height, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call Watertown police at 860-945-5200 or Crimestoppers at 860-945-9940.

A Naugatuck man accused of sexually assaulting a girl in 2007 has been arrested and charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child.

Daniel Brundrett, 27, of Naugatuck, is accused of inappropriately touching the girl in April 2007.

According to court documents, Brundrett had sexual intercourse with a child who was unable to give consent. Police said he knew the victim.

Brundrett was arrested at 8:18 p.m. on Sept. 9 and held on a $200,000 bond. He appeared in Waterbury Superior Court the next day and was released from custody.

NBC Connecticut went to Brundrett's home and his mother told the crew to leave. The public defender assigned to his case did not return calls Monday.

Brundrett is due back in court on Sept. 23.

The FBI is trying to identify the man believed to have committed seven bank robberies in Connecticut over the last month.

Police said the same man robbed banks in Berlin, Cheshire, Deep River, Durham, Killingworth, Rocky Hill and Wethersfield.

• Aug. 12: The robber handed a note to a teller at Webster Bank on Highland Avenue in Cheshire, saying he was holding up the bank.
• Aug. 13: The man struck again at the TD Bank on Farmington Avenue in Berlin.
• Aug. 17: The Liberty Bank on Main Street in Deep River was robbed.
• Aug. 31: The robber targeted the TD Bank on Wells Road in Wethersfield.
• Sept. 2: A man in a "Coors Light" baseball cap robbed the Liberty Bank on Main Street in Durham and schools were placed on lockdown as police investigated.
• Sept. 9: The robber handed the teller an empty bank envelope with a note attached at the Webster Bank on Cromwell Avenue in Rocky Hill. Police said the robbery was "interrupted by movement within the bank."
• Sept. 11: The most recent robbery occurred at the TD Bank on Route 81 in Killingworth.

Witnesses have described the man as thin, between 30 and 40 years old and around 5-foot-9 to 6 feet tall. He has been seen with and without facial hair.

During each of the bank robberies, he wore a baseball hat and talked on the phone, according to the FBI.

If you have any information about the robber or the robberies, call the New Haven FBI at 203-777-6311.

Downpours moved through Connecticut on Sunday and in one Milford neighborhood, a waterspout formed over the ocean and came ashore.

Waterspouts aren’t unusual in this part of the country but they don’t often come ashore.

Richard Shain captured amazing footage of the waterspout at Anchor Beach in the borough of Woodmont in Milford around 10 a.m. Sunday.

The waterspout struggled to move over the sea wall. In the process, it tossed a heavy paddle board through the air and knocked a kayak into the water. Lawn chairs were blown around and water from a pool was sloshed out onto the nearby ground.

Waterspouts that move over land are considered tornadoes, however, this whirlwind was so small in scale it likely won’t go into the official weather logs as a tornado.

The National Weather Service based in Upton, New York on Monday reviewed the stunning footage and says the waterspout will probably be classified as a gustnado or landspout for the time it was over land.

It’s important to note a gray area exists in the definition of what happened on Anchor Beach in Milford.

Gustnadoes are small whirlwinds that form in thunderstorm outflows. They don’t connect with a rotating cloud, but are associated with cumuliform clouds. At the time this waterspout formed, a heavy downpour of convective origin was impacting the Milford area.

Landspouts are connected to a cloud with the spin originating near the ground. The parent cloud doesn’t yet have rotation, thus landspouts aren’t detected by Doppler radar. Additionally, the radar beam would likely be far above the rotation within the spout near the ground, and the spout too small in diameter to be detected.

While a landspout is considered to be a rare tornado by the American Meteorological Society, landspouts are different from most tornadoes.

The most common tornado is one with a rotating column of air that touches the ground and is connected to a rotating thunderstorm cloud. This type of tornado is said to be a supercell tornado. Major damage is done by supercell tornadoes, not landspouts.

NBC Connecticut First Alert meteorologists analyzed the video and estimated the wind speed within the circulation to be over 60 mph.

Two Connecticut residents, including a former NBC Connecticut weather intern, are vying for the top spot on NBC's "American Ninja Warrior."

Joe Moravsky

Joe Moravsky, originally of Sherman, is competing in his third season of the show, which tests physical strength and speed and athletes dodge, dart and climb their way through impressive obstancle courses.

