Police have made an arrest in the "devastating" downtown Los Angeles blaze that torched an under-construction apartment complex, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The fire destroyed the seven-story Da Vinci Apartments complex at 900 West Temple Street in December 2014, covering some 180,000 square feet. Flames billowed into the air, making smoke visible for miles and radiating enough heat to shatter the windows of nearby office towers.

Dawud Abdulwali, 56, of Los Angeles was arrested without incident Tuesday morning on an unrelated traffic charge and was later booked on suspicion of aggravated arson and arson of a structure, according to a written statement from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

There were no additional suspects, said Special Agent Carlos Canino of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Abdulwali was exposed as a squatter by the NBC4 I-Team in 2010, when he was found to be living in a foreclosed mansion in Woodland Hills. At the time he identified himself as Dawud Walli on what appeared to be a falsified lease for the vacant three-story home.

Multiple law enforcement sources identified "Damud Walli" as the suspected arsonist Dawud Abdulwali to NBC4.

• WATCH: Arson Suspect Previous Exposed As Squatter in Woodland Hills Mansion

Law enforcement sources earlier told NBC4 Abdulwali was booked on charges of suspicion of malicious arson and reckless arson, but it was not clear what charges the district attorney would be filing.

Booking records show Abdulwali was being held on more than $1 million bail. If convicted, Abdulwali faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to the LAFD.

Officials offered no motive and released few details on how the investigation led them to Abdulwali.

"All the evidence that we have right now points to this person as a suspect," Canino said. "We have zero evidence at this time that this was a terrorism event."

Canino said there was no indication that Abdulwali had a connection to the Da Vinci complex.

The blaze damaged nearby high-rise structures, melted overhead signs on the Harbor (110) Freeway and melted computers of a neighboring office building on Figueroa Street.

Investigators said mid-December they found an accelerant pointing to arson.

Rewards totaling an unprecedented $170,000 were announced in January to help make an arrest. However, Mayor Eric Garcetti said public tips did not lead to the arrest.

Authorities also released surveillance images of two people spotted near the scene after the fire, but police said Abdulwali was not the person in either of those images.

Terrazas has called the "devastating" fire "one of the largest structure fires the LAFD has had in recent memory."

The blaze caused up to $30 million in damage to the under-construction Da Vinci Apartments.

The fire also caused between $50 and $60 million in damage to the adjacent city building, according to the fire department.

Phil Drechsler contributed to this report.

More than 1,000 residents of East Hartford and Manchester are without power Wednesday evening while crews work to repair a broken utility pole in East Hartford, according to Eversource.

A representative for the power company said the broken pole is located near Oak Street in East Hartford. It's not clear what caused the pole to break.

Eversource said crews have been working for "some time" to make repairs. It's not clear how long it will take to fix the pole.

In the meantime, nearly 1,000 East Hartford residents and two dozen Manchester residents are without power, down from 400 earlier in the evening, according to Eversource.

Police are searching for two men who forced their way into a Bridgeport home, tied up the residents and stole $4,000 cash, according to a spokesperson for the mayor's office.

The men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, broke into a house on Bretton Street overnight Tuesday into Wednesday and tied and bound the people who live there, the mayor's office said. They grabbed the money and ran.

Police brought in K-9s in an effort to track the perpetrators but couldn't find them. It's not clear if they have identified the people responsible for the crime.

Anyone with information is urged to call Bridgeport police at 203-581-5201.

Two Fairfield teens were hurt, one critically, when their Jeep skidded out and struck a utility pole while they were leaving Fairfield Ward High School on Wednesday, according to police.

Police said the students left school around 11 a.m. and drove westbound on Knapp Highway "at a high rate of speed." The Jeep skidded sideways when the driver tried to turn, smashing into a utility pole and snapping it in two places just down the road from the school.

The passenger suffered critical injuries. Both teens were taken to St. Vincent Medical Center for treatment and first responders called their parents, according to police.

School staff and emergency responders rushed to the scene of the crash. Police said counselors are available to provide emotional support to students and faculty members.

