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Trees Fall on Houses, Cars and Roads in Enfield

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The town of Enfield is cleaning up after severe storms knocked down trees onto homes, cars and roads.

Oak Street has reopened after closing earlier this morning until about 5:30 a.m. as crews worked to repair electrical wires that fell during the height of the storm.

The town of Enfield has condemned some homes in town after trees fell on them.

Crews stayed on scene throught the night at a Crescent Beach Drive home where storms brought down a tree onto a house Sunday evening.

The two adults and two children who live there received food, clothing and toys from the Red Cross after they were forced from their home. Red Cross officials said the family was able to make their own housing arrangements.

A microburst on Taylor Road downed branches and wires, causing many people to lose power. Most of the Connecticut Light & Power customers there have regained power. The road was closed Sunday night near Shaker Road after reports that a tree fell on a car.

On Sunday night, lightning sparked a fire at a Prospect Avenue home.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut

Mother of Missing New Hampshire Teen "Haunted" by Daughter's Eyes

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A mother who was recently reunited with her missing teen daughter after nine months says she was overcome with emotion when the 15-year-old returned home just over a week ago.

“We just stood there, looking at each other, and then we hugged and I just said ‘thank God you’re home. Thank God you’re home',” Zenya Hernandez said in an exclusive interview with “Today."

Abigail Hernandez was returning home from school when she disappeared last October. Her family believes she was abducted by a stranger.

While the Hernandez family and the police are still searching for answers to what led to the teen's disappearance, her mother dispelled rumors that her daughter was pregnant or ran away. Zenya Hernandez said that when Abigail returned home on July 20, she had lost a significant amount of weight and appeared pale. 

“She had a look in her eyes I have never ever seen before. And that’s something that’s haunting me, and I think it will haunt me for the rest of my life,” Hernandez said.

The Hernandez family released a statement Monday morning on their web site BringAbbyHome.com with more details about their daughter's recovery.

"Right now, Abby is resting, extremely tired and in deteriorated health, and has lost a lot of weight. She is working to build her strength back and we hope soon she will be back on solid foods," the family said.
According to "Today," Abigail released a statement thanking those who aided in the search for her.

“My gratitude is beyond words. It’s an incredible feeling to be home, and I believe in my heart that your hopes and prayers played a major role in my release," the statement read.

Details remain confidential during the investigation into Abigail’s disappearance and nine-month absence, but New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster said in a statement that law enforcement officers are working to obtain satisfactory answers. Authorities have issued a call for help in identifying a man they believe may have been connected to the disappearance.

“I feel like they just took and ripped something out of our souls.” Abigail’s mother said. “And just as I swore I’ll find her, I’ll find the person, I’ll find out what happened.”



Photo Credit: NECN

Naugatuck Police Search for Missing 15-Year-Old

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Naugatuck police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing 15-year-old.

Tyler Kaminski, 15, of Naugatuck, headed to the Naugatuck town green at 2 p.m. on Sunday but never returned home, police said.

Police said that he doesn't have any "medical or special conditions" and that he is "not considered to be a danger to himself or others."

Kaminski was last seen wearing a brown T-shirt and plaid shorts, black and red sneakers and black New York beanie and was carrying a backpack. Police describe him as having blond, curly hair tied back in a pony tale and brown eyes. He is 5-foot-2 and weighs 110 pounds.

Police ask anyone with information to contact the Naugatuck Police Department at 203-729-5221.



Photo Credit: Courtesy of Naugatuck Police Department

Truck Crash Closes I-95 Lane in Old Saybrook

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The right-most lane on Interstate 95 North in Old Saybrook is closed on Monday due to a rollover tractor-trailer crash.

A tractor-trailer veered down an embankment and crashed. The lane was still closed between Exits 66 and 67 as of 6:45 a.m. The Connecticut Department of Transportation received reports of the crash at 5:58 a.m.

There is no word on whether anyone was injured in the crash.

