One person was hurt when a dirt bike crashed into a van in Hartford Wednesday.

Hartford police said the dirt bike was traveling illegally on Albany Avenue when it collided with a van. The rider was taken to the hospital.

This is the second crash on Albany Avenue involving an illegal vehicle in nine days, police said.

Hartford, like other cities and towns in Connecticut, has had repeated issues with people illegally riding dirt bikes and ATVs on city streets.

The dirt bike was seized by police.

No other information was immediately available.

Law enforcement officers from Hartford and across the state took off on a journey from Hartford to Washington D.C. Wednesday as part of the Annual Police Unity Tour Ride in honor of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

It’s a 300-mile ride from here to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and it will take them three days to get there. Those riding say it’s the least they can do to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Mayor Luke Bronin spoke at the ceremony.

“I want to first wish everyone who is riding a safe journey down to Washington,” Bronin said in his remarks at the official send-off Wednesday morning. “We are proud to have you represent the city of Hartford and representing the state of Connecticut.”

Ten Hartford police officers, joined by Connecticut State Police, UConn, and Windsor Locks officers will take part in the symbolic cycling journey this year.

“Every officer is riding in memory of somebody,” said Lt. Paul Cicero of Hartford Police. “They have their photograph on their bike and they will be with them the whole ride.”

“I think it’s important to always remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” said Hartford Police Officer Amanda Lisgow. This is her second year taking part.

Connecticut’s officers will join law enforcement from across the country on their trek to the memorial, as they do every year.

“It was such an awesome last year to meet everyone from all over the country, everyone has their own little stories,” Lisgow said. “I plan on doing it every year as long as I can.”

Hartford Officer Cesidio Palmieri keeps coming back, too. This is his 15th year riding in the annual event.

“I got my team that motivates me and also the families that were riding for,” Palmieri said.

The Fenton family of Rocky Hill is one of those families. This year marks 50 years since John Fenton’s father, Hartford Police Officer Francis X. Fenton, was shot and killed on the job. John was 11 years old at the time.

“I just wanted to show up with my wife and show our appreciation,” said Fenton.

He says that since his father’s passing, the Hartford Police Department has been like a second family to him.

Today, he met the officers who will ride to the nation’s capital in memory of his father, and so many others.

“It’s emotional. We just want to say thank you we appreciate all the work that they put in,” he said.

These fallen officers are remembered and honored year-round. Their photos hang up on the walls of the Hartford Police Department, so that today’s officers know who they are, remember them and carry on their legacy in the work they do every day.

This year’s riders will meet over 2,500 other officers from the Northeast region in Florham Park, N.J. and ride to the capital together from there. In addition to raising awareness, the Police Unity Tour raises funds for the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial and Museum in Washington D.C.

One person was shot on Maple Avenue in Hartford Wednesday.

Police said it happened inside a local business near 547 Maple Avenue. The victim’s injuries are not life-threatening.

The Major Crimes and Crime Scene Division detectives are investigating.

No other details were immediately available.

Interstate 84 west Is closed in Tolland due to a tractor trailer fire.

Connecticut State Police said all lanes were closed near exit 68.

No other details were immediately available. Drivers should seek alternate routes.

Check back for updates.

At the doorsteps of the Wethersfield Police Department Wednesday, an attorney for Anthony Vega’s family had a hiring question.

"There is no reason when you look at the history of this police officer that he should’ve been on the streets," attorney Ben Crump said.

Crump referring to the recently released personnel history for Officer Layau Eulizier who formally worked as an officer for Manchester Police from 2015 to 2018.

Eulizier shot and killed 18-year-old Vega during an attempted traffic stop on April 20.

"He was a ticking time bomb," Crump said.

The 120 pages detail Eulizier’s training, reviews and a request for a probation extension because of “poor performance during stressful encounters with the public.”

NBC Connecticut further reviewed officer Eulizier’s personnel history and found he was disciplined in January of last year for a similar incident. During a motor vehicle pursuit he attempted to take a suspect into custody with his firearm pointed at the suspect. He was cited for conduct unbecoming of an employee.

