New Haven Police say a driver of a vehicle fled after striking a scooter and killing an 18-year-old.

A 15-year-old is still fighting for his life.

The family of 18-year-old Christopher Franco tells NBC CT they were celebrating Christopher getting his first paycheck Friday. They say he immediately opened a bank account and got his permit.

Now, they’re mourning his life after he died at the hospital from his injuries.

Police say the crash happened around 10:30 pm Friday on the Tomlinson Bridge.

Christopher’s family says he and a 15-year-old friend were on a motorized scooter when they were hit by a driver who left the scene.

They say they’re so thankful for the good Samaritans who noticed a damage vehicle leaving the scene of the crash.

Those folks led police to the 55-year-old woman who police say hit the teens with her car.

Police says she is currently in police custody at a hospital.

We’re told the 15-year-old is in critical condition.

Franco’s loved ones wish this was all just a nightmare that they could wake up from, as they lit candles at the crash sight and hung up a picture of the recent Common Ground High School Student. 

Just footsteps from where they were mourning, police had marked evidence on the Tomlinson Bridge overnight.

“Life is very unfair. You know, He’s my little brother. Never touched no drugs. Always doing the right things. It’s hard to be a good kid in this neighborhood and he was one of them,” said his brother Miguel Granda.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to please call them as they continue the investigation: 203-946-6316.

The family asked us the share this information:

Vigil at Common Ground High School in New Haven Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.

Remembrance from 3-4 p.m. for family members, 4-7 pm for the public at the Funeraria Washington Memorial in North Haven, CT

A fifth NYPD officer has died by suicide in the last two months, escalating a recent crisis that has caused all levels of police leadership to speak out on the need for cops to look after their mental health and that of their colleagues. 

The officer died Saturday afternoon on Staten Island, officials confirmed. The Sergeants Benevolent Association tweeted that the late officer was a sergeant, but beyond that details were not immediately available. 

This most recent officer's death follows the June 5 suicide of Deputy Chief Steven Silks, the June 6 death of Det. Joseph Calabrese, the June 14 death of 29-year-old Officer Michael Caddy at the 121st Precinct in Staten Island and the June 27 death of Officer Kevin Preiss at his Long Island home. 

Last month, after the deaths of Silks and Calabrese a day apart, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill spoke exclusively with News 4 about the need for cops to seek help if they find themselves contemplating taking their own lives.

"To have two people kill themselves within 10 hours is just - nothing brings us to our knees, but this is close," O'Neill said.

He also sent a note to all 55,000 officers and civilian employees of the NYPD, saying in part, "before you can take care of others, it's imperative that you first take care of yourselves. Seeking help is never a sign of weakness -- it's a sign of great strength."

The officers' deaths come after News 4 highlighted growing concerns among members of law enforcement regarding police suicides. An I-Team survey of police across the country found 78% experienced critical stress on the job, with 68% saying that stress triggered unresolved emotional issues. 

Sixteen percent said that they had thoughts of suicide. Despite those numbers nine out of 10 officers said there is a stigma attached to seeking help. 

"This has to be a continuous process. This has to be done at roll calls. This has to be done in video training," O'Neill said. "We need to talk about this. This can’t be a deep dark secret. People have to understand that there is help available." 

O'Neill has asked NYPD officers and employees who need help to call the department's employee assistance hotline at 646-610-6730.

More recent coverage:

• Fourth NYPD Officer Dies by Suicide in Three Weeks
• Officer Takes Life Outside Staten Island Stationhouse
• NYC's Top Cop Speaks on Mental Health After NYPD Suicides
• Missing NYPD Homicide Detective Found Dead by Suicide
• NYPD Deputy Chief With 38 Years of Service Takes His Own Life

If you or someone you know is in a crisis, including at risk of suicide or self-harm, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Trained counselors are available 24/7.

More than 10,000 people in Appalachia will sigh with relief this month after two donors from the region helped nonprofit RIP Medical Debt purchase and forgive $10 million of medical debt. But it's just a drop in the bucket of the $88 billion of medical debt racked up in the United States over the past year, NBC News reports.

“We’re going to get their current address and then there’s a special letter that’s going out to each of these people,” said RIP Medical Debt founder Craig Antico, who celebrated the fifth anniversary of the nonprofit Thursday. “It’s from the donors, and it’s going to tell them they’re part of a larger campaign. They’re going to get a letter in a yellow envelope that says this is a no-strings attached gift from people in the community.”

