Members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Miami are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting death of a rabbi visiting from New York.

Police are still searching for two suspects who shot and killed 60-year-old Joseph Raksin while he was walking to a temple in North Miami Beach on Saturday morning.

Raksin was from Brooklyn, New York, and was visiting his daughters who live in South Florida.

Miami-Dade Police said Raksin was walking on the 800 block of NE 175th Street around 9 a.m. when two young males approached him. Raksin was shot during the altercation.

Raksin was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where he died.

The two suspects fled the scene, one on a bike and one on foot, according to police. Police do not yet have a good description of the shooters, and say there are no signs that this was a hate crime.

Neighbors, however, disagree, referencing a swastika that had been painted on a synagogue down the block two weeks ago

The neighborhood is in a heavily-populated orthodox Jewish community with 11 synagogues in the area.

"While the motivation for this crime is still being investigated, nothing can justify the killing of an innocent man walking to his place of worship to pray on his holy day," said Anti-Defamation League Florida Regional Director Hava Holzhauer in a statement.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miam-Dade Crimestoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

A Northeast Philadelphia man has been charged with murder after he allegedly strangled his wife and left her body at a local park.

Police say Christopher Murray, 48, confessed to killing his wife, 46-year-old Constance "Connie" Murray, Monday night at Pennypack Park following an argument. According to investigators, there were ongoing domestic issues between the husband and wife which culminated in Monday's violent incident.

Investigators say Connie Murray left her Tolbut Street home Monday to go for a walk. While she was walking, Christopher Murray allegedly followed her while driving a silver Taurus. He pulled up beside her on Willets Road and the two began to argue, according to police.

"She sticks her head in the car, says something and she goes back on her walk," said Philadelphia Police Lieutenant Philip Riehl.

Police say Christopher Murray continued to follow her and got out of his vehicle on Holme Avenue around 9:30 p.m. The husband then met his wife at a bench area at the park where another argument ensued.

"She went up there voluntarily to talk to him about whatever was going on and things went bad," Riehl said.

According to law enforcement sources, Connie Murray accused her husband of infidelity, which he denied. Sources say she went to the park's snack stand to meet her daughter where she was met by her husband who wanted to discuss the issue further. According to sources, Christopher Murray told police his wife began to slap him which caused him to snap.

Christopher Murray allegedly strangled his wife and then left her body at the bench area near the Crispin Rec Center. Investigators say he then contacted police around 2 a.m. and reported that his wife was missing. A woman walking her dog later found her body Tuesday around 6 a.m.

After receiving several neighborhood tips and looking at surveillance video allegedly showing Christopher Murray driving his silver Taurus, police identified him as a suspect. He was taken in for questioning Saturday night.

"State Trooper David Lang came in and helped us and administered a lie detector test," Riehl said. "After failing the lie detector test, Murray confessed to strangling his wife in the park next to the two benches where she was found."

Police also say they recovered Connie Murray's headphones and cellphone in a sewer at Solly Avenue. They believe Christopher Murray took the items and disposed of them there.

A preliminary arraignment took place Sunday afternoon, the same day as a planned memorial service for his wife. A preliminary hearing has been set for Aug. 27 and bail has been denied. 

According to law enforcement sources, Christopher and Connie had known each other since they were between the ages of eight and nine.

A funeral will be held for Connie Murray on Monday.

The beach at Rock Neck State Park in East Lyme is not letting more people in on Sunday.

The parking lot is full and is at capacity, so it is closed to any more visitors as of 1:15 p.m., according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

You can follow @CTDEPoutdoorrec on Twitter for the latest updates on beach and state park closures.

A female driver is recovering in the hospital Monday after  firefighters rescued her from her overturned car following a crash over a seawall in Milford that dropped her car 30 feet.

The Milford Fire Department received a 911 call at 11:08 a.m. reporting the crash in the Morningside section of town. Fire crews found a car on its roof at the base of the seawall and the driver was still in the vehicle, Capt. Gregory J. Carman, the department's public information officer, said in a news release.