"There are far more many officers to have worse disciplinary records outside of this he has a relatively unblemished record and is a very, very, very minor discipline letter of reprimand," Elliot Spector said.

Eulizier’s attorney, Elliot Spector, told NBC Connecticut his client’s history is unrelated to the police shooting and that he was justified in the recent shooting.

"It’s when the officer position himself in front of the car and Mr. Cruz decided to drive at the officer that makes us a clear self-defense case," Spector said.

The state’s attorney investigation continues, as the family and the officer involved in their loved-one’s death wait for a verdict.

"That’s all I want I want justice and I want him you know to pay for what he did that’s all," Anthony Colon, Vega's brother said.

Daniel and Shannon Flewelling’s 40th anniversary trip to Norway seemed picture perfect.

“The first part was wonderful, but then everything turned bad,” Daniel Flewelling told us from his hospital bed.

The Norwich man is still recovering from injuries and illness he believes started on Viking Sky cruise.

“I was healthy when I went on the cruise, when I got off I was almost dead,” said Daniel.

“You’re thinking, should we have gone on this cruise?” said his wife Shannon.

A class-action lawsuit the couple joined alleges that Viking Cruises, “negligently sailed through notoriously perilous waters into the path of a Bomb Cyclone,” despite advance warnings of extremely severe wind gusts that could exceed 75 miles per hour.

“We both totally flipped over, his leg got cut, he went rolling down several steps, sprained his ankle, I got contusions on my ribs,” recalled Shannon.

The Flewellings said they both came down with the flu when they arrived home. Daniel said he started feeling the symptoms on the plane ride back from Norway. He’s been in four different hospitals since April 1 after suffering complications.

“I can’t walk. I can hardly talk. And, I can’t take care of myself,” said Flewelling.

Still on a respirator and feeding tube, Daniel was just admitted to Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford for acute care. He was in an induced coma for three weeks and paralyzed for two weeks. He’s expected to be hospitalized for several more months, before being sent to a nursing home for long-term care.

“At one point I was saying my goodbyes to him because they were at their wits end where they didn’t think they could do anything more for him,” said Shannon.

The couple blames the conditions on the cruise.

“They had us sitting on the floor for hours and hours and hours,” said Flewelling.

The couple said they were in close quarters with other passengers for 18 hours, where toilets were overflowing and open containers of food were being passed around without utensils.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles court on Wednesday also claims that passengers were subjected to “terror and fear of imminent death when the Viking Sky was adrift.” The passengers are seeking $10 million in damages from the cruise line.

“I feared for my life that I was going to be drowned,” said Shannon. “We’ve been on so many cruises but this was the first time where the life vests were not in our room. It was 20 minutes, maybe a half hour before they had enough life vests to give to people.”

The Viking Sky has said that, “its procedures were implemented to the highest standards.”

“I think they were winging it,” stated Daniel.

“Even the crew members said this is totally different than we practiced. Sometimes they seemed totally clueless,” added Shannon.

A Viking Cruises spokesperson said they cannot comment on legal action, but “immediately following the Viking Sky incident, Viking’s chairman met the vessel when it docked and promised all guests a thorough investigation and full reimbursement.”

Viking said in addition to reimbursing Viking Sky passengers for their trip, they also compensated guests for other expenses that may have incurred.

The Flewellings said the cruise line has compensated them for their trip and even paid some of their early medical bills, but now Daniel feels forgotten.

“Somebody has to recognize my wife and I, we matter. Nobody’s come and said, ‘how you doin’, are you ok,” said Daniel. “Nobody from Viking has come to look at us yet at all and that upsets me.”

Still, Daniel is optimistic he’ll get his sea legs back. He’s already dreaming of his next cruise and says he’d like it to be on the Viking Cruise Line. Shannon says she is leery of cruising with the company again.

Either way, Daniel hopes their next trip will end differently.

“I want to walk off the ship happy and healthy,” said Daniel with a smile.