Antico said the $100,000 donation, which buys the $10 million debt for pennies on the dollar, came from two individuals — Jim Branscome, a former journalist who became the managing director of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, and author and journalist Bill Bishop. The 10,000 people affected are sprawled across 70 counties in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky. The nonprofit is unable to pinpoint individuals, but is able to purchase groups of people's debt in bulk from the debt market, which they did in this case.

Carrie Jernigan of Alma, Arkansas, took her daughter to a Payless going-out-of-business sale to get her a new pair of shoes. She ended up leaving with every pair in the store, NBC News reports.

At Payless, Jernigan's 4th-grade daughter, Harper, saw a pair she wanted to buy for her friend, whose shoes she had noticed were too small. “I know he likes Avengers, so I saw some Avengers shoes and I said, 'Hey mom, can we get these shoes for one of my friends?'" Harper told NBC affiliate KNWA in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

But the mother and daughter realized they didn’t know the shoe size of Harper’s friend. “I looked at the clerk jokingly and just asked, “How much for the rest of the shoes in here? Just joking,” Jernigan said.

Her joke turned into an idea: What if she did buy all the shoes and donate to those in need in her community? Jernigan ended up buying 1,500 pairs of shoes, in sizes ranging from infants to a men’s 13.The good deed has snowballed beyond shoes. Now, churches and local businesses are now planning a big back-to-school event to give away the shoes, along with free haircuts, eye exams and other things children might need as they gear up for the new school year.

A college student who has been a fan of dinosaurs since he was a child was part of a team of excavators who recently dug up the partial skull of a 65-million-year-old triceratops buried at a North Dakota dig site, NBC News reports.

Harrison Duran, a student at the University of California, Merced, and Michael Kjelland were on a two-week paleontology dig when they found the remains at Hell Creek Formation in June.

Duran and Kjelland, a biology professor at Mayville State University in North Dakota, founded the nonprofit organization Fossil Excavators after bonding over their love for the prehistoric creatures. In a statement posted on the organization's website, the skull was found "inverted with the base of its left horn partially exposed above the ground." Duran and Kjelland named the skull Alice.

It took a week to excavate the skull, which was so fragile it had to be stabilized with glue and plaster. Fossil Excavators said Alice is believed to be over 65 million years old.

Despite conspiracy theories about so-called chemtrails, there’s no evidence that the white plumes seen trailing from high-flying airplanes are part of a secret government program to spray toxic chemicals into the atmosphere for mass sterilization or mind control.

But contrails do pose a threat, NBC News reports. Scientists say they contribute to climate change by trapping heat that radiates upward from Earth’s surface. A new study published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics suggests that the global warming effect will triple by 2050 as air travel grows in popularity and new technology enables planes to reach the higher cruising altitudes where contrails tend to form.

“Given the forecast for the increase in air traffic, which is very large, this contrail effect will increase even more than the carbon dioxide impact,” says study co-author Ulrike Burkhardt, an atmospheric physicist at the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Institute of Atmospheric Physics. “And so it will remain the largest aviation impact on the climate,” outpacing the contribution to warming from the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in airplane exhaust. 

The warming effect from contrails already represented the largest contributor to aviation’s climate impact back in 2005, when aviation accounted for 5 percent of the human impact on climate. That’s less than the overall contribution from automobiles and other ground vehicles, but aviation’s impact will likely increase given the growing air traffic.

A New York father who left his 1-year-old twins in his car while he went to work told investigators "I blanked out, my babies are dead, I killed my babies," according to the criminal complaint released Saturday. 

Juan Rodriguez, 39, of Congers, pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter and two counts of negligent homicide, the NYPD said. He said that leaving his son and daughter in the car was unintentional. 

Rodriguez and family members were in tears throughout the Saturday afternoon arraignment, at which bail was set at $100,000 or $50,000 cash. His attorney indicated that he would post bail. 

The twins, Phoenix and Luna, had just turned 1 on July 9, according to the complaint. They were left in the backseat of their father's car from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. when he returned and found them lifeless, still strapped into their car seats. 

The children's bodies were 108 degrees when they were found, the medical examiner said. 

City councilman Fernando Cabrera called for support of several efforts to prevent hot car deaths, including educational campaigns and technology to remind parents that kids are still in a car. 