Knapp Highway is closed at Knapp Park Drive and will remain shut down through the evening, according to police. Authorities are asking drivers to avoid the area.

Fire officials are warning residents to be careful charging their devices after a cellphone ignited a bed and pillow in Hamden overnight Friday, according to the fire department.

Firefighters said they were called to 204 Franklin Road in Hamden just before 4 a.m. May 22 after a charging cellphone caught fire in a resident's bed.

"I saw the flames," said Hamden resident Kimberly Johnson, who said the fire broke out in her 15-year-old son's bedroom. "When I ran upstairs, his entire left side of the bed was on fire."

Residents ventilated the home and the fire was extinguished before emergency crews arrived, but fire officials say it's a warning to residents about the dangers of charging electronics.

"I was just scared because all I saw was the flames and my son was laying there," Johnson said.

Chargers "need space to breathe" because they generate heat while in use, according to the Hamden Fire Department.

"The cell phone was left on the bed. These devices need areas to be ventilated," said Hamden Fire Chief David Berardesca. "It is recommended that you leave these type of devices on a hard surface so the heat can dissipate. The batteries heat up, they could melt – in some cases, explode – and cause a fire."

Never block the air vents on the back and sides of a laptop or leave charging devices on a bed while sleeping. Bedding and pillows can block airflow, fire officials said.

Check power cords and chargeres regularly for damage, and throw them out if they're frayed. Damaged cords can emit electrical sparks and ignite a fire.

Always unplug chargers that are not in use. They consume electricity even when the device is not charging.

More information is available through the Hamden Fire Marshal’s Office at 203-407-3182.

Police are investigating after a man was shot in the back at a Hartford car wash Wednesday afternoon.

It happened around 3:30 p.m at the Mr. Sparkle car wash at the corner of Kane Street and New Park Avenue. Wednesday. Investigators have shut down the car wash and taped off the crime scene.

Police said the victim managed to run from the scene under an Interstate 84 overpass to the Gabrielli Truck Rental at 277 New Park Avenue, where police administered first aid.

He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, according to police.

Residents of the area told NBC Connecticut they heard loud pops of gunfire and rode their bikes down to the scene to see what was happening.

The Hartford Police Department's Shooting Task Force is investigating. Police said they're working to develop a suspect.

No additional information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A 15-year-old reported missing from Massachusetts hitchhiked to Connecticut with a 20-year-old man, who has been charged with sexual assault, according to police.

Police said the teen, who lives in Edgartown, Massachusetts, was last seen over the weekend in Providence, Rhode Island.

Investigators learned she was bound for New York with Gregory Mooney, 20, of Mashpee, Massachusetts.

Police said Mooney and the teen hitched a ride from Cheshire to Wallingford and stopped at the Colony Diner at 611 North Colony Road on Tuesday evening. According to authorities, Mooney used a customer's phone to call a friend, who in turn contacted Edgartown police.

Officers from Wallingford interviewed employees and customers at the diner and searched the area of Mooney and the teen, who had left before police arrived.

They searched parks, woods and stores through the night, and around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, an off-duty Meriden officer reported seeing the couple at the Wal-Mart on North Colony Road, according to police.

Wallingford police found the couple at the Wal-Mart store and arrested Mooney for shoplifting. He was also charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Mooney was held on a total of $55,000 bond and is due in court June 8.

Police said the teen was sent home with her parents.

An East Hartford officer is cleared after a mother accused him of assaulting her 12-year-old son.

Veteran Officer Woodrow Tinsley will now receive full pay for the two weeks he was suspended back in 2012 after being accused of using excessive force.

Karla Huaman said Officer Tinsley struck her son, giving him bruises and abrasions.

He'd been dispatched to the home to help when the 12-year-old was refusing to go to a psychological evaluation. East Hartford's police union disputed Huaman's claim, and Police Chief Scott Sansom eventually agreed.

In addition to receiving his back pay, Tinsley was retrained on how to deal with youth at a scene call.

