Three people were killed in an "intentional" car explosion in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Saturday night, officials confirmed.

The vehicle exploded on the 700 block of West Turner Street near North Hall Street around 9:30 p.m. Three men died in the blast. Officials have not yet revealed their identities though they also say there's a "high degree of confidence" that the perpetrator was killed in the blast.

One neighbor told NBC10 that his entire apartment building shook after the explosion. Another said it sounded like fireworks going off in the street.

"We heard a big blast and we ran out to our balcony to see if we could see anything," neighbor Jonathan Pack said. "My gut reaction was bomb."

Mike Hunter, another witness, was about a block away from the blast when he heard the explosion.

"People were yelling. People were running," Hunter said. "People were scared."

Hunter grabbed his cellphone and recorded the aftermath. The video shows a car engulfed in flames, as well as what appears to be body parts on the ground.

"I've never seen anything like that before," Hunter said. "I've only seen things like that on TV."

Police initially reported at least two people were injured. Shortly after midnight, ATF officials confirmed that one person had died. During a press conference at 4 p.m., officials confirmed three men in all died. They also said the incident was isolated and there's currently no threat to the public.

Dozens of ATF agents responded to the scene, which they said appeared to be a "criminal matter." County, state and federal officials are also involved in the ongoing investigation. Local residents were advised to avoid the area and find alternate routes around the crime scene.

A shelter was set up for residents who are being kept out of their homes due to the investigation, which officials say could last for days.

On Facebook, Allentown Councilman Courtney A. Robinson expressed sympathy for the victims and the community at large, and warned that "this will be a complicated investigation and it will take time until we know what happened."

Neighbors, meanwhile, described a confusing and terrifying scene moments after the blast tore through the area.

"As soon as I turned around I heard a big boom," Desiree Guth, a witness, said. "I saw the car on fire. I saw a leg by the car and I ran away."

The FBI, ATF and Allentown police continue to investigate. If you have any information on the incident, please call 1-888-ATF-BOMB.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

A neighborhood battle against a major development project in Hamden appears to have reached its final chapter.

People living near Rocky Top Road had been successful in their effort to stop a luxury apartment complex from being built near Quinnipiac University's York Hill Campus.

On Friday, the Rocky Top Neighbors group held a dedication ceremony to mark the preservation of the land.

"You couldn't have more of a storybook ending to this battle," said Tim Mack, a nearby resident who had opposed the development project. "You know, it went from being like we're going to get crushed to being David and Goliath and winning in the end."

Developer Gary Richetelli of Mountain View Estates had originally planned to construct 288 luxury apartments in the hilly terrain between Sherman Avenue and Shepard Avenue.

Residents immediately began showing their opposition, attending town hall meetings with signs and a message that Rocky Top ridge was no place for such a large-scale development.

In late 2017, the developer pulled the plug on the project and the land was donated to the Hamden Land Conservation Trust.

Earlier this year, Richetelli told NBC Connecticut that halting the project seemed like the best solution for everyone.

A portion of the Quinnipiac Trail, which winds through Rocky Top, was dedicated on Friday to the late Edgar Heermance, who had a homestead in the area. Remnants of the homestead remain standing near the trail.

As part of the dedication, Five American chestnut trees were planted in an area that had been previously cleared for the condominium project. A plaque will also be affixed to one of the trees closest to the trailhead.

Singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran took a day off from his Divide Tour to visit Tommy Sullivan's Cafe in Branford late Friday night.

Cafe owner Maeve Sullivan said that Sheeran appeared without notice with his fiance, Cherry Seaborn, around midnight. She said they were with a local wedding's bride and groom and about 40 other people.

Sullivan was working at the bar when Sheeran and the party came in. She said it felt like a normal night and the other guests in the restaurant were respectful of Sheeran's space.

According to Sullivan, Sheeran made sure to get photos with anyone in the restaurant who wanted one. She and two of her co-workers took the opportunity to get a selfie with him.

After taking photos, Sullivan said Sheeran left to prepare for his next performance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at PNC Stadium on Saturday.

Sheeran's Divide Tour runs through the end of August of 2019. Sheeran is best known for songs such as "Shape of You, "Perfect," "Thinking Out Loud" and "The A Team."

A Silver Alert has been issued for a teenager who is missing from Colchester.

According to police, 14-year-old Adam Andersen has been missing since Thursday and was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and white and red sneakers.

Andersen is described as being 5'7" tall and 120 pounds. He has blonde hair and hazel eyes. He also has a 4 inch scar on the top of his head.

If you have any information about Andersen's whereabouts, you're asked to call Connecticut State Police Troop K at (860) 537-7500.

