Students walk on the campus of Cornell University, October 10, 2026 in Ithaca, New York. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
One of the Cornell students who was named in a civil lawsuit by a former undergraduate student known as Jane Doe, has asked a judge to drop him from the suit.
The lawsuit claimed that during an alleged 2024 gang rape, Diego Sarabia approached Jane Doe, "grabbed her face and started kissing her, all without her consent," before she pushed him away.
Doe's lawsuit also alleged Sarabia was among the Chi Phi fraternity brothers who allegedly snorted ketamine off her body.
In a motion Friday to dismiss Jane Doe's complaint, James Knox, Sarabia's attorney, wrote that Doe did not allege in her suit that Sarabia "supplied her with drugs or alcohol, participated in any of the alleged sexual encounters described elsewhere in the complaint, or was even present for most of the conduct that forms the basis of plaintiff's broader allegations."
All seven frat brothers have denied wrongdoing and Sarabia argued he was not part of the most severe conduct alleged in the lawsuit.
"As far as defendant goes, this is essentially a lawsuit about an allegedly forced kiss," Knox wrote in a Friday motion to dismiss Jane Doe's complaint.
The lawyer argued it is now too late for Jane Doe to bring a claim against Sarabia.
"Any intentional tort arising out of that alleged conduct is foreclosed by a strict one-year statute of limitations because plaintiff commenced this action nearly two years after the alleged events," Knox wrote.
Doe's attorney has not yet filed a response to the motion.
Knox argued that a gag order would limit "possible juror prejudice" and prevent the potential release of sensitive information that could lead to " threats, doxing, intimidation, and extrajudicial contact."
Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond called the request a "side show" that's "meant to muddy the waters and distract from the merits of the claims and defenses involved in this case."
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who was appointed special prosecutor by Gov. Kathy Hochul, is conducting an investigation into the incident. Cornell, which said it fully supports the appointment of a special prosecutor, is also conducting an internal probe of its response to the allegations.
Cornell has said it takes allegations of allegations of sexual violence "extremely seriously" and that it "investigated and adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies."
At the same time, the university has said it is committed to taking additional steps to improve campus safety.
In this April 24, 2025, file photo, Malik Beasley #5 of the Detroit Pistons shoots the ball during the first half against the New York Knicks in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images, FILE)
Former NBA player Malik Beasley intends to plead guilty to federal charges that accused him and five others of taking part in a bribery and betting scheme, according to a court notice filed overnight Saturday.
Beasley, 29, had previously pleaded not guilty to four federal counts -- bribery in sporting contests, wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy -- but the docket notice did not indicate what he would plead guilty to.
The judge overseeing Beasley's case referred a "change of plea" to a federal magistrate in Brooklyn who will schedule a hearing at which Beasley will formally plead guilty.
His attorney couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Beasley, who played for six different NBA teams over a nine-year career, allegedly agreed to underperform his statistics during the 2023-2024 season when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks so gamblers could win their bets, according to prosecutors.
He had earned tens of millions of dollars during his career, but federal prosecutors accused Beasley of accumulating "multi-million dollar gambling losses" when he became part of the alleged scheme.
The indictment mentioned four games in which Beasley would allegedly fix his performance while playing for the Bucks: against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 26, 2024; against the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 27, 2024; against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 10, 2024; and against the Brooklyn Nets on March 21, 2024.
According to the indictment, Beasley's co-defendants allegedly selected games that would not be nationally televised and Beasley allegedly decided whether he would underperform or overperform his scoring and rebounding.
The tracks of the Goliath roller coaster are seen in the sky above Six Flags over Georgia on Oct. 14, 2026, in Austell, Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
Six Flags administrators announced Saturday that they will institute new safety measures, including seatbelts, for the Goliath coaster at the company's Georgia park, nearly two weeks after a rider was killed when he fell off the ride.
Administrators said that the hyper coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia will remain closed as they continue to inspect it and investigate Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem's death, but they are committed to making changes to the ride.
Kariem, 42, an IT manager, teacher and robotics coach at an Atlanta school, was "ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction," the Cobb County Police Department said in the wake of the Oct. 12 incident.
He was at the Six Flags park with several family members to celebrate his niece's birthday and was sitting beside his niece when he was ejected from the roller coaster, a relative told ABC News.
In addition to installing the seat belts on Goliath, which Six Flags said had lap-bar restraints, the park said it has "engaged independent engineers and ride inspection specialists to comprehensively review current safety procedures across our entire portfolio of rides and attractions, across all of our parks."
"We are committed to carefully evaluating their findings and taking appropriate action to further strengthen our standards and culture of safety," Six Flags said in a statement.
The investigation by the park and police into the incident, where other people had said they were injured, is ongoing.
Six Flags Over Georgia is located in Austell, west of Atlanta. The Goliath roller coaster reaches an elevation of 200 feet and speeds up to 70 mph, according to the amusement park's website. The ride first opened in 2006.
After the incident, Six Flags temporarily closed nine similar coasters including Nitro in Great Adventure in New Jersey, as a precaution.
One of the coasters, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, has since reopened, according to the park.
On Saturday, Six Flags said eight of those coasters remained closed and will have the seat belts or other restraints installed.
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) stands on the tarmac during the arrival of U.S. Vice President JD Vance at Elmendorf Air Force Base on Oct. 5, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (Jacquelyn Martin - Pool/Getty Images)
The Trump administration has preemptively filed a lawsuit to block the certification of the Alaska Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses the race, citing name confusion among the candidates.
Republicans have alleged that Alaska Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan is running a sham campaign to purposefully confuse voters and draw votes away from incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan based on their names being similar.
An earlier legal challenge to the candidacy was rejected by Alaska’s supreme court, which ordered that Dan J. Sullivan be included on the ballot.
"Should Alaska certify any electoral results tainted by the inclusion on the ballot of Daniel J. Sullivan ... the State and its officers will fail in its obligation to protect the integrity of its election," the number-three ranking official at the Department of Justice, Stanley Woodward, wrote in the Thursday filing.
In bringing the case, the Justice Department says it's guarding against the possibility that Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses in a manner that suggests he would have won were it not for votes cast for Dan J. Sullivan. The incumbent senator is facing Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, as well as Dan J. Sullivan, who is appearing on the ballot without a party affiliation.
"To guard against this danger, it is vital that Defendants not certify any election result that may be impacted by voter confusion. An election result may be impacted by voter confusion if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election; and (2) had all votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan been cast instead for Senator Sullivan and Alaska's rank-choice process played out accordingly, Senator Sullivan would have won the election," Woodward wrote.
