The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on Monday identified the three men involved in a fatal boating accident in Groton over the weekend.

Joseph Formica, 33, of East Haddam and 31-year-old Joseph Grzelak, of Griswold, died after being thrown from their boat when it capsized in Mumford Cove on Saturday.

A third man, 29-year-old Justin Besade, of Uncasville, was treated and released from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.

DEEP officials said crews responded around 9 a.m. when a resident who lived nearby saw a swamped vessel with no people aboard.

Officials believe the men were duck hunting in Mumford Cove when they went overboard.

One man was found on the shore of Bluff Point and two others were pulled from the water at Mumford Cove.

All three were taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for treatment where two of the men died.

Environmental Conservation Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, Groton Long Point Police, Groton Town Police, and Groton Long Point Fire crews all responded to the scene.

The accident remains under investigation.

Milford police have arrested two men suspected of a brazen armed robbery at Smash Burger on Friday in which customers and employees were forced into the kitchen, a customer pulled a gun and two employees of the burger restaurant stole money the robbers left behind, according to police.

Police said the robbery started with 21-year-old Royshon Ferguson and 22-year-old Gregory McLaurin, both of New Haven, pulling a .22 caliber gun at the Smash Burger at 1590 Boston Post Road, ordering the workers and customers into the kitchen and threatening to shoot the manager in the head if she did not open the safe.

After the manager opened the safe, McLaurin started taking the money out and Ferguson went back out to the front to empty the cash registers, police said.

Then a customer took things into his own hands.

Police said the customer, who has a permit to carry a pistol, said he saw an opportunity to change the situation when Ferguson left the kitchen, so he pulled out his firearm and pointed it at McLaurin, who panicked and ran as the customer chased him, police said.

The customer then approached Ferguson, who was taking cash out of the registers, police said.

Ferguson still had a gun, but panicked and the armed customer was able to knock the other man’s gun out of this hand, police said. ’

Ferguson also ran from the building and Milford K-9 Officer Owens and K-9 Zar found the two suspects hiding in the woods near-by, police said.

The two men were located close to each other and Ferguson had a large amount of cash, police said. .

Police also arrested two Smash Burger employees who are accused of taking cash from the safe amid the chaos after Ferguson and McLaurin run out of the building.

Ferguson was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, first-degree threatening, fourth-degree larceny, first-degree kidnapping with a firearm, first-degree conspiracy to commit kidnapping with a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, carrying a dangerous weapon and interfering with an officer.

McLaurin is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, first-degree threatening, fourth-degree larceny, fourth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny, first-degree kidnapping with a firearm, first-degree conspiracy to commit kidnapping with a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, third-degree criminal mischief and interfering with an officer.

The employees, 26-year-old Jamal McNeil, of Hamden and 19-year-old Casey Deloma, of Milford, are accused of being in possession of money that would have been in the safe but was left behind during the robbery and have been charged with sixth-degree larceny and sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny.

Ferguson and McLaurin we’re held on $500,000 bond.

McNeil and Deloma were released on a promise to appear in Milford Court on February 13.

The top leadership of USA Gymnastics’ board of directors resigned Monday amid public criticism of how the organization mishandled complaints from women who accused Larry Nassar of sexually abusing them.

Chairman Paul Parilla, vice chairman Jay Binder and treasurer Bitsy Kelley submitted their resignations effective immediately, USA Gymnastics wrote in a statement.

"USA Gymnastics thanks Paul Parilla, Jay Binder and Bitsy Kelley for their many years of service to this organization," USA Gymnastics President Kerry Perry said. "We support their decisions to resign at this time. We believe this step will allow us to more effectively move forward in implementing change within our organization."

Perry said the board will work to "ensure that our culture, policies and actions reflect our commitment to those we serve." 

The announcement comes as Nassar’s sentencing hearing continues for a fifth day in a Michigan courtroom. Nearly 100 victim statements have been given by women and girls who say Nassar sexually assaulted them under the guise of medical treatment. 

One of his victims, Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, warned Nassar in her testimony that statements from the "powerful army" of survivors will haunt him in prison.

"All these brave women have power, and we will use our voices to make sure you get what you deserve — a life of suffering spent replaying the words delivered by this powerful army of survivors," Raisman said at Friday's hearing.