East Lyme police are searching for two suspects accused of carjacking a vehicle at a local gas station and threatening a passenger with a knife Saturday evening.

Police said a male and a female suspect approached the vehicle around 6 p.m. while it was parked at the Niantic Star Gas Station on Flanders Road (Route 161) and threatened an adult passenger with a knife before driving out of the gas station onto the road. The passenger was able to escape and the suspects continued speeding north on Flanders Road, police said.

Investigators believe the suspects tried to enter another vehicle while the driver was pumping gas, but that vehicle was locked and the driver moved to safety.

Anyone with information on this crime is asked to contact Detective Mark Comeau at 860-739-5900.

The third westbound lane on I-84 in Waterbury will be open in time for Monday's commute after weather forced a delay of the scheduled midnight opening on Friday, according to the Department of Transportation.

The ride on the eastbound side has been smoother since a third lane opened for travel earlier this month. By Sunday night a section of the area has three lanes open, and a DOT spokesperson said the entire stretch between Austin Road and Washington Street will be three lanes by 6 a.m. Monday. 

In August, Governor Malloy announced the $330 million widening project was nearing completion, one year head of schedule.

The years of construction have caused headaches and delays for drivers.

No reasonable prosecutor would bring sexual assault charges against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh based on the public evidence, the prosecutor whom Republicans hired to ask the questions during last week's Senate hearing said in a memo to senators, NBC News reported.

In the memo, which was sent to all Republican senators and was obtained Sunday night by NBC News, Rachel Mitchell, the deputy county attorney in charge of the Special Victims Division in Maricopa County, Arizona, said her "bottom line" was that "a 'he said, she said' case is incredibly difficult to prove."

"But this case is even weaker than that," Mitchell wrote. "Dr. Ford identified other witnesses to the event, and those witnesses either refuted her allegations or failed to corroborate them."

"I do not think that a reasonable prosecutor would bring this case based on the evidence before the committee," she wrote.

During her Senate testimony, Christine Blasey Ford said she was "100 percent" certain that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. Kavanaugh has strongly denied the allegation. 

The FBI is conducting a one-week supplementary investigation after the Judiciary Committee cleared Kavanaugh's nomination on a party-line vote last week.

Norwich Police are investigating after a car nearly fell into a river after a crash overnight on Saturday.

Firefighters from Taftville were called to Route 97 on Saturday morning around 7:40 a.m. for a crash involving a vehicle and pedestrian.

When they arrived, they found a vehicle over the guardrail and down the embankment to the Shetucket River.

Firefighters treated the only occupant for a head injury and hypothermia.

According to investigators, the accident happened overnight and the victim had been in the vehicle calling for help for hours. The victim was finally able to crawl out, climb the embankment and summon help from a passing motorist who stayed until help arrived.

After initial care, the victim was transported to Backus Hospital.

Crews used ropes to rappel down to the vehicle. Officials said the vehicle was within inches of going into the river and was being held up by a single tree.

Norwich Police are investigating numerous possible causes of the crash, but said no pedestrians were involved.

If you witnessed the crash overnight, you're asked to call Norwich Police at (860) 886-5561.

If you drive down North Main Street in West Hartford this time of year, you probably know about the "Halloween House."

Well, it's back and it's got another new and provocative theme.

Homeowner Matt Warshauer has been building these really elaborate, often political, displays for years.

The theme this time around is the "Death of Democracy" with a lot of criticism for the Trump Administration.

"We as citizens, it is our responsibility to engage and to discuss these things and I feel like far, far too many Americans abdicate an understanding of their history and abdicate an understanding of their responsibility to be in engaged," Warshauer said.

Warshauer said he wants visitors to record and submit their reactions to this very unique Halloween display.

Police arrested a Terryville man who is accused of abusing a child who left a door open last month.

Officers said 27-year-old William Hunt was arrested on Wednesday on child abuse related charges following a Connecticut Department of Children and Families case.

According to a warrant, the victim, who is not related to Hunt, told police that Hunt was upset that he had left his bedroom door open with the air conditioner running while he used the bathroom on September 16.

He said Hunt hit him on the side of the head and pushed him to the floor before he stomped on his back and kicked his side.

Officials said the victim was left with blood in his eye and bruises and scratches on his neck and chest.

Hunt is facing charges including disorderly conduct, assault, strangulation and risk of injury. He was held on a $50,000 bond.

The sun was shining and the air was warm this weekend, but part of Wethersfield was covered in snow for the filming of a Christmas movie.

Christmas On Honeysuckle Lane, based on the book by Mary Elizabeth McDonough, will air in November and part of the film was shot this weekend at Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre in Wethersfield. The market was closed for filming and will reopen Tuesday.