A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement, "Alaska's Division of Elections determined that Mr. Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy was intended to mislead voters and compromise the fairness of the ballot. Therefore, the Justice Department, consistent with the National Voter Registration Act enacted by Congress, is taking the necessary steps to ensure that this frivolous candidacy does not undermine the integrity of Alaska's election or the will of its voters."
The Alaska Secretary of State's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News. Campaign spokespeople for Peltola, Sen. Sullivan and Dan J. Sullivan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was looking at "powerful legal options" to remove Dan. J Sullivan from the ballot.
Over the summer, Alaska's election office said that Dan J. Sullivan would be removed from the ballot because the office determined his candidacy was not in good faith, but was meant, per an official, "to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot's fairness or neutrality."
Dan. J Sullivan then sued the state over the decision, and a state judge ruled that he was eligible to be on Alaska's Senate primary ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court upheld the ruling, after which the DOJ began investigating.
Fielding questions from reporters just hours before the lawsuit was filed, Attorney General Todd Blanche wouldn't rule out the DOJ intervening in a state's election process, but suggested only a "doomsday scenario" would warrant such action.
"I mean, is there any scenario? Yes, of course. There's scenarios that we could all come up with hypothetically, you know, some doomsday scenario, for example, right?" Blanche said. "It is not DOJ's intention to, and it's never our intention to improperly interfere with elections or the state confirmation process or certification process."
View of a Lauderhill Police Department patrol vehicle. (Wayne K. Roustan/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images)
A Florida police officer has been charged after allegedly orchestrating a "complex scheme" to control a deceased person's home, according to an incident description from the Broward County Sheriff's Department and an arrest affidavit.
Brian Louis Sguros, an officer with the Lauderhill Police Department in South Florida, was arrested on Oct. 20 on charges including "official misconduct, criminal use of deceased personal identification, criminal use of personal identification information, offense against computer user and unlawful use of two-way communication device," according to the sheriff's department.
According to the incident description, Sguros responded as a backup officer to a Lauderhill address for a welfare check on resident Dennis West on July 11, 2022. West was "deceased inside the home.'
According to the report, "detectives say Sguros became involved in West's post-death affairs."
In one instance, "Sguros represented himself to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office as West's friend, although there is no indication he knew West, and stated that West had no living family, which was untrue," according to the sheriff's office.
The affidavit identifies several surviving family members and lawful heirs of West.
The sheriff's office alleges Sguros "paid the taxes and utilities at the home in West's name and used West's identification to make it appear that West was still alive" in order to get the city to issue a permit for repairs.
According to the affidavit, which cites Sguros' prior sworn statements, he "cleaned, secured, repaired, stabilized, and rehabilitated the property," spending over $200,000 of his own money.
He claimed, "he acted because the property was hazardous and he wanted to prevent squatters and criminal activity," according to the affidavit.
A detective with the sheriff's office "indicated that Sguros also forged West's signature on the permit," according to the report.
According to the sheriff's department, investigators alleged Sguros "used his access to law enforcement databases to obtain information about West."
The incident report says the charges against Sguros follow a joint investigation by the Broward Sheriff's Office and Broward County Property Appraiser's Office Crimes Against Property Unit.
"According to investigators, Sguros filed paperwork with BCPA in Feb. 2025 stating his possession of the property dated back to Aug. 2022, just weeks after West's death," the incident report said.
ABC News has reached out to the Lauderhill Police Department for additional information and an update on Sguros' employment status.
According to WSVN, Sguros is on administrative leave without pay from the Lauderhill Police Department, pending the case's result.
Sguros appeared in court Wednesday, Oct. 21, and was released later that day after posting bond. A judge ordered him to stay away from West's home.
ABC News has attempted to reach out to Sguros for comment.
Rikkell Bock remembers her mom, Dee Warner, as somebody who wanted "to take care of people." (ABC News)
It wasn't unusual for Dee Warner to leave home when she was upset, her family and friends said. April 25, 2021, however, was different.
That day, the 52-year-old businesswoman and mother of five disappeared and didn't respond to messages or calls, sparking an investigation that lasted years.
A new "20/20" episode, "Help Dale Find Dee," airing Friday, Oct. 23, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, examines Warner's case.
You can get more behind the scenes of each week's episode by listening to "20/20: The After Show" weekly series right on your 20/20 podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by "20/20" co-anchor Deborah Roberts.
Warner, who lived in a small community in southeastern Michigan, was known for her fiery personality and care for others.
"[She was] vibrant, loving, nurturing," her daughter Rikkell Bock told ABC News' Linsey Davis. "Always somebody that was wanting to take care of people."
Bock went to Warner's house that Sunday morning with her partner and two children, but her mother was nowhere to be found. She began to worry after her mother didn't respond to messages and calls.
Warner's husband, Dale, said he saw his wife at 6 a.m. that day, when he left to go spray the crops the couple managed on their farm. Her children called police that Sunday evening to report her missing.
Dale Warner told authorities in initial interviews that he was not worried about Warner's disappearance, as it was typical for her to leave after an argument, which he said the couple had engaged in the night before she went missing. He insisted he had no knowledge of her whereabouts.
Searches of the home revealed no initial evidence of a murder scene. Warner appeared to have taken her toiletry bag and hair tools with her, and her wedding ring was left on Dale Warner's desk.
After requesting a ping of Warner's phone, police discovered it had been off since 7:14 a.m. on Sunday.
The Warners owned an agricultural business, a trucking company, and a commercial spraying and farm services company. According to prosecutors, the only part that was going well financially at the time of Warner's disappearance was the trucking company, which was entirely in her name. The others were shared with Dale Warner.
On the night of her disappearance, Warner was supposedly planning on telling her husband she wanted a divorce, according to her friend Stephanie Voelkle.
Suspicious of Dale Warner and his apparent lack of assistance in search efforts, Warner's brother, Gregg Hardy, bought a billboard that read "Help Dale Find Dee" to put pressure on his brother-in-law.
It escalated when townspeople began urging state police to take over the investigation and took to the streets chanting "Jail for Dale." The Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office ultimately turned over the case to the Michigan State Police.
Investigators learned Dale Warner had made an internet search following Warner's disappearance in which he clicked on a video showing how to bury a 1,000-gallon propane tank.
Michigan State Police launched a large-scale search of the couple's property, which spanned 1,500 acres. Believing Warner could be buried somewhere there, teams began searching underground.