“My heart is broken,” Cabrera said. “Two innocent babies lost their lives, dying from heat in a parked car at a major facility in an area of heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This happens far too often, even with caring parents who cannot explain why it happened.”

A man was shot during a robbery while waiting for a friend on a New Haven street early Sunday morning.

Police said the man reported he was standing near the intersection of Nash and Lawrence Streets around 2:40 a.m. while he waited for a friend.

A man wearing a face mask approached the man, showed a handgun and demanded his valuables, police said. After taking the man's money, the masked man shot him in the leg, officers added.

The masked man then fled on foot on Lawrence Street toward Nicoll Street.

The man who was shot was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital with a non-life threatening injury, authorities said.

A crime scene was held overnight while detectives canvassed the area. The streets have since reopened.

To help keep you informed on the most shared and talked about stories, each Saturday and Sunday we'll revisit five stories from the previous week, including the most recent updates.

Violence In the ER

According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), incidents of serious workplace violence were at least five times higher in health care than in other industries. NBC Connecticut Investigates is looking into what can be done to help protect our health care workers. Read the story here. 

Legionnaires' Disease in Rocky Hill

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is investigating two cases of Legionnaires’ disease at Apple Rehab in Rocky Hill. DPH and Apple Rehab are working to locate the source. Details here. 

Governor of Puerto Rico to Resign

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló will resign on Aug. 2 after political upheaval. His announcement came after nearly two weeks of furious protests sparked by a leak of insulting chat messages between him and his top advisers. Get the full story here.

Fotis Dulos Wants Charges Dropped

The estranged husband of the missing mom from New Canaan is looking to have charges that were filed against him dropped. The attorney for Fotis Dulos filed a motion this week to dismiss the tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution charges connected to the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos. Jennifer has been missing for two months. More here.

UConn Pays $17 Million to Leave AAC

UConn will pay $17 million to leave the AAC next year for the Big East. The school announced Friday that the football team will be independent. Full details here.

One person was taken to the hospital after a vehicle crashed into a bar in Lebanon early Sunday morning.

Firefighters were called to Beaumont Highway around 2:20 a.m. to evaluate someone for an unknown problem.

Shortly after they were called, officials said it was reported that there was a car that had crashed into a building.

The first crews at the scene found a single vehicle inside of the Lebanon Tap Room with significant damage to the building and bar area, fire officials added.

The vehicle had hit several embankments along Beaumont Highway before it crashed into the building, according to authorities.

The driver of the vehicle was able to get out on his or her own and was evaluated at the scene.

Firefighters cut power to the vehicle and mitigated a fuel spill from the vehicle, they said.

One person was transported to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, according to fire officials.

Connecticut State Police is investigating the cause of the crash. The building is currently uninhabitable until an engineer can inspect the damage, authorities added.

Fire officials said the crash happened when the bar was closed. They said they believe if anyone was in the bar when the crash happened, there would have been potential for serious injuries.

The West Hartford Bulldogs won the New England Region Title to earn a spot in the Cal Ripken World Series. The 12U Bulldogs will head to Branson, Missouri for the competition and their first game is scheduled for August 3rd.

“It’s been fun, it’s been fun with my friends and working together to get the wins,” said pitcher and outfielder Jonah Balcerzak.

“It will really be a great time traveling to Missouri,” added pitcher and first baseman James Fagnant. “I think it will be cool playing the different countries and all the people from all around the world.”

“New England is pretty competitive at the Cal Ripken level but when you bring all the other regions in and throw in ten other countries because it’s an international competition, it’s going to be top notch,” said manager Rob Hanawalt. “That’s what I’m looking forward to, taking that next level of competition for these players.

The West Hartford Bulldogs leave for Missouri on July 31st.

A Silver Alert has been issued for an 80-year-old woman who is missing from Newtown.

State police said Gertrude Hampton has been missing since Friday and may be driving a maroon 2015 Subaru Outback Legacy.

She is 5'4" and 150 pounds with white hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Newtown Police Department at (203) 426-5841.

A crash has closed part of Interstate 91 north in Meriden on Sunday afternoon and state police said at least one person is injured.

According to Connecticut Department of Transportation, an overturned vehicle has closed the two left lanes of the highway between exits 18 and 20.

State police said one vehicle was involved in the crash and the driver was the only person inside.

The accident reconstruction team is heading to the scene, state police added.