According to Moravsky, practicing parkour, gymnastics and rock climbing are three of the best ways to train. Moravsky himself works as a gymnastics instructor in Newtown.

He's also a meteorologist who has interned for NBC Connecticut's Chief Meteorologist Brad Field, earning himself the nickname "Ninja Weatherman."

During Season 5, Moravsky finished sixth in the Baltimore Qualifiers, second in the Baltimore Finals and second in the Las Vegas Finals. He then earned three first-place finishes on Season 6 and was selected for Team USA to compete in "USA vs. The World," according to his website.

Now, he's going into tonight's Season 7 series finale with two second-place finishes under his belt.

Drew Dreschel

Moravsky will go head-to-head tonight with South Florida native and current Connecticut resident Drew Dreschel, who has been a finalist in three prior seasons.

Dreschel, who works as director and lead instructor of the New Era Ninjas training facility in Hamden, finished stage one of this season's finals with the fourth-fastest time, according to a press release from New Era Gymnastics.

He was a finalist in season 3, 4 and 5.

Dreschel's supporters will cheer him on at a viewing party tonight at New Era Ninjas at 850 Sherman Avenue in Hamden.

You can watch the finals at 8 p.m. on NBC Connecticut.

A panel in Ferguson, Missouri, offered a set of "tough" recommendations Monday to reform the city's criminal justice system in the wake of Michael Brown's death at the hands of a police officer and the violent protests that followed.

The Ferguson Commission released a 198-page report, which co-chairman Rev. Starsky Wilson described as "a path toward racial equity," NBC News reported. It calls for sweeping reforms of the local criminal justice system and documents years of deep racial and economic disparities that exploded on the streets of Ferguson after Brown's Aug. 9, 2014 shooting.

"This was tough," Wilson said at a news conference, in which the commission presented its findings to Missouri's governor. "The only promise we could make to the region is that it gets tougher."

Rev. Wilson, and his co-chairman, Rich McClure, acknowledged that the panel couldn't compel officials to enact the changes it recommended, but urged the public not to let their 10 months of study go to waste.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, the old saying goes. That may apply to aspirin, too, after a medical agency recommended that Americans take more aspirin to preempt heart attacks, strokes and, now, colon cancer, NBC News reports. 

The recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are likely to be controversial, because even low doses of aspirin can sometimes cause deadly internal bleeding in the stomach, intestines and brain. It's not easy to tell who's at risk and the bleeding often doesn't cause symptoms.

But the task force's recommendations are very specific and based on studies that show who can benefit from taking a daily low-dose aspirin.

"This is a new approach that makes a great deal of sense," said Eric Jacobs, of the American Cancer Society. "No major health organization has previously recommended the use of aspirin to prevent cancer."

Police are searching for three teenagers who who robbed a Bridgeport resident at gunpoint, pistol-whipped him and stole drugs and cash from his home.

Bridgeport police said three teenage boys confronted the victim around 1:15 p.m. Monday near the corner of Ezra Street and Fairview Avenue.

They pistol-whipped him and took cash and methadone from the victim's home, according to police.

Officers and a K-9 unit chased the teens into the woods behind the victim's house but couldn't catch them. The suspects got away in a silver Mercury Sable with a sunroof, according to police.

Police said one perpetrator was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and navy nylon pants, second was short and heavyset, and the third was also wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Bridgeport Detective Bureau at 203-581-5201.

There's a happy ending for Chloe, a 4-month-old kitten who suffered a severe injury at the hands of children in New London.

New London Animal Control worried Chloe might have to be euthanized because the agency's budget would not fund treatment for the cat's badly broken leg. But community members rallied around her and raised enough money to pay for Chloe's surgery.

"There simply aren't enough words to express our gratitude to everyone who has donated to her care. We have far surpassed our original hope for funding, and will continue to make sure that Chloe has the best care possible," New London Animal Control wrote in a Facebook post Monday.

The kitten is on her way to an orthopedic vet and will have surgery Tuesday, according to animal control.

Authorities believe children who live in the neighborhood where Chloe was found hit or kicked her hard enough to snap her left humerus.

