Emergency crews in North Haven are searching for a missing person in the area of Banton Street due to flooding of the Quinnipiac River, according to the North Haven Fire Department.
Firefighters and police are searching the area adjacent near Route 15 on foot and with a drone.
No additional information was immediately available.
Check back for updates.
An injured turtle is riding in style thanks to zoo keepers at The Maryland Zoo.
The wild eastern box turtle has been outfitted with a wheelchair made of Lego bricks.
A zoo employee found the injured turtle in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, Maryland, in July.
"He had multiple fractures on his plastron, the bottom part of his shell," said Dr. Ellen Bronson, senior director of animal health, conservation, and research at the zoo.
The turtle underwent surgery to fix its fractured shell. The zoo's veterinary team used metal bone plates, sewing clasps and surgical wire to hold pieces of the turtle's fractured shell together.
The shell had to stay off the ground in order to heal, posing a challenge to staffers who had a hard time helping the turtle get around in the meantime.
That's when someone came up with the idea of the Lego wheelchair.
"They don’t make turtle-sized wheelchairs. So, we drew some sketches of a customized wheelchair and I sent them to a friend who is a Lego enthusiast," said Garrett Fraess, veterinary extern at the Zoo.
A few weeks later, the grapefruit-sized turtle received his own custom Lego wheelchair. Zoo officials say the turtle took off as soon as he was outfitted with the miniature design.
"He never even hesitated," said Fraess. "He took off and has been doing great. Turtles are really good at healing as long as the shell remains stable."
Dozens of parents who sent their kids to one Vernon day care are trying to find an alternative after the Apple Tree Learning Center abruptly closed its doors.
Parents and staffers left the Apple Tree Learning Center in tears Tuesday, saying they were blindsided by the closure. Now they don’t know where they’ll work, or who they can trust to care for their children.
“We’ve seen these children from birth to four years old. They’ve become a big part of our family, So seeing them walk out the door a little upset kind of broke my heart,” said Erin Osuna, director at Apple Tree Learning Center.
Staffers said the news that the facility was closing down immediately came without warning.
“They told me, and all my employees and the children that attend here that they can no longer come with no warning, no 30 days. Today’s the last day,” Osuna said.
Osuno said a power crew arrived Tuesday afternoon to shut off the electricity for nonpayment while kids were still inside. Then a fax came from attorneys representing the estate that owns the center, saying it was unable to maintain the business or find a buyer to keep it going.
Parents are now scrambling to find alternatives.
“To know that they’re not going to be here tomorrow, they’re not going to be with my kids tomorrow, they’re not going to be the ones to hug my kids in here… it’s just sad,” said parent Andrea Boria. “You couldn’t even give us a little bit of notice? It’s literally, I’m sorry…tomorrow.”
NBC Connecticut reached of the Romano Parker, the firm handling the estate of former owner Kerry Hills, but has not heard back. We also reached out to family members who work at the business, but those calls either went unreturned or those relatives refused to speak on the record.
Parents said they had the same experience.
“The minute they pick up, they just hang up. They don’t even want to talk to you. They won’t even deal with you,” said Daniel Lester of South Windsor.
There are three more Appletree locations with the same ownership. There is no indication of what this means for them.
“I hope you can do better for your other centers and your other families,” Matthew Stark of Vernon said. “Let this be a warning for them… you never know when that door is going to shut.”
The staff said they got no communication from anyone in charge, and their next step is to return tomorrow to hand over the keys to the building’s landlord.
A 22-year-old Southwick, Massachusetts man died after falling from the cliffs at a Suffield quarry Monday night.
Suffield police said that crews responded to the quarry at Quarry and Phelps roads near the Granby-Suffield line after a passerby called 911. The witness told police they heard a yell and saw a person falling.
Within minutes of arriving, emergency crews found the man deceased. On Wednesday, police said the man has been identified as 22-year-old Myle Simons, of Southwick, Massachusetts.
He was presumed dead on scene.
“At this time we don't know if this was a fall, an accidental fall, an intentional act, or anything else so that remains under investigation,” Capt. Christopher McKee said ealier this week.
McKee said it is not clear exactly how far the victim fell. Emergency responders used off-road vehicles to reach the victim.
“It was a significant drop, it's very treacherous, it's very rocky,” McKee said. He added that is it not unusual to have falls reported in the area.
Police said it appears Simons was alone at the time and that the area where he was found is a clearly posted “no trespassing” area.
Anyone with information is asked to call Suffield police at 860-668-3870.
