Connecticut Olive Garden restaurants are honoring local police and fire officials and emergency room personnel with free lunches on Labor Day.

“Olive Garden’s Labor Day lunch deliveries are part of our ongoing commitment to serve our local communities," Enfield Olive Garden General Manager Timothy Connelly said in a statement. "On Labor Day we are thanking those who keep us safe and serving those who serve us every day. This is the 13th consecutive year Olive Garden has coordinated a national Labor Day lunch delivery program. Over the years, we have developed relationships with a number of community organizations this way.”

The lunches vary in each location and usually include lasagna, fettuccine alfredo or another pasta dish and salad, breadsticks and dessert.

The West Hartford Olive Garden will deliver lunch to the West Hartford Police Department on Raymond Road, the Orange restaurant will serve the Milford Fire Department and the Enfield location will bring lunch to the Enfield Police Department at noon. The Danbury restaurant also plans on delivering lunch to 20 people at the Danbury Police Department at 11:30 a.m.

All Connecticut restaurants are participating, according to a spokesperson representing Olive Garden. Other Olive Garden locations include Manchester, Waterbury and North Haven, according to the website.

Market Basket's newly reinstated CEO Arthur T. Demoulas told workers at a Chelsea, Massachusetts, supermarket that he is "forever grateful" Monday, days after he returned to helm the grocery chain following months of worker protests and boycotts triggered by his June ouster.

The man better known to supporters as Artie T. gave workers in Chelsea a lift as they restocked the store. He said the priority now, days after his $1.5 billion deal to buy the company, is to restore stores to customers' expectations, after months hampered by walkouts and empty shelves.

Demoulas reiterated his gratitude to the workers whose pressure helped return him to the helm, and said he is able to connect with his staff of 25,000 through hands-on experience and working together.

"We try to be good to one another and help each other out," Demoulas told workers. "We certainly saw that in the past six or seven weeks.

"I'll be forever grateful," he added.

The turmoil that has roiled Market Basket all summer culminated late last week in Demoulas' deal to buy a majority stake in the company and in his return as CEO, to roars of support from the workers whose intense pressure, protests and walkouts had helped ensure it.

"I love you all," the told them Friday, just after the board controlled by a rival cousin accepted his $1.5 billion bid for a majority stake Thursday night.

Arthur T. had been ousted as CEO back in June by allies of his rival cousin Arthur S. Demoulas, sparking the two-month dispute, in which employee protests and customer boycotts left many stores and shelves empty.

When news broke that he had regained control of the company, hundreds of supporters gathered Friday at company headquarters in Tewksbury, where he spoke to them.

"I've always believed that we are born into this world at a certain time and a certain place to be with certain people for a reason and a purpose," he told the crowd there. "Everyone has a destiny, and because of you, I stand here with a renewed vigor and a sense of purpose."

The restoration of some Market Basket stores could take several weeks, Arthur T. told reporters Friday, but employees have been working around the clock since his reinstatement to restock empty shelves and reestablish ties with vendors.

Customers were found last week ready to shop once again.

“People are bringing in champagne bottles. Customers are bringing in balloons and donuts and food. It’s great. It's a great feeling,” Tewksbury store manager Mike Riley said.

"It's just a good feeling," said customer Cindy Stamp, whose son works in a Market Basket warehouse. "It's about food, but it's really not. It's about what he does for all our children and people that need jobs. I mean, that to me is the biggest. My son makes a living. Do you believe that? A living off of working in a warehouse. Who can say that?"

A biker was injured riding in the woods Monday morning near Old Stone Crossing in West Hartford.

Police and firefighters from West Hartord responded to rescue the biker, who hurt his knee. They were still on scene as of 9:35 a.m.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

The East Haven Police Department is seeking witnesses who may have observed a two-car accident that happened in mid August.

The crash occurred at about 6:45 p.m.on Aug. 18 at the Saltonstall Parkway and Main Street intersection in East Haven near the Branford town line.

Police described the cars involved as a gray Hyundai and black Infinity and said that they both were heavily damaged.