There is no estimate for when the highway will fully reopen.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, at odds with President Donald Trump over his handling of Syria and other international crises and his invective against the U.S. intelligence community, is expected to leave the administration as early as this week, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. 

Coats, who in July warned Congress of active threats to U.S. elections, is the 10th Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate to leave the administration, a record number of departures.

The White House declined Sunday to comment on the record.

Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, is widely considered a favorite to replace Coats, according to NBC News.

Coats’s relationship with the president frayed over Trump’s demand that Coats find evidence that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump and that Coats publicly criticize the intelligence community as biased. The president accused Coats of being behind leaks of classified information.

Coats had come close to quitting at the end of last year but was talked out of it by Vice President Mike Pence, NBC News reported.

Tensions between the two men worsened when Trump decided to withdraw all troops from Syria, prompting former Defense Secretary James Mattis to depart.

Coats is a former congressman from Indiana and ambassador to Germany whom Trump disparages as “Mister Rogers.” He and Pence are longtime friends.

Coats got bipartisan support when he was confirmed for the cabinet spot two years ago.

One person is dead after a car accident in East Lyme Sunday night.

The accident involved a car and motorcycle, according to police. The driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car was transported to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London for observation.

Route 1, also known as Boston Post Road, was closed between Spring Rock Road and North Bride Brook Road but has since reopened, according to police.

The accident was reported around 5 p.m.

The identity of the motorcyclist is not yet available.

Police are investigating after a stabbing on Chapel Street in New Haven Sunday night.

When police arrived to the scene, they saw the victim who was stabbed in the abdomen, according to officials.

The victim was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital.

The stabbing victim remains at the hospital in stable condition.

Witnesses are asked to call detectives at 203-946-6304.

More than 100 House Democrats have called for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump to begin, NBC News reports.

The threshold was crossed just days after former special counsel Robert Mueller testified on Capitol Hill about his investigation into Russian election interference. According an NBC News tally compiled by Alex Moe and Kyle Stewart, 104 House Democrats have publicly supported the inquiry, including 12 since Mueller's appearance. Rep. Justin Amash, a Michigan independent who recently left the Republican Party, has also called for impeachment.

Congressional Democrats have been divided over whether to launch an impeachment inquiry. House leadership, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has repeatedly demurred on whether to begin the process.

Sian Gonzales found out he would no longer be receiving the almost $5,000 he has been awarded annually from the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) on July 9 — a month and a half shy of the first day of classes for his junior year at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Gonzales, 21, didn’t lose the scholarship money because his grades slipped or because he violated any school rules, NBC News reports. Instead, Gonzales and 2,500 other students in Alaska lost the scholarship because the state is no longer funding it.

“I’m scared,” Gonzales, a nursing student, told NBC News. Raised in Juneau, Gonzales decided to stay in Alaska for college in large part because of the APS, and even worked toward earning the scholarship during high school.

The APS began awarding students money in 2012 to encourage bright high school seniors to stay in their home state for higher education and prevent a brain drain.The legislature has tried and failed to restore the APS, which was defunded because of something called “the sweep.”

For the first time, Democrats in Iowa and Nevada will be able to participate in their states' crucial early presidential caucuses next year without actually having to show up, NBC News reports.

It's a major change from election years past and one designed to make the Democratic caucuses more democratic and boost participation since not everyone has the time or ability to spend several hours of a specific evening attending an in-person caucus meeting.

Both Iowa and Nevada will now allow any Democrat who wants to use a telephone to dial into a "virtual caucus," where they'll rank a handful of their choices for the presidency. Iowa will offer Democrats six chances to "tele-caucus" in the days leading up to its Feb. 3 first-in-the-nation caucus. Nevada, which comes just after Iowa and New Hampshire's primary, will offer four days of in-person early caucusing during the run up to its Feb. 22 main event, in addition to options on two days to dial into the virtual caucus.

The mandate from the Democratic National Committee to make caucusing easier comes as states are giving voters more options than ever to cast a ballot. Early voting in last year's midterms far surpassed that of prior midterms as 39 states now offer early voting and 28 offer absentee voting to anyone who wants it. In 2020, three states will mail a ballot to every single voter.

Make sure you have your reusable bags if you head to the grocery store this week.

Starting Thursday, Connecticut retailers will start tacking on 10 cents for each "single-use" plastic bag.

The state expects to generate more than $27 million within the first year.

Single-use plastic bags will be phased out entirely by July 2021.

More than dozen communities in our state have already banned them.