Mosquitoes are beginning to breed for the summer season and one health district in southeastern Connecticut is helping homeowners be proactive about managing them.

“I’m allergic to mosquitoes so it definitely hurts,” said Ledyard resident Marianne Rice.

Along with bug spray, she also sprays her yard to steer clear of mosquito bites.

The Ledge Light Health District is looking to help people in East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Old Lyme, New London, North Stonington, Stonington and Waterford control the pesky insect with mosquito dunks. It’s a larvicide designed to lessen the potential for West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and Zika Virus by killing off mosquitoes before they become flying/feeding adults.

Ledge Light said the larvicide is safe to use around a home because it’s a naturally occurring biological treatment.

For free, the health district will visit a property to look for standing water issues and recommend ways to eliminate mosquito breeding conditions, conduct an initial treatment with mosquito dunks, even provide a season-long supply of mosquito dunks as long as Ledge Light’s supply lasts. The district will only provide larvicide dunks for standing water bodies less than 400 square feet.

“Where I currently live, there’s a pool of area because the drain it doesn’t go down. It actually goes through the system – the rain system -- and into our backyard,” said Christine Rice, who lives in Groton.

Ledge Light’s offer is something she’s interested in exploring.

“We ended up with a lot of mosquitoes in our backyard,” she said.

Mosquitoes breed in standing water. That could include a yard, clogged rain gutters, even pool covers.

Philip Armstrong, the director of the statewide mosquito surveillance program through the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station said last year there was record West Nile Virus activity in Connecticut, with 23 West Nile Virus cases reported. One was fatal.

Some people are not taking any chances.

“My husband got chewed up. We go around and make sure that we pour out all the buckets of water that have been accumulating,” Brianna Ryan, of Groton, said.

Ledge Light Health District said it’s important to empty standing water on property once a week. If that water cannot be clear, that’s when a larvicide should be used. Adult mosquitoes are much more difficult and more expensive to get rid of.

Activists interrupted a Hamden Police Commission meeting Wednesday, demanding an officer be fired and calling for justice after two people in a car were shot at by police last month.

The commission is authorized to oversee the department and hear any complaints that people have against the department or specific officers.

The commission was forced to end the meeting, and protesters followed several commission members out.

On April 16 a Hamden police officer and a Yale police officer opened fire on a car with two people inside while investigating a reported robbery. The passenger in that vehicle, 22-year-old Stephanie Washington, was injured in that shooting. No weapon was found on the victims.

The shooting set of a string of protests demanding the firing of both officers and transparency in the investigation.

The commission chair explained that they can't simply fire an officer. The police chief has to do the internal investigation and then formal charges (related to policies and procedure) are then brought to the commission to be considered.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that a majority of Hamden residents believe the shooting in New Haven involving a Hamden police officer was not justified.

Connecticut State Police and the New Haven State’s Attorney continue to investigate.

Hamden has launched its own internal investigation in consultation with an independent expert.

The two officers are on paid leave while the investigations take place.

For Milford residents the creation of Silver Sands State Park has long been controversial.

This month a concession stand and public changing rooms and bathrooms were set to open for the summer, until a fire tore through much of the multi-million dollar construction project in March.

“It was nuts. You could feel the heat coming down the street,” said Leo Koutikas, the owner of The Greek Spot Café.

Koutikas was looking forward to the new Silver Sands accommodations just steps from his restaurant.

“I was actually excited for it to come. It would just bring more people down here. I was just preparing to have a really busy summer," he said.

Investigators are still looking into what caused the fire.

In the meantime, some are wondering what to expect this summer.

“The beach is still there. We encourage people to come out and enjoy it,” said Tom Tyler, director of CT State Parks.

Tyler says Silver Sands will continue to be open as it has been in the past but, “People will probably hear a low rumble behind them as they sit on the beach, but the beach and the park are open.”

He says workers will soon be tearing down what burned down, while conversations continue with the contractor, insurance companies, and investigator.

Tyler estimates damage to be around $3 million. The entire project had been approximately $9 million.