One of the drivers sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries and the other driver and passengers had minor injuries, according to police. 

Both vehicles stayed at the scene of the crash, but police have gotten conflicting information about the details of the crash. Officers are seeking more information from witnesses to help determine the cause of the accident.

East Haven police ask anyone who witnessed the accident to contact Officer Burell at 203-468-3820.

Correction: In an earlier report, NECN stated that the FAA had confirmed the plane's tail number. This information actually came from NTSB.

A plane has crashed in North Hampton, New Hampshire, killing the pilot and his passenger. Officials say the plane stopped only to refuel. It had taken off originally from a private airstrip in Kingston, New Hampshire.

Police in Kingston confirm that David Ingalls, a resident of that town, was operating the plane when it crashed at Hampton Airfield around 10:50 a.m. Ingalls was an Air Force Veteran and retired TWA pilot who for 30 years was on the town of Kingston Conservation Commission.

The Cessna 180 is registered to Ingalls, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's online database.

"When I flew with Dave, he checked that little Cessna over as though it were a 747. He checked every screw on that plane before it went up and I felt very comfortable with him," said Evelyn Nathan, chair of the Kingston Conservation Commission.

Witnesses told officials that the plane was trying to take off. It appeared to be moving normally until the nose of the plane pitched upward. They say the aircraft lost speed and dropped from the sky.

"This was just a transient pilot that came in got gas came back out and had a really, really unfortunate accident. And everyone here is in an absolute state of shock and mourning," said witness and pilot Dana Thurston.

New Hampshire State Police responded to the crash.

The FAA is investigating, and the National Transportation Safety Board is working to determine the cause of the crash. The name of the passenger has not been released.

NECN will have more as this story develops.

Fourteen runners participating in the New Haven Road Race on Labor Day Monday were taken to area hospitals for treatment due to the high heat and humidity, race organizers said.

About 7,000 people were expected to race in the 20K Monday morning.

“Not only did we transport 14, we brought a lot over to the medical tent, we hydrated some folks at the finish line and also fire and EMS from the New Haven Fire Department and American Medical Response were out on the field working with some folks as well," Ricky Fontana, deputy director of New Haven's Emergency Operations Center, said.

This Labor Day marks the 37th annual New Haven Road Race, sponsored by the Faxon Law Group. Three Olympians are registered to run the roughly 12-mile course, meaning the 1998 record of 1 hour and 5 minutes could be broken.

"We will get up at any hour to do a 20K," Helene Feldman, of Cheshire, said.

Steve Mele, of New Haven, has a goal to run a race in all 169 towns in Connecticut.

"I'm trying to run a race in every town that I can. I'm at 154 right now, so I'm up there," he said.

But the race is more than an athletic competition. It's part of a health initiative in the Elm City – New Haven's Weight Loss Challenge. The city is hoping to document 375,000 pounds lost.

Get Healthy Connecticut also supported the races.

"Well, I've been trying to get healthy lately, so I guess my method is just try and finish it," Arielle Smith, of New Haven, said.

During the race, organizers expect to hand out 55,000 cups of water to the runners on this hot and muggy Monday.

The race stepped off at 8:40 a.m.

Are you running or watching? Please send your photos to shareit@nbcconnecticut.com or share them with us on Facebook and Twitter (@NBCConnecticut).

Life Star airlifted one person to Hartford Hospital and ambulances took two more people there after a two-car head-on collision in Vernon late Sunday night.

Vernon police responded to  a crash on Dart Hill Road on Sunday after receiving a call reporting it at 9:30 p.m. Two cars traveling in opposite directions collided, police said.

The road was closed for an hour between Quail Crossing and the South Windsor line for several hours and at Skinner Road for about an hour as police investigated.

The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. Police have not released information on whether there will be any charges.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

A 24-year-old man is in police custody after authorities say he stabbed his mother to death in New Jersey.

According to the Bergen County Prosecutors Office, Nicholas Piotti beat and stabbed his 63-year-old mother, Karen Piotti, killing her inside her home in Ho-Ho-Kus early Monday morning.

