Traffic was congested on Interstate 95 South in Westport because of a car fire, but the scene has cleared.
A car was on fire on the highway, north of exit 18, New Creek Road. Some smoke is still showing.
A 47-year-old mother arrested in the cold-case killing of her 5-year-old son, whose remains were found in a New Jersey industrial park nearly a year after he was reported missing from a carnival in 1991, was held without bond Thursday on a charge of "fleeing from justice," authorities say.
Michelle Lodzinski, formerly of Perth Amboy, is accused of killing Timothy Wiltsey, who was reported missing from a carnival in Sayreville on May 25, 1991, prosecutors say. The 5-year-old’s body was found in a marshy, remote part of a large industrial park in Edison nearly a year later, on April 23, 1992.
Lodzinski currently lives in Florida and was taken into custody by authorities there after a grand jury in New Jersey handed down a one-count murder indictment late last month. She was remanded in Florida and is awaiting an extradition hearing.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said that a cold-case review helped launch a new investigation into Wiltsey's death.
“Following a routine, cold-case review of the evidence and facts surrounding the disappearance and murder of Timothy Wiltsey, a new investigation was conducted and the matter was presented to the grand jury,” Carey said.
Alan Rockoff, the Middlesex County prosecutor when Timmy disappeared, said he wasn't surprised at Lodzinski's arrest.
"We didn't have sufficient evidence at the time to pull the trigger," Rockoff told The Associated Press. "There was no direct smoking gun here."
Rockoff, 81, said detectives never stopped working the case and did as much as they could to solve it.
"Hopefully now, there's a possibility of closure," Rockoff said. "Justice works slowly, but works surely."
Lodzinski ran into other legal troubles after her son's death.
She surfaced in Michigan in January 1994 and said two men claiming to be FBI agents had abducted her at gunpoint outside her apartment building, forced her into a black SUV and drove her to Detroit, where they let her out.
She pleaded guilty in 1995 to making false statements to the FBI and fraudulently using the agency's seal. She was sentenced to probation.
In 1997, Lodzinski was arrested and charged with stealing a computer from her former employer. She pleaded guilty to a theft charge and was pregnant in 1998 when a federal judge sentenced her to house arrest after she admitted she committed a crime while on probation.
A high school cheer program in Southern California is on hiatus after what school district officials called an "offensive" photo surfaced of 13 girls dressed in what looks like gang attire.
The photo shows members of the Redlands East Valley High School cheer squad wearing baggy clothes and flashing gang signs.
"Anything stereotypical in a negative light like that is not funny, especially at somebody else's expense," parent Tracy Gomez said. "Teenage pregnancy, gun violence."
School officials believe the photo was taken a few weeks ago at a student event. Redlands School District official Brad Mason said the district became aware of the photo Tuesday.
District Superintendent Lori Rhodes released a statement, which said in part that she found "the picture offensive" and that "this type of depiction will not be tolerated."
Ashley Scott, a recent graduate of Redlands East Valley High School, knows several of the cheerleaders in the photo.
"I was a little disappointed in the girls, just because that's not who we are," Scott said. "I don't believe that any of the girls meant to do this on purpose, to send any kind of message to anyone."
Ashley Scott and her mother Nicole Scott believe that any adults involved in the group’s choice of attire should be held responsible.
"I think that the teacher who approved it, the administration, whoever approved it should have thought a little better about that because it just, it puts us in a poor light," Nicole Scott said.
Superintendent Rhodes said in a statement that the circumstances surrounding the event and photo are being reviewed, and that "appropriate action will be taken once (the) review is complete."
The school district said it is working with Redlands East Valley High School and the community to address cultural awareness and sensitivity at the school.
"Team building exercises such as dress-up days are to build spirit and camaraderie in a positive manner. They should never demean, insult or portray negative stereotypes, as done in this photo," Rhodes said in the statement.
Parking in West Hartford is going mobile.
Starting today, Aug. 7, a new app called PassportParking will allow iPhone and Android users to pay for on-street parking in West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square with their phones, according to a release from the manager of Municipal Parking Operations in West Hartford.