Qatar Airways has confirmed an 11-month-old American baby died Wednesday morning after landing in the Indian city of Hyderabad from Doha, NBC News reported.
According to the airline, family members alerted staffers at Hyderabad Airport that Arnav Varma was "unwell" after deboarding the three-and-a-half-hour flight.
Varma was rushed to Apollo Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival. According to his death certificate, Varma was born in New Jersey and his father, Anil Varma Alluri, is from Hyderabad.
Below, read the written testimony that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh prepared ahead of a hearing where he will address a sexual assault allegation brought by professor Christine Blasey Ford.
Ford alleges, and Kavanaugh denies, that he held her down, tried to take off her clothes and stifled her cries for help during a high school party in suburban Washington, D.C.
Two other women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. One, Deborah Ramirez, said he made her touch his penis during a party at Yale. Another, Julie Swetnick, alleged that she saw Kavanaugh "engage in abusive and physically aggressive behavior toward girls" and tried to inebriate them so they could be "gang raped" at high school parties. She said she was the victim of such an attack, though she did not specifically allege that Kavanaugh took part.
Kavanaugh denied both women's accusations. Here is his testimony, as released by the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Members of the Committee:
Eleven days ago, Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing a serious wrong more than 36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, unequivocally, and categorically. The next day, I told this Committee that I wanted to testify as soon as possible, under oath, to clear my name.
Over the past few days, other false and uncorroborated accusations have been aired. There has been a frenzy to come up with something—anything, no matter how far-fetched or odious—that will block a vote on my nomination. These are last-minute smears, pure and simple. They debase our public discourse. And the consequences extend beyond any one nomination. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country.
As I told this Committee the last time I appeared before you, a federal judge must be independent, not swayed by public or political pressure. That is the kind of judge I am and will always be. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. This effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. I am here this morning to answer these allegations and to tell the truth. And the truth is that I have never sexually assaulted anyone—not in high school, not in college, not ever.
Sexual assault is horrific. It is morally wrong. It is illegal. It is contrary to my religious faith. And it contradicts the core promise of this Nation that all people are created equal and entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. Allegations of sexual assault must be taken seriously. Those who make allegations deserve to be heard. The subject of allegations also deserves to be heard. Due process is a foundation of the American rule of law.
Dr. Ford’s allegation dates back more than 36 years, to a party that she says occurred during our time in high school. I spent most of my time in high school focused on academics, sports, church, and service. But I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now. But that’s not why we are here today. What I’ve been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior. I never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes.
The allegation of misconduct is completely inconsistent with the rest of my life. The record of my life, from my days in grade school through the present day, shows that I have always promoted the equality and dignity of women.
I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation against me by Dr. Ford. I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her or to anyone. I am innocent of this charge.
Suffield police have identified the victim in an untimely death investigation and say the death is not suspicious or criminal.
Police said they were called to a home on South Grand Street around 1:49 p.m. for a report of a medical emergency. The initial call was that a woman fell down a set of stairs and was hurt.
Emergency responders found the woman unresponsive when they arrived. She was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
She has been identified as 71-year-old Olga Paginelli.
The Suffield Police Department and Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Squad were called in to investigate. Police have concluded the death is not suspicious or criminal.
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., addressed the sexual misconduct allegations surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. “These are human beings, with families and children,” he said of Kavanaugh and his most prominent accuser, and that not much has been learned since the Anita Hill hearings in 1991.
The state is offering a $50,000 reward for information in the 2015 killing of 16-year-old Jericho Scott, who was shot while sitting in a car near his home in New Haven.
On April 19, 2015, Scott was shot while he was sitting in the passenger seat of a parked car near his home on Exchange Street in the Fair Haven neighborhood.
Two other people were also injured in the shooting and have since recovered.
Investigators do not believe Scott was the target of the shooting. Responding offers said there was a large group of people at the scene, and investigations believe there may be witnesses with information that can help solve the case.
The shooter wore a white ski mask and was seen fleeing on foot after firing multiple shots. The shooter may have gotten into a silver four-door Lexus or Toyota or a newer model white Nissan.
New Haven’s State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin has approved a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Tips can be made by calling detectives at 203-946-6304, the Anonymous Tip Line at 203-946-6296, by texting NHPD plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES) or emailing ecic@newhavenct.gov.
Emergency crews searching the Housatonic River for a missing person found a vehicle submerged in the river on Wednesday.