Warner's family member also reported tracks from heavy machinery leading up to the house where a car was usually parked, indicating the machine could have been used to haul Warner's body from the house.
Though a body had not yet been found, police felt they had enough information to arrest Dale Warner in November 2023. He pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife.
Eventually, police came across a suspicious looking anhydrous tank -- a heavy-duty, pressurized metal container -- on the property with a fresh coat of paint and sticker that read "do not use." An X-ray revealed Warner's body inside -- she was in her pajamas, barefoot and wrapped in a tarp.
The body was well-preserved due to the tank's conditions, and medical examiners determined that she died of strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.
In February 2026, at Dale Warner's trial, prosecutors alleged that killed his wife and stored her body in the tank. They claimed he learned that night he was facing a divorce that would have left him with a struggling farm business.
Dale Warner was found guilty and sentenced to up to 70 years in prison. His attorney said he will seek an appeal.
Hardy said he grieved his sister the day he knew she was gone, and that his life will never be the same without her. Warner's daughter, Bock, wants to remember who she was in life.
"What happened to her does not define who she is," Bock said. "She was a strong, strong woman and the people that knew her the most knew that they could rely on her for whatever it was and that is the truth. She was a good person."
The family of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is asking that the trial of his alleged murderer begin next year -- sooner than the timelines suggested by the state and defense, according to new court filings.
The suspect, Tyler Robinson, is due in court on Friday for a hearing that's expected to set a timeline for the capital murder case, including trial dates.
The defense has asked that the capital trial start in the third quarter of 2029, arguing in a memo filed Wednesday that that timeline is consistent with other capital cases in the state. The defense anticipated that the trial could take six to seven months and would require "substantial time" for jury selection. The defense also noted they plan to undertake a venue study and, depending on the results, may request a change of venue for the trial.
In the state's own filing, prosecutors said they anticipate the trial lasting 17 weeks and that they could be ready to start as soon as Oct. 4, 2027. However, the state recommended that the trial begin on Jan. 31, 2028, to avoid the "worst of the winter season" as well as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
In response to both filings, Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, asked the court to "enforce the right to a speedy disposition" and set the trial for as early as possible in 2027, no later than the state's anticipated readiness date of Oct. 4, 2027, to avoid "needless delay."
"Under the Defendants’ proposed schedule, Mr. Kirk’s two children, who were one and three at the time he was murdered, will be six and eight years old by the time the trial concludes," a motion filed on Erika Kirk's behalf Thursday stated. "They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives. Each hearing induces anxiety, pain, and mourning. The Kirk family deserves to have this matter resolved expeditiously."
The motion also argued that a 2029 trial start will come at a "great cost to the taxpayers of Utah."
The pretrial conference on the matter is scheduled for Friday afternoon before Judge Tony Graf.
Robinson is accused of killing Kirk with a rifle shot fired from a building's rooftop approximately 415 feet from where the co‑founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA was speaking at an outdoor rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025.
The 23-year-old suspect was charged with aggravated murder, a capital felony, which alleges that others were knowingly endangered in the shooting. He was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Last month, Judge Graf found probable cause for Robinson to stand trial on all charges. The judge also found that there was a reasonable known risk of death to others at the time of the shooting, allowing prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has released the body camera footage of the officer-involved shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was fatally shot in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 during an alleged shoplifting pursuit.
The release of the video on Thursday came after the Mississippi Attorney General's Office announced on Monday the findings of its investigation, concluding that the use of force by the Senatobia Police Department was "justified."
The probe was conducted by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI).
Members of Kohen's family, who viewed the footage privately before its formal release, spoke out during a press conference on Thursday, criticizing the state attorney general's decision not to press charges against police.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, said that after viewing the footage, the family continues to believe that the officer's actions were "excessive" and "not justified."
"After reviewing that footage, we have made these observations that this was excessive from the very start," Crump said.
"We are just troubled in our souls that a 1-year-old little angel was taken from us in such a way as this. America, our society must have more empathy for human life," he added. "Baby Kohen's life mattered."
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves defended the investigation and police during a press conference on Wednesday, saying that while he had not viewed the body camera video himself, he has "trust" in the MBI and the state attorney general's office.
"Absolutely tragic, and anyone should be focused on praying for that loss of life, and the and the people who loved that young child, no question," he said.
But Reeves added that investigators found that "it was very clear" that "the driver of the vehicle attempted to run over the policeman."
Crump argued that the officer could have moved out of the way instead of shooting and called for a federal investigation into the incident.
What happened to Kohen Wiley
Officers who responded to a shoplifting call on June 14 at the Walmart in Senatobia encountered two adults allegedly fleeing from the store with a child and running into a vehicle, according to MBI.
MBI released a redacted report on Thursday outlining its investigation. In the report, the bureau said that as officers attempted to stop the vehicle from fleeing, one officer opened fire as the driver "sped toward the officers."
The child was killed and an adult was critically injured, the report said.
According to Crump, the two adults who were accused of stealing diapers, whose names are redacted from the report, were Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley and a friend, but they were never charged in the incident.
"[Kohen] was killed over an allegation of shoplifting of diapers, and even if someone is charged, shoplifting diapers is a misdemeanor," Crump said on Thursday. "I mean, it doesn't warrant the death penalty. It certainly doesn't warrant the death of 1-year-old baby Kohen."
Veronica Roberson, Kohen's maternal grandmother, said that she was "disgusted" while watching the body camera footage of the incident that killed her grandson.
"I watched the video this morning that disgusted me," she said. "I feel like we have been done wrong," she added. "I watched an officer come from the inside of Walmart, not knowing what's going on, and run out with guns drawn. There's no justification for that."
What the videos show
The videos of the incident that were released by MBI on Thursday include multiple vantage points of the incident, including footage from several body-worn police cameras. The videos also include surveillance footage from the Walmart.
In the surveillance video, a man who appears to work at Walmart is seen confronting two women -- one of them holding a baby -- as they exited the Walmart. The women then walk past the man and start running in the parking lot towards a parked vehicle, the video shows.
In the body camera video, the man runs into what appears to be a security office in the Walmart with several law enforcement officers inside. The man points towards the front entrance and says, "two girls running." Multiple officers are seen running out toward the parking lot.
In the surveillance video, the women are seen entering a vehicle in the parking lot. Police body camera footage then shows the officers racing into the parking lot. The vehicle then backs out of the parking spot, as an office who appears to have his hand on the car backs away. The vehicle then appeared to back into a parked vehicle, the video shows. As officers call for the driver to stop, the vehicle appears to drive toward the officers, who had their guns drawn, with the officer who fired the shots appearing to move out of the way.