The 23-year-old gymnast has been highly critical of the way her sport's governing body handled sexual abuse claims and has called for sweeping changes in leadership at USA Gymnastics, including the removal of Parilla.

USA Gymnastics launched an independent review of its policies in the wake of the allegations against Nassar and reporting by the Indianapolis Star that highlighted chronic mishandling of abuse allegations against coaches and staff at some of its more than 3,500 clubs across the country.

In June 2017, the gymnastics board adopted the new USA Gymnastics SafeSport Policy that replaced the previous policy. Key updates include mandatory reporting, defining six types of misconduct, setting standards to prohibit grooming behavior, preventing inappropriate interaction and establishing accountability.

A month later, the organization hired Toby Stark, a child welfare advocate, as its director of SafeSport. Part of Stark's mandate is educating members on rules, educational programs and reporting. The federation also adopted several recommendations by Deborah Daniels, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw the review. USA Gymnastics now has the power to withhold membership from clubs that decline to report claims of abuse.

Clubs are now "required to report child abuse or neglect, including sexual misconduct, to proper authorities, including the U.S. Center for SafeSport and law enforcement authorities."

Nassar has already been sentenced to 60 years in prison for child pornography crimes. He faces a minimum prison sentence of 25 to 40 years in the molestation case.

A 14-year-old boy suffering from a rare medical condition that caused a 10-pound tumor to emerge on his face died after undergoing surgery, according to one of the doctors in charge of the procedure.

"Our condolences and prayers for Emanuel's family and the loss of a very brave young man," said Dr. Robert E. Marx, a surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital. "Another angel has arrived in Heaven." 

For 12 years, Emanuel Zayas battled a medical condition called polyostotic fibrous dysplacia, an illness which causes developmentally certain bones to become soft. The illness caused a 10-pound benign tumor to develop on Zayas' face.

Zayas’ parents tried for years to get help. Doctors were able to get a temporary visa for the boy and his family to come to Miami from Cuba to have the surgery, which was scheduled in January at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Marx said he saw progress in Zayas on Jan. 18, when he observed  pupillary reflexes and facial muscle tone in the boy's face. But on Saturday, Dr. Marx said Zayas' condition had worsened with kidney and lung failure. 

"I am saddened by the fact that we are losing him and that apparently the physiologic stress of the surgery was too much for his compromised anatomy to overcome," Marx said on Satuday. "Our hopes of saving his life and in doing so would allow him a better quality of life have not been realized."

Dr. Marx said that Zayas' family plans on donating Emanuel's body to medical research in hopes of learning more about the rare disease and helping people across the world who suffer from polyostotic fibrous dysplacia. 

"I am personally saddened but want to thank all of you for your well wishes and prayers," Dr. Marx said. "Please continue the prayers."

Retail powerhouse Amazon is disrupting retail yet again, with the opening of its checkout-free Amazon Go grocery store in Seattle.

It looks and feels like a regular grocery store, but with one major difference: There's no checkout — and no checkout lines. Upon entering, shoppers scan a special smartphone app that registers them into the store. After grabbing their items, customers are free to walk right out.

"The just-walk-out technology is tracking that these items are leaving the shelf, and it's putting them in my virtual cart," Amazon Go Vice-President Gianna Puerini told NBC News during an exclusive look at the new store. "And if I put them back on the shelf, they come out of my virtual cart."

When customers leave the store, their account is automatically charged, which means no more waiting in long checkout lines. Overhead throughout the store, hundreds of cameras read labels through machine learning and sense the shopper's body type. 

Over 80 percent of the world's wealth is owned by the richest 1 percent of the world's population, widening the economic inequality gap, according to an Oxfam report released Monday.

The charity Oxfam, an international confederation of 20 non-profits working in over 90 countries to end the injustices, also found the wealth of billionaires had increased by 13 percent a year, on average, in the decade from 2006 to 2015, CNBC reported.

The report also claimed nine out of 10 of the world's 2,043 billionaires were men.

The Oxfam report was released the same day as the World Economic Forum began in Davos, Switzerland, where hundreds of the world elite politics, finance, business and science leaders are expected to attend. 

The Hartford Whalers might be gone, but they are far from forgotten and you will be able to order commemorative Hartford Whaler license plates in 2018. 