A dive team began searching the river in North Canaan late Tuesday night after receiving a report about a missing person from police in Sheffield, Massachusetts.
A man identified as 60-year-old German Perez, of Ashley Falls, Mass. left Lakeville around 6 p.m. for home in his black Toyota Tundra, according to police. When he hadn't arrived home by 8 p.m., police were called and Connecticut state police assisted in the search for Perez.
Troopers found an area on Route 44 in North Canaan that had a damaged guardrail and other evidence that a vehicle might have gone off the road and into the Housatonic River, according to police.
On Wednesday, a dive team located a vehicle in the river, but have not determined if it belongs to Perez.
A couple's attempt to highlight public reaction to child endangerment backfired, their hidden camera social experiment instead led to criminal charges, an investigation and their 3-year-old being taken away from them.
Laura Quijano can be seen on camera explaining the social experiment to her 3-year-old son Leo. The hidden camera experiment involved 28-year-old Boguslaw Matlak placing his son in the trunk of his car to see if bystanders intervened.
“The back of the seat was folded open and my wife was in the car and she was just taking him," Matlak said.
The multi-camera shoot took place outside the Panera bread at the Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge on Sept. 2.
"I was thinking maybe I should do a video to show people that they should do something about it when they see something wrong, to get involved," Matlak said.
Witnesses called police — and Matlak, despite his explanations, was arrested and charged with child endangerment.
"I was in shock," he said. "I got arrested."
As a result, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services removed Leo from his parents' custody and placed him with a relative. For the last three weeks, the couple has complied with every request trying to get him back.
"We have provided them with all of the proof that this was not real," Quijano said. "That my son was not in danger."
DCFS investigators even re-enacted the trunk illusion with the young boy at his home.
Rina Infelise, Quijano's attorney, says her client made a mistake but doesn't deserve to be treated like a criminal.
"Anybody can make a poor decision, every error in judgment made by a parent doesn't equal abuse and neglect," Infelise said.
While they say they understand the need for the investigation, Quijano and Matlak say it’s taking too long.
"They are hurting my son emotionally at this point," Quijano said. "He's not home with his parents who love him very much and what else do they want from us? I just don’t understand at this point."
Shortly after NBC 5's inquiries to DCFS, the family was notified that the agency would be returning Leo to their custody.
Matlak still faces one count of misdemeanor child endangerment and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
On the eve of what could be make-or-break testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about sexual misconduct allegations against President Donald Trump's pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, Trump held a rare solo news conference. Here are some of the top moments.
Trump: Democrats Would Have Voted Against Washington
Even the country’s first president would have been voted down by Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Senate Democrats opposed to Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, the president said.
“I’m relying on very fair and talented Republican senators,” Trump said. “If we brought George Washington here and we said ‘We have George Washington,’ the Democrats would vote against him, just so you understand.
“He may have had a bad past,” Trump added of Washington. “Who knows? He may have had some I think accusations made. Didn’t he have a couple things in his past? George Washington would be voted against 100 percent by Schumer and the con artists. One hundred percent, 100 percent.”
Trump Says He Could Change His Mind Once He Hears From the Women
CNN’s Jim Acosta began his question with the suggestion that Trump call on a woman to address the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh.
“What does he mean by that?” Trump said looking out over the room. “Explain.”
“I think it would be great if a female reporter would ask you a question about this issue,” Acosta said.
“I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Trump said.
Acosta continued on to ask Trump why he always seemed to side with the accused, not the accuser, to which the president said it would possible that he would change his mind when he heard from the women.
And his next question went to Hallie Jackson of NBC News, who asked whether the president thought all three women who had made allegations against Kavanaugh were liars. (NBC News has since reported on a fourth misconduct allegation).
“I can’t tell you,” Trump said. “I have to watch tomorrow.”
Trump on If He Believes the Women Who Have Accused Kavanaugh
Trump was pressed by several reporters about whether he believed the women who were making accusations against Kavanaugh. Did he think they were liars?
“I won’t get into that game,” he said, but did disparage Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for one of the women, calling him a low life.
Trump extolled Kavanaugh’s qualifications, calling him “one of the highest quality people” he had ever met, but he also said he could be convinced by the women, and when he was asked whether there was a scenario under which he would withdraw Kavanaugh’s nomination, he said yes.
“If I thought he was guilty of something like this, sure,” he said.
He questioned why Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, had waited so long to raise the accusation from Ford and why no charges had been brought in the 36 years since Ford alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party. Feinstein has said that Ford initially asked for confidentiality and declined to press the matter further.