Piotti, who lived with his mother, was taken into police custody and was being evaluated at Bergen County Medical Center.

He is expected to be arraigned Monday, prosecutors said.

Neighbors said the news has devastated those who knew the family. 

"I only heard nice things about Nicholas," said Donna Cioffi. "I used to see him skateboarding up and down Powderhorn Road, like any other teenager would do. I never had any issues with him." 

"It's just devastating to a hear a 24-year-old can take his mother's life," she said. "No matter what the situation or circumstance is, you have to believe there's something very wrong behind that. It's very, very unnerving." 

Gerry Pearce said the alleged killing was incomprehensible.

"This neighborhood is unbelievably nice, quiet," he said. "You never hear anything like this happen here." 

Four people including a 7-year-old were injured when a State Police vehicle crashed into another car Sunday afternoon in Waterbury.

A 2003 Toyota Tundra stopped for traffic in the left westbound lane on Interstate 84 three tenths of a mile from Exit 26 when a State Police Dodge Charger behind it didn't stop and rear-ended the car, the Tundra driver, 34, told State Police. There were two passengers in the Toyota, ages 7 and 35.

The state trooper, 44, driving the State Police vehicle involved in the crash told State Police that the car in front of him stopped and he couldn't stop in time.

Both vehicles were heavily damaged and the airbag deployed in the State Police car but not the Toyota, State Police said.

State Police have not said if there will be any charges or citations.

All parties were transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury to be treated for minor injuries.

A hiker on Hermit Island in the Potomac River died Sunday after he was pinned under a large boulder, emergency officials said.

Rian Avarham Khalder, 25, had been hiking with his 14-year-old brother along the Potomac on the island near the Angler Inn boat ramp when he began to climb an area of rocks.

Some of the rocks gave way, Khalder fell and a large boulder came down on him, police said.

Montgomery County emergency services mounted a "technical rescue," including swift water boat teams. The rescue was made even more difficult as a line of severe storms moved through the area, forcing rescuers to shelter in place and wait for the storms to pass.

U/D: Offut Is: #MCFRS EMS crews on scene w/victim; 25 yo male trapped, serious injuries, heavy rescue (i.e., air bags, etc) needed

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) August 31, 2014

Khalder of Silver Spring, Maryland, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stay with News4 and NBCWashington for more on this developing story.

A pair of masked gunmen stormed a Red Lobster in Kendall, Florida, and closed several employees in a restaurant refrigerator before taking off with $500 cash.

Workers at the Red Lobster at 11550 Kendall Drive were closing up the restaurant around just before midnight on Sunday when police say two armed men, their faces covered with either shirts or skullies, walked through the front door.

The men ordered the employees to surrender their cell phones, then pistol-whipped shift manager Edith Olivares, 52, and demanded she open the restaurant's safe, according to police.

The masked men also kicked 24-year-old bartender Leron Reid several times, then forced the employees into the store's refrigerator and made off with the cash, police said.

Once the coast was clear, employees were able to open the refrigerator door and call police.

While Olivares sustained several lacerations to the head, she will recover.

Red Lobster's general manager Neil Anderson said he and his employees are grateful no one was killed in the robbery and called the robbers "cowards."

"They're cowards. It's really cowardly to hit a 52-year-old lady with a pistol," he said. "She's a valued employee. A fantastic employee."

“Our thoughts are with the employees who were impacted by this terrible crime. Their recovery, the safety of our Kendall team and local guests is our No. 1 priority," a Red Lobster spokeswoman said in a statement. "We have taken steps to increase security presence at this location and we are actively partnering with the police on their investigation."

In the meantime, the Kendall Red Lobster is back open for business.

Now police need the public's help in identifying the armed robbers. They are described as one man with a thin build and another with a heavy build, both in their 30s, between 5 feet 8 inches and and 5 feet 10 inches tall.

Anyone with information is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS(8477).

A man and two women assaulted a woman during a break-in at her Highland Street apartment in West Haven on Sunday and fled the scene, police said.