Tinsley and the town are still being sued for $20 million in a federal civil suit. Neither Huaman or her attorney could be reached for comment.

• Read the civil lawsuit filed by Huaman
• Read the settlement between Tinsley and the town

An Idaho man escaped a brush with death this weekend when a lightning bolt arced through a stormy sky and struck him in the head.

Ryan Cross, 34, was camping near Idaho City on Sunday with two friends on ATVs when a thunderstorm swept through the area, his wife Heather told NBC affiliate KTVB. As hail started to fall, Ryan dismounted from his ATV and took cover under the only shelter around — a nearby pine tree.

"He was under the tree, looking at a map on his phone, and that's when it all happened," Heather said.

The lightning bolt hit Ryan in the head, coursed through his body and exited through his back, Heather said. The lightning left a scarlet scar down his chest and in a spot on his back.

One of Ryan's friends was briefly knocked unconscious by the lightning. When he regained consciousness, he ran to a nearby road, where he met up with people in a SUV and summoned help.

"That helped save his life," Heather said.

When he arrived at the Saint Alphonsus intensive care unit in nearby Boise, Ryan had bleeding in his brain. He is now alert, eating and starting to get back on his feet, his wife said.

The powerful bolt shredded Ryan's gear and left it hot to the touch.

Experts recommend moving to shelter immediately in the event of an electrical storm. If no shelter is available, people should stay low to the ground.

"Storms can develop so fast, and based on the ruggedness of the mountains, you can't see it coming," KTVB meteorologist Larry Gebert said. "The best thing to do in a storm when you have no protection is to be the smallest thing out there."

Two women and two children are without a home after flames ripped through their three-story house on Park Street in Manchester on Wednesday afternoon, according to the fire department.

Fire officials said a woman living on the first floor of the house at 11-13 Park Street discovered a fire on her porch around 4:30 p.m. She made it out safely and called 911.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke, fire and intense heat throughout the building as flames spread from the porch. They searched the second-floor unit to make sure no one was trapped and had the flames under control shortly after 5 p.m., according to the fire department.

Two Manchester departments responded and crews from East Hartford, Bolton, Glastonbury and South Windsor provided mutual aid.

No firefighters or residents were hurt, but the home sustained heavy damage to all three floors, forcing the four people who live there, including a woman with two children, to stay elsewhere.

The Hamden school system turned over data to an education research group and leaders with one of Connecticut's largest teachers' unions say the group is worried about how it will be used.

"We’re very very concerned about the rights of students and parents of such education data," said Mark Waxenberg, executive director of the Connecticut Education Association.

At issue is a study commissioned by the Hamden Board of Education through a memorandum of understanding with the Connecticut Council for Education Reform, a group commissioned by former Gov. Jodi Rell.

The non-profit organization provides data analysis and reports to school districts free of charge. The study in Hamden was focused on system-wide expenditures.

The CEA is critical of the wide-ranging data that includes information about students, layouts of schools and that fact that parents were not informed that the information had been released at all.

"They’re capable of selling all of this information to be used to manipulate a variety of different ways for purposes that are unknown to us other than they own the data," Waxenberg said.

Hamden Public School officials couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Jeffrey Villar, executive director of CCER, said he was "disturbed" by the way the CEA characterized the work done by the non-profit. He said the study has a value of $103,000 based on consulting fees.

Villar said a district attorney reviewed the group's agreement with Hamden and the memorandum of understanding has a clear confidentiality clause that prevents anything the CEA alleged from happening.

"The data is not student or personally identifiable. We don’t receive a full data set that would allow us to put things together to determine that this is an individual student’s record. We don’t need that data. We’re not interested in that. We’re looking to do a high level district analysis," Villar said.

CCER has conducted analyses for multiple large school systems, including Waterbury, Meriden and Bridgeport.

Villar said the group takes safeguards to make sure the data, which does include information about students, is safe from hackers.

"We use secure protocols on servers, we don’t send emails with files, we don’t use thumb drives or that sort of thing," he said.