A law that went into effect as of Jan.1 that makes the plates available and the Department of Motor Vehicles will unveil them tomorrow.

They will cost residents $60 and a portion of those funds will go to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center for its new infusion and dialysis center, which performs more than 3,000 infusions per year.

Demolition is underway on a vacant property in Hartford that was significantly damaged during a fire last spring.

Neighbors said the building at 886 Park St. became an eyesore in the community in the months following the fire.

“We actually live right across from it, so we see it every day when we look out the window. It doesn’t look right. All you see is a broken down building. You feel bad for the family that used to live there,” said Elizabeth Kobus, of Hartford.

Laura Settlemyer, the director of Blight Remediation for the city of Hartford, said the property owner initially planned to remodel the building. When no progress had been made, her office enlisted the help of the state’s attorney to compel the property owner to pay for demolition. Demolition costs approximately $80,000, which is about $20,000 more than the average demolition, because crews have to demolish the top two floors by hand to protect the neighboring properties.

This is just one of 320 blighted vacant buildings that city officials have on their radar. In 2017, they targeted 150 properties and of those about 90 property owners stepped forward, pulled permits and started doing work. Settlemyer suggests if you are living next to a blighted property you notify the city.

“I feel for them. I know we can talk about how many properties we’ve done and how many properties we’re doing and what we’re getting to next. But if you’re living next door to a blighted property I know that none of that matters. So for anyone who is frustrated, I’d say please make sure we know about your building, call us, call 311,” Settlemyer said.

Demolition began on Friday and is expected to continue throughout this week. Neighbors said they are hopeful for the future.

“I hope they remodel it, you know, these buildings have been here for a long time, since I was a kid,” said Jason Otero of Hartford.

“Hopefully they’ll building something new for a new family and hopefully much better and safer,” said Kobus.

A 28-year-old Meriden man has been charged with attempting to commit kidnapping after approaching a girl outside New Britain Superior Court in September and asking for a hug, according to state police.

Mahfuz Alhamid is accused of approaching a 12-year-old girl outside New Britain Superior Court around 2:20 p.m. on Sept. 13, while her mother was meeting with probation staff, police said. He is also accused of trying to get her to leave the premises with him.

The girl was sitting on one of the benches outside the courthouse when a stranger sat down next to her and asked if she lived in Meriden, according to police. Then he asked if he could get a hug and kiss.

The girl said no, got up from the bench and asked another stranger for help, according to police. The witness, who was wearing a court-monitored ankle bracelet, said no at first because he did not want more trouble, but did approach the man and ask why he was bothering the girl, according to police.

The man was identified as an interpreter, according to state police, so investigators reached out to his place of business and Alhamid admitted to speaking with the girl and asking for a hug, but she said she did not hug strangers, according to police.

Alhamid turned himself in to police Monday and was charged with attempting to commit kidnapping, breach of peace and risk of injury to a child.

He was held on $250,000 bond and is due in Superior Court in New Britain tomorrow.

Route 20 outbound at Route 75 near Bradley Airport is shut down, police said.

Serious injuries and entrapment were reported after a single car crash in Windsor. 

No other details were immediately available. 

Please check back for updates. 

An Oxford man has been charged with animal cruelty after shooting and killing his neighbor’s cat early Sunday morning, according to state police, and he told investigators he thought he'd shot a stray. 

Police responded to the duplex on Roosevelt Drive just after 2 a.m. Sunday and said 48-year-old Craig Middendorf told them he was annoyed at what he thought was a stray cat and shot it in his backyard, according to state police. 

But, police said, the cat actually belonged to the woman who lives on the other side of the duplex.

 Troopers seized Middendorf’s rifle and said he did not have any other guns. 

He was charged with cruelty to animals, unlawful discharge of a firearm and first-degree reckless endangerment and bond was set at $2,500. 

Middendorf is due in court in Derby on Feb. 5. It’s not clear if he has an attorney.

The art director at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven was put on leave after several allegations of sexual misbehavior on Monday, the board chairwoman said in a statement. 

Gordon Edelstein was put on administrative leave immediately pending further action by the full board on Monday after a New York Times article published an account of a woman who accused the artistic director of sexual misconduct on several occasions. 

In the article, the woman claimed Edelstein kissed and groped her several times without consent. The woman said this kind of misconduct went on for years, along with other inappropriate actions. 