Users will need to open the app, specify “Zone 860” to indicate in West Hartford, then enter their license plate numbers and the amount of time they intend to park.
The app accepts Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards and encrypts all card information. Each use is accompanied by a 25-cent service fee. PassportParking keeps track of parking receipts, which can be printed or emailed.
According to the release, parking monitors in West Hartford will hand out 600 coupons one free hour of parking for first-time app users.
More information is available online or by calling 860-956-5990.
Editor's Note: NBC Chicago will stream the Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby live right here starting at 1 p.m. CT.
Get ready. More than 60,000 ducks are making a splash in the Chicago River for the 9th annual Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby Thursday at the Columbus Drive Bridge.
Participants buy rubber ducks to support training for Young Athletes and the Special Olympics and compete for prizes such as a 2014 Chevy Equinox and an all-inclusive Apple vacation. The duck race starts at 1 p.m.
Proceeds from the derby help nearly 21,500 Special Olympics athletes and more than 18,500 young athletes throughout Illinois. Participants can buy ducks for $5 each, a quack pack of six ducks for $25 or a flock of 24 ducks for $100.
Beginning at 10 a.m., families can enjoy entertainment from the Radio Disney Team and several sports mascots at The Wrigley Building, 400 N. Michigan Ave.
Can't make it to the event? Watch the livestream online here.
Venice has seen more than a dozen property crimes recently, and for one resident, it produced an odd, pre-dawn encounter with an intruder.
Mitch Kirsch got up before dawn Wednesday to use the bathroom in his Santa Clara Street home when he bumped into the intruder.
"He was right in front of me," Kirsch said. "I'm naked the whole time, so it was a little awkward."
Kirsch grabbed the man, forced him to drop a laptop he was clutching and then let him go.
"I don't really want to hold on to this guy for 10 minutes naked," Kirsch said.
After the burglar ran off, another break-in happened two houses down, and police suspect it was the same man. He was described as about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 135 pounds.
In a one-week period at the end of July, police said they recorded more than 30 property crimes in Venice.
"I was so glad this guy wasn't armed," said Izumi Hamagaki, Kirsch's girlfriend.
Two burglaries happened on their street Wednesday morning, police said.
The couple's high walls and locked doors helped, but they left a window open just a touch for their cat to go in and out.
Police say open doors and windows are the commonality behind the rash of Venice home burglaries.
A man was arrested at Bradley Airport when he tried to get through security without an ID or a ticket late Wednesday afternoon, according to state police.
Deshommes Flynn, 20, of Mesa, Arizona, walked past several Transportation Security Administration officers and was approaching the full-body scanner with no intention of stopping just after 4 p.m., according to information provided by state police.
Authorities shot Flynn with a stun gun, took him into custody and an ambulance transported him to Hartford Hospital.
Flynn was charged with second-degree breach of peace, interference with an officer and tampering with an airport.
The attempted breach happened on the same day a high-profile stowaway pleaded no contest in California.
Flynn was released on a $10,000 bond and is due in court in Enfield today.
No phone number is listed for Flynn and it is not clear if he has an attorney.
One Connecticut National Guard soldier was killed and another was injured when a military vehicle transporting spent shells from a training exercise to Fort Dix, New Jersey, was involved in a crash on Interstate 95 south in Port Chester, New York, around 10:20 a.m. Thursday, according to the Connecticut Army National Guard.
The military vehicle, a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV), flipped over and both the driver and a passenger were ejected, NBC New York reports. The passenger was killed and the driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The National Guard is notifying the soldiers' families and has not released their names.
The driver of the other car was also taken to the hospital, but no information has been released on that person's condition. According to NBC New York, that person was the only occupant of the second car.
Col. Micahel E. Wieczorek, Chief of Staff of the Connecticut Army National Guard, said the LMTV was traveling with another military vehicle at the time of the crash. The two soldiers in that vehicle were not injured.
The National Guard is offering support services to both families involved as well as other members of the military who need assistance.
Wieczorek said in a press conference Thursday afternoon that all military drivers receive 40 hours of classroom training, 40 hours of training in their vehicles and undergo annual safety briefings.