In the meantime, summer plans in this area have changed slightly, “There was a concession stand built and I went and applied to run the concession stand and then a couple days later it happened. So maybe next year,” Koutikas said.

State officials say they plan to rebuild, but don’t have a time frame yet.

Milford resident Kelly Morrisey expected the rush this summer when the improvements were set to open to beachgoers instead of burning down.

Milford Mayor Ben Blake says while residents, like Morrisey, had concerns about the construction project, he says the free parking program for CT registered cars at state parks has worked swimmingly.

“The fact that visitors, at least Connecticut visitors, no longer have to pay really takes a lot of the burden off some of those neighborhoods to the east, the west, to the north.”

State park officials hope, despite the fire, you’ll head to the beach soon.

“The park will still be as available to them as it has been in the past. We’ll have temporary facilities for them and the beaches there, so we encourage people to come out,” said Tyler.

“If you’re lucky enough to be on the beach in Milford, you’re lucky enough,” Blake said.

A 13-year-old boy was hit by a car on Main Street in East Haven Wednesday.

Police said it happened in the area of 410 Main St. around 4 p.m. The teen suffered serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.

Witnesses told police the teen ran into traffic from behind two parked cars and was hit.

The driver stayed on scene and police said they deteremined the driver was not at fault.

No other information was immediately available.

Bike after brand new bike rolled out in front of dozens of excited Highville Charter School second graders in New Haven Wednesday.

"I was happy! I was about to cry," said second grader T'Honnie Edwards.

Edwards and her classmates had no idea they'd get a new ride when they were invited to a BBQ at school on Wednesday. Inside the building the students got food, drinks, and ice cream. The ice cream was donated by Ashley's Ice Cream. Volunteers on the other side of the school prepped all the bikes for the big reveal.

"We kept it a secret, and I can't wait to see the looks on their faces," said Steven Daprino, a second grade teacher.

Daprino worked with the Barnum Foundation for Life. The organization has a Bikes for Kids Program and donated all the bikes and the helmets for the entire second grade class. Over the years the group has given thousands of bikes and helmets to underprivileged kids. The moment students got their hands on the new bikes, they took off.

"It's green which is kind of my favorite color because it looks like yellow," said Edwards.

Whether a pro on the bike or still figuring out how to balance on two wheels, the sunny weather meant plenty of time to test out the new ride.

"It was the best day ever because I got a brand new bike," said second grader Ny'Yanna Gibson.

It was Gibson's first bike and her dad immediately started teaching her how to ride. In just half an hour she was racing away on her own - her first bike ride completed thanks to that big surprise.

Wednesday's donation brought a lot of smiles and some great rides.

The students will also learn about bike safety at school.

If you'd like to donate to give bikes to kids and to learn more about Barnum Foundation for Life and the Bike for Kids Program, click here. 

One person was killed at the scene and two others were injured after shots were fired inside of a nightclub next to a Fort Lauderdale mall late Wednesday night.

Police say the incident took place just before midnight inside the Blue Martini nightclub located inside the Galleria mall off Sunrise Boulevard, with officials saying the shooter has been taken into custody at this time.

Officials say an early investigation says the shooting occurred as a result of an incident inside the establishment, but nothing has been confirmed at this time as their investigation continues.

Police have not released the identity of the victims in the case.

Stay tuned to NBC 6 on air or online for updates

The U.S. decision to surge additional military forces into the Middle East was based in part on intelligence that the Iranian regime has told some of its proxy forces and surrogates that they can now go after American military personnel and assets in the region, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence.

The intelligence shows that an Iranian official discussed activating Iranian-backed groups to target Americans, but did not mention targeting the militaries of other nations, the officials said.

Among the specific threats the U.S. military is now tracking, officials say, are possible missile attacks by Iranian dhows, or small ships, in the Persian Gulf; attacks in Iraq by Iranian-trained Shiite militia groups; and attacks against U.S. ships by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The U.S. has accused Iran of moving missiles and missile components through the region's waterways for years, shipping missiles to the Houthis in Yemen and others. And Shiite militia groups like Baghdad Katib Hezbollah have been in Iraq for years, acting essentially as sleeper cells. What is new and what has alarmed U.S. military officials, sources say, is the call to awaken and activate these existing threats.