Four women in total spoke on the record to the newspaper about Edelstein's unwanted sexual contact. Another six former employees, both men and women, told the New York Times that Edelstein frequently used sexually explicit remarks in the workplace. 

"These allegations are unsettling. Long Wharf Theatre embraces equity, fairness and integrity. The theatre is committed to creating a workplace environment where everyone is respected, valued and feels safe. We have policies in place to support that charge," Long Wharf Theatre board char Laura Pappano wrote in a statement.

Pappano called the complaints "surprising and unsettling." She said many of the accusations in the article were not previously reported. 

"The theatre takes this new information seriously and will use it to move forward," Pappano wrote. 

The managing director, Joshua Borenstein, will lead the theater while Edelstein is on administrative leave. 

NBC Connecticut reached out to Edelstein but have been unable to reach him for comment.

State officials said as much as 6,000 gallons of oil was spilled at the Somers Thin Strip Company.

The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters dug into public records and discovered that over the years, the same Waterbury factory has had other issues.

In 2010, a worker at the facility was killed while working on a furnace, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Eight years earlier, the agency said another worker suffered fractures when his arm got caught in a machine.

The company was fined $7,000 by the feds for what they labeled a "serious violation" and the company settled for $4,000.

Over the years, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records, the company was non-compliant at times with the law regulating the proper management of solid waste.

NBC Connecticut asked the company to comment on these problems but we have not heard back. They did say they "take this situation extremely seriously" and are working tirelessly to address it.

Massive snow piles in parking lots can take weeks, if not months, to melt.

At one shoreline train station on Monday, commuters said snow piles are making it more difficult to park when space is already limited.

The parking lots on both sides of the West Haven Train Station were at or near capacity.

"I think that’s a waste of area," Leon Langs said of the area blocked off by orange cones near a large pile of snow that covers several spots. "They should have plowed it out or something."

For commuters catching the train in West Haven, the sooner the mount of snow melts, the better.

"I actually drove all the way here cause I figured it is easier parking than New Haven," Langs said. "But this is totally frustrating."

Langs gave up on a finding a space on the south side of the platform after 10 minutes of doing laps.

"I got to hurry up or I’m going to miss my train," he said.

State DOT crews are responsible for plowing the train station parking lot. People who park on the other side of the orange cones are warned their cars will be towed.

"There’s a bunch of parking spots over there and for some reason, we can’t park," Roy Dunn from Branford said.

After driving around in circles for about 20 minutes, Dunn and his daughter were worried they would miss the next train to New York City.

“Terrible, there’s no spots on the other side, there’s no spots over here, nowhere else to park,” Dunn said. "I don’t know what to do."

The acting public works director for the City of West Haven told NBC Connecticut by phone there is room to push the snow over the bank. But first, he said he would like to do an exact car count to find out how many spots are open with the section by the snow piles closed off. 

A DOT spokesperson said it would cost more money to move the snow off-site. He also said it is better to leave the piles on the pavement so the runoff with possible contaminants goes into the drainage system instead of a nearby low lying area.

There's no denying the UConn women's basketball players have some serious talent.

That’s exactly why 83-year-old Jeanne Baker and a dozen other women in the Connecticut Senior Women’s Basketball League are hoping they can pick up a few pointers.

On Thursday, they took the court at Gample Pavillion during halftime of the Huskies home game against Tulsa.

"Somebody said we've played here,"  the team’s second-oldest player, Joan Youngs, said. "I can't remember, but we have, I guess." 

It’s hard to keep track of all the places these women have been.

"My team won the bronze medal at the [Senior] Nationals last summer," Youngs said. "One of the teams has got the gold medal."

But playing the Huskies home court is a homecoming for some.

"I don't even know whether UConn had a basketball team then," Baker said. "They may have."

It might have been a few years since they first learned the rules of the game, but they still received a warm welcome from the UConn crowd.

"The crowd reception is wonderful but I think people are just applauding the fact that older people can still be active," 60-year-old Laurie Bliss said.

Still, there are some things that athletes never grow out of.

"We're very nice to each other at practices," Bliss said. "When you put a ref out there it's just like any other team."

The league is made up of several teams from across Connecticut and Massachusetts. They said they’re always looking for more women over 50 to join. For more information, call (860) 368-0456.