Firefighters checked the driver for injuries and "began a complicated removal" because the driver was upside-down and seat-belted, Carman said. Crews got the woman out of the car safely and re-evaluated the individual for injuries, establishing the driver was conscious and alert, he said.

An ambulance transported the driver to Yale-New Haven Hospital for "further medical evaluation," Carman said.

The car was lifted from the seawall base and removed.

The Associated Press reported that the female driver clipped a utility pole before veering off the seawall, but police and fire officials have not confirmed that yet

The identity and age of the driver have not been released at this time. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

The scene was cleared at about 12:55 p.m.

Police are looking for an armed robbery suspect who fired a shot that grazed a customer who tried to stop him at a Stratford store Saturday night.

Stratford police responded to Dolly's Express Deli at 6 Boston Avenue at 8:59 p.m. on Saturday after receiving a call reporting an armed robbery with shots fired, police said.

A man displayed a semi automatic handgun when he entered the deli and demanded that the clerk give him money, police said. A customer hit the suspect with an object when he wasn't looking. The suspect turned and fired a shot at the customer and a violent struggle ensued, according to police. 

The bullet grazed the customer's shoulder, causing minor injuries. The suspect eventually fled the store, but surveillance footage caught him on camera.

Police ask anyone with information on the incident or the identity of the suspect to contact the Stratford Detective Bureau at 203-285-4119. 

Two dozen people were rescued from a stuck roller coaster at Six Flags America in Maryland, after spending more than four hours as high as 79 feet up in the air.

Prince George’s County Fire and EMS crews had to use a high-angle rescue to get them down. Each person was taken by a rescue bucket -- lifted into the air by a 105-foot tower ladder on rescue equipment -- down to the ground.

The riders were stuck on Six Flags' Joker’s Jinx ride. Some people were stuck at the highest part of the coaster.

The park statement said there were no injuries.

Riders were provided umbrellas by rescue crews to shade them from the sun and were provided water.

Firefighters have made face to face access with first riders - this will be a long term rescue pic.twitter.com/u6Wt4bANf0

— Marc Bashoor (@PGFD_Chief) August 10, 2014

All 24 patrons in the ground. Currently evaluating all 24 with EMS.

— Marc Bashoor (@PGFD_Chief) August 10, 2014

The statement said the ride has a computerized safety system that can cause such ride stoppages. They are still investigating what caused the ride to stop.

According to the park's website, the roller coaster has a launch system that gets riders from 0 to 60 MPH in just a little more than three seconds. The ride was introduced in 1999.

Miami's Jewish community is protesting what they believe to be inadequate protection by police after a rabbi was gunned down Saturday.

The protest Sunday outside the Miami-Dade Police Intercoastal District Office in Aventura comes after New York rabbi Joseph Raksin was shot and killed while walking to a temple. The shooting happened 2 blocks away from a synagogue that was spray painted with swastikas 2 weeks ago.

Police believe Raksin's murder was an attempted robbery that turned deadly. While police say that there is no indication that the shooting was a hate crime, neighbors disagree. The community is calling the murder a hate crime and act of terrorism.

"It was a hate crime because there was no altercation," said Raksin's nephew Menachem Katz. "There was no robbery. He had no money. He wasn't fighter, he was a very quiet person."

Residents say this is just the latest incident that has made Jewish residents fear for their safety. They say they are stepping up their community watch and already have their own security patrols.

"Especially [after] what happened at the other synagogue 2 weeks ago, there was graffiti on the wall, a car was vandalized," said Orthodox area resident Gideon Gratsiani on Saturday. "God should help us all."

Members of Miami's Orthodox Jewish community are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting of Raksin. Anyone with information is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).

There was overwhelming support for rabbi Joseph Raksin and his family at a prayer service Sunday. Many came from different cities across South Florida to pray and mourn the loss of a man of great faith.

Gathered in a moment of prayer, dozens of Orthodox rabbis and community members read psalms outside the hearse carrying Raskin's body.

"My father in law was a great man," said Raksin's son-in-law Issy. "He pushes us always to be better, to love our fellows."

