Hartford police are investigating a serious car crash and a shooting that occurred just moments apart and blocks away from each other Tuesday night.

Police confirmed a serious crash in the area of Main and Belden streets.

Hartford Police Deputy Chief Brian Foley said video showed the car speeding down Main Street. As the car came around a corner, the driver lost control and crashed. Two passengers - a male and a female- were ejected from the vehicle and the male was trapped under the car as it rolled over.

The male victim was rushed to the hospital and is currently in critical condition. The female victim was also transported and is in stable condition.

The driver fled the scene, Foley said. Witnesses reported that the fleeing driver had a gun.

Police have not located the driver at this time.

Moments later, two people were shot blocks away, in the area of Bedford Street and Albany Avenue. Foley said the victims' injuries are not life-threatening and both are in stable condition.

It is not clear at this time if the shooting and crash are related. Police said they are reviewing surveillance footage to piece together what happened.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

If you signed up for a cut of a $12.5 million settlement last year over free cruise offers by phone, you'll have to take one more step before getting any cash. 

The class-action case, Carvat v. Resort Marketing Group, Inc. et al, claimed a marketing group violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act when automated calls offering free trips on Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian Cruise lines were made from July 2009 to March 2014. 

People who received the calls discussed in the settlement were entitled to claim up to three calls per phone number at $300 each — for a total of $900. 

But more than 2 million people signed up, diluting the payload. That meant the fund was expected to dole out just "several dollars" per class member, a website for the settlement announced in October.

The deluge of claims also raised the possibility of fraud, so the court is now requiring additional documentation from those who filed a claim, namely a phone bill. 

"Such documentation might include (but would not be limited to) a phone bill or a copy of a relevant page of a phone directory," the notice says. "A satisfactory submission could also include any other type of documentation that confirms or explains the connection of the claimant to the number at issue in a manner that can be independently confirmed upon further inquiry by the Parties or the Settlement Administrator." 

The information can be sent by email or uploaded here by May 31. 

For more information call (855) 636-6134 or visit the settlement page.

Police are investigating after a man was found dead in a lot on Cedar Grove Avenue in New London at 7:09 a. m. Monday.

On Wednesday, police said they have identified the man as 36-year-old Lebro Mei and that his family has been notified. 

No additional information was immediately available.

The New London County State's Attorney's Office and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner were called in to assist with the investigation.

Anyone with information should contact the New London Police Department's detective division at 860-447-1481. Anonymous tips can be reported to the New London Tips 411 system by texting NLPDTip plus the information to Tip411 (847411).

Connecticut lawmakers have passed a bill in favor of banning bump stocks.

The Senate passed the measure Tuesday night after long debate. It was previously passed by the House.

The bill is now on its way to a supportive governor for his signature.

The bill makes it illegal to sell, transfer, possess or use bump stock-type devices that enhance the rate of fire of a firearm.

Those currently in possession would be required to move it outside the state, surrender it to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for destruction, or render the device inoperable.

Anyone who moves into the state would have 90 days to comply.

This is a felony offense, but the bill provides a reduced penalty for first-time offenders that hold a valid gun permit.

Those against the bill said they’re skeptical how banning the devices will save lives or stop criminals from committing crimes. But proponents said making them more difficult to obtain is a powerful measure.

Amtrak is running a three-day sale on Northeast Regional fares.  

The sale, which applies to trips anywhere in the Northeast Corridor, between Virginia Beach and Boston, started Tuesday and goes through Thursday. 

Amtrak said the prices are good for travel from Tuesday, May 29 to Sunday, July 8, with no blackout dates and these are some of the lowest prices since 2012. 

Find out more about the sale and conditions here.

Following are the one-way fares:

• Boston, MA to New Haven, CT: $29
• Boston, MA to Philadelphia, PA: $55
• Boston, MA to Virginia Beach, VA: $81
• New York, NY to Boston, MA: $39
• New York, NY to Washington, DC: $39
• New York, NY to Philadelphia, PA: $29
• New York, NY to Baltimore, MD: $42
• New York, NY to Providence, RI: $39
• New York, NY to Wilmington, DE: $39
• Washington, DC to Newark, NJ: $39
• Washington, DC to New Haven, CT: $47
• Washington, DC to Philadelphia, PA: $29
• Washington, DC to Richmond, VA: $19
• Washington, DC to Virginia Beach, VA: $44

Texas Christian University has suspended a group of students administrators say cheated on exams by using an app that publishes test questions online, a lawyer representing some of the students said.