The warmer temperatures have brought some good news to the ice jam blocking the Housatonic River.

The ice has started breaking up, however, Kent and its surrounding towns aren’t relieved just yet.

In one week, the massive ice jam has gained quite the reputation in a town not often known for its January tourism.

"I actually brought my four children up to see it after school, because, you know, it’s a really cool thing about science that you don’t actually get to see every day," Molly Garcia, of Sherman, said. 

That’s the sentiment both for recent transplants and people who have lived here for decades.

"It’s one thing to see it on the news, and something else to see it in person, and you know how thick it is," Jim Kelley, from Woodbury, said. 

While people passing through are fascinated with the ice jams, State Representative Brian Ohler is at the mercy of it.

This week’s thaw is, overall, good news, but it’s a delicate balance, especially with rain in the forecast, he said. 

"We don’t want too much rain if this ice jam isn’t ready to move yet," Ohler said.

Water levels indicate it’s not ready to move. Ideally, a gradual thaw would push the water line up, lifting the ice with it.

Too much rain could cause flooding just north of the jam, and too quick of a thaw could be bad news both for Kent and for towns downstream, as they deal with ice and everything else that comes with it.

"It’s not just ice trying to negotiate things," Ohler said. "They’re fighting for space trying to negotiate with trees and debris."

If debris gets caught, it will likely happen near Lovers Leap State Park, in New Milford. That’s where the Housatonic River bottlenecks and creates a natural choking point for anything that wants to get caught.

Police are still looking for the driver who hit two women on Vine Street in Hartford on Jan. 16, killing one and critically injuring another, but they said they have filed some charges against the owner of the car.

Police said the two women had just gotten out of a cab when they were struck at 9:53 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16 and the driver took off from the scene.

Tina Fontanez, 25, of Hartford, was pronounced dead and 23-year-old Catalina Melendez, also of Hartford, is in critical condition at St. Francis Hospital.

Police said they found the vehicle likely involved in the crash and it was recovered near the intersection of Bethel and Guilford streets. 

Soon after, the registered owner of the car, 25-year-old Lorenzo Ivery, of Hartford, contacted police to report the vehicle stolen.

Police said they determined that Ivery was in the car, based on evidence, including auto glass in his hair and clothing, and he was charged with false statement, second-degree hindering prosecution and owner liability.

Police said they are still looking for the driver.

Bond for Ivery was set at $30,000.

A man was shot in the leg at the Krauszer’s at 468 Main St.in East Hartford early on the morning of Thursday, Jan. 18, according to police, and they have released surveillance photos of the people they are looking for. 

Police are looking for a white Nissan, possibly an Altima, and said it has Connecticut plates 668-ZUJ.

The man was shot during a fight around 1:30 a.m., police said. He remained hospitalized as of Friday.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jason Smola at 860-291-7541.

A Norwalk police officer was injured when a suspect in a car theft rammed into the police cruiser, according to the police department.

Patrol officers responded to Assisi Way at 3:05 a.m. Tuesday to investigate a car theft and an officer saw the stolen Chevy pickup going south on the Route 7 connector, then get onto Interstate 95 south and stop on the exit 14 off-ramp, police said.

As the officer pulled behind the stolen vehicle, the driver of truck accelerated backward and into the front of the police car, police said.

The officer sustained minor injuries from the crash.

The officer put on the lights and siren, but the driver fled. Because of damage from the crash, the police car was disabled and the officer lost sight of the stolen truck, police said.

More officers responded and tried to stop the truck on Flax Hill Road, but the driver did not pull over and drove directly at a marked police car, police said.

The officer was able to swerve and avoid a crash and the chase continued until the truck crashed into a parked car in the Rowayton Woods complex on Highland Avenue, but the driver then ran, police said.

Officers ran after the driver, but lost sight of him on Possum Circle.

Then a Westport Police K9 also assisted with the search, but did not locate the driver.

Police continue to investigate and anyone with information is asked to call Norwalk detectives at 203-854-3011 or call the Norwalk Police tip line at 203-854-3111.

Anonymous Internet tips can be sent to Norwalk Police website www.norwalkpd.com as well or by typing "NPD" into the text field, followed by the message, and sending it to CRIMES (274637).