Heavy rain on the I-95 and I-395 corridors is also affecting the morning commute.The DOT is also reporting delays for 3.2 miles between exits 26 and 22 on I-95 South in Fairfield.

Roadwork on I-84 East in Vernon between Exits 64 and 67 could affect your morning drive in that area.

Route 195 in Tolland is closed between Walbridge Hill Road and Route 32  in Mansfield, as well as Route 44 in Mansfield east of Route 195 and Route 320 in Willington between Cisar Road and the Mansfield line due to trees and wires down, according to the DOT.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

The Old Saybrook Fire Department also shared these photos of the crash:



Photo Credit: Old Saybrook Fire Department

Men Assault, Rob Homeless Man: Cops

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Bridgeport police are investigating the robbery and attack of a homeless man early last Monday morning and are asking for help to identify the attackers.

Three men assaulted a 33-year-old man in the 1700 block of Park Avenue around 1:30 a.m. on Monday, July 21 and have released video in the hopes that someone can identify them.

The three men are clearly visible as they walk past one of the buildings in the shopping plaza.

The Bridgeport police robbery squad is investigating and anyone with information should cal l Detective Art Calvao at 203-581-5240 or Detective Sean Ronan at 203-581-5231.

 



Photo Credit: Bridgeport Police

School Bus Batteries Stolen in New Haven

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Someone stolen several school bus batteries in New Haven on Sunday evening and police are investigating.

Police responded to the First Student Bus Company yard at 170 Middletown Avenue around 9 p.m. on Sunday to investigate.

Police said that 20 school bus batteries were stolen.

Officials from New Haven schools said five batteries were taken and batteries are removed from buses when they are not use.

Police said the batteries cost about $200 each and are not as common as regular car batteries.

Detectives are trying to find surveillance video in the area that might have captured images of the thefts.



 

Neglected Pit Bull Had Infected Wound, Maggots: Police

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Police arrested two New Britain residents after receiving an anonymous complaint in June about a neglected dog in a cage in their backyard and  finding a pit bull there with maggots and an infected collar wound.

The dog named Champ, about 2 years old, is not registered to anyone, but police charged Syra Santana, 43, and Wilfredo Andino, 43, with animal cruelty charges on July 17. Police spent nearly a month researching who owns the dog, as the dog didn't have an identification chip and the couple claimed he belonged to their son, according to New Britain Police Sgt. Paula Keller. Officers ultimately held the couple accountable because they own the 541 South Street single-family home where police found the pit bull, she said.

The dog's collar was on so tight when police found him that it irritated and infected the skin. Police also found maggots living on the pit bull.

Police took Champ to the vet and have him into their care at New Britain's dog pound since the June 21 incident and he's doing much better, according to New Britain Police Sgt. Paula Keller. After giving him antibiotics and baths at the pound to wash the wound, Champ's infection cleared up within two to three days and his fur grew back, she said.

Champ's future home depends on what's decided in court in New Britain. If a judge orders Santana and Andino to permanently surrender the dog, New Britain's pound will put him up for adoption to find him a new home.

Santana and Andino were each charged with one count of animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor. They were released from custody on $5,000 bonds are scheduled to be arraigned in court on July 31 at 10 a.m., according to the state judicial website.



Photo Credit: New Britain Police Department

Man Touched Juvenile at Milford YMCA: Cops

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Milford police have arrested a 28-year-old Bridgeport man who is accused of inappropriately touching a juvenile at the YMCA.

Police responded to the YMCA at 691 Orange Avenue in Milford around 1 p.m. on Friday after YMCA administrators called authorities to investigate a suspicious incident.

Kenan Lipscomb, 28, of Bridgeport, is accused of inappropriately touching a juvenile in the building, according to Milford police. 

He was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury.

It's not clear what Lipscomb was doing at the YMCA, but a spokesperson for the Y said he's not affiliated with the organization.