The alleged cheating happened over multiple semesters and involved about a dozen students who used the Quizlet app in more than one course.

Students in college and even high school can use Quizlet to make their own study guides, flash cards and sample tests to review themselves and share with others.

Some of the suspended students argued they didn't know the exact material they studied would wind up on the exam.

"Sometimes you'll look up a class and be like, oh cool, it has the study guide already on there," said Ashley Brummett, a TCU student unrelated to the suspension. Brummett added that she assumes test questions posted on Quizlet came from past student study guides or sample questions posted by teachers.

An attorney representing the students said they didn't know the exact material they were studying would be on the test, but that the professor said they should have reported it once they recognized exam questions. The group also questions why the test hadn't changed over multiple semesters.

"You know that you're going to use the same test every semester. You write the same study guide. Obviously, people are going to catch on," said Victoria Post, a junior at TCU.

All of the students involved are appealing their suspensions. Letty Martinez, the attorney for many of the accused students, released this statement:

“We represent a number of TCU students who were recently suspended from the University on allegations of “academic misconduct” after using Quizlet — a public online study guide used by millions of students worldwide. While preparing for an exam, the students located and studied previously posted materials readily available on Quizlet — not knowing these items would be on the exam. Some students were even directed to these materials by TCU employed tutors. As it turned out, the professor responsible for the exam recycled test questions from past semesters. The “cheating” accusations stem from the professor’s belief that students should notify professors if they recognize exam questions. The knee-jerk suspensions have far-reaching and lasting implications for the students involved. The sanctions are being vigorously appealed.  In this modern day, it is incumbent for Universities to adapt to changes in technology and for professors to change their tests. It is our sincerest hope that after TCU officials review the cases in full, cooler heads will prevail and the sanctions will be reversed.”

TCU released the following statement:

“Texas Christian University is aware of the situation, as reported, regarding potential cheating involving several students. We understand that these are serious concerns and are treating them as such, fully engaging the university’s academic conduct policy and its corresponding appeal process. All students involved have the opportunity to appeal before a final decision is rendered. Above all, an academic community requires the highest standards of honor and integrity in all of its participants if it is to fulfill its mission.”

Part of Route 6 in Bristol was closed because of a natural gas leak, according to police, but the road has reopened.

Route 6 was closed between Stafford Avenue and Camp Street and Eversource responded. 

Officials from Eversource said a third-party vendor hit a gas line. 

A 39-year-old man who is accused of sexually abusing a child in Norwalk was taken into custody in Orlando, Florida after an investigation that started more than three years ago. 

Norwalk police said they received information on Dec. 22, 2014 that Antonio Lazaro Torres-Rodriguez had been sexually abusing a child in Norwalk over a prolonged period of time. 

As police investigated, they learned a second juvenile victim was also involved, police said, and a Special Victims Unit detective obtained an arrest warrant for Torres-Rodriguez, but he had fled Connecticut.

The investigation spanned several states and fingerprints led police to find Torres-Rodriguez, who they said was arrested in Orlando, Florida on March 12 on suspicion of driving under the influence. 

He had given a false name, but his fingerprints revealed his true identity and that there was an active arrest warrant in Norwalk, so authorities in Orlando contacted Norwalk Police. 

On May 8, Norwalk authorities traveled to Orlando, where they took Torres-Rodriguez into custody and transported him back to Norwalk. 

Torres-Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of risk of injury to a minor and two counts of intentional cruelty to persons. 

He is scheduled to appear in Norwalk Superior Court on May 9. 

Bond was set at $1 million.

After a soldier lost her left ear in a car crash, Army surgeons were able to grow a new ear in her forearm and transplant it onto her head.

The Army announced Monday that the procedure performed on Pvt. Shamika Burrage was successful.

The total ear reconstruction, the first of its kind in the Army, was performed at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. Doctors took cartilage from the soldier's ribs, carved out a new ear and placed it under the skin of her forearm to allow it to grow.

"The whole goal is, by the time she's done with all this, it looks good, it's sensate and in five years, if somebody doesn't know her, they won't notice," chief plastic surgeon Lt. Col. Owen Johnson III said in a statement.