Wieczorek said both military and civilian law enforcement agencies are investigating the cause of the crash.
Two small American flags that had been placed in the rubble drifted in the breeze. Gov. Dannel Malloy has ordered that all U.S. and state flags be lowered to half-staff in honor of the victims.
"We join the Connecticut National Guard in mourning the loss of one of our brave soldiers, and our prayers for a quick and full recovery go out to the soldier who was injured," Malloy said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Flags will remain at half-staff until the soldier's funeral, Malloy said. The date of the funeral has not yet been decided.
A 51-year-old Northfield man who went missing yesterday has returned home after spending Wednesday night lost in the woods and is safe, according to police.
Stephen Cybulski was reported missing from his home on Newton Road in the Northfield section of Litchfield. He was last seen around 5 p.m. Wednesday and had been working in an area between his yard and a pond across the street from his house, according to state police.
He was wearing only shorts and work boots when he disappeared. Police said Cybulski got lost in the woods and found his way home around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, just over 24 hours after he was last seen.
Cybulski was taken to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital for treatment of dehydration and exposure. He's now home safe, according to police.
A state police dive team spent Thursday searching Northfield Pond for clues as to his whereabouts. Police K-9s were also brought in but didn't develop any leads.
A 32-year-old woman and 16-year-old boy riding together on a bicycle suffered minor injuries when their bike collided with a truck at the intersection of Grove and Lester streets in Ansonia, according to police.
Police said the two were riding with another bicyclist on Grove Street and couldn’t stop going down the hill toward the intersection with Lester Street. There they struck the side of a WB Mason truck that was traveling southbound on Lester Street.
The woman and boy on the bike suffered minor injuries and were taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment. The driver of the truck was uninjured and stayed at the scene, according to police.
Police are actively investigating the crash. No charges have been filed.
New Haven police are respoinding to a shooting at Ridge Street and Warren Street.
There has been no word on injuries.
Check back for updates.
Authorities are investigating after a man was shot by a passenger in his car around noon Thursday, according to New Haven police.
Investigators arrived at the Hess Gas Station at 1331 State Street in New Haven to find that a 31-year-old East Haven resident had been shot in the leg and pistol whipped, according to police.
Authorities said the incident happened the Warren Street cul-de-sac.
The victim told police he had gotten into an altercation in his car with the person who shot him, and was shot while the suspect was still in his vehicle. Police said the victim reversed down the street to get away, at which point the suspect fired another shot through his windshield.
The victim was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, police said.
Police have not identified a suspect.
The former superintendent of Hebron Public Schools has been charged with larceny after allegedly stealing more than $15,000 from the town, some of which was used to analyze Board of Education data in Plymouth, where she now works, according to state police and an audit conducted by the Hebron BOE.
Eleanor Cruz, 63, of Essex, turned herself in to state police Thursday morning after learning of a warrant for her arrest. She's accused of charging personal expenses to two district credit cards while working in Hebron.
The allegations came to light when the board discovered “insufficiently documented transactions” and learned some purchases couldn’t be verified, according to the Board of Education. The board then notified state police and a forensic auditor.
According to the audit, dated Feb. 20, 2013, Cruz used district credit cards at restaurants, jewelry shops, boutiques, pharmacies, food stores, farmer's markets, florists, online retailers, a toy store and a car wash, among others, during the 2012 calendar year.
She's also accused of paying more than $2,000 to a private consultant hired to analyze Plymouth Board of Education data, just months before she left Hebron and began work as superintendent of Plymouth Public Schools, a position she still holds.
The audit says Cruz also charged baking supplies to a town account the day after she left the school system, on Dec. 15, 2012. According to the audit, Cruz billed the purchases to Gillead Hill School.
Additionally, Cruz reimbursed herself $3,900 in unauthorized travel and insurance expenses, used district credit cards to buy $352 in clothing during a trip to Maryland and charged $198 in FedEx home deliveries, the audit alleges.
As of February 2013, the board sought reimbursement for $15,038, in addition to legal fees and forensic accountant fees stemming from the investigation, the audit reveals.