As the car drives toward the officers, one officer appears to fire multiple shots -- first toward the front of the vehicle and then another shot appears to hit the front passenger side of the car, breaking the window.
After the shots were fired, the car hit a parked vehicle in the parking lot before stopping for a moment and then driving off as officers chased the vehicle on foot.
The officer who fired his weapon in this case was placed on administrative leave pending the investigation, police told ABC News.
Asked about his employment status on Thursday, police did not respond to a request for comment.
Asked about the findings of the attorney general's report that the shooting was "justified", a spokesperson for the Senatobia police did not comment on the findings.
Senatobia interim police chief Angelica Maze thanked the public for patience during the investigation in a statement on Tuesday.
"We understand that people may have questions, concerns, and strong emotions, and we respect everyone's right to express their views peacefully," Maze said in her statement. "Open communication and cooperation between residents and law enforcement are essential as we move forward together."
ABC News' Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.
Federal prosecutors charged 15 people across multiple states in connection with an alleged Medicare and insurance fraud schemes they allege collectively took in $2 billion, the Justice Department said on Thursday.
Eight of the defendants, some of whom were physicians, were arrested by federal agents on Thursday, with most of the arrests taking place in California, according to officials.
The alleged schemes included billing private insurers for phony substance abuse treatment, billing Medicare for unnecessary atherectomy procedures (which are for removing plaque from blood vessels) and another charging Medicare for hospice services for patients who weren't terminally ill, the Justice Department said.
Five of the suspects were expected to appear in federal court in L.A., two were expected to appear in federal court in Texas and another was expected to appear in federal court in Illinois Thursday afternoon, according to the Justice Department.
Attorney information for the suspects wasn't immediately available.
The biggest case focused on two people in Los Angeles and another in Texas who allegedly spent years moving substance abuse patients from around the country to California, the Justice Department said.
The suspects allegedly enrolled the patients in insurance policies that they were not eligible for and obtained the highest reimbursement for substance abuse treatments. They received over $1.6 billion, the Justice Department alleged.
In a separate case, a Los Angeles cardiothoracic surgeon and a chiropractor are accused of falsely diagnosing patients with arterial disease and recommending they receive atherectomies, the Justice Department said. The suspects in this case billed Medicare for over $135 million for the procedures, the Justice Department alleged.
Three cases dealt with suspects allegedly billing Medicare a combined $138 million for fraudulent hospice schemes, the Justice Department said. The suspects allegedly billed patients who were not terminally ill, according to the Justice Department.
Carriage horse driver Aparicio waits for customers in Central Park, October 14, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
New York City horse-drawn carriages will be riding into the sunset in less than two years after city leaders voted Thursday to ban the practice following the death of an 18-year-old tourist who was killed during a ride in Central Park over the summer.
The City Council voted 40 to 7 with two abstentions on Romanch's Law, which would prohibit the issuance of new licenses used in the operation of horse-drawn cabs and phase out the carriages by June 1, 2028. The horses would be prohibited from being sold to slaughterhouses, under the bill.
The vote, which is veto-proof, was met with praise by animal rights groups and park advocates who have long called for the ban citing several incidents where horses crashed or caused disturbances. However, the union representing horse-drawn carriage drivers have threatened legal action.
Previous New York City Mayors Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams both pushed for the ban during their tenures, however, there was not enough support in the City Council.
The discussion picked up in the summer after Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old Indian tourist, was killed after a horse got out of control with the carriage and the victim's family still inside.
The carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage and toppled, according to investigators.
Mahajan's aunt and uncle were on hand for the vote.
In past instances, tourists and other parkgoers were injured when horses ran loose, including one instance in January where the horse crashed into cars.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin said before the vote was cast that the carriages had become a safety risk.
"They don't belong in an area that attracts 42 million people a year, pulling a 1,000-pound carriage in record heat," she said.
Under the bill, a "workforce transition program" will be set up for the horse-drawn carriage drivers, who are unionized. The program will include job placement, training, career counseling and financial compensation.
The Central Park Conservancy, which operates the park and has pushed for the ban for years, praised the decision.
Mahajan's death "was the ninth carriage-related incident in just over a year—a number we could not ignore as the stewards and caretakers of Central Park," the conservancy said in a statement.
The Transport Workers Union, which represents the roughly 150 horse-drawn carriage drivers, protested outside City Hall Thursday and sent a letter the day before to the city's law department informing them that they will seek a temporary restraining order "the minute the ink dries."
"We will see them in court," Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president for TWU Local 100 said in a statement after the vote. "This bill is blatantly unconstitutional, providing nothing but a plan to draft a plan. There’s nothing concrete for hundreds of workers, carriage owners and family members who face total economic devastation."
Multiple California parents are facing child endangerment charges in connection with letting their children "illegally ride E-Motos," the Orange County District Attorney announced Wednesday.
According to the district attorney's office, the charges come after multiple accidents, including one that left an 11-year-old with a broken collarbone and an arterial bleed and another in which a 13-year-old died after crashing into a light pole.
E-motos, or electric motorcycles, are two-wheeled, off-highway motorcycles that are powered by an electric motor and have no pedals. Electric bicycles, in contrast, come with pedals and an electric motor that does not exceed 750 watts, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The district attorney's office announcement represents some of the 12 parents the office says it has charged since January in an effort to regulate young people on e-bikes and e-motos.
Among those recently charged was Alex Li, who is facing a misdemeanor count of child endangerment. The district attorney's office alleges Li's 11-year-old son collided "with a pickup truck while riding his E-Moto capable of going more than 33 miles per hour in the city of Yorba Linda."
His son suffered broken bones and an arterial bleed, the D.A.'s office said.
Another parent, Maria Roehling, was charged with a felony count of child endangerment and an infraction for allowing a child under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license, according to the D.A.'s office.
According to the district attorney's office, her 9-year-old son was allegedly "speeding on his E-Moto capable of going speeds more than 47 miles per hour when he was hit by a pickup truck in Yorba Linda."
Dan Rezmives, a father of a 12-year-old, was charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment, one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and an infraction for allowing a child under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license after a police officer allegedly saw his son riding an e-moto on a city street, the D.A. said. Rezmives was allegedly on a bicycle at the time.
The father and son were previously warned that riding the bike on city streets was illegal, the D.A.'s office said.