In 2016, Burrage was driving from Mississippi to Fort Bliss, Texas, with her cousin when a tire blew. The car veered off the road, skidded for 700 feet and then flipped multiple times. Burrage, then 19, was thrown from the car. Her cousin, who was eight months pregnant, suffered only minor injuries. But Burrage suffered head injuries, spinal fractures, road rash and the complete loss of her left ear.

After several months of rehabilitation and counseling, she looked into how to get a new ear. Army surgeons told her they could potentially make her a new one.

"I was going to go with the prosthetic, to avoid more scarring, but I wanted a real ear," she said in the Army's statement. "I was just scared at first but wanted to see what [the surgeon] could do."

Burrage, now 21, has two surgeries remaining. She is a supply clerk with 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. She has hearing in her left ear, and she's feeling optimistic.

"It's been a long process for everything, but I'm back," she said.

The Food and Drug Administration added EpiPens, generic epipens and Adrenaclick autoinjectors to its list of drug shortages. This doesn't mean people cannot get EpiPens or generics, the FDA said, but they may have to look harder or turn to a different brand, such as Auvi-Q by Kaleo. 

To stay prepared during the shortage, don't wait for an emergency and check your autoinjector supply now, NBC News reported. After checking the injectors and their expiration dates, search for alternative brands.

Also, it's important to understand how to use a different brand from the one you're used to. Each brand functions a little differently and the methods for injecting may vary. The stress of an allergic reaction is not the best time to learn how to use a new injector.

There's a number for patients to call if they have trouble finding the injectors. "Patients who are experiencing difficulty accessing product should contact Mylan Customer Relations at 800-796-9526 for assistance in locating alternative pharmacies," the FDA said.

Tourism is a $14-billion industry in Connecticut, but some say the state needs to do more to make people aware of hidden gems from the shoreline to the quiet corner. 

“I think Connecticut has a bad rap, actually,” Robin Curtis of Sherborn, Mass., said. 

The Fairfield native doesn’t leave the Boston area for Connecticut anymore unless it’s for work. 

“It doesn’t really have a niche right now. Right? You think of New England, you think of mountains are New Hampshire, Vermont, the beaches are more Mass. Mystic is the only thing I think Connecticut is known for right now,” Curtis said. 

She stayed at the Goodwin Hotel on business, which has served travelers on and off for more than 100-years. This June marks the one-year anniversary of its grand reopening in downtown Hartford. 

“I know we’re seeing a lot of people come in for weddings in the next couple weeks,” guest service agent Lindsey Joseph said of the kickoff to the summer tourist season. 

Joseph said she answers a lot of questions from inquiring guests about attractions in the area. 

“We definitely always have people interested in the Wadsworth, and the Yard Goats park definitely is drawing a lot of attraction now,” she said. 

However, she believes Connecticut has greater potential to attract visitors. 

“I think we get the reputation that there’s nothing to do here. Why come to Connecticut> There’s nothing to see, there’s nothing to do,” Joseph said. 

“There is so much to see and do in Connecticut. We have everything from coast to country,” said Christine Castonguay, of the Department of Economic and Community Development. 

At the governor’s annual conference on tourism, the tie between tourism and economic development was on full display. From creating authentic experiences to attracting international travelers, those in the tourism trade tried to hone in on what it will take to bring more visitors to the state. 

Gov. Dannel Malloy had his own suggestions when he took to the podium. 

He touted a transportation program that expands tourism’s economic impact. He also reminded conference attendees not to forget visitors from Ireland, now that Aer Lingus flies in and out of Connecticut, and Canadian tourists who are just a drive away. 

The Connecticut Open is hosting a free tennis lesson for third graders across New Haven.

Another teen has been charged in connection with a crash in Manchester last year that killed three people.

Jordan Cross, 17, was arrested Tuesday in connection with a crash on May 20, 2017 and police said he was driving one of the vehicles involved.

Cross was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license, DUI, failure to drive right, reckless driving and racing.

He released after posting bond on a court-set $50,000 bond.

Cross is due in court on May 22.

Two South Florida teens were killed and a third was injured after a Tesla Model S crashed and caught fire, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said. 

FLPD said the single-car crash that happened around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday killed two 18-year-old males. Another 18-year-old male, who was in the back seat, was ejected from the vehicle and transported to the hospital.