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The movie focuses on a woman named Emma who returns home to spend  Christmas with her siblings in the house they grew up in for the last time after their parents passed away. 

“(T)the siblings reluctantly agree to sell the family home on Honeysuckle Lane, leaving Emma in charge of its belongings. While Emma’s mother’s collection is being appraised, they find a hidden surprise that takes them on a journey to discover the power of love and family during the holidays,” the description on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries website says.

Alicia Witt and Colin Ferguson star in the movie, which will air at 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19.

Laura Leighton is also involved, according to her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

A bear was spotted on a playground in Simsbury briefly Monday morning, then left the area, according to police. 

Police said it happened at Central School. 

No additional information was immediately available.

The Republican senator who suddenly sits at the center of the explosive Supreme Court debate vowed Monday to ensure the FBI does "a real investigation" into President Donald Trump's nominee as he trekked across New England while exploring a possible run for president.

"It does us no good to have an investigation that just gives us more cover," Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake told hundreds of young people at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Boston. 

The White House has insisted it's not "micromanaging" the new one-week review of decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Some Democratic lawmakers claimed the White House was keeping investigators from interviewing certain witnesses.

While Flake was on stage, moderator Randall Lane, chief content officer at Forbes, announced news that the White House had just authorized the FBI to expand its abbreviated investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh by interviewing anyone it wants. Lane credited Flake for the decision.

Before the event, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at City Hall Plaza to urge Flake to block Kavanaugh's nomination. 

"We're here to send a message to Senator Flake that if you come to Boston, you're going to hear from us," said Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Democratic Massachusetts congressional candidate and Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, Democratic New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with advocacy groups and survivors of sexual assault, all spoke at the event.

The crowd gathered at the rally carried signs with messages like "No, Brett" and "Kava-NAH." They joined in chants of "Love, not hate," and "Hey hey, ho ho, Kavanaugh has got to go!"

Both Pressley and Ocasio-Cortez spoke of their own experiences of sexual assault and harassment.

"There are many parts that make up my identity," Pressley said at the rally. "Chief amongst them, I am black, I am a woman and I am a survivor. I have been asked to not come off as outraged or angry for fear of being labeled as an angry black woman. Well I am angry, and I am outraged, because this is outrageous."

Pressley, quoting activist Deray McKesson, noted that those who are abused or marginalized are not voiceless, "what we are is unheard."    

"Senator Flake, Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, can you hear us now?" she added. "Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you. Can you hear us now?"

Ocasio-Cortez shared several personal stories, including how when she was 18 or 19 years old, at a party in Boston, she saw a girl getting flung over someone's shoulder, unconscious, at a fraternity party, and taken upstairs. "Everybody looked, but nobody said anything," she said.

Walsh said Flake should not be receiving praise just for asking for an FBI investigation.

“I want to say to Senator Flake, I guess I want to say thank you for asking the question, but that’s your job," he said. "That’s your job to vet the nominee sitting on that committee."

Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey made clear he is opposed to Kavanaugh because his presence on the court would pose a danger to Roe v. Wade. He also noted the state's long-standing history of launching revolutionary changes and leading progressive movements. 

"We are Massachusetts. We are the revolutionaries," Markey said. "This is where the abolitionist movement started, this is where the suffragette movement started, this is where the Affordable Care Act movement started, this is where the gay marriage movement started. This is where the revolution starts to say that Brett Kavanaugh will not serve on the Supreme Court of the United States of America."

Olympian Adam Rippon, who was also in town to speak at the Forbes event, attended Monday's rally.

"As soon as I found out Jeff Flake would be here in Boston, I said, 'Where is the rally?'" Rippon said.

"We need to protect safe and legal abortion," he added. "We need to stand up for victims of sexual abuse. And we need to call every single day and say no to Brett Kavanaugh."

Monday's event, which also included an appearace by Ohio Gov. John Kasich, was originally scheduled to be held at the Colonial Emerson Theatre, but Emerson College pushed to have the event canceled over "safety reasons." Instead, it was moved to City Hall Plaza.

Flake was a central figure in advancing Kavanaugh's nomination from the Senate Judiciary Committee with his tie-breaking vote. Flake said he'd vote to advance the bill to the floor, but asked for a one-week investigation into the sexual assault allegations lodged by Christine Blasey Ford against Kavanaugh.

On "60 Minutes" Sunday night, Flake talked about his impressions of Kavanaugh’s testimony, saying, "It was anger...but if I were unjustly accused, that's how I would feel as well. As it went on, I think his interaction with some of the members was a little too sharp, but the statement at the beginning I thought was pretty raw, but in keeping with someone who had been unjustly accused."