"Kenan Lipscomb is ont a Y staff member, nor is he a Y volunteer," said YMCA spokeswoman Donna Gill Lisitano, in a statement Monday.

He was released on a promise to appear and is due in court on Aug. 19.

Police are investigating the incident.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Broadcast of Dog’s Bark Helps Nab Teen Vandals: Cops

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Broadcasting a dog’s bark through a public address system helped police nab teens accused of vandalizing bus stops in New Haven this morning.

Police responded to Long Wharf Drive around 3 or 3:30 a.m. Monday after three teens smashed the glass on at least six bus stop enclosures, then ran into a marshy area of the south end to get away, police said.

Officers soon found one teen who was hiding, but the other two went deeper into the Long Island Sound marsh near the “Vietnam War Memorial,” so police called in more help.

Another officer arrived with his canine, Xander, a 12-year-old Dutch Shepherd.

The officer used his cruiser’s PA to urge the teens to come out of hiding and warned that Xander would find them if they didn't show, police said.

When the teens ignored the officer's commands, he broadcast Xander’s bark through the PA system. Within seconds, the teens emerged from the marsh and were arrested, according to police.

They were charged with criminal mischief before being turned over to their parents.

Police did not have information available Monday about property damage estimates.
 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Foley Leads Malloy in Online Poll

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A collaborative poll between The New York Times, CBS News and research firm YouGov places Tom Foley (R) as the slight favorite for the 2014 gubernatorial race over incumbent Dannel P. Malloy (D) by 9 percentage points.

An online panel of about 100,000 people nationwide responded to the poll, which asked questions about political races across the country, including "if the election for Governor in Connecticut were being held today and these were the candidates, who would you vote for?" YouGov conducted the poll in partnership with the two media outlets, Nate Cohen reported in his column, "TheUpshot"  in the Times.

According to results released on the CBS website, 42 percent would vote for Foley, 33 percent would vote for Malloy, 4 percent would vote for another candidate, 3 percent said they wouldn't vote and 5 percent were unsure, the results state. Eight percent responded that they're "leaning" toward Malloy and 6 percent said that they're leaning toward Foley, according to the results.

Malloy, however, led in popularity for poll participants ages 30 to 44 (42 to Foley's 30 percent) and female (42 to Foley's 29), as well as respondents of black and Hispanic descent who participated in the poll, according to the results. The majority of respondents ages 18 to 29 (44 percent for Foley, 30 for Malloy), 45 to 64 (39 for Foley, 32 for Malloy) and 65 and up (54 for Foley, 30 for Malloy), as well as male participants (51 for Foley, 26 for Malloy) said they'd vote for Foley.

The last Quinnipiac poll released in May showed Malloy and Foley in a deadlocked tie in approval ratings for the governor's race. Quinnipiac does "phone-based polling" in contrast, according to CT News Junkie.

Man Shot in New Haven

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A 24-year-old New Haven man is in serious condition after being shot below his right ear during an incident on Dixwell Avenue Sunday night.

Police responded to the St. Raphael's campus of Yale-New Haven Hospital just before 9 p.m. on Sunday after a shooting victim drove himself to the hospital, police said. 

Police were also told that a passenger in the victim’s car might have been shot as well, but walked away.

Officers found the passenger walking nearby.

He had not been shot, was not cooperative and told police only that the victim went into a Jamaican restaurant on Dixwell Avenue for food, while he stayed in the car with headphones on, according to police.

When the victim got back into the car, he said he was shot and sped off to the hospital.

Detectives have located surveillance footage from a nearby camera and police are trying to collect evidence from the victim, the passenger and the car they took to the hospital.

The victim was transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital where he is listed in serious but stable condition.

 

2 U.S. Marshals, NYPD Officer Shot in NYC

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Two U.S. marshals and an NYPD detective were shot Monday afternoon when a gun battle erupted in a Greenwich Village smokeshop as the officers tried to apprehend an accused child molester, authorities said. The suspect was killed in the shootout.