Two other parents, Hulin Guo and Xiaomin Wang, were each charged with a misdemeanor count of child endangerment, one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and an infraction for allowing a child under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license after their 17-year-old son allegedly "led Newport Beach police on a pursuit while driving more than 40 miles an hour" on an e-moto earlier this year, according to the D.A.'s office.
The D.A.'s office cited two prior instances in which the son allegedly had run-ins with police on E-motos, and the parents were reminded of the bikes' dangers.
The sixth parent, Tuan Nguyen, was charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment after his 13-year-old son allegedly led police on a pursuit, riding up to 40 miles an hour, according to the D.A.'s office.
"The pursuit ended when the 13-year-old crashed his Surron, capable of going up to 49 miles per hour, into the police vehicle while trying to get away," the D.A.'s office said.
The D.A.'s office noted another man, Jose De Jesus Ramirezbarragan, was charged with one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after allegedly "allowing his 15-year-old brother to ride his E-Motorcycle."
Ramirezbarragan's brother allegedly "began a police pursuit while driving 40 miles per hour, running red lights, and nearly crashing into several cars before losing control and crashing into several bushes," according to the district attorney's office.
"We don't want to have to prosecute parents -- we want to save kids' lives," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. "When parents refuse to parent and tell their kids 'no' when it comes to riding something that is dangerous and illegal, then I have no choice but to hold parents accountable and file criminal charges."
ABC News has not yet identified attorneys for any of those charged.
In April, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced a mother was arrested and charged with child endangerment and accessory after the fact to a crime after her 14-year-old child allegedly hit an 81-year-old veteran while riding an e-motorcycle. The charges were later upgraded to involuntary manslaughter after the man died, authorities said. The mother has yet to enter a plea in that case.
The D.A.'s office said, according to the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System, children 11 to 14 make up 61.7% of e-moto crashes despite the fact that children under 16 are prohibited from riding e-motos.
The mother of a toddler who was found breathing in a hospital morgue hours after being pronounced dead is speaking out about the shocking incident.
Vincent Fiordilino was found floating face-down in an in-ground pool during a Super Bowl gathering at the family's home in Gilbert, Arizona, according to police. The then-nearly-18-month-old toddler was unresponsive and transported to Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. on Feb. 8, according to a Gilbert Police Department report at the time.
"I had to say goodbye. Do you know how hard that is?" his mother, Alexus Fiordilino, told ABC Phoenix affiliate KNXV in her first interview earlier this week.
"I just remember begging him to come back," she told the station.
The mother recalled being informed that her child's pH levels were "too acidic, so even if we are to, like, bring him back, it wouldn't be a good form of life. Like, he'd just be suffering," she told KNXV.
Multiple people, including Vincent's parents and two officers who were at the hospital, had questioned whether the child was breathing after Dr. Aryan Toosi, DO, declared him dead, according to the police report.
"My mother-in-law is there, and she goes over and she hugs him, and she's like, "Hey, it sounds like he's breathing.' And they're like, 'Oh, it's normal. It's normal that it's gonna sound like that,'" Alexus Fiordilino told KNXV.
When a transporter with the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office arrived at the hospital over five hours later to retrieve the child from the hospital's "cold room," Vincent was found to be breathing, according to police.
"He was alone for 5 ½ hours. How do you do that to a baby?" Alexus Fiordilino told KNXV.
The police report said the toddler was declared dead "in error."
According to the law firm representing the family, Vincent suffered a "severe and permanent brain injury" and has shown "significant neurological deficits" since being discharged from the hospital in April. He is unable to walk independently and has not recovered speech, according to the firm.
The family is questioning Dr. Toosi's treatment of Vincent and his actions in declaring the toddler dead, and allege that the hours spent in the morgue contributed more to his injuries than the drowning, according to the law firm. They plan to file a lawsuit next week, the firm said.
"They took an oath, right? They have to do everything they can," Alexus Fiordilino told KNXV.
An attorney for Dr. Toosi said in a statement to ABC News on Thursday that the doctor's "thoughts are with the young patient and family, and he wishes the child continued healing and recovery."
"His commitment to delivering high-quality care has always been rooted in a desire to provide healing, safety and comfort to his community," the statement continued. "Due to pending litigation and patient privacy laws, we cannot speak to the details of the care provided at this time."
The hospital's operator, Dignity Health, said in a statement Thursday, "This is a heartbreaking situation. Out of respect for the patient's privacy, we cannot share any information and we are unable to comment on those involved in patient care. Patient safety and exceptional care are our highest priorities."
A spokesperson for the Gilbert Police Department said an investigation into the incident found no probable cause for any criminal conduct involving medical personnel and therefore "no charges were forwarded" against hospital staff.
"This case is now in the process of being referred to the Attorney General's Office for their review," the spokesperson said Thursday.
Gilbert police had initially recommended that the toddler's parents be charged with child abuse for alleged negligence, though the Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to file charges in that case.
The family had multiple childproof locks and other safety measures in place, and multiple adults were present in the home, all of whom believed someone was watching the child, according to the attorney's office.
The investigation also found no evidence that the parents exhibited any obvious signs of impairment, the office said.
A former New York City police detective pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he shot and killed a motorist on New York's George Washington Bridge Wednesday night.
Victor Romero, 62, was initially arrested on a murder charge but was arraigned on a lesser count of first-degree manslaughter stemming from the rush-hour shooting of 46-year-old Koran Irvine, an off-duty Con Edison worker and a married father of two children, that occurred after a near-collision on the bridge with a vehicle allegedly driven by Romero.
Romero was ordered held on $1 million bail.
Irvine's sister, aunts and cousins attended Romero's court hearing in New York City Thursday and complained to reporters that the former police officer was allegedly receiving special treatment.
"I was fuming. I was shaking to look at the back of the head of the man who killed my brother and have his lawyers humanize him when he left my brother to die like a dog," Irvine's sister, Zeria Irvine, said of seeing Romero in court.
Irvine's aunt, Gale Forde, said she and her family are disappointed that Romero was not charged with murder.
"Koran was on his way home from work, a hard day's work, and stayed overtime. Yet you had a retired police officer intentionally fire a bullet and kill him, and instead of it being murder, it's called manslaughter," Forde said.
Attorney Keith White, who is representing Irvine's family, said after the arraignment that the family has not been allowed to see surveillance video that police described in an affidavit detailing the alleged incident.
The family members said Irvine did not know Romero.
Surveillance video showed that before the shooting, Irvine's blue Volkswagen Golf swerved into another lane on the westbound deck of the George Washington Bridge and nearly collided with a black Range Rover driven by Romero, according to the police affidavit.