Flake is also scheduled to speak Monday night at Saint Anselm College's Institute of Politics in Manchester, New Hampshire. He is scheduled to give a speech titled "After the Deluge: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle" at 6 p.m. Granite State Progress and several other groups are planning a rally outside the Institute of Politics at 5 p.m.

It will be Flake's second appearance in New Hampshire this year. He has said a bid for president in 2020 is unlikely, but hasn't ruled one out altogether.

NBC Connecticut is hosting the first debate between the candidates for Attorney General ahead of November's election.

The debate will take place on Monday, Oct. 1 at 8:30 p.m.  Voters can watch the discussion on nbcconnecticut.com, the free NBC CT mobile app and the NBC CT Facebook page.

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The debate, which will be moderated by political reporter Max Reiss, will give Republican Susan Hatfield and Democrat Rep. William Tong an opportunity to share their platforms with voters.

The program will run an hour.

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Reiss has been covering this race extensively speaking with both candidates for extended interviews.

Monday's debate is part of NBC CT's comprehensive "Decision 2018" coverage.

The first evidence of human biting by the exotic east Asian longhorned tick has been reported, according to the Tick Testing Laboratory at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

Officials said the resident who was bit lives in Fairfield County.

The longhorned tick is an invasive species that was initially discovered on a farm in New Jersey in 2017 and has since been found in eight other states, including Connecticut. It was most recently detected in Connecticut in July of 2018, officials said.

The newly discovered tick feeds on a wide variety of mammals including humans, but it is unclear how often, according to researchers.

Longhorned ticks have been found to carry several human pathogens in Asia, but officials said it is unclear if this tick will be capable of transmitting pathogens such as the ones that cause things like Lyme disease, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis or Powassan virus.

"The identification of an Asian longhorned tick feeding on a state resident underscores the importance of our tick-testing program in helping to corroborate the capacity of this tick to bite humans outside of its native range. Going forward, it will be imperative to more fully assess the risk associated with this tick and its capacity to transmit local disease-causing pathogens," said Dr. Theodore Andreadis, the Director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

The Tick Testing Laboratory at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station tests nearly 4,000 ticks for three human disease causing agents annually.

Weather and climate play a pivotal role in determining when peak foliage occurs and how vibrant the leaves become.

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The months leading up to peak fall foliage have been anything but normal.

Connecticut experienced a very warm August with temperatures running a good 4 degrees above average. The month was also quite wet with the monthly rainfall total more than doubling the average amount for August. 

The month of August was followed up by another very warm September. Average temperatures in September ran 3.3 degrees above the norm. Similar to August precipitation was also above average by over 2 inches. 

There are several variables that determine when and how the trees change. Everything from the weather during the previous winter, to the tree type, and even the condition of trees given the recent Gypsy moth invasion. 

Warm and wet months leading up to October will result in fall foliage being delayed by up to two weeks. 

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The northwest and northeast hills (cities and towns like Salisbury, Sharon, Colebrook, Stafford, Woodstock, Thompson) can expect peak foliage around the middle of October.

Areas of central Connecticut (cities and towns like Hartford, Enfield, Waterbury, Plainfield, Southington, and Norwich) can expect peak foliage toward the end of October.

Southern and coastal Connecticut (cities and towns likes New Haven, Bridgeport, Hamden, Clinton, Groton, and Shelton) can expect peak foliage in late October and early November. 

President Donald Trump said he was supportive of FBI agents questioning who they have to in the agency’s expanded background check on allegations of sexual misconduct by Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

When questions at a news conference about the revised North American trade deal with Canada and Mexico Monday afternoon turned to the issues surrounding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump launched a verbal attack on Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal.

During the televised news conference, the president brought up an eight-year-old issue of misstatements Blumenthal made about his military service during the Vietnam War. 

“Look at some of the people asking the questions, OK. Look at Blumenthal. He lied about Vietnam. He didn't just say 'Hey, I went to Vietnam.' No. No. For 15 years he said he was a war hero. He fought in Da Nang Province,” Trump said.

Blumenthal later responded, saying false personal attacks from the president will neither silence nor stop him.

Trump was referring to a controversy in 2010. Blumenthal was running for U.S. Senate at the time when a report published in the New York Times said he wrongly said that he served in Vietnam. 

After that report surfaced, Blumenthal apologized and said he said he unintentionally said he served "in" Vietnam when he meant "during" Vietnam.

Blumenthal served stateside in the Marine Reserve during Vietnam and received five deferments that, the New York Times reports, allowed him to avoid the war, travel abroad to study and to work in the White House.