Police identified the driver who died as Barrett Riley and the passenger who died as Edgar Monserratt Martinez. The passenger who was ejected was identified as Alexander Berry.

Riley and Martinez attended Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale. The school is providing grief counselors to students Wednesday.

"These two members of our senior class should be finishing their AP exams and celebrating things like the prom and their upcoming graduation. Instead, we are mourning their passing," Pine Crest President Dr. Dana Markham said in a statement. "There really are no words to express how deeply this has affected our entire community."

The incident occurred in the 1300 block of Seabreeze Boulevard. Police say the car went off the roadway and struck a concrete wall, immediately catching fire.

Neighbor Wendy Mascolo said her kids play right where the crash happened.

"I was petrified, my kids play in this lot right here and I thought, oh my God, if some car jumped the curb it could be my children so I ran as fast as I could," Mascolo said.

Mascolo said by the time she came outside, the car was engulfed in flames.

"They were putting out the flames of the car when I came upon it," she said.

The circumstances of the crash are under investigation. Police said speed may have been a factor in the crash.

The crash comes after others involving Tesla models, including some that were driving on autopilot. Most recently, a Tesla Model X crashed and burst into flames in March near Mountain View, California, killing the vehicle's driver.  

Tesla released a statement on the latest crash, calling it a tragedy and saying they are cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

"We have not yet been able to learn the vehicle identification number, which has prevented us from determining whether there is any log data. However, had Autopilot been engaged it would have limited the vehicle’s speed to 35 mph or less on this street, which is inconsistent with eyewitness statements and the damage to the vehicle," Tesla's statement said.

The NTSB also said they are sending a team of four to investigate the crash. The NTSB said they don't anticipate autopilot being a part of their investigation.

Markham said the two boys were part of a close group of friends and loved boating and fishing.

"They would often come to school on Mondays and tell us about their adventures on the water," she said in her statement.

Riley was the oldest of seven children, and was a member of the school's crew and tennis teams. He was planning to attend Purdue University in the fall.

Martinez came to South Florida from Venezuela with his family when he was 11. He was into business and gave investment advice to his teachers, Markham said. He had been accepted to Babson College in Massachusetts.

Friends said Barry attended Westminster School in Fort Lauderdale and had just finished his freshman year at the University of Florida.

Route 156 in Waterford is closed because of a motorcycle crash and it will affect traffic at Waterford High School, according to police.

Route 156 is closed in front of the Waterford Community Center and police said entrance and exit traffic at the high school will have to be moved to Miner Lane.

Officers will be dealing with traffic and police are asking people to avoid the area and to use caution.

A 22-year-old New Haven woman is dead after a crash on Tuesday night. 

Officers responded to a one-vehicle crash on Lombard Street at 7:14 p.m., where they found a Hyundai in the front yard. 

Firefighters responded and the driver, 22-year-old Tyeisha Asia Hellamns, of New Haven, was unresponsive, according to police. 

She was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital. At 7:40 PM, medical staff pronounced her deceased. 

Police are investigating and said the investigation could take some time.

State lawmakers said the city of New Haven made progress on a proposal to expand Tweed Airport in New Haven to boost the airport’s business, but it was too late in the legislative session.

The Board of Alders approved a resolution supporting lengthening the main runway just days before the end of the legislative session and the plan needed to go to the General Assembly for the final vote. 

“The submission of a proposal to the Board of Alders, the meeting at Jepson School on April 30, and the community meeting at Nathan Hale School on May 5 all occurred too late in the legislative session for a proposal to be developed with the opportunity for robust community participation, consideration of the relocation of the terminal to diminish the traffic impact on New Haven, and the overall impact of enhanced commercial use of the airport,” Senator Martin Looney said in a statement Wednesday.

The proposal was to pave the grassy safety zones around the main runway, expanding the 5,600-foot runway another 1,000 feet.

Though the expansion would stay within the airport’s current footprint, the proposal goes against a 1997 act forbidding expansion. This bill would change that act.

The city said expansion could boost declining travel.

In the mid-90s, Tweed saw about 130,000 passengers, but in 2007 it had only 40,000. A longer runway could mean more commercial flights in and out of Tweed, with destinations like Washington D.C., Chicago and Florida.