After prayer, hundreds followed the vehicle out of the driveway to symbolize that all are accompanying him on his final path. Family and friends still can't believe their loved one was shot and killed while walking to his place of worship.

"Anti-semitism is alive and well on the streets of North Miami," said Menachem Katz, Raksin's nephew.

Police say after an altercation, 2 young men shot the 60-year-old rabbi who was visiting family from New York. Although police say they don't see signs of a hate crime, family members disagree.

"It was a hate crime because there was no altercation," said Katz. "There was no robbery. He had no money. He wasn't fighter. He was a very quiet person... If a Jew can be shot in broad daylight, we have a problem."

One leader trying to help the Orthodox Jewish community in a time of outrage and dispair is North Miami Beach Mayor George Vallejo.

"Although our city limits and the county limits kinda get a little bit mixed up in this area, this is one community and we are here in times of need to stand with that community," Vallejo said.

City leaders plan to address this incident at an upcoming city hall meeting.

The rabbi's body was flown to New York Sunday afternoon following the prayer service. He will be laid to rest Monday in Brooklyn.

Ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas released a statement Sunday, saying that while discussions have continued, his bids to buy Market Basket have still not been accepted.

In a statement released Saturday night, the majority shareholders say they would be willing to sell the remaining shares of the company for the price proposed by the former CEO, but that the potential for a deal may be dwindling.

A spokesperson wrote on behalf of Arthur T. Demoulas that while he does not want to engage in a war of press releases, "He cannot allow false information to have a negative impact on Market Basket associates and other stakeholders."

"Discussions continued today with representatives of the board and their advisors. Arthur T. Demoulas reaffirms his desire and good faith for completing the purchase of the 50.5 percent of DSM," wrote Justine Griffin in the statement. "Thus far, his offers have been rejected, not on the basis of price, but with counterproposals that have been laden with onerous terms that are far beyond comparable transactions. It is Arthur T. Demoulas' hope that the Arthur S. Demoulas family will come to the table to reach a final agreement on reasonable terms before it is too late to save this company."

"We offered deal terms that our nationally recognized financial advisors informed us are customary for this type of deal," said the majority shareholders in their statement.

Employees and customers have shown their support for Arthur T. Demoulas since he was fired in June. Monday, thousands rallied demanding his return and the return of eight longtime employees fired for skipping work to a prior rally.

NECN will have more as this story develops.

A pickup truck careened through a New Jersey farmers market Sunday, hitting and killing one person and injuring at least two others, according to authorities.

The driver crashed through a barricade into the market in Hawthorne, according to Richard Goldberg, the mayor of the Passaic County borough, leaving buckets, crates and crushed tomatoes, oranges and apples strewn on the pavement. 

Witnesses say the person who died was dragged under the truck as it barreled through the market. The victim's identity hasn't been released.

"I just can't believe what I saw, can't believe someone was dragged under a car right before my eyes," said Blythe Roth, one of the vendors. "It was horrible."

Goldberg said the truck knocked over several vendors' stands and struck at least three people.

The driver is in police custody; no charges have been filed. He was being evaluated at a hospital.

"It's just a horrific thing for the borough to have this," said Goldberg. "It's such a peaceful, quiet farmers market. To have something like this happen is unthinkable."

A blaze started by a youth in his Yonkers home quickly engulfed the structure and an adjoining apartment building, impacting dozens of people and 14 homes, officials said.

Emergency calls started coming in shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday, and by the time firefighters arrived at the three-story wood frame home on Saratoga Avenue a few minutes later, it was impossible for them to enter, according to Yonkers Fire Department Deputy Chief John Flynn.

A 12-year-old who lived in the home was responsible for the blaze and was charged with second-degree arson after being taken into custody by Yonkers police, according to officials. 

The flames had spread to all five floors of a brick apartment building next door, and had already compromised the stairway, making it difficult for residents to escape, Flynn said.

"A very aggressive interior attack was made by our members, and they removed numerous people from the building," he said.