The Range Rover was seen on security footage speeding up and "following the victim’s vehicle closely, and in contrast to the greater distances that other vehicles maintained with respect to one another," the affidavit said.
"Just after the defendant’s driver side door was in a position consistent with the point of entry of the bullet that struck and killed the victim, the victim’s vehicle slowed, veered to the right lane, and stopped in traffic," according to the affidavit, which further states "the defendant’s vehicle then sped around the victim’s vehicle, passing on the left side, and traveled at a high rate of speed across the bridge."
Irvine's vehicle then "lurched across four lanes of traffic" and crashed into a center median, the police affidavit said, where first responders found he had died.
The bullet that killed Irvine passed through his vehicle's rear passenger door and struck Irvine in the back of his right shoulder, according to the affidavit.
The Range Rover was registered to a company for which Romero works as a driver, the police affidavit said, and Romero told police that the vehicle was his when questioned Wednesday morning. Romero also "surrendered a loaded revolver that he told officers he always carries," according to the affidavit.
Romero surrendered to police at the 33 Precinct in upper Manhattan on Wednesday and was arrested and charged with murder after being questioned, according to the NYPD.
Romero retired from the NYPD as a detective in 2001, a year after he was shot while off duty by armed robbers at his family-run laundromat in Brooklyn, law enforcement sources told ABC New York City station WABC.
A spokesperson for Con Edison confirmed on Wednesday that Irvine worked for the utility company and was off duty when he was fatally shot.
In a GoFundMe campaign that had raised more than $190,000 as of Thursday to help Irvine's widow and two children, ages 11 and 14, family members described Irvine as a "beloved husband, father, family member, and friend."
"We will deeply miss Koran's jokes, his infectious smile, his laughter, and his zest for life," reads a statement on the GoFundMe page. "He had a way of bringing joy to those around him, and his presence will be missed more than words can express. His passing leaves an unimaginable void in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved him."
Braden Peters, better known online as "Clavicular" arrives to Orleans District Court, Oct. 22, 2026, in Orleans, Massachusetts. (Cj Gunther/Getty ImageJ)
The popular social media influencer Clavicular, tied to the online "looksmaxxing" fad, pleaded not guilty to a rape charge in Massachusetts Thursday morning and was granted $10,000 bail.
The 20-year-old Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, was charged last month with raping a 17-year-old girl in 2025, following an investigation by the Chatham Police Department, according to a criminal complaint.
Peters' attorney entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
During Thursday's court hearing in Orleans on Cape Cod, Judge John Julian ordered Peters to surrender his passport and stay away from the alleged victim, including barring him from posting about her on social media.
"Don't commit another crime. You understand, sir. If you commit a new offense, whether it be state or federal, I could hold you without bail for up to 90 days," Julian told Peters.
In his only statement in court, Peters replied, "Yes, your honor."
The judge ordered Peters to return to court on Nov. 24 for a probable cause hearing.
Peters, who has more than 1 million followers on social media, is charged with one count of rape and providing liquor to a person under the age of 21.
If convicted, Peters faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to the complaint.
Peters has denied the allegations through his lawyers, saying the sexual encounter was consensual.
The accuser also filed a civil case against Peters in Florida over the sexual assault allegations. She accused Peters in the lawsuit of injecting her with a fat-dissolving substance during a live stream.
Peters' attorneys have previously called the lawsuit a "publicity grab."
The accuser's sexual assault allegations were dropped from the civil lawsuit earlier this month, and her attorney said that was due to the criminal charges filed against Peters.
The accuser's attorneys said in a statement that the sexual assault allegation was dropped from the lawsuit because the alleged victim "does not want her civil case to interfere" with the criminal case.
The criminal charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred in 2025 at Peters' parents' Cape Cod home, according to a complaint filed last month.
The alleged victim went to the Chatham Police Department on June 4, 2026, with her attorney and reported the sexual assault, the complaint said.
In a recorded interview with two police officers, the alleged victim said she and Peters began texting on Instagram and that he offered to pay her to do "looksmaxxing" videos, according to the court documents.
"Mr. Peters invited her to stream videos online to make her name known on social media," police wrote in a narrative of the victim's statement that was included in the complaint filed in Orleans District Court.
She told police that on May 23, 2025, Peters ordered her an Uber ride from her grandparents' home to his family's home in Chatham and that when she arrived, she was greeted by Peters' mother and grandmother, according to the court papers.
The alleged victim told police that Peters escorted her to his bedroom, where he was streaming live, according to the complaint.
She told police that Peters "was aware of my age, which she confirmed was seventeen at the time," police wrote in the complaint narrative.
Before entering his bedroom, Peters allegedly instructed the girl to lie on the live stream that she was 18 years old, allegedly instructing her to say the alcohol she was consuming was water, according to the complaint.
The alleged victim told police that after plying her with "cups" of vodka, she got "really drunk," according to the complaint.
She told police that after the live stream shut off, she recalled making out with Peters on a couch and then falling asleep, according to the complaint.
She told police that she woke up to find Peters having sex with her without her consent, according to the complaint.
"She stated that even the night prior, after consuming alcohol, she did not verbally consent either," police wrote in the complaint.
The charges against Peters came just months after he was charged by Florida authorities after allegedly firing a gun at an alligator during a live stream, according to court documents. He pleaded no contest in a Miami courtroom on May 16 to charges of unlawfully firing a firearm at Francis S. Taylor Management Area in the Everglades and sentenced to six months probation and 20 hours of community service, according to ABC News Miami affiliate station WSVN.
Sen. Louise Lucas (D-VA) speaks in the chamber of the Supreme Court of Virginia on March 2, 2026, in Richmond, Virginia. (Mike Kropf-Pool/Getty Images)
Federal authorities have indicted Virginia Democratic state Sen. L. Louise Lucas and several family members and associates on charges stemming from a yearslong marijuana trafficking conspiracy and corruption probe.
Lucas, 82, has long been a powerful force in Virginia state politics and previously spearheaded the commonwealth's redistricting effort which was reversed by the state's Supreme Court earlier this year.
But in a sweeping 45-page indictment unsealed Thursday, prosecutors accuse her of using her legislative office to help support a "criminal enterprise" through a marijuana dispensary business with charges ranging from racketeering, money laundering, drug trafficking and fraud.
The indictment charges Lucas and six others, including Lucas' two daughters and a grandson, with arranging for the purchase and sale of more than 100 kilos of marijuana, and laundering the profits -- with Lucas allegedly using her role as the Virginia Senate pro-tempore and chair of the Finance and Appropriations committee to shield her activities from scrutiny.