The officers were shot shortly after 1 p.m. in Smoking Culture, a smokeshop on West Fourth Street, where officers were acting on tip that the fugitive was working there. The NYPD detective entered the store between Jones and Cornelia streets and confirmed that suspect was alone.  When the detective returned with U.S. Marshals to make an arrest, the suspect, Charles Mozdir, immediately opened fire with a. 32-caliber revolver. 

"Mozdir fired upon the officers are very close range and the officers returned fire," Police Commissioner William Bratton said during an update from Bellevue Hospital.

The NYPD detective was shot twice in the stomach below his bulletproof vest. The detective was in critical but stable condition. One marshal was shot in the leg and the other was hit in the elbow, the official said. All of the officers were in good spirits, Bratton said.

Bratton said the vest may have saved the officer's life, preventing a bullet that would have struck his torso. 

Mozdir is accused of sexually assaulting a boy while babysitting him in Coronado, California, near San Diego. The 32-year-old was recently profiled on "The Hunt with John Walsh," an "America's Most Wanted"-type show on CNN. 

Mozdir was wanted on a $1 million warrant. He was charged with multiple counts of committing forcible lewd acts on a child and attempting to dissuade a witness. He skipped an April court appearance in California and his car was found in Georgia two months later. The trail went cold after that until officers acted on information that he might be in New York City.

His weapon was recovered at the scene. Mozdir had 20 more rounds in his pockets, police said. 



Photo Credit: AP

Man Tries to Rob Man Who Was Sleeping in Backyard: Cops

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A New Haven man who was asleep in his backyard after throwing a party the night before was the victim of an attempted robbery, according to police.

Police responded to an Asylum Street home around 7 a.m. on Saturday and interviewed the resident, who told police that he’d thrown a party the night before, slept in the backyard and woke up to find a man trying to rob him.

The resident ran through a neighbor’s  yard and said the would-be robber did not follow him.

Police noted that the resident who reported the robbery was still intoxicated.

 

Man Shot in Meriden

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Police are investigating the shooting of a 29-year-old man in Meriden.

Officers arrived at the intersection of Springdale Avenue and Botsford Street around 1 p.m. Monday to find the man lying on the sidewalk. He had been shot once in the groin and was treated at the scene, then taken to a local hospital, police said.

The man's condition is unknown but police said his injuries do not appear to be life threatening. He has been cooperating with police.

Police said they received a 911 call just prior to the shooting reporting a man waving a gun in the area. Authorities are investigating to determine whether the incidents are related.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Meriden police Det. Gonzalez at 203-630-6318.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Bloomfield Man Has Been Missing Since June

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Bloomfield police are asking for help to find a man who has been missing since June.

Angelo Bennett, 50, was last leaving his home at 10 a.m. on June 20 with an acquaintance and has not been seen or heard from since.

Anyone with information on Bennett should call the Bloomfield Police Department at (860) 242-5501. 


 



Photo Credit: Bloomfield Police

Chaos After Calif. Lightning Strike

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Beachgoers reported seeing a bright flash, hearing the sound of a loud explosion and witnessing the chaos that ensued along the coast during a fatal lightning strike in Venice on Sunday afternoon.

"It was the loudest thunder I've ever heard," said witness Joe Doro. "It was like a scene out of 'Jaws,' all the mothers were going in to grab their kids to drag them out of the water."

The lightning bolts touched down about 2:20 p.m. near the pier, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

Eight people who were in and near the water were taken to the hospital, the LAFD tweeted, including a 20-year-old man who was later pronounced dead. Five other people were treated and released at the scene.

"You heard this crackle, this giant bolt up in the sky that I've never seen like that - and I'm from the Midwest, and we see lots of lightning," Doro said.

People who were on the sand as far as 50 yards away from the pier reported being shocked.

"I felt heat pressure on top of my head and just kind of an electric buzz through my body," said another witness.

Eric Amparan, who was playing volleyball when the lightning bolts touched down, said he saw a woman calling for her father, who had been pulled out of the water by rescuers and was apparently unconscious.