It's not clear who, if anyone, owned Chloe at the time of her injury, but New London Animal Control is already making a list of adoption candidates who are eager to take the kitten home after she has healed.

Animal control is remind prospective adopters that Chloe isn't the only pet in need of a loving home.

"If you are serious about adopting a cat, please check out your local shelters," animal control wrote. "There are many, many cats and kittens that need homes all over, no matter what State you are in. Most of them have sad stories of their own to tell."

Because the donations collected for Chloe are more than enough to cover her medical expenses, the leftover money will allow animal control officers to help the next animal that comes to them in need of treatment.

"So by donating to Chloe's care, you are helping to save many animals, not just her, and we can't thank you all enough," New London Animal Control wrote.

The Hartford City Council has passed an ordinance prohibiting ATVs from filling their gas tanks in the capital city, according to a spokesperson for the mayor's office.

Councilman Raul De Jesus Jr. proposed the ordinance in May. It puts the onus on gas station owners, allowing the city's community court to try those who permit ATVs and other off-road vehicles to fill at their stations and drive onto public roads.

De Jesus said ATVs often congregate at gas stations during organized rides.

Maribel La Luz, spokesperson for the office of Mayor Pedro Segarra, said the city council passed the legislation at a meeting Monday night.

Community members and the mayor gathered Monday night in Waterbury to raise money for the funeral of a teenager killed last week while riding his bicycle.

Alex Suarez, 14, died last Tuesday after biking through a flashing red light on Cooke Street and crashing into a car at the intersection, according to police.

"It's a tough world we live in and tomorrow's never promised," said his uncle, Felix Vargas.

Family and friends came together inside the Waterbury Police Activity League gym to help raise money for his funeral.

"I think it's awesome that everybody's here for him," said Alex's aunt, Stephanie Vargas. "He was a blessing and it's just so sad that he's not here with us anymore."

Family members said they have seen a tremendous outpouring of support since the tragedy.

Local DJ Anthony Resto, who did not know Suarez, organized Monday's fundraiser, a dinner and basketball event that cost $10 per person.

"It's amazing. Everybody coming together as a community. It's a good feeling," said Resto.

Businesses donated chicken wings, pasta, rice and supplies.

"The accident that killed this young man happened right down the street from my restaurant," said Mike Edwards, the owner of Stadium Sports Bar, who donated 200 wings.

Even residents who had never met Suarez turned out to rally around his family.

"Every time a kid dies or something happens to a family, Waterbury will always come through," said Isabel Antonucci.

Among those who stopped by was Mayor Neil O'Leary, who brought a $2,500 check from the city to help the struggling family pay funeral expenses.

"I know his friends have done a tremendous job raising some money and we have $2,500 from the city side that we're going to put towards the funeral expenses," O'Leary said. "Hopefully that will cover whatever's left."

O'Leary said he met with the family the day after the tragedy and decided the city should help.

"In this particular case, the circumstances were such that the family just didn't have any opportunity whatsoever to try to find the money for the expenses," said O'Leary. "Honestly, I just think it's something the city of Waterbury needs to do for one of our students."

Stephanie Vargas said the mayor's gesture was "very, very nice" and that the family is grateful.

Funeral services will take place on Tuesday, according to family members.

Police have not filed any charges in connection with the crash.

Two Connecticut residents, including a former NBC Connecticut weather intern, battled their way through the finals Monday night on season 7 of NBC's "American Ninja Warrior" but failed in stage 3 of the grueling competition.

Joe Moravsky

This season marked Joe Moravsky's third on "American Ninja Warrior," which tests physical strength and speed and athletes dodge, dart and climb their way through impressive obstacle courses.

The winner takes home $1 million and the title of American Ninja Warrior.

According to Moravsky, originally of Sherman, practicing parkour, gymnastics and rock climbing are three of the best ways to train. Moravsky himself works as a gymnastics instructor in Newtown.

He's also a meteorologist who has interned for NBC Connecticut's Chief Meteorologist Brad Field, earning himself the nickname "Ninja Weatherman."

During Season 5, Moravsky finished sixth in the Baltimore Qualifiers, second in the Baltimore Finals and second in the Las Vegas Finals. He then earned three first-place finishes on Season 6 and was selected for Team USA to compete in "USA vs. The World," according to his website.

