A 21-year-old Manchester man has been charged in the crash that killed a 73-year-old Manchester man in July and police said the driver was drunk, under the influence of marijuana and was driving twice the speed limit.

Epifanio Garcia turned himself in to police on Friday and has been charged with second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, driving under the influence, reckless driving, possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police said Garcia rear-ended the 2003 Nissan Murano 73-year-old Solomon Reid, of Manchester, was driving on Tolland Turnpike just after midnight on July 15.

Reid sustained serious injuries and an ambulance transported him to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where he died from injuries sustained in the crash, police said. 

Garcia was transported to Hartford Hospital to be treated for a broken arm.

Police investigated the crash and said Garcia was driving 80 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone and he had a blood alcohol level of .17, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Garcia was 20 years old at the time of the crash and did not turn 21 until a couple weeks later.

Drug tests also detected marijuana in his system and police found a small amount of marijuana in the car, police said.

Police in Windsor Locks are urging residents to be on the lookout after a series of burglaries in town.

Police said they arrested a suspect in one home burglary, but they believe others are targeting the area as well.

Burglars have been known to knock on doors to see if anyone is home, especially during the day, police said, one daytime burglary was reported on Sutton Drive.

Police ask residents to help neighbors if you see a stranger in their property and reach out to the residents and call police in necessary.

Those who knew Dan Caron are remembering him as a man who would do anything for his family and friends and said the person accused of killing the 63-year old father of four Friday evening was one of Caron’s friends. 

Police arrested Chad Couture, 35, of Bristol, and charged him with with manslaughter in the first-degree with a firearm as well as criminal possession of a firearm.  

He’s accused of shooting Caron in the chest in the driveway of his parents’ home. 

“They were just good friends. They were good buddies. They hung out all the time, I think. They were together a lot,” Dan’s 20-year-old daughter, Nicole Caron, said. 

She said her father knew Couture through the tool manufacturing industry they both worked in. 

“I’ve met him on multiple occasions. He’s been here before. He lived right down the street,” Nicole Caron said. 

Investigators said they recovered a handgun at the crime scene, 240 Woodland Street, but police wouldn’t comment on the connection between the men or a motive. 

“It doesn’t seem real. You know, my dad, I don’t know how this could happen to him,” Nicole Caron said. 

Shelly Krpata was married to Caron for 18 years and, despite their divorce two years ago, she said he remained present her life. 

“He was also there to help out when he was needed. He would drop everything and help the kids,” Krpata said. 

Dan Caron was described as an outgoing, social man who loved his family and his loved ones said he spent most of his life in Bristol before moving in with his sister in Harwinton, recently. 

"My dad was just a very charismatic, just kind friendly, just friendly man. He had a very good spirit,” Nicole Caron said. 

As she looked at pictures of her father when she was first born, she’s left wondering why her father was killed. 

“I love him. I love him so much and I just want people to know he was a good person. He was,” she said. 

Couture’s bond was set at $500,000.

Bullets narrowly missed a civilian taking a ride in a police cruiser in central California early Sunday morning, when a traffic stop turned into a police chase. 

Many citizens who want to understand the job of police officers and get a sense of the excitement of the job go on ride-alongs, like the woman in Madera. But her morning was anything but routine after a suspect ended up firing about nine rounds at the patrol car, leaving the passenger scratched by broken glass and crying in fear, but safe, the department detailed on its Facebook page.

Madera is in San Joaquin County near Yosemite National Park.

The officer, who was on his second week of the job, wasn’t injured and the woman on the ride-along suffered minor scratches, police said. Neither the officer nor the civilian were identified in the department's post, which included about a minute of the officer’s dashcam video, highlighting the wild wee hours of Sunday morning.

The officer's voice, the sound of gunfire and eventually the woman's cries are heard during the chase. The dashcam video is also causing quite a stir — it was shown on the "Today" show, and the post had been shared more than 8,000 times by Monday morning.

The ride-along started off normally on Sunday about 4:30 a.m., police said. Then the officer tried to stop a Mazda SUV traveling west on Howard Road because he failed to yield and didn't stop at a stop sign, according to the dashcam video. 

"He's not stopping," the woman asks, before a chase ensues.

When the Mazda turns onto Lighthouse Drive, its front passenger is apparently seen sticking a gun out the window, prompting the officer's passenger to say, "He has a gun! No, no, no, no!"

Approximately nine rounds were fired at the police car, police said. The patrol car was struck by three bullets, two of them through the windshield, and the patrol car was disabled. Photos the department posted online showed two bullet holes in the windshield and the rear window smashed through.