Police arrested Eric Boone, 48, of West Haven, Lashell O. Sellers, 41, of New Haven, and Virginia Rodriguez, 57, of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, on multiple charges including burglary.

The three suspects forced entry into a woman's home on Sunday by kicking down her front door to steal from her, police said. The woman told police that one of the people, who she identified as "Eric," grabbed her neck and tried to choke her while the two female suspects hit her. Then, all three went through her drawers, stole her wallet and $200 in cash and fled in a red pickup truck, police said.

Police identified the man they say tried to strangle the woman as Boone and apprehended him near his home. Police found Boone with Lashell Sellers and Virginia Rodriguez, and the victim identified all three of them as the people who had broken into her house and stolen from her, police said.

Police recovered the victim's stolen wallet and took photos of her damaged front door.

Officers charged Boone with second-degree unlawful restraint, fifth-degree larceny, third-degree assault, second-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief.

Rodriguez is charged with second-degree burglary, third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and sixth-degree larceny and Sellers is facing second-degree burglary charges.

All three are scheduled to appear in Milford Superior Court on Tuesday.

Two people were extricated from a car and hospitalized after a driver fleeing police crashed into it.

Police arrested New London resident Richard Miller, 51, after he led police on a pursuit after a motor vehicle stop.

Police pulled Miller over on Colman Street to address that his headlights weren't on, but he sped away in the southbound direction when the officer approached him to talk, police said.

After running a red light in the process at the intersection with Bank Street, he struck a car heading westbound. Power lines were knocked down as a result of the crash and Connecticut Light & Power responded to repair them.

The two people in the other car were extricated and taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London to be treated for serious injuries.

Police charged Miller with two counts of interfering with police and officers are holding him in custody on a $10,000 bond.

The incident remains under investigation and police said other charges are pending.

Police ask anyone with information to contact the department at 860-447-5269 or to send an anonymous tip to Tip411 (847411) with NLPDTip and the information.

Dallas police have arrested and charged a family member with capital murder in the killing of a young girl found dead inside a vacant apartment Sunday afternoon.

The body of 5-year-old Kathrine Alejandra Gonzalez was discovered inside an empty, ground-floor apartment at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Sontera Palms Apartments in northeast Dallas, police said.

On Monday, police said Gonzalez's cousin, 17-year-old Angel Lizandro Sanches-Zenteno, has been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the girl's death.

Gonzalez had been playing outside of her aunt and uncles apartment with her sisters when she disappeared. She, along with her brothers and sisters, were being watched by their aunt and uncle while her parents were at work.

Police said as soon as neighbors in the community realized the girl was missing, many of them were quick to assist in the search for the missing girl — even before police were called at about 11:30 a.m.  After officers arrived, many of the residents allowed officers to search their homes and cars for the missing child.

When police arrived, maintenance workers informed them there were a large number of vacant apartments at Sontera Palms. After obtaining a key, officers began what they described as a systematic search of all vacant units.  Officers eventually discovered the girl’s body inside a unit at the back of the complex, next door to Sanches-Zenteno's apartment.

Police said Monday that the Dallas County medical examiner said preliminary results of the autopsy indicate the girl's cause of death was strangulation.

A witness told police that he saw the girl walking with a person at about noon and that he had seen them together before the girl disappeared. That person in question, along with a number of other people, were taken to Dallas Police Headquarters for questioning.

The investigation into the girl's death is ongoing. The Dallas Police Department asked for anyone with information on this offense to contact detectives at 214-275-1300.

Sanches-Zenteno is being held in the Dallas jail with no bond. Jail records did not list an attorney.

A Naugatuck man was arrested after entering a juvenile's home uninvited and touching her inappropriately, police said.

Police responded to a Naugatuck home at 12:57 a.m. on Sunday to investigate a sex assault complaint from a girl under 18 and later arrested Angelo Lopez, 31, of Naugatuck.

The victim told police that Lopez came into her house without having permission and "inappropriately touched" the female juvenile "who is an aquaintance of is," police said.