So far, the school system has recovered $9,905, according to the Hebron Board of Education.
“We, along with Superintendent Jeffrey Newton, look forward to moving past this incident with a continued resolve to discharge of our fiduciary duties to the people of Hebron in a responsible and diligent manner,” said Karen Conderino, a spokesperson for the school system, in a statement Thursday.
The Plymouth school system has not returned a request for comment. The status of Cruz’s employment in Plymouth is unknown.
The Hartford Courant reports that Cruz served as Hebron superintendent for more than seven years.
She was arrested around 8 a.m. Aug. 7 and was released after posting $6,286.36 bond. She’s due in court Aug. 26.
The woman sentenced Wednesday for passing through airport security without a boarding pass and stowing away on a flight from San Jose to Los Angeles earlier this week was arrested again Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport.
Marilyn Hartman, 62, was arrested after she was seen wandering through several terminals at LAX.
"I just knew she would come back," said Los Angeles World Airports Police Chief Pat Gannon after her arrest. "She is a serial attempter of being a stowaway."
Gannon said arrangements had been made for her to go to a homeless shelter, but he believed she would return to the airport despite being ordered to stay away without an airline ticket.
"I just knew she would come back," said Gannon, adding he had fliers distributed with the woman’s picture on them to agents and officers. "We were keeping an eye out for her."
Hartman was arrested near Terminal 7 and transported to Los Angeles Police Department's 77th Street Jail where she was being held Thursday night in lieu of $10,000 bail.
A judge on Wednesday ordered Hartman to "stay away from LAX" unless she had the necessary documents to board a flight.
She did not try to go through any TSA screenings, Gannon said.
The stay-away order was part of a sentence handed down Wednesday after Hartman pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor trespassing charge. She had been arrested two nights earlier at LAX after arriving on a Southwest Airlines flight from San Jose.
She was charged in connection with willfully and unlawfully entering LA as a stowaway on an aircraft, a misdemeanor, according to the LA City Attorney's Office. She was ordered to serve a 24-month probation term and three days in jail.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday, she said she was trying to reach Hawaii earlier this week but did not say how she bypassed security. She described herself as homeless and "desperate."
Gannon countered that, telling reporters "She actually has the means to take a flight or two."
Hartman has previously breached security at San Francisco International Airport and has a history of trying to get on flights without a ticket, officials said. She had at least seven encounters with police at SFO and was arrested four times, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told NBC Bay Area Hartman tried to sneak onto planes at SFO on Feb. 15, 18 and 20. The remaining four arrests, he said, were for violating her court order and trespassing at the airport. In those last cases, she was "simply found sitting outside the security in places, like the food court."
Gannon said he had hoped Hartman would buy a plane ticket and leave LA.
"I was hoping she'd be somebody else's problem," he said.
NBC Bay Area's Lisa Fernandez and NBC4''s Nyree Arabian and Mateo Melero contributed to this report.
The 74-year-old South Windsor resident who went missing from his home Thursday afternoon has been found in Groton and got into a minor car accident there, according to police.
Keith Evans, who has Alzheimer's and demetintia, was reported missing around 2:50 p.m. Police said his wife woke up from a nap to find that Evans had taken the car keys and left their home on Cinnamon Spring.
Police said Evans was considered "very much" endangered and is often confused and disoriented. He was not seriously injured in the crash.
Evans was wearing a blue T-shirt, gray pants and sneakers when he went missing. He stands 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 200 pounds and has gray hair and hazel eyes, according to police.
He was believed to be driving a 2006 gray Honda CRV with Connecticut plates 603-YAT.
Anyone with information is urged to call South Windsor police at 860-644-2551.
A Waterbury U.S. Postal Service supervisor and his brother have pleaded guilty to federal charges after allegedly stealing packages containing cocaine and marijuana, then selling the drugs to third parties, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Plaza Station Post Office supervisor Edward Hogan, 38, and his brother, Justin Hogan, 34, were arrested and charged after authorities tied them to an investigation into drugs being mailed from Puerto Rico to the greater Waterbury area, the release says.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Edward Hogan started intercepting packages containing cocaine and marijuana in January 2012 and sold them for a profit.