The Mazda sped away, and the police cruiser pulled over. "You OK?" the officer is heard asking the woman, who begins sobbing in the car.

The Mazda was later found abandoned on Krest Street, and police found an AR 15-style pistol and other evidence, which they didn’t detail.

Police have not announced any arrests, but credited the newly trained officer for his “cool demeanor.” The department also said that officers are “thankful and blessed” no one was seriously hurt.

"The officer's decisive actions prevented the civilian ride along from being seriously injured," police wrote on Facebook.

A detective was not available early Monday morning to comment on whether the department’s policy will be changed regarding civilian ride-alongs.

Police have responded to a crash involving a tractor-trailer and a car at Day Hill Road and Poquonock Avenue in Windsor and there are reports that people might be trapped. 

It’s not clear if the road is closed, but police said a detour is set up. 

No information was available on whether anyone was injured. 

An NBC Connecticut crew is on the way to the scene. 

Check back for updates.

Four people face charges stemming from an investigation into the sale of drugs at several East Windsor area businesses, East Windsor police said.

The North Central Regional Narcotics Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) began to investigate a report of illegal drug sales at JR’s Café on Bridge Street. During an undercover operation agents purchased cocaine at the bar. Investigators were also able to purchase cocaine at the Fan Club Sports Bar & Grille on Ella Grasso Turnpike in Windsor Locks, police said.

Illegal drug sales are also suspected at The Mardi Gras II on North Road in East Windsor, Main Street Grille on Main Street in Broad Brook, and Brook Side Pizza on Main Street in Broad Brook, according to East Windsor police.

On Oct. 20, investigators arrested three suspects in the case.

Andrea Frediani, 34, of Windsor Locks, was charged with sale of narcotics and conspiracy to sell anrcotics. She is being held on a $300,000 bond.

David Frediani, 30, of Windsor Locks, was charged with conspiracy to commit narcotics. He was held on a $100,000 bond.

Lori Liston, 56, of Enfield, was charged with sale of narcotics and conspiracy to sell narcotics. She is being held on a $200,000 bond.

Authorities also have an active arrest warrant for Hewitt Hayes, 37, of East Windsor, on charges of sale of narcotics and conspiracy to commit narcotics.

Anyone with information on Hayes’s whereabouts is encouraged to call East Windsor Police at (860) 292-8240.

The coldest air of the season so far will arrive in Connecticut on Tuesday.

Mostly sunny weather will prevail through Wednesday.

While high temperatures will be in the upper 50s Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be in the 40s.

Thursday also brings the forecast challenge of precipitation.

Early Thursday morning, temperatures will be near freezing.

High pressure will be in a good position to keep the cold in place at the surface, and as a result, snow is possible across inland Connecticut Thursday morning.

Temperatures will eventually rise above freezing, leading to a mostly rain event for the whole state.

Shoreline areas will just experience rain on Thursday.

Behind the storm on Friday, an abundance of clouds will stick around.

The cyber attack that slowed many popular websites to a crawl last week is considered unprecedented in its ability to hit so many Americans, NBC News reported.

The attack used a new type of malware that takes control of tens of millions of personal devices connected to the internet — including home routers, baby monitors and cameras — without their owners' knowledge.

The Chief Strategy Officer of the New Hampshire tech company that was targeted by the attack called the attack "absolutely unprecedented."

"What we discovered [was that] it was a part of an botnet attack called the Mirai botnet, which basically goes into folks' homes and takes over Internet of Things devices and literally turns them into attack vectors," Dyn's Kyle York said.

Five people were seriously injured in a head-on collision at the intersection of Foxon Road and Mill Street in East Haven Sunday night.

Police said two pickups collided head-on around 10 p.m. and one person was reportedly trapped in one of the vehicles. When fire crews arrived on scene they found five people suffering serious injuries.

All of the victims were transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment. Police said their injuries are serious but do not appear life-threatening. None of the victims have been identified at this time.

The accident remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call East Haven police at (203) 468-3820.

A dog found in New Haven was reportedly so underweight it sparked outrage and brought some animal lovers to tears.

Now Frank – as he’s being called – is being nursed back to health at Central Hospital for Veterinary Medicine in North Haven, but it could be a tough road ahead for the German Shepard mix.

Glorianne Lagnese, the president of Super Paws Rescue, said neighbors of the dog’s owner first became concerned about the treatment of the animal.

“From what I’ve been told by all the neighbors, they haven’t been feeding him. They just throw him scraps and stuff,” Lagnese said.