He went into the season finale with two second-place finishes under his belt. Although he completed stage 2 of the finale, Moravsky fell on the "ultimate cliffhanger" obstacle during stage 3 and was eliminated.

"So close. It's just a shame. But I'll be back," he said after falling.

"I love you guys," he told the crowd.

Drew Dreschel

Also competing Monday night was South Florida native and current Connecticut resident Drew Dreschel, who has been a finalist in three prior seasons.

Dreschel, who works as director and lead instructor of the New Era Ninjas training facility in Hamden, finished stage one of this season's finals with the fourth-fastest time, according to a press release from New Era Gymnastics.

He was a finalist in season 3, 4 and 5.

Like Moravsky, Dreschel completed stage 2 and advanced to stage 3 Monday night. He became the fifth competitor in history to reach the hang climb, a 12-foot-long upside-down rock climbing structure that leaves athletes essentially hanging by their fingertips.

Dreschel fell on the transition. It was, nonetheless, the best season of his career and the farthest he's ever advanced.

"What a season for Drew Dreschel," one of the announcers said after Dreschel was eliminated.

History Is Made

Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten were the only two contestants to advance to stage 4.

Britten became the first ever American to scale Mount Midoriyama, a 75-foot rope that must be climbed in under 30 seconds. He finished with less than a second to spare.

Caldiero, however, had about three seconds left on the clock. He won the $1 million prize and the title of American Ninja Warrior.

The Kentucky state trooper who was fatally shot on Sunday night was trying to help the man who allegedly killed him, NBC News reported.

The trooper, Joseph Ponder, 31, pulled over Joseph Johnson-Shanks, 25, on an interstate just after 10 p.m. Ponder quickly discovered that Johnson-Shanks' driver's license was suspended, Kentucky State Police spokesman Jay Thomas said in a news conference.

Two women who were also in the car didn't have licenses either, Thomas said, so Ponder tried to arrange for a hotel for everyone — there were also two young children in the vehicle, police said.

Then, "for an unknown reason," Thomas said, the suspect fled the scene, leading to a 9-mile chase.

Hungary made final preparations to shut its border with Serbia on Monday as desperate migrants rushed to make it through a single crossing before midnight, NBC News reported.

It was chaos at the Horgos II border post, where Hungarian police allowed only a few migrants at a time through a small gate.

The situation confused many of the migrants, who expected that the tighter restrictions would begin Tuesday.

The Horgos II crossing is the only remaining opening in a newly constructed border fence by which Hungary hopes to stem the flood of migrants and refugees.

Strong thunderstorms caused flash flooding in southern Utah, killing at least seven people Monday, according to a fire department official. Six others were missing, NBC News reported.

Floodwaters washed away two vehicles carrying a total of 16 people in the small town of Hildale, on the Utah-Arizona border, border, Hildale Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Barlow said.

"This hit with a vengeance we haven't seen for some time," said Barlow, who indicated several children and mothers were among the dead or missing.

The man suspected of fatally shooting a professor at Mississippi's Delta State University on Monday was dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, NBC News reported.

 Officers following Shannon Lamb, 45, also an instructor at the school, witnessed him pull his car over near Greenville, Mississippi, exit his vehicle and flee into a wooded area, Cleveland, Mississippi Police Chief Charles Bingham said. The officers then heard a single gun shot and subsequently found Lamb's body, Bingham said.

Authorities had been searching for Lamb after Dr. Ethan Schmidt was found fatally shot in his office at Delta State Monday morning. No students were injured, according to police.

An elderly man from New Jersey has died after driving off a Greenwich boat launch in what police are calling a "terrible accident."

It happened Monday afternoon at the Cos Cob Marina in Greenwich, according to Greenwich police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray.

Gray said police, firefighters and medical personnel arrived at the marina around 1:30 p.m. to find the elderly driver's distraught family members, who live in New York on the Connecticut border.

Members of the Sound Beach Dive Team managed to pull the driver from his car, which they located about 12 feet into the water.

The driver was rushed to Greenwich Hospital and pronounced dead, according to police.

Authorities have not released the man's name but said he lives in New Jersey.

It's not clear what caused him to drive into the water.