"She was crying and saying, 'Daddy, daddy, daddy,'" he said. When she overheard that her father was breathing, she said, "'Daddy, I love you,'" he added.

Alexandria Thompson, who tweets news on her Twitter account @Venice311, was at home near the beach when she inadvertently recorded the thunder.

"It actually sounded like there was debris falling," she said. "I mean it was the craziest thing I've ever heard."

Thompson headed for the beach, where county lifeguards and Los Angeles city firefighters were treating more than a dozen people.

Employee of Kitchen Remodeler Accused of Embezzlement

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Bridgeport police have arrested a 24-year-old woman who is accused of embezzling more than $50,000 from the kitchen remodeling company she works for.

April Trowell is suspected of thefts from February 2013 until July 2014 and was arrested at work on Friday.

Police started investigating when the owner of Hope Kitchen reached out to authorities.

He told police that Trowell had been diverting business to another company and that she’d told a customer at least once that she could help them get a price that Hope Kitchen could not beat, according to police.

The cabinetry vendor the company works with also told the owner that the company had shipped more than $51,000 in merchandise billed to Hope Kitchen, but it went to a business called Top Quality Contractors LLC, to Trowell’s home address and to other addresses not that were associated with Hope Kitchen, according to police.

Police went through Hope Kitchen records and made the arrest.

Trowell was responsible for showing Hope Kitchen customers the showroom, gathering contact information and helping to design customers’ kitchens, as well as responding to email, answering calls and ordering inventory, police said.

She was charged with first-degree larceny and first-degree computer crimes and bond was set at $75,000. Police said they are still investigating and more arrests are possible.
 



Photo Credit: Bridgeport Police

Dad Whose Baby Died in SUV "Made a Terrible Mistake": DA

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Three months after a 9-month-old boy died after being left in his father's SUV, the Santa Clara County District Attorney ruled on Monday that the dad will not be charged with the baby's death.

The father was extremely fatigued and mistakenly believed that he had dropped off the child, Giovanni Hernandez of Los Gatos, at a babysitter’s home on his way to work, the prosecutors' review concluded.

Giovanni's official cause of death on April 16 was hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature, according to the Santa Clara County Coroner. The DA did not identify the father by his full name, only as "Mr. Hernandez."



“Like most parents, I know how fatigue can sometimes rob us of common sense and good judgment,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “While we have prosecuted child endangerment cases in the past, this tragedy does not rise to the level of recklessness that both the law and justice require.”

Rosen added that to have criminally charged the father with child endangerment or involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors would have needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed an "aggravated, flagrantly negligent or reckless act rather than one resulting from inattention or mistaken judgment," Rosen said.

Rosen's decision is markedly different that what prosecutors decided near suburban Atlanta. Justin Ross Harris was charged with murder after the Cobb County District Attorney alleged he intentionally left his 22-month-old toddler in the back of the family SUV because he wanted a "child free life." Harris' friends and family, however, have countered that prosecutors made a "terrible mistake."

In the Santa Clara County case, the prosecutors' review concluded the tragedy was not caused by the negligence of a reckless parent but rather was an error by a "normally conscientious, exhausted father."



"That is the best news we have gotten all day," Kids and Cars president and founder Janette Janette said in phone interview from Philadelphia. "Those poor parents. Now, they can finally grieve."

In April, the day after Giovanni's body was found, Yousif Njimeh told NBC Bay Area that the father worked for his brother at his vending machine company, Star Vending. The father's usual routine was to park his silver Honda SUV on Payne Avenue in San Jose and then take off in the company vending machine truck. The father, who had two other children, worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Njimeh said. Njimen said sister-in-law was supposed to babysit the boy, but there was some "miscommunication."



The prosecutors' report released on Monday outlined a little more detail about what led up to Giovanni's death.