“I hope I can watch,” he said of Thursday's testimony before the Judiciary Committee. “I’m meeting with a lot of countries tomorrow.”
As far of whether sexual misconduct accusations that have been made against Trump affected his opinion, the president said yes.
“It does impact my opinion,” he said. “You know why? Because I've had a lot of false charges made against me.”
“People want fame," he said. "They want money. They want whatever. So when I see it, I view it differently than someone sitting at home watching television.”
Trump on Rosenstein
Trump also made a little news regarding Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
President Donald Trump says he would "certainly prefer not" to fire Rosenstein and says he may delay a highly anticipated meeting with him.
Trump said Wednesday that Rosenstein denied making remarks attributed to him in a New York Times report, including that Rosenstein discussed secretly recording Trump last year.
Trump and Rosenstein had been scheduled to meet Thursday.
Trump says he may postpone that meeting because he is focused on an extraordinary Senate committee hearing set for the same day with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
"They Weren't Laughing at Me"
“They weren’t laughing at me. They were laughing with me.”
That was Trump’s response during Thursday’s press conference when asked about the laughter his U.N. address elicited from world leaders Tuesday.
He also said it was “fake news.”
“The fake news said people laughed — they didn’t laugh at me. People had a good time with me. We were doing it together. We had a good time. They respect what I’ve done. The United States is respected again,” Trump said.
The president had been highlighting U.S. gains under his watch as he opened his address to the U.N. General Assembly. He said the American economy was “booming like never before” and that his administration has accomplished more in less than two years than almost any other administration.
His boast elicited laughter from the scores of heads of state and delegates in the audience for the speech.
Trump, who has long claimed that his predecessors’ weak leadership prompted other nations “to laugh” at the US. appeared flustered and responded, “I didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK.”
Later, as he was leaving the U.N., he told reporters that he had meant to be funny.
“Oh it was great, well, that was meant to get some laughter, so it was great,” he said.
In his speech Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. is a “stronger, safer and richer country” than when he took office in January 2017. He said “we are standing up for America and for the American people, and we are also standing up for the world.”
"Yes Please, Mr. Kurd"
Trump referred to one Kurdish journalist as “Mr. Kurd,” as he called on him during the press conference.
A previous reporter had identified himself from Kurdistan when the second man said he was too.
Turning to him, Trump said. “Yes please, Mr. Kurd.”
“Go ahead.”
The man asked what the U.S. relationship with the Kurds — an ethnic group living in areas across southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southwestern Armenia — would be post-ISIS.
“We’re trying to help them a lot,” Trump said. “I want to help them. They fought with us. They died with us.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee is inquiring about at least one additional allegation of misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, according to a letter obtained by NBC News and multiple people familiar with the process.
Republican Senate investigators asked Kavanaugh about the new complaint, NBC News has learned, during a phone call on Tuesday between Kavanaugh and committee staff. Sources told NBC News that Kavanaugh denied the allegation in the letter during the call and a spokesman for the committee declined to comment.
A Republican aide on the committee said the conversation took place shortly after noon. While Republican staff posed questions to Kavanaugh, their Democratic counterparts were also on the call but did not ask any questions.
According to an anonymous complaint sent to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Kavanaugh physically assaulted a woman he socialized with in the Washington, D.C. area in 1998 while he was inebriated.
Four people wound up on the Shetucket River when their boats capsized Wednesday afternoon.
Fire officials said two women in a canoe and two men in kayaks ended up in the river. One woman was found hanging off a log 30 to 40 feet offshore.
The other three people were able to get out of the water.
All four victims were alert on scene. The woman who was rescued is being transported to the hospital for evaluation.
Dive teams from Yantic and Taftville responded along with Baltic firefighters.
President Donald Trump spoke with reporters for about 80 minutes during a news conference on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting on Wednesday, offering extended comments on a variety of topics.
He spoke about his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, foreign affairs and the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct, among other things.
Here are 8 things he said that were misleading, or that the president got wrong, according to NBC News.
1. Asked if he rejected a one-on-one meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump said, "Yeah, I did." A press representative for the Canadian prime minister told NBC News in an email that no such meeting was requested.
A 31-year-old man suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a car in West Haven Wednesday night.
Police said they were called to the intersection of Campbell Avenue and Center Street around 9 p.m. Investigators say it appears the vehicle was driving south on Campbell Avenue when the victim moved in front of the vehicle.
The man suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The driver was cooperative with police.