Waxenberg isn't convinced and wants to see policies at the state level that ensure that all student data is kept in the right place.

"We do not believe that that data should be allowed outside of the local board of education, the state board of education, and without parental consent to a third party," he said.

Parents waiting outside a school in Hamden said they want to be informed before the school system enters any agreement that involves the sharing of student information.

"Well it depends what it is but still they should talk to the parents first" said Yerika Cruz. "Doesn’t matter what it is. They should just let the parents know before they do anything."

State lawmakers approved a new bill Wednesday that limits the controversial practice of using seclusion rooms and restraining children in schools.

The law now increases monitoring and reporting the practice and also mandates that parents be notified within 24 hours if their child has been placed in seclusion. It strictly limits the use of restraint on a child and requires seclusion rooms to have windows.

"A lot of times, kids were being secluded for reasons that didn't have anything to do with an emergency," said child advocate Sarah Eagan. "A child might be secluded because he didn't put his toy away."

Under current law, children were locked in seclusion rooms for indefinite periods of time. Now, there are strict time limits, which vary based on the child's age.

"There are hundreds of children who have been kept in a room for over an hour," said State Rep. Andy Fleishman, a Democrat from West Hartford, "dozens of children who have been restrained or secluded more than 50 times in school year."

Official from the Office of the Child Advocate said many parents have criticized the practice. They also found that children as young as pre-school age were being placed in seclusion and were suffering from various levels of autism and were disproportionately African American or Hispanic.

Over the last three years, "more than 1,300 incidents occurred where Connecticut Children were injured during restraint or seclusion," according to Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff.

In addition to stricter limits on use, school staff will be required to undergo new training about seclusion and restraint. The law takes effect starting this coming July 1, and is multi-tiered with some parts that will be implemented as late as 2019.

After traveling to Hollywood and winning "American Idol," Guilford native Nick Fradiani gave his first performance since his crowning moment on Wednesday night, playing at The Russian Lady in Hartford with his band, Beach Avenue.

It's undoubtedly the first of many concerts to come from the rising star, including another one in Hartford Thursday that you need to win tickets in order to attend.

He and Beach Avenue played acoustic versions of his new single, "Beautiful Life," the original song they played on "America's Got Talent" last year and a couple covers in a private Acoustic Cafe concert in Hartford, hosted by 96.5 TIC and sponsored by Miller Lite. You had to win tickets from the radio station to go, but all the fans had the chance to meet Fradiani afterward for professional photos, selfies and autographs.

"These are the ones I won't forget.This is what I was doing before I came out here. Playing at a bar back in Connecticut," he said, adding that he used to play every other Friday night at City Steam.

And he won't, as Beach Avenue drummer Ryan Zipp took a lot of photos and videos at the event to continue documenting the journey of Fradiani and the band.

Fradiani tweeted that it's his first acoustic show in his home state since winning "American Idol." He said it was very special and that it feels good to be back in his home state.

So how does it feel to be the new American Idol?

"It's funny because I always get asked that and I'm kind of like, I don't know. I don't think it's really set in yet," Fradiani said. "It's only been a few weeks, but it's a hard thing to kind of put into words. It's just been so amazing. Sometime a couple months down the road I think I'm going to be able to sit down and take it all in, but it's been amazing. It's kind of like living your dream."

It's been a good year for Fradiani and his band, which had been together for about two and a half years before they ever went on TV for a talent competition. Before "Idol," Fradiani and his Beach Avenue buddies, guitarist Nick Abraham and percussionist Zipp competed on NBC's "America's Got Talent." 

While Abraham said that it was hard for the band for a little while with Fradiani away, but they threw their full support behind him when he first talked about auditioning for "American Idol" the last year he could before the age cut-off of 28. After "Idol," they weren't sure when they'd be able to work with him again and they are happy it's been so soon as they travel a lot with him for radio spots.

"It was amazing seeing him progress through 'Idol' and to see his success," said Abraham, who also served as Fradiani's music mentor to help prep him for the final and was rewarded with a free Ford car.