Lucas self-surrendered to authorities Thursday morning, according to a DOJ official.
The federal corruption probe, which sources previously told ABC News dated back to the Biden administration, has been known since May of this year when the FBI carried out searches of Lucas' office and a marijuana dispensary business she owned.
Thursday's indictment says that in the searches, both marijuana and firearms were recovered, though Lucas herself is not specifically charged with firearms offenses.
Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel were expected to appear at a news conference in Norfolk Thursday to announce the case, in a rare move for two of the nation's top law enforcement officials.
A teacher who was critically injured in a deadly shooting at an elementary school in Oregon last week said she played dead after being shot in her classroom.
The mass shooting unfolded in a special needs classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend on Thursday, after police say the teenage gunman shot at a truck outside the building then fired on the locked doors to get inside. A teacher and three students were killed, and another teacher and student were injured, police said.
In a new statement released on her behalf Wednesday detailing her experience, the injured teacher said she ran to see what was going on, then "immediately" went back to her classroom when she saw the shooter.
"I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there," Becky Drury, 54, said. "Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground."
Drury said her left hand was "almost completely severed" and her right arm was "severely injured."
"I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else," she said. "So, I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again."
Drury said she wanted to share what she remembered from the tragic shooting to "make sure the events of that day and my actions in particular are reported accurately."
"I know there has been contradictory reporting about my actions that day, but the truth is I was shot before I had any chance to act," she said.
Drury did not specify what accounts she was referring to, though some outlets have reported that Drury had thrown herself on top of a student during the shooting.
"What happened in that classroom was unimaginable, and like so many in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy," Drury said. "My thoughts are with those who were hurt, those we lost, their families, our school, and the Bend community. I am truly grateful for the kindness and support we have received as we face the difficult days ahead together."
Bend police said three boys, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher died at the scene. The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old armed with a twelve-gauge shotgun, was fatally shot by the father of two Silver Rail students who followed the teen inside the school after seeing the shots fired at the truck, police said.
Another teacher threw her cellphone at the shooter after he entered the special needs classroom, police said. The teacher, who was not injured in the shooting, tackled him to the floor and tried to take the gun away from him, police said.
The shooting remains under investigation. In an update Wednesday, Bend police said they have served search warrants on the suspect's home and on his electronic devices and social media accounts.
Police said they have also confirmed that the firearm used in the shooting was legally purchased and are not releasing further details on the gun at this time.
Schools in the district reopened on Wednesday for the first time since the shooting. Dozens of officers were at each school to welcome students back, Bend police said.
"You'll likely see an increase in police presence in and around our schools over the coming days and weeks. That's because we want students and staff to feel as comfortable as they can during a difficult, emotional time," the Bend Police Department said.
An unnamed teenager who alleged she was sexually assaulted at a University of Chicago frat house has filed a lawsuit, alleging the fraternity did not do enough to prevent sexual assaults, despite several other reports dating back to 2009.
The teen has accused Alpha Delta Phi and its University of Chicago chapter of multiple counts of negligence, alleging "both ignored known sexual assault risks at the house and failed to put meaningful safeguards in place," attorneys for Jane Doe said in a statement Tuesday.
The teenager says she was unable to provide consent when she was sexually assaulted on Feb. 7, according to the lawsuit.
After the alleged sexual assault by a then-member of the frat, Jane Doe was found "struggling to speak and required assistance to walk" as she left the room, according to the suit.
The fraternity told ABC News it "suspended the member involved" after "learning of these allegations." ABC News has reached out to the University of Chicago for comment.
The fraternity member accused of sexual assault did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
The lawsuit alleged that Alpha National "undertook the responsibility of educating its members … on the prevention of sexual violence and preventing sexual violence among its members."
The lawsuit says there weretwo reports of alleged sexual assault in 2009 at Alpha Delta Phi Chicago’s fraternity house five days apart. In 2022, an anonymous social media post also alleged a sexual assault at the same fraternity house, according to the suit.
The lawsuit alleged that between 2009 and Feb. 7, 2026 — when Jane Doe was allegedly assaulted —Alpha National "received additional reports of sexual misconduct involving Alpha Chicago members or Alpha Chicago social events."
Despite these reports, "Alpha National did not impose an interim suspension on Defendant Alpha Chicago, did not restrict or condition Alpha Chicago’s social events, did not require that the residential floors of 5747 South University Avenue be secured during events, and did not require that sober monitors be stationed at access points to the residential floors," according to the lawsuit.
The suit alleged the fraternity made public commitments to sexual assault prevention; still, it failed to enforce its own policies at chapter events, attorneys for Jane Doe said in a statement.
The alleged assault
Jane Doe attended a party at the frat residence on the day of her alleged assault, according to the lawsuit.
A member of the fraternity offered Jane Doe a shot of "unidentified alcohol" and encouraged her to drink it, according to the lawsuit. Almost immediately after, Jane Doe began to feel unsteady and lightheaded, according to the lawsuit.
The frat member then directed her to follow him to a secluded room in the fraternity house, taking her up the stairs to a bedroom on the residential floor, according to the lawsuit.
Jane Doe allegedly told the frat member she was feeling "unsteady and lightheaded," which the suit alleges he "purposely ignored" before directing her to move toward the bed in the room, the suit says.
Jane Doe then "lost all physical and verbal ability to refuse" her attacker, according to the suit.
The alleged attacker then began to make "unwanted and nonconsensual sexual advances upon Jane Doe," the suit alleged.
The suit alleged that at this point, Jane Doe was "mentally and physically" unable to provide consent.
Following the alleged assault, the frat member "left Jane Doe alone and unconscious in the room where he assaulted her limp body in the fraternity house," according to the suit.
Jane Doe’s friend then learned that Jane Doe was "upstairs, unconscious in a bedroom," the suit alleged. Jane Doe’s friend found her unconscious and, as she left the room, struggling to speak and needing assistance to walk, according to the suit.
Jane Doe awoke the next morning to find blood stains in her underwear and she reported the assault to the Chicago Police Department, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges the Chicago police investigation is ongoing.
Alpha Delta Phi National told ABC News it is aware of the allegations and is taking them "extremely seriously."
"The conduct described is deeply troubling and inconsistent with our values. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our members and communities and will cooperate with law enforcement as appropriate. Because this matter involves an active lawsuit we cannot provide further information on the specific circumstances at this time," the fraternity said in a statement.
Jane Doe is seeking damages for physical injuries, emotional distress and ongoing psychological harm, according to her attorneys.