There were no reported injuries, and residents of the wood frame home assured firefighters that everyone from that structure was accounted for, Flynn said.

The American Red Cross registered 35 people for assistance, including 17 children, the organization said. More than a dozen of them are staying at a shelter.

A pedestrian attempting to save the driver of an SUV that caught fire on the 60 Freeway was struck and killed by another vehicle early Sunday in the City of Industry.

The chain reaction of events began around 4:30 a.m. with a two-vehicle crash in the carpool lane on the eastbound side of the freeway just east of Fairway Drive, according to Tony Polizzi of the California Highway Patrol.

The first crash left a white SUV facing the wrong way in the carpool lane. Officials said another vehicle, a white Dodge Challenger, then collided head-on with the SUV, which caught fire.

As passengers of the white SUV and Challenger attempted to save the driver of the SUV trapped inside the vehicle, a fourth vehicle, a silver Mitsubishi, struck the passengers on the roadway, according to Robert Reyes of the CHP.

The passenger of the SUV was killed and three others were critically injured, officials said.

A SigAlert was lifted around 8 a.m.

What caused the fatal wreck was not immediately know

Seven residents and one firefighter were hurt Sunday night in a fire at a high-rise apartment building in Tribeca that caused heavy smoke to waft throughout the lower Manhattan neighborhood, officials say.

About 150 firefighters were called to the blaze at the 39-floor building on Greenwich Street shortly before 9 p.m., according to the FDNY. Officials say the fire started in a hallway on the building's fifth floor.

The fire was brought under control at about 11 p.m., officials say.

Five of the eight people injured were taken to hospitals, firefighters say. The others were treated at the scene. All have minor injuries.

Residents trying to get out of the building said the smoke was incredibly thick and made its way through much of the building.

Henry Steimler said he and a group tried to get out of the building from the 23rd floor through the fire escape, but were met by an impassable cloud of thick black smoke at the ninth floor and had to find another exit. 

"It was so black, so thick, impossible to breathe, " Steimler said. "(The fire escape) was very scary." 

The cause of the fire at the apartment building, which has more than 400 units, is under investigation.

It's not clear if anyone was displaced.

A woman repeatedly punched in the head by a California Highway Patrol officer on the side of a Southern California freeway says she feared for her life as the officer swung at her "with all his might."

"He was trying to kill me, he was trying to beat me to death, he wouldn’t stop," Marlene Pinnock said in an interview with NBC4 on Sunday. "I was able to try to cover my face because he wouldn’t quit hitting me in my temple and in my head and in my face and my legs."

Pinnock said the memory of the July 1 incident brings back painful memories.

"I wish he’d lose his job and they fired him so he can’t hurt nobody like he hurt me," she said. "No one deserved that."

Pinnock, 51, was released from the hospital last week after several weeks of treatment for head injuries and continues to have slurred speech, according to her attorney, Caree Harper.

Pinnock filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last month.

Harper alleges that the officer was on a “mission to humiliate her,” violently ripping Pinnock’s dress after she tried pulling it down because she wasn’t wearing underwear.

The CHP has said that Pinnock was endangering herself by walking on Interstate 10 and the officer was trying to restrain her.

Harper said Pinnock had no alcohol or drugs in her system when the incident took place.

The lawsuit claims Pinnock was "a victim of 10-15 unprovoked vicious blows from the officer while he straddled her and made no attempt to arrest her during the attack."

CHP Commissioner Joseph Farrow said that the video only captured part of the altercation, and that one would need to know “what was going on the officer’s mind” at the time of incident.

A fund has been established in Pinnock’s name. Contributions can be made at Wells Fargo under the account: Marlene Pinnock 5052.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A funeral will be held Monday for the Brooklyn rabbi who was gunned down while visiting relatives outside Miami as authorities in a suburb of the Florida city are set to address community concerns over the fatal shooting.

A large crowd of mourners is expected at the service for Rabbi Joseph Raksin, who was shot and killed while walking to a temple Saturday night. The services will be held after a short march at Shomrei Haddas on 13th Avenue in Borough Park.