“I am sure that the City will take the next several months to reach out to the affected neighborhood, all stakeholders and elected officials in order to build a consensus that respects both economic development opportunities and preservation of one of New Haven’s core neighborhoods,” Looney said in a statement.

“Since this plan was first proposed, Sen. Looney and I have been clear that the neighborhood and the community process needs to be at the forefront. The concerns and the well-being of the community need to be put first. It’s incumbent upon the city administration to communicate with neighboring residents about their proposal and how it will impact the community. A true community benefits agreement should be reflective of the neighborhood’s needs. We need to bring together residents, stakeholders and local leaders to fully vet the city’s proposal,” state Rep. Al Paolillo said in a statement.

Clinton police are investigating a $10,000 shoplifting spree and they have arrested two suspects who they said have U.S. Immigration orders to be deported. 

Police arrested the two suspects at 5 p.m. Tuesday and said they are accused of being involved in organized retail theft in which around $10,000 worth of merchandise was taken from five stores from Clinton Crossing as well as other retail stores in Connecticut.

Police said they received a call reporting the shoplifters were using “beater bags” and found suspects in a car. 

They had small tools to remove anti-theft devices and one suspect tried to punch an officer, according to police. 

Authorities used a stun gun to take 30-year-old Manuel Antonio Gutierrez, of Washington, New York, into custody. 

The other suspect, identified as 55-year-old Francisco Pantoja, of Queens, New York, ran and was apprehended in the woods behind a home on Glenwood Road, police said. 

When police searched the car, they found clothing worth an estimated $10,000. 

Gutierrez was charged with assault on a police officer, interfering with a police officer, organized retail theft, larceny and conspiracy. Police said he was also wanted on a U.S. Immigration deportation order. 

Pantoja was charged with Interfering with a police officer, organized retail theft, numerous counts of Larceny and conspiracy. U.S. Immigration also wants him on a deportation order, police said.

Two people have been arrested after a chase that started in Hartford and ended in Wethersfield-Rocky Hill line, according to police. 

Wethersfield resident Ray Schilke said he was mowing the lawn when he saw the commotion.

"I went all the way down and I go to turn around and all the sudden there are 10-12 cop cars," he said.

Police followed the two male suspects in the vehicle from Hartford into Wethersfield and down the Silas Deane Highway. Wethersfield police said the car was eventually abandoned in Rocky Hill, and the suspects fled on foot.

Both were captured - one right in front of Schilke.

"As I came closer to the street there he was he was on the ground and they cuffed him and they began searching through a bag," he said.

A Hartford police cruiser was damaged and police said they recovered a gun.

Police said two preschools were locked down during the chase and search as a precaution.

No injuries were reported. Police said the pursuit was connected to a vice and narcotics operation, but could not provide more details.

No additional information was immediately available.

A bill that beefs up oversight at the state's maximum security psychiatric hospital is now awaiting the governor's signature.

The bill is a direct result of an NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters investigation that exposed allegations of abuse by staff members at the "Whiting Forensic Division." A little more than a year ago the Troubleshooters broke the story about the repeated abuse of a 59-year-old man who is a longtime patient at Whiting.

This bill sets up a task force that will function as an oversight committee at Whiting. It also outlines that Whiting employees are mandated reporters, and now subject to fines and criminal charges if they fail to report abuse to proper authorities.

The Whiting task force must submit a preliminary report on its findings to the legislature in seven months. The state agency in charge of Whiting says the bill will "work to ensure that patients and staff are safe, that clinical care is appropriate and that the allegations we heard about last spring never occur again."

“This bill is the culmination of the joint efforts of the Governor’s office, the Public Health Committee, DMHAS leadership, the CT Department of Public Health and community stakeholders including those with lived experience. These collaborative efforts have produced legislation that will enhance processes that work to ensure that patients and staff are safe, that clinical care is appropriate and that the allegations we heard about last spring never occur again,” wrote Commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, of the Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services in a statement.

Gov. Dannel Malloy is expected to sign the bill.

“This legislation, based on an original proposal from Governor Malloy, implements measures that will result in greater staff accountability and improvement of patient care at Whiting Forensic Hospital and other state-operated behavioral health facilities. It represents important progress, and the Governor has been supportive and proactive with regard to these critical policy changes since February. Barring any unforeseen technical issues with the language, he intends to sign it in coming days,” said Leigh Appleby, Malloy’s press secretary.