Law enforcement caught him intercepting a package containing 2 kilograms of cocaine at the Waterbury Main Post Office on Grand Street, then bringing it home and opening it with brother, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.
Edward Hogan pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of embezzlement of mail by a U.S. postal employee.
Justin Hogan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of receipt of stolen mail matter.
They could each face up to 25 years in prison.
The city of Waterbury is stepping in to help address fire- and blight-code violations at the Bradley Gardens condominiums and are asking owners to pay a special assessment of about $400 per unit as repairs get underway.
Residents have reported mold, damaged walls, missing emergency lights and gaping holes in the ceiling, along with missing panels and a disconnected toilet. An in-ground pool at the complex is filled with garbage.
City officials toured the complex late last month to document evidence of neglect, and Judge Kari Dooley has been appointed co-receiver to oversee the repair process.
Andrew Gionta, of G&W Property Management, the condo association's court-appointed receiver of more than two years, doubts that $100,000 from the condo owners will be enough to cover the cost of fixing up the complex.
"There's quite a bit of damage down there," he said Thursday.
Waterbury Chief of Staff Joe Geary said the city has received countless complaints about blight at the complex, and attempts by police and fire officials to take action were unsuccessful.
Dooley is asking for monthly reports from G&W Property Management documenting progress on bringing the residences up to code.
Condo owners will need pay their share by the end of next week, but some say they're not convinced it will make a difference.
"I've been paying years and years, common charges, but nothing's ever done," explained condo owner Tony Huang, who said conditions were so bad, he and his wife moved to New York.
Huang said he's already paid more than $6,000 in fees and has yet to see any progress.
Two employees of Stratford’s Public Works Department are accused of selling oxycodone and cocaine, and police said some of the sales happened on town property and while the men were working.
Patrick Ambrose, 38, of Stratford, and Todd Whitlock, 37, of Milford, have been arrested in connection with the alleged drug sales.
Police said most of the transactions happened in June and July. Some took place while the men were working or on town property, including near a school, according to police.
Ambrose was charged with five counts of illegal narcotics activity and four counts of sales within 1,500 feet of a school.
Whitlock was charged with four counts of illegal narcotics sales and one count of illegally supplying prescription drugs.
Both men could be subject to internal disciplinary action, according to police.
“There is a zero tolerance policy with regard to illegal drug use by town employees,” Stratford Mayor John Harkins said in a news release. “My administration will continue to push for rigorous drug testing programs in the interest of public safety.”
Harkins said the town has a policy of regular, random drug testing of public employees and offers an addiction assistance program to anyone seeking help.
"I am deeply saddened and quite frankly outraged that this has occurred," Harkins said Thursday.
Police are continuing to investigate and said more arrests are possible.
Thunderstorms dropped large hail in parts of Tolland and Windham counties as they moved southeast from Massachusetts early Thursday evening.
Severe thunderstorm warnings issued for northeastern Tolland and northwestern Windham counties expired at 5:15 p.m.
The storm was concentrated around Stafford, Union and Woodstock and moved down into Connecticut near Interstate 84.
Damaging hail was the primary concern, and the storm did indeed leave hail in its wake. The storms are expected to move out by sunset, according to Chief Meteorologist Brad Field.
When you see severe weather, send your storm photos to shareit@nbcconnecticut.com.
@NBCConnecticut Hail in Stafford Springs pic.twitter.com/xN6TiqFmsd
— Dylan (@d_quesadilla) August 7, 2014
A pint-sized intruder managed to squeeze through the fence outside the White House Thursday evening, causing a lock down.
According to NBC News correspondent Chris Jansing, a toddler briefly got away from his parents just after 8 p.m. and entered the grounds of the arguably most famous --and protected -- residence in the world.
A brief lock down was instituted by the Secret Service, and the scene was quickly cleared.
Neither the parents nor the tiny intruder was detained for questioning, according to NBC News.
"We were going to wait until he learned to talk to question him, but in lieu of that he got a timeout and was sent on way with parents," according to the White House pool report.