Police charged Lopez with risk of injury to a child, fourth-degree sexual assault, first-degree criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

He is scheduled to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on Sept. 2. Police are holding him on a $10,000 surety bond.

A suspect, state trooper and Woodbury police officer were injured after a stolen car pursuit from Route 6 in Woodbury to Washington that led to shots fired and ended with a crash.

A Life Star helicopter was en route to the scene just before noon and State Police were at the crash site at Wykehame Road near Bell Hill Road at 11:57 a.m. soon after the incident.

State police and Woodbury police officers pursued a stolen car starting at Route 6 in Woodbury, chasing the vehicle through Bethlehem and ending in Washington, State Police said. The chase resulted in shots fired and a crash in Washington, according to State Police. It's not clear who fired the shots, but police said that the windows of the cars the suspect and Woodbury police were in were shot out.

The suspect was taken to Waterbury Hospital to be treated for unknown injuries and a state trooper and Woodbury police officer were taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury to be treated for minor injuries, according to State Police.

The incident is "under control," State Police from Troop L said just before noon.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

Groton residents will take a moment to pray Monday night for a baby police say was abused by his father, a U.S. navy sailor.

Neighbors are holding a vigil for a 2-month-old who the father, Jordan Rittenhouse, 24, is accused of assaulting. Some also planned on tying blue ribbons on homes at the Naval submarine base earlier in the day to raise awareness about child abuse.

The infant was taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London and then Yale-New Haven Hospital to be treated for injuries including 29 bone fractures. Hospital officials previously said this is the worst case they have seen and authorities said they were surprise the baby survived.

Rittenhouse admitted to squeezing his son hard enough to make him stop crying eight times and one of the times he was concerned that he might have punctured a lung, according to court documents. Police also said that Rittenhouse "shoved" a bottle into the baby's mouth, causing him to bleed.

Rittenhouse is facing first-degree assault and risk of injury to a child charges and is scheduled to appear in New London Superior Court again on Sept. 10, according to the state judicial website.

 The vigil is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at 100 Tern Road in Groton.

A bobcat that attacked at least one person in Lebanon over the weekend has been euthanized, according to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection State Environmental Conservation Police.

The woman was feeding her chickens Saturday when the bobcat attacked her, an environmental conservation police official said.

The bobcat was taken to the state's lab in Rocky Hill to be tested for rabies after environmental conservation police put it down.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

An American Airlines flight headed for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday immediately returned to Los Angeles International Airport after the cockpit windshield cracked.

Flight 2448 landed at LAX without incident and passengers boarded another plane for the trip to DFW.

The flight landed about 9:15 p.m., several hours later than originally planned.

"We were flying for about 20 minutes, and we just heard an announcement that the windshield cracked. The captain said in all his years of flying, he had never seen anything like it and that the safest thing to do was to turn around and go back to L.A.,"said passenger Mark Denesuk.

A photo from passenger Glenn Kagan showed a series of cracks that covered the entire left side of the windshield in the cockpit of the Boeing 757.

"The captain and the crew were incredible. They were absolutely calm at all times. Never raised their voice. Never put fear in anybody. And the old adage is true, calm is contagious," said passenger Arthur Underman.

American Airlines spokesman Paul Flanagan said there were no injuries and the cause of the damage wasn't immediately known.

A motorcyclist has died and Life Star airlifted another to the hospital after two motorcycles crashed into a guardrail in Chaplin on the westbound side of Route 6.

State Police said that Anthony Perfetto, 43, died at the scene and that Jerry Nassi, 37,  was airlifted by Life Star  to St. Francis Hospital with serious injuries.

According to police, the two motorcycles came up on stopped traffic at a red light at the intersection of Route 6 and Route 198.

Perfetto struck a metal guard rail and traffic sign and was ejected. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Nassi also lost control and was ejected. Neither motorcyclist were wearing a helmet.

Both Nassi and Perfetto are from Rhode Island.

The intersection was closed in the westbound directionas of 4:27 p.m. Traffic is detouring onto Cross Road and Bedlum Road. Route 6 east is still open toward Providence.