Raksin was visiting his two daughters, grandchildren and son-in-law when he was killed. He has a wife in Brooklyn, and is a father of six. 

Miami-Dade police say the shooting appears to have been robbery-related. They're looking for two young suspects, one of whom was on a bicycle at the time of the shooting.

Members of the community staged a protest outside a Miami-Dade Police Department precinct on Sunday and told NBC South Florida that the shooting should have been classified as a hate crime.

"It was a hate crime because there was no altercation," said Raksin's nephew Menachem Katz. "There was no robbery. He had no money. He wasn't a fighter, he was a very quiet person."

The shooting comes about two weeks after swastikas were spray-painted on a synagogue blocks from where the 60-year-old Raksin was killed.

The Anti-Defamation League says it is talking with police about the investigation.

"While the motivation for this crime is still being investigated, nothing can justify the killing of an innocent man walking to his place of worship to pray on his holy day," said Anti-Defamation League Florida Regional Director Hava Holzhauer in a statement.

Members of Miami's Orthodox Jewish community are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Bridgeport police are investigating a fatal hit-and-run collision that killed a 21-year-old on Noble Street Saturday night.

A car hit a pedestrian near the 600 block of Noble Avenue near Jane Street at 10 p.m. on Saturday, marking the second hit-and-run of the weekend in Bridgeport.

Witnesses told police that the pedestrian was hit while walking along the road with several people. Police have not released the name of the pedestrian killed at this time.

He was transported to the hospital to be treated for injuries, but medical staff later pronounced him dead.

Police described the vehicle that struck the pedestrian as "a grey or black chevrolet Avalanche" and are looking for the driver.

Bridgeport Police Department's serious accident investigation team responded and the case remains under investigation.

Route 111 in Monroe will be closed Monday between Route 110 and Cross Hill Road due to a state Department of Transportation construction project in the area.

The road was scheduled to close at 5:30 a.m. and is expected to reopen on Aug. 20.

In the meantime, only local traffic will be allowed to pass through that area.

Local businesses will be accessible, police said.

A 24-year-old Oakland man was killed in a motorcycle crash in Middletown on Sunday afternoon.

Jamell Harrell lost control of his motorcycle on the Exit 10 onramp to Route 9 South at 1:19 p.m., hit the guardrail and was thrown from his bike, according to state police.

LifeStar transported him from the scene of the crash to Hartford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police are investigating and ask any witnesses to call Trooper Morello at 860-399-2100.
 

A New Fairfield mother accused of brutally abusing her five daughters is due in Danbury Superior Court again on Monday morning.

Alexandra Aucapina, 27, is accused of beating her children with a belt, burning their hands on the stove and punishing them by plunging their heads under water, according to police. Her daughters, ages 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9, also told police that a bloody electrical wire officers found in a closet was used to bind their hands and feet.

One of her daughters told a classmate about the abuse and the friend's father reported the story to a teacher. The teacher alerted the state Department of Children and Families upon hearing the report. Police began investigating in February.

Nearby residents were shocked about the news.

"All the people here and all the people are very nice. I saw the kids many times when we come back to home, but we don't see any, any," Claudia Correas, of New Fairfield, said.

The children were removed from the home.

Aucapina is facing five counts of risk of injury to a minor, one count of second-degree assault, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree unlawful restraint and cruelty to a child.

Hartford police have arrested a local man after responding to a domestic assault and finding a woman with a broken nose, her teeth knocked loose, lacerations and extensive bruising.

Police responded to a home on Marion Street in Hartford around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday to investigate a domestic assault report and learned that there might be a gun in the house, police said.

When the victim met police in front of the complex, she handed them two bullets and said she took them before running from the apartment.

Police evacuated homes in the neighborhood and the Emergency Response Team was called in.

The suspect, Eric Peraca-Velasquez, came out of the back of the home and police arrested him.

He was charged with second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, second-degree threatening and second-degree criminal mischief. Peraca-Velasquez is being held on $200,000 bond.

Police did not find a gun.

Residents who were evacuated have been allowed back into their homes.