Eventually Lagnese’s group got involved. She said the dog's owner voluntarily gave up the animal and an associate picked him up on Sunday.

“He’s horribly emaciated. He can hardly move. Every bone is sticking out. It’s really sad,” Lagnese, said.

Frank was taken to Central Hospital for Veterinary Medicine to be given fluids and medical care.

Lagnese said, at this point, they don’t even know how old Frank is but they’re sure he was not taken care of properly and was reportedly left outside for several days.

As Frank rests at Central Hospital, his future is uncertain, especially after the discovery of a concerning mass, which could be cancerous.

“Honestly we don’t know. When, after we get the tests back from my vet, we’ll know more information,” Lagnese, said.

Frank is expected to be transferred to another veterinarian today for more tests.

NBC Connecticut reached out to New Haven police to see if they’re investigating the case, but we have yet to hear back.

A 16-year-old Manchester girl has been missing for more than a month and police have issued a Silver Alert for her.

Chastity Perez has been missing since Sept. 21 and the alert says she is an endangered runaway.

She is 5-feet-3, weighs 120 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Chastity was last seen wearing a red hooded jacket, black pants and a black and white sneakers.

Anyone with information on where she is should call Manchester police at 860-645-5500.

Four juveniles were arrested in a series of flash mob-style attacks on Temple University's campus this weekend that left students and police officers hurt, police and university officials said.

Groups of young people, estimated to number between 20 to 100, roved the school's North Philadelphia campus Friday night for nearly two hours causing havoc, authorities said.

Students were punched and kicked, an officer tossed to the ground and stones were thrown at passing cars, police said. Officers from three agencies — the Philadelphia Police Department, Temple University police and SEPTA police —responded to the incidents.

As many as six Temple students were hurt in the attacks as they walked around campus between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. that night, along with a university police officer and a Philadelphia police horse. 

One student, who was not identified, told the college news site The Tab she was walking with her boyfriend near 16th and Oxford streets around 8 p.m. when they were attacked by two kids.

The student told the news site her boyfriend was able to run away but she was grabbed by the hair and beaten on her head and back.

“I somehow got to the other side of Oxford Street by the time they got me to the ground. I remember shoes coming for my face and after that I heard other kids from the group saying ‘Yo chill, yo chill, it’s just a girl’ and they pulled my attackers off me," she reportedly said.

Police said a 20-year-old man also fell victim to an attack by kids from this group.

At 9 p.m., a Temple police officer was tossed to the ground, landing on top of her patrol bike, while trying to apprehend a 15-year-old boy who was seen throwing rocks at cars driving along Broad Street, police said.

The teen was running from officers when he attacked the patrolwoman, police said. She suffered bruises to her leg and a scrape to her knee. The teen was apprehended a block away.

About 10 minutes later, a 15-year-old teen walked up to an equine officer and punched the animal in the head and face at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, police said. The mounted officer had been dispatched to help disperse as many as 100 kids at that corner.

He was arrested following a short chase.

Another attack happened about 10 minutes after that, around 9:20 p.m., along the 1700 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Three teens, an 18-year-old girl and two 19-year-old boys, were beaten down by as many as 30 young people, police said.

The girl suffered scrapes and cuts to her legs. Her cellphone was smashed and debit card stolen. Between the boys, an iPhone, wallet, backpack and Bluetooth wireless speaker was taken, according to police.

The suspects in this attack have not yet been arrested.

In all, as many as 50 juveniles were taken into custody and four — ranging in age from 15 to 17 years old — were charged with crimes. The charges include aggravated assault, robbery and assaulting a police officer.

Temple spokesman Ray Betzner said Friday the juveniles played a "cat-and-mouse game" with officers. A campus alert warning students and staff was sent around 9:30 p.m.

Joe Lauletta, the father of one of the apparent victims, posted an angry message to Facebook about his daughter's attack.

He said the youth who attacked his daughter "held her down and kicked and stomped on her repeatedly," referring to the attackers as "sick animals." The attack landed her in the hospital, he added.

NBC10 reached out to Lauletta for an interview.

Lauletta said his daughter and two male friends were exiting the subway, coming home from the Temple football game when they were beaten.

Philadelphia police, Temple police and the university are all investigating the incidents.

Hamden police arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in June.

James Ramunni, 59, of Wilmot Road in Hamden, was arrested Friday, Oct. 21 and was charged with two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

He was released on a $75,000 bond and is scheduled in court on Nov. 4.

No additional information about the incident was immediately available.

Police are searching for Norwich twins wanted for their suspected involvement in a bank robbery last month, state police said. 