He said that Fradiani has been loyal to the band and is a good friend and a natural talent. The band members, who live with Fradiani in West Haven, were featured on "Idol" when he returned home to visit his hometown of Guilford, where about 10,000 people attended a parade in his honor. Ford also sponsored a trip for Abraham and Zipp to fly to California to see Fradiani in the final round live.

"It was kind of an amazing experience being there live," Abraham said. "We got all choked up seeing him win, so it was incredible."

"American Idol" has built upon the band's success after "America's Got Talent" and given them more national exposure and concert opportunities, growing their national fan base on top of their home-state support.

While the Hollywood experienced and being on TV was different for them, when they got on stage and played, nothing changed and they felt like they were at home, Abraham said. "Idol" really helped Fradiani become more comfortable being in front of cameras, Zipp said. The musical ride has been "wild," he said.

As Fradiani works on promoting his single, they'll perform with him at radio spots and some concerts.

On Memorial Day, Fradiani sang the national anthem at the National Memorial Day services in Washington D.C.

After his appearances on two TV shows, Fradiani said he's looking forward to devoting his time to making music in the real world and focusing on his upcoming album and working with some "great co-writers."

"That's what I was born to do," he said. "That's what I love to do."

Now they will have another private performance at Spotlight Theatres in Hartford as part of the Dunkin' Donuts Music Lounge. The concert is Thursday at noon and the only way you can get into the concert, hosted by iHeart Radio and affiliated local radio stations, is by winning passes on radio stations like KISS 95.7, Country 92.5, The River 105.9 and KC 101.3.

Spotlight Theatres is located at 39 Front Street in Hartford.

How has winning "American Idol" changed his life? Well, Fradiani said Wednesday was the first day in awhile he has gotten to relax and sleep in. He is doing a lot of interviews and has some performances lined up.

"I almost cried when I found out I could sleep. I was so pumped," he quipped. "It's just been a lot of craziness. It'll be a lot of going city to city and I'm ready for it. I've been waiting to do this. I'm ready to go."

While he is the man with the talent, he said his Connecticut fans and his "insane hometown support" gave him the advantage and edge he needed to win the title of American Idol.

"Just thank you. Without all my Connecticut fans, I wouldn't have won," he said. "It feels great to be home."

Fradiani will spend all summer on his "American Idol" tour from July 7 to Aug. 28.

A Bronx, New York man is dead and a Greenwich man is hospitalized with serious injuries after a pickup crashed off Interstate 95 in Guilford on Wednesday morning and landed in the woods below, according to state police.

The driver of the pickup, Kastriot Lulaj, 44, of the Bronx, died after being transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital, according to state police.

The passenger, Scott Phillips, 53, of Greenwich, was also taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he is reported to be in serious condition. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, police said. 

Police said the two men were in the pickup when it went off the highway about a mile north of the exit 58 ramp at 5:43 a.m., landed several feet below in the woods off State Street, which runs below the highway, state police said.

State police are trying to determine why the driver lost control and they ask anyone with information to call Troop F in Westbrook at 860-399-2100.

A middle-aged man has died after jumping in front of a Metro-North train near the Fairfield Metro station late Wednesday afternoon, according to police.

Railroad officials said the collision happened around 3:40 p.m. Wednesday. The train department New York City at 2:04 p.m. and was due to arrive in New Haven at 4:06 p.m.

According to Fairfield police spokesman Lt. James Perez, the train was just pulling away from the Fairfield Metro station when a conductor or engineer spotted a man standing on the side of the tracks. The man jumped in front of the moving train and was struck.

Police have not identified the man but said he appears to be middle aged. Metro-North is handling the investigation.

The New Haven Line was delayed for several hours as a result and service was temporarily suspended between Southport and Bridgeport as a result.

No additional information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

The elementary school student who told police a strange man had grabbed and tried to kidnap him while he was walking home from school Tuesday fabricated the story, according to police.