The Major Accident Squad has been called in to investigate.
Campbell Avenue is expected to be closed from Ashburton Place to Main Street for several hours as police investigate.
There were some heated moments at the Hartford City Council meeting focused on city police on Wednesday.
Hartford residents let their feelings be known, with top brass sitting nearby.
“There’s clearly something broken with this system. It’s not a case of bad apples. There is something rotted at the root,” said one resident.
The department’s leaders were called to answer questions from city councilors, which turned tough especially when it came to community relations and diversity in the ranks.
“I think we have a disagreement regarding what diversity actually is,” said Hartford City Councilor TJ Clarke, (D)
This has been a challenging time for the department after a string of scandals.
One sergeant was accused of doing drugs on the job. Another officer was caught on video telling a group of young people not to flee because he was “trigger happy.”
The chief told NBC Connecticut it’s important to listen to community concerns and he defended his department.
“It’s part of our healing process as a city. Any organization has a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work to do as a police department. By in large, I think we do a great job in the city,” said Chief David Rosado of the Hartford Police Department.
Despite some fiery talk, people left optimistic.
“I think it’s a step. It’s a very necessary step,” said City Councilor Fox (WFP).
The chief says they will be looking at improving the department, including possible changes to policies.
The third debate for governor provided a twist in the form of Oz Griebel, the petitioning candidate for governor, making an appearance alongside the major party candidates for the first time.
Republican Bob Stefanowski and Democrat Ned Lamont were the only participants in the previous two debates in New London and New Haven.
Despite Griebel’s appearance on the stage at UConn’s Jorgensen Center, the debate provided much of the same comments and attacks from both Lamont and Stefanowski.
Stefanowski said of his Democratic opponent, “Ned Lamont is going to be Dan Malloy, 2.0.”
That theme from the Republican was present throughout the hour-long debate presented by UConn, and WFSB-TV.
Lamont repeatedly criticized Stefanowski for having yet to provide an details on how he plans to close multi-billion dollar deficits over the next two years while also planning to phase out the income tax over eight years.
“Bob is just making it up,” Lamont said. “If he just had a plan of his own, if he had a way to cut spending, if he had a plan to get this moving again, if he had a way to create jobs, he’d be talking about his plan and his ideas rather than constantly attacking me.”
The issue of bringing tolls back to Connecticut’s highways led to some meaningful conversation among the three candidates.Ned Lamont pushed his plan to toll out of state trucks, which he says would bring in $100 million annually to help fix bridges, roads, and public transit.
“It’s at least an honest plan,” Lamont said.
Stefanowski panned Lamont’s truck proposal, saying it would lead to full scale tolling of all cars passing through the state.
“Are you going to go through all of the problems to build the technology, get it through the legislature, get all of the approval and just tax heavy duty out of state trucks in the evening? Of course, not.” “You’re going to have 80 tolls on I-95.”
Stefanowski did not provide any plan to address congested highways and slower commuter trains.
Griebel, in effect, proposed a sort of middle ground when it comes to tolls. He proposed a pilot program for electronic toll collection in HOV lanes.
“We’re now in a situation where we’ve underfunded our transportation infrastructure where we’re having these asinine fights where Republicans can’t support a toll and the Democrat has to support it, regardless,” Griebel said. “This notion is not about tolls or cost. It’s about making sure you understand that the dollars you pay in the gasoline tax, or tolls, or the income tax are going into the services that you want.”
The issue of the moment, the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, was the major topic at the close of the debate. The candidates were asked whether Kavanaugh, who now faces multiple allegations of sexual assault, should be confirmed.
Lamont said he should not, while Stefanowski would not answer one way or the other, saying, “I’m going to pass on that. That’s a federal issue.”
Earlier in the debate, Stefanowski would not give President Donald Trump a grade for his performance as president, even though during the primary he gave him an, “A.” Lamont gave the president an F.
On the Kavanaugh issue, Stefanowski elaborated following the debate, saying, "I've got three daughters. I think any allegation of sexual abuse should be taken very seriously. They should be listened to and should be looked at and I trust that that's what's been happening in Washington over this week.”
Lamont said of Kavanaugh, "I don't think he should be approved and by the way, governors appoint Supreme Court Justices here in this state and you want to know where we stand on these issues. You want to know where we stand."
Trumbull High School is closed for a second day because of flooding.
The website for the Trumbull school department says the high school will be closed today to continue addressing the impact of the storm Tuesday.
All other Trumbull public and private schools will be on a normal schedule.