“We call him 'Da Nang Richard.' That's his nickname, 'Da Nang.' He never went to Vietnam. And he's up there saying 'We need honesty and we need integrity.' This guy lied when he was the attorney general of Connecticut. He lied. I don't mean a little bit, and then when he got out, he actually dropped out of the race and he won anyway because Democrats always win in Connecticut. He won, very close. Probably the closest ever,” Trump said.

Blumenthal defeated former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, the Republican candidate, in the general election in November 2010 and McMahon now serves in the Trump administration as Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration

“(H)ere's a guy lied and now he's up there talking like he's holier than thou. You know what? Take a look at his record. And when he got out and when he apologized he was crying, the tears were all over the place. And now he acts like 'how dare you?' Trump said.

“There he goes again. I won’t be stopped or silenced by President Trump’s false personal attacks,” Blumenthal Tweeted Monday after the president’s news conference.

A few days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, a group of people stranded in Punta Santiago, a Puerto Rican neighborhood in the eastern coastal town of Humacao, wrote a giant sign in chalk: "S.O.S Necesitamos Agua/Comida" (S.O.S we need water/food). The picture captured from above went viral.

In an effort to promote progress and tourism in August, the residents Punta Santiago wrote a new sign on the street where they once pleaded for aid, "Bienvenidos" (welcome).

It was only a year ago that Maria devastated Puerto Rico, becoming the worst disaster ever recorded on the island. Recovery after the deadly storm has been slow for many, but those in the tourism industry say that Puerto Ricans have worked with great resilience along with first responders to make the island inviting again to travelers.

“We are open and ready,” said Clarissa Jiménez, the president and CEO of the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association. In response to what Jiménez described as “a monster” that destroyed the entire island, she said "the best way to help Puerto Rico fully recover is by visiting it."

Before Maria, tourism had grown to an estimated 8.4 percent of GDP in 2017 and was projected to rise to 10.7 percent by 2027, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. Hurricane Maria battered the industry: hotels and restaurants were destroyed and entire areas cut off from the rest of the island due to impassable roads. Despite the damage, tourism now represents 10 percent of GDP and still employs over 70,000 people of the more than 3 million who live there.

"We really rolled up our sleeves," said Jiménez, "but we were fortunate to get help from all over."

She said tourism is back after beginning to restabilize in the early this year. 

 "Our [golf] greens are greener than ever and our beautiful beaches are as perfect as they were before the hurricane,” Jiménez said.

Pamela Martínez, 30, has visited the island from Mexico several times before Maria and returned in July. She noticed a big difference from past trips in Isla Verde, the beachfront area on the border of San Juan where she was staying.

"None of the places I visited were closed," said Martínez, "but I did see a lot of the vegetation destroyed and the street lights were not working. Also power was off for long hours."

Kenneth Rivera-Robles, president of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, said that the government hired the nonprofit marketing group Discover Puerto Rico to change the perception people have of Puerto Rico in the wake of the storm.

"People tend to think we are not ready when in fact if you visit the island today you will get the whole experience," Rivera-Robles said. "Tourism is vital to our economy."

Jennifer Rosa, vice president for communications for Discover Puerto Rico, explained how the welcome sign in Costa Santiago was a turning point to show recovery efforts. Discover Puerto Rico invited people to use the hashtag #covertheprogress on social media to show the changes. "The future of too many people relies on tourism," she said.

Leah Chandler, chief of marketing office for Discover Puerto Rico, added that “it’s time to change the narrative.”

In an alliance with Google, they have created a photo archive of what different attractions looked like after Maria in comparison to now.

“All of the attractions are open and running perfectly. These are all pictures taken after Maria,” Chandler said.

Puerto Rican tourism promoters have made clear, however, that there are still places, including Puerto Rico's mountainous interior, where infrastructure is still weak and more needs to be done.

Tourist-friendly areas that were struggling to recover in the aftermath of Maria, such as Rincón and the island of Culebra, are open to visitors and will benefit from people's visits.

Tourism experts agree that the best way to fix ongoing challenges is by getting people to bring their business.

For all the misery that Maria wrought, it also did bring some new attention to the island.

“Before people couldn't even find Puerto Rico on a map,” Jiménez said. “Now they know where it is, who we are and our relationship with the U.S."

Montville police are investigating after shots were fired into an apartment building Saturday night.

Police said they were called to a report of gunshots in the area of 91 Leffingwell Road around 9:45 p.m. No one was hurt, but investigators determined several shots were fired into the building.

The Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad is investigating.

Anyone with information should contact State Police Detective Jette at 860-848-6532.