The child originally told officers he was walking home from Lake Street School between 2:30 and 2:50 p.m. Tuesday when a man in a red four-door vehicle drove through oncoming traffic, approached the boy and tried to force him into the car.

Police stepped up patrols near the school and interviewed residents, parents and drivers who were in the area at the time of the supposed incident. Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage and said nothing corroborated the child's account.

Authorities spoke with the child again Wednesday and said he admitted to making up the story.

Police are no longer looking for a suspect and said the public is not in any danger.

Authorities were called to an Amtrak crash off Depot Road in Groton on Wednesday night, according to Groton Town Police.

The New London Day reports that a pedestrian was struck.

The Amtrak website listed a service disruption along the Acela Express line, which travels from Boston to New York and passes through Groton.

Groton police said they're helping Amtrak at the scene but that Amtrak police are leading the investigation. Calls to Amtrak representatives were not immediately returned.

It's the second train crash of the day in Connecticut. A man died Wednesday afternoon when he jumped in front of a Metro-North train in Fairfield.

A man was stabbed and killed Wednesday night at a Hartford liquor store, marking the city's 12th homicide of the year, according to Hartford police.

Police said the victim and perpetrator got into a fight in Blue's Package Store at 139 Barbour Street. The fight turned deadly when the perpetrator took out a knife.

Witnesses said the victim was stabbed in the chest and appeared to have been a customer at the store.

Officers chased down the suspect as he ran from the scene and took him into custody, according to police. He was still holding the knife.

Police said detectives will interview the suspect and formally arrest him overnight.

Neither the suspect nor victim have been publicly identified.

It's the second Hartford homicide and the third act of violence in 24 hours.

Dozens of bikers, some riding ATVs, virtually took over Boston's Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. Tunnel tunnel over Memorial Day weekend, riding ahead of traffic, slowing cars down, and popping wheelies, traffic camera video shows.

The video, which was recorded on Sunday, shows some stood on their bikes with their front wheels off the road.

State Police said they were contacted that day about the situation, but according to their logs, none of the troopers made any contact with the bikers.

"We have no tolerance for it because it creates a very dangerous environment," Massachusetts State Police Major Terry Hanson said.

Hanson said it's also difficult to get these illegal street riders because of response time.

"It's not like you got a, where you have a oftentimes like an OUI or something like that that's banging into cars, where you get multiple calls to track it, but a single occasion where they're just moving straight through, it's a matter of getting there," he said.

Bikers left drivers with few options other than to slow down to avoid accidents. No violence was reported. 

It wasn't the first time bikers have taken to the tunnel en masse. Videos posted to YouTube show a similar "Boston Massacre" ride in 2012. 

A group of bikers took over the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City in September of 2013.

The official sentencing for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will be held on June 24. 

A jury last month sentenced the convicted Boston Marathon bomber to death for the 2013 terror attack.

The decision set the stage for what could be the nation's first execution of a terrorist in the post-9/11 era, though the case is likely to go through years of appeals. 

The 12-member jury had to be unanimous for Tsarnaev to get the death penalty. Otherwise, he would have automatically received a sentence of life in prison without parole. 

Some of Tsarnaev's victims will be able to address the court and Tsarnaev directly. 

Tsarnaev himself will also have the option of addressing the court and Judge George O'Toole. 

Meanwhile, prosecutors are seeking a seven-year jail term for one of the three friends of Tsarnaev. Dias Kadyrbayev is scheduled to be sentenced next week. He pleaded guilty to hiding evidence and impeding the bombing investigation. The family of slain MIT officer Sean Collier says Kadyrbayev might have prevented their son's death by helping authorities find Tsarnaev. 

Killed in the bombing were Lingzi Lu, a 23-year-old Boston University graduate student from China; Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant manager from Medford; and 8-year-old Martin Richard, who had gone to watch the marathon with his family. Massachusetts Institute of Technology police Officer Sean Collier was shot to death in his cruiser days later. 

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died days after the bombing when he was shot by police and run over by Dzhokhar during a chaotic getaway attempt.