Police have felony arrest warrants for 50-year-old twins, Vince Rollins and Vance Coffin, in connection with a bank robbery at the Savings Institute Bank in a Canterbury on Sept. 23, police said. 

The twins were last seen driving a black 2000 Chevy Tahoe, which was used in the robbery, police said. 

Rollins and Coffin are expected to still be in eastern Connecticut.

Police ask anyone who sees the suspects to call 911 and not to confront the men, as they are considered armed and dangerous. 

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (860) 779-4900 or anonymously text "Tip711 with your information to 274637.

When Virginia Riggot rides the CT Transit bus to the Route 5 stop by the Wallingford Plaza, she says she leaves her daughter at home.

"It’s just too dangerous for anybody," Riggot said.

Right now there is too little space for bus riders to wait between a guardrail and oncoming traffic on the southbound side of the road.

"Just got to try to stay on the other side of it," Riggot said. "Hope that when the trains go by you don’t get hit by that either."

The guardrail recently went up to separate the street from Amtrak’s construction on the Hartford rail line, Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesperson Kevin Nursick said.

"There’s a buffer here, but on the other side forget it," said Erica Dzialo, who works across the street at Nardelli’s Grinder Shoppe.

"I will look out the window every once and a while and even I cringe because people are trying to get on and off, it’s just not safe, at all," she added.

Both Dzialo and Riggot said they want the DOT to come up with a solution before something could go seriously wrong.

"Possibly finding another spot that’s not near the tracks, as they’re constructing the new tracks," Dzialo said. "Getting it further down where it’s safer for people to get on and off the bus."

Nursick said the DOT is aware of the situation and they are looking at alternative options where they could move this bus stop and potentially others along Route 5 in Wallingford.

"I don’t know where they could move, but they got to do something, because one of these days somebody is going to get hit and it’s going to be bad," Riggot said.

State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, who represents part of the town of Wallingord, told NBC Connecticut some constituents have raised concerns down the road at the bus stop near the Wal-Mart.

Connecticut's been suffering from a drought, which means favorite fall activities are also suffering from lack of rain -- like local wineries.

The owners of Holmberg Orchards and Winery in Gales Ferry said they've taken steps to install a trickle irrigation system that's essentially the difference between having an average season or losing a lot of money.

"When the weather dries up, it's our job to put the water on, which we have the capacity to do. So The plants weathered it just fine," Russell Holmberg said of this year's grape crop.

The orchards and vineyard manager said he installed trickle irrigation for any new fruit he plants over the past 10 years or so. It costs between $1,000 to $2,000 per acre to put in, Holmberg said, but it can save a season.

"Some years it seems like a waste of time and money. Other years, like this last one, we find it's a really good investment," Holmberg said.

It costs money to use, but there's a higher yield of grapes.

Grapes also like drier conditions, Holmberg said. It rained a bit in September and October when they were ripe and ready for picking and it caused a bit of rotting.

"Many of the best wine regions in the world are those with the least amount of rainfall. Whereas generally our yields have been less, the quality of our fruit and wines get better with less rainfall and warmer days," George Motel, the president of the Connecticut Vineyard & Winery Association, said.

When it comes to conserving water during the drought, Holmberg said gauges and meters help them know how much water to use.

"Trickle irrigation is the most conservative with respect to water because you're only putting it on the plants roots and you're only putting (down) what they take up," he said.

Over time, Holmberg wants to put trickle irrigation on all of his crops.

But the recent rain was not a welcomed break. Holmberg said he lost about 75 percent of business Saturday because of the weather, and it's the peak of the season -- two weekends before Halloween.

A squirrel caused widespread power outages on the Storrs campus of UConn today, which led to school officials canceling several classes and sending some employees home.

UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said a squirrel got into a transformer on top of a power pole on North Eagleville Road and a spark that ran along the power line knocked out the nearest circuit, which serves dozens of buildings on various parts of campus.  

“A squirrel had somehow gotten itself in there on top of the pole and had gotten into the transformer and when this squirrel met its demise the spark from  this led down the wire over to the circuit and caused the circuit and the transformer both to blow out,” Reitz said. 

Power was out from around 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the outage affected more than 50 educational buildings, administrative buildings and residential buildings and classes are canceled for the rest of the day in buildings affected by the outage.

Non-essential employees who work in those buildings were sent home and students in residence halls without power could remain in their rooms.