On the day his son died, Hernandez woke up about 6 a.m. to get his two other children ready for school, and the baby ready for daycare at his relative's home. He had gone to bed just four hours earlier at 2 a.m. because he was up with the baby while his wife was at work at a new job delivering pizza. His wife returned at 3 a.m.

Usually, it was Hernandez's wife's job to take the two older children to school and drop the baby off three days a week. But because of her new delivery job, there was a change in her routine.



Shortly after 8 a.m. that day, Hernandez piled his three children in his SUV. His oldest daughter sat in front. His older son sat in the back seat next to the sleeping baby.

He dropped off his older children, and drove off toward his work.



He told prosecutors he was extremely tired and dropped off his personal car to pick up his employer's truck, forgetting that the baby was in the back.

At the end of his shift, Hernandez asked a co-worker at 6:30 p.m. if they could stop at the babysitter's to get his son, but he realized that he had never taken Giovanni there.

He called 911, but it was too late.

On average, 38 children die from heat stroke every year after being left in a car nationwide, according to Kids and Cars. Last year, however, the heat stroke car death toll hit 44. Giovanni's death was the first in the country in 2014. On Monday, Kids and Cars had documented a total of 18 nationwide.

The dangers of parents leaving their children in hot cars was highlighted in the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2009 article "Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?" The magazine piece, by Eugene Weingarten of the Washington Post, showed that anyone can forget a baby in a car, and that the most likely reasons are a change in schedule and sheer exhausation. Rosen and senior prosecutors read that article and were very "moved" by it, according to public communications officer Sean Webby.



Fennell said that many of these deaths can be avoided if parents remember little tricks to remind them that their child may be sleeping quietly in the back seat. Two of those tips including having the babysitter call if the child does not show up in a timely manner, and leaving something necessary, like a purse, key card or phone, with the baby in the back seat so the driver will need to retrieve that item before heading into work.

Hernandez has no history of child abuse or neglect, according to prosecutors. And by all accounts, the DA's office concluded, he is an "attentive" father.

"He didn't commit a crime; he made a terrible mistake," Rosen said.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED: More tips can be found at KidsAndCars.org. The organization is also hoping that a petition will force the Obama Administration to provide more funding to the Department of Transportation to create innovative technology and require that technology be installed in cars.


NBC Bay Area's Marianne Favro contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

Murder Charges in Philly Carjacking

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Two "bastards," bent on robbing a realtor, are facing murder charges for carjacking and sexually assaulting the woman before running down a family selling fruit on a Philadelphia sidewalk, city law enforcement officials say. Three children, all siblings, were killed.

Jonathan Rosa, 19, and Cornelius Crawford, 23, face 15 charges each including three counts of 2nd Degree Murder, Carjacking, Kidnapping and Involuntary Deviant Sexual Assault for the alleged Friday morning crime.

“I want to personally thank Commissioner Ramsey, Captain Clark, all the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department for their exceptional work in bringing these two bastards to justice," Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said. "All Philadelphians were moved to tears by this crime."

Homicide Capt. James Clark said Crawford and Rosa wanted to commit a robbery when they forced the real estate agent into her white Toyota SUV at gunpoint at 6th and Cumberland Streets around 11 a.m. on Friday. They then took off. Inside the truck, the realtor was sexually assaulted as the suspects sped through the streets of the Tioga section of North Philadelphia.

(Officials have identified the agent, but it is NBC10's policy not to name the victims of sexual assault.)

Then about 10 minutes later, one of the SUV's tires blew, causing vehicle to careen out of control at the busy intersection of Germantown and Allegheny Avenues, Clark said. The vehicle jumped the curb and slammed directly into the family as they stood at their fruit stand.

Thomas Reed, 10, died on the sidewalk. His sister Keiearra Williams, 15, and brother Terrence Moore, 7, passed away at area hospitals, police said. Their mother, 34-year-old Keisha Williams, suffered severe injuries and remains hospitalized -- unaware her children have died.