A Massachusetts judge on Wednesday denied a request from Lindsay Clancy’s attorneys to question the holdout juror who forced a mistrial in her triple-murder case.
Clancy, who was charged with killing her three children, is still due to appear in court on Nov. 2 for the next hearing in the case, but Judge William Sullivan on Wednesday denied a request from defense lawyers to use the hearing to investigate the actions of the holdout juror.
“This Court concludes that any further judicial inquiry is inappropriate, given the mandate that the court must not delve into a juror's subjective reasoning, thought process, view of the case, or relationship to the other jurors, and must not inquire into the jury's deliberative content, collective thought process, or any disagreement among the jury,” Sullivan wrote.
After a seven-week trial this summer, Sullivan declared a mistrial after the jury -- split 11-1 in favor of finding her not guilty by reason of insanity -- failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
Clancy pleaded not guilty to three murder charges for the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson and infant son Callan at the family's home in Duxbury, a Boston suburb, on Jan. 24, 2023.
The former nurse attempted suicide on the night of her children's deaths, leaving her paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
Throughout Clancy's trial, much of the testimony centered on whether or not she was suffering from postpartum psychosis -- considered a psychiatric emergency, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists -- when she allegedly strangled her children and attempted to take her own life, and whether she should be held criminally liable for the killings.
Following the high-profile trial, defense lawyers had argued last month that the indictment should be dismissed because the judge failed to properly inquire about the holdout juror before declaring the mistrial.
To argue that motion, defense lawyers requested that the judge hold an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the holdout allegedly lied on the jury questionnaire, used his phone during deliberations or failed to follow the judge’s instructions during the deliberations.
While Sullivan did not issue a ruling on those motions, he concluded that defense lawyers failed to prove they were entitled to the evidentiary hearing on the matter, writing that issues about the holdout juror that came to light after the mistrial was declared were irrelevant.
“It appears that Clancy seeks an evidentiary hearing to determine whether Juror Doe lied on the jury questionnaire about prior involvement with the criminal justice system,” Judge Sullivan wrote. “However, potential evidence of good cause to dismiss a deliberating juror that came to light only after a mistrial was declared simply is not relevant to whether there was a manifest necessity for a mistrial.”
Both prosecutors and defense lawyers declined to comment on the ruling.
At least 60 people were being treated for unspecified symptoms after an incident at Toledo, Ohio, business led to the release of a hazardous chemical, city officials said Wednesday.
The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department said in a statement Wednesday evening that the people were treated with "symptoms potentially related to the chemical release."
A reduced evacuation order remained in place on Wednesday after the leak was first reported Tuesday night.
"The release has been confirmed as Glycidyl Methacrylate, which is classified as flammable and has a noticeable odor. It came from a 5,500-gallon tank because of an error that occurred when the material was being transferred," Bryant Somerville, a spokesperson for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said in a statement.
Residents and motorists have been urged to avoid the area of Enterprise Blvd. and Progress Ave., according to city officials.
At a press conference Wednesday morning, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz initially referred to the incident leading to the chemical leak as an "explosion," however a city spokesperson later clarified there had not been an explosion.
Initially, the incident sparked an evacuation order for a 1-mile radius of the facility and a shelter-in-place for everyone within a 3-mile radius.
However, the shelter-in-place order was lifted Wednesday afternoon and the evacuation zone was reduced to a half-mile, according to an update from the city.
During the shelter-in-place, residents were instructed to remain indoors, close all windows and doors and turn off all ventilation systems that bring in outside air, according to the city.
Any residents outside the 3-mile radius who smell an odor are instructed to stay indoors, close windows and doors and turn off ventilation that draws in outside air, the city said.
The chemical released is glycidyl methacrylate, "an irritant that can cause burning of the eyes, nose, mouth, and skin," according to the city.
In the statement, the health department said: "For those experiencing minor symptoms such as mild eye, throat, or skin irritation, they rinse the impacted area and contact their healthcare provider for additional guidance. If anyone is experiencing serious symptoms of exposure, which may include breathing difficulties, nausea and/or vomiting, dizziness, or confusion, they should go to a nearby emergency room."
If you believe you are having a reaction to exposure, city officials urge you to contact a medical professional.
Emergency shelter locations were set up at the Meijer parking lot on Alexis Road and Shoreland Elementary School, according to the city.
MC Tank Transport released a statement confirming its equipment was involved in the incident. The company said the industrial chemical glycidyl methacrylate is used to make certain plastics, paints and coatings perform better.
"We understand the serious disruption this incident has caused to nearby residents and businesses, particularly those required to evacuate their homes. We are committed to assisting those affected," the company said in a statement.
During the day steady traffic flows in both directions to Manhattan crossing over the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge. (Getty Images stock photo)
An investigation is underway Wednesday to identify a suspect who fatally shot a motorist on the upper deck of New York's iconic George Washington Bridge, police said.
A 46-year-old man, an off-duty Con Edison worker, was driving a blue Volkswagen Golf in the westbound lanes of the world's busiest bridge on Tuesday night when gunfire erupted, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department (PAPD).
Police are investigating the shooting as the possible result of a road-rage encounter after reviewing surveillance video showing the victim's car had been involved in a near-collision with another driver before the shooting.
"PAPD received reports of a one-vehicle crash on the westbound upper level of the George Washington Bridge," a PAPD spokesperson said. "Responding officers found the driver with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head."
The driver was taken to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, where he was pronounced dead.
Police identified the victim on Wednesday as Koran Irvin, an off-duty Con Edison worker from Rockland County, New York.
"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of a member of the Con Edison family in this senseless act of violence. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who knew and loved him," a Con Edison spokesperson said in a statement.
ABC New York station WABC reported the victim was an off-duty Con Edison worker from Rockland County, New York.
The shooter immediately fled the scene, police said. A description of the suspect's vehicle was not released.
As of Wednesday morning, no arrests had been announced.
No other injuries were reported.
The shooting unfolded just after 7 p.m., during rush-hour traffic.
According to investigators, the victim was driving on a ramp leading to the westbound upper level of the George Washington Bridge when his vehicle nearly collided with another driver, sparking a dispute.
As both vehicles continued toward New Jersey, an occupant of the other vehicle opened fire, hitting the victim, authorities said.
The shooting prompted police to close the westbound lanes of the upper deck of the nearly mile-long double-deck suspension bridge to investigate the shooting and collect evidence.
Police closed the westbound lanes of the upper deck for about six hours and reopened them around 1 a.m. ET Wednesday.