An 18-year-old girl is dead and two other teens are in the hospital after a crash in Waterbury Wednesday night. 

Police officers, firefighters and ambulances responded to a crash on Berkeley Avenue at 8:10 p.m. to investigate after getting reports of several people being trapped in a vehicle.

Investigators said an SUV that was going south on Berkeley Avenue hit an unoccupied parked car and rolled over several times.

The driver was thrown from the SUV and died from injuries after being taken to a hospital, according to police.

Both passengers, a 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old girl, are stable condition and remain in the hospital. Their injuries are not life-threatening, police said.

Police have not released any additional information on the teen who was killed or the teens who were injured.

Accident Reconstruction and Forensics are helping with the investigation.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Officer Lee or the Crash Reconstruction Unit at ‪(203) 346-3975‬.

South Shore Furniture is recalling about 310,000 chests after a 2-year-old was killed and another child was injured by units that tipped over and fell on top of them. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that the chests are unstable if they are not secured to a wall and could result in death or injuries to children. 

The recall includes nine colors of "Libra style 3-drawer chests of drawers" from South Shore sold online by Walmart, Amazon, Target and other retailers from October 2009 to July 2018, according to the CPSC.

The recalled model numbers, found on a label on the back of the chest, are 3146033, 3070033, 3159033, 3050033, 3113033, 10430, 10433, 10680, 10682. The model numbers may have A, B, C, D or E at the end. Some recalled chests were sold as part of a set that included a bed and nightstand, with model numbers 3070223, 3159223, 3050223.

South Shore said it will give a full refund and pick up the chests for free. Consumers can also send in the chest with a pre-paid shipping label.

Alternatively the company is giving out free tip-over restraint kits and offering free in-home installation of the kit. 

Anyone with questions can call South Shore at 855-215-4932 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET or visit this recall page for more information.

The Harvard roommate of Mark Zuckerberg who co-founded Facebook is calling for the U.S. government to break up the company in a New York Times op-ed, telling NBC News that it's too big and that Zuckerberg isn't accountable.

Facebook today "is far too big. It's far too powerful. And most importantly, its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is not accountable," Chris Hughes said in an interview set to air on NBC Nightly News Thursday, after the publication of his Times piece.

Hughes still calls Zuckerberg a friend, but said that he can't fix the company, "only government can — by making the market more competitive, by breaking it up, and by creating these privacy restrictions."

Politicians in Washington have increasingly called for regulation of Facebook after the leaks of user information and Russians spreading misinformation on the platform to undermine democracy.

There are delays on Interstate 84 West in Manchester because of police activity.

The congestion is around exit 59 and the Interstate 291 merge.

A truck is in a ditch on Route 5 North in South Windsor and only one lane is getting by in the Sullivan Avenue area. 

Dispatchers for the fire department said the road will be down to one lane for an extended period. 

Police said ambulances were called, but no additional information was immediately available on injuries.

World Series winners the Boston "Red Socks" will visit the White House on Thursday, according to an embarrassing typo online.

The White House’s website lists the 3:45 p.m. event under its schedule of live streams, but it isn’t welcoming the champion Red Sox team.

"President Trump Welcomes the 2018 World Series Champions The Boston Red Socks to the White House," the website and YouTube live stream link says.

The event has been a controversial subject since some players have announced they will skip the celebratory meeting. Now, a typo has been added to the mix.

Someone caused several hundred dollars of damage to the lawn at Farley Field in Marlborough and police are investigating, according to a post on the Town of Marlborough website. 

The post said it happened between Friday night and Saturday morning. 

“{S)omeone thought it would be interesting to spin donuts in the parking lot of our beautiful Farley Field complex,” the post says. 

Then the spinning continued on the front lawn by the parking lot along South Road. 

The town encourages anyone with information to call the Marlborough Police/Resident State Trooper at 860-295-9098.