A family friend, 65-year-old Thelma Brown, was also hit and broke her ankle, officials said.

The group were selling the fruit to help their church raise money to build a playground at the site where the crash happened.

The SUV then skidded across the grass and slammed into a tree. Clark said Crawford and Rosa then jumped out and ran. Inside the SUV, remained the carjacking victim. She was also critically hurt, police said.

A witness to the crash found Rosa's cell phone at the crash scene and turned it over to detectives. Clark said that evidence helped lead investigators to the men.

Both men were taken into custody on Sunday. Crawford has a long criminal history and was recently released from prison following a robbery conviction, prosecutors said. He was found hiding behind a home along the 2900 block of N. 6th Street by U.S. Marshals and detectives. Rosa turned himself in to the Homicide Unit alongside his mother and pastor.

Rosa's attorney, Christopher Warren, says his client is cooperating with detectives to try and "atone" for the crash, the attorney said.

"He turned himself in, and he is doing everything in his power to try and atone for what happened last Friday," Warren said. "Quite frankly, he's having an extremely difficult time getting over the image of that 15-year-old girl coming over the hood of the car."

A post on Rosa's Facebook page from 8:15 a.m. on Friday said "Good and evil two sides fighting for dominance." Later that evening, at 9:42 p.m., Rosa's mother Amanda wrote on his page: "Please pray for Jonathan my son."

Josue Rosa, the man's uncle, tells NBC10.com his nephew is a good kid, without a criminal record, who had just taken a test to join the U.S. Marines. He believes the 19-year-old was pressured by the other suspect to take part in the carjacking.

"I don’t want my nephew to do life in prison. If he was involved, alright. Don’t give my nephew life in prison. He’s not a bad kid. He's not the one who was driving," he said.

Clark had less empathy for the teen and his alleged co-conspirator.

"What they did was indefensible and unforgivable, so whatever remorse they might have does not bring back the children," he said.

City officials thanked the public for helping to find the two men and for offering support to the victims. DA Williams said former NBA and Philadelphia 76ers star Charles Barkley called him to say he wanted to pay for the three children's funeral.

Should the two men be found guilty of the accused crimes at the maximum sentencing, they face three consecutive life terms in prison plus another 89 years.


Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.



Photo Credit: Philadelphia Police

Arrest in 500 White Powder Letters

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A North Texas man who once told police the federal government was "beaming radar" into him was arrested Monday, after federal prosecutors say he sent hundreds of envelopes containing white powder to schools, U.S. embassies and businesses over the years.

Hong Minh Truong, 66, of Rowlett, was arrested Monday by FBI special agents and investigators for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

He is charged in a federal criminal complaint with false information and hoaxes, and a U.S. magistrate ordered Monday afternoon that he remain in federal custody.

Truong is suspected of mailing more than 500 hoax letters from North Texas to cities across the U.S., including to preschools and elementary schools, and to U.S. embassies around the world, beginning in December 2008, the United States Attorney's office said.

The letters were also mailed to numerous hotels and prominent business offices in the New York area in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII in northern New Jersey, NBC News has learned.

Investigators said the language used in the letters as well as the method of sending the letters led them to believe one person was responsible for sending them all.

One such letter, allegedly sent from North Texas in May 2012, included the following statement:

"Al Qaeda back! Special thing for you
What the hell where are you Scooby Doo, Counter Intelligence, CIA, you do not know how to catch the triple dealer spy in your law enforcement. What the hell where are you Scooby Doo, Internal Affairs, FBI, you don't know how to arrest the bad cop in your law enforcement.
You all flaming idiot, ignorant and arrogant, know nothing! How to protect this country! U.S.A
We are Al Qaeda, U.B.L FBI, Al Qaeda, SS Nazi FBI, working in your agency. We claim everything."

In 2002, Truong told Dallas police he heard "voices" that the federal government was "beaming radar into his body," according to the complaint against him.

Federal prosecutors have 30 days to present the case to a grand jury for possible indictment.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News
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