The following buildings were affected, according to the UConn website:

• AG-Biotech Lab Annex
• AG-Bio-Technology
• AG-Bio Greenhouse
• AG-RIC Pesticides Research
• AGRIC Storage Building - Farm Area
• Agriculture Biotechnology Lab
• Arjona
• Avian Research Building
• Atwater Laboratory
• Baldwin Hall
• Batterson Hall, A-D
• Beef Sheep Barn
• Bio Behavioral 4 Annex
• Bio Behavioral Sci Building 5
• Bio Behavioral Sci Prefab 4
• Bio Behavioral Sci, Prefab 1
• Bio Behavioral Sci, Prefab 3
• Bishop Center
• Bousfield Psychology Building
• Buckley Hall
• Budds Building
• Commissary Bakery and Warehouse
• Dairy Barn and Silo
• Northwest Dining Hall
• East Building
• Environmental Health and Safety
• Facilities Operation Building, LeDoyt
• Facility Maintenance Storage Building
• Fairfield Hall
• Family Studies
• Farm Depot Headquarters, Horsebarn Hill
• Floriculture Building
• Goodyear Hall
• Grange Hall
• Grange Shelter
• Gulley Hall
• Hanks Hall
• Hartford Hall
• Hawley Armory
• High-Tech Poultry Facility
• Hicks Hall
• Holcomb Hall
• Honors Center
• Horse Barn
• Hurley Hall
• Husky Village
• International House
• Jones Building
• Jones Building Annex
• Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts
• Kellog Dairy Center
• Lakeside Building
• Landscaping
• Litchfield Hall
• Manchester Hall
• McConaughy Hall
• Middlesex Hall
• Modular Waste Storage
• Monteith Building
• Music Building
• Music Library
• Nathan Hale Hotel
• New Haven Hall
• New London Hall
• Pathology Lab
• Planetarium
• Phillips Building
• Polo Arena
• Poultry Breeder House
• Poultry Brooder House
• Poultry Commercial House
• Poultry Contest House
• Poultry Feed House
• Poultry House
• Poultry Teaching House
• President's Residence
• Ratcliffe Hicks Building
• Rogers Hall
• Rosebrooks House
• Russell Hall
• Schenker Lecture Hall
• Shippee Hall
• South Campus Residence Halls
• School of Fine Arts
• Sprague Hall
• Storrs Hall
• Swine Barn
• Terry Hall
• Tolland Hall
• Torrey Life Sciences
• Towers Dining Facility
• Towers Residence Halls 

UPDATE: 2 Boys Expected to Make 'Miracle' Recovery After Dad Dies in 100-Foot Plunge From NJ Bridge

A father was killed and his two young children were seriously injured when he jumped off of a highway bridge into a New Jersey river Monday evening, New Jersey State Police said. 

State troopers were called to the scene on Interstate 287 near mile marker 56 at about 8 p.m. after getting reports from a local police department that a father had jumped off the bridge over the Wanaque River while holding his two children.

Searchers found the man and his children in the woods near the river, troopers said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

His two children were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital with serious injuries but are expected to survive. Their ages weren't immediately available.

Police found the man's car near the bridge. 

Law Enforcement sources sources said that the man may have decided to jump after some sort of domestic dispute. 

Footage from the scene shows several police cruisers, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles at the scene. 

Traffic is slow in the area because of the police response, and one travel lane is closed. Motorists are advised to find alternate routes if possible. 

Connecticut is one of more than a dozen states where taking a self-portrait, or 'selfie,' in a polling booth is completely legal but moderators can still stop the shutterbugs if photo-takers are not acting appropriately.

At least 18 other states have put a stop the snapshots, saying it could impede on privacy.

"If you want to take a selfie of who you are voting for, so be it," Danielle Bovuier, of West Hartford, said.

"If there is something going on that's disruptive in any way, if someone were to take a selfie and wanted to show everyone in the polling place their selfie, that might be a problem for the moderator," Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said.

State officials said polling moderators can stop voters from taking photos if it becomes disruptive. Selfie-takers are asked to act responsibly.

Are you looking for a new job in manufacturing or welding? A new initiative is proving fruitful for getting people hired.

The Eastern Connecticut Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative includes a $6 million grant that funds manufacturing and welding courses. Those course are specifically geared for jobs at several manufacturing companies, including Electric Boat. Already there's a 92 percent hire rate of recent graduates. One tells us it put him at a competitive advantage.

"So many other people going (into a new job) had no idea what to expect. At least when I came in, I had a great understanding of blueprints. I also had a great understanding of what the job entailed," said Christopher Gilbert, a recent graduate of the program. He got hired by EB.

According to Gilbert, staff from some of the hiring companies spoke to the class. Plus he's working with several classmates, so there's and added camaraderie. 

Apply here.