Small child playing with stove started Bronx fire that killed 12
BELMONT, the Bronx — New York City’s deadliest fire in a quarter century was started by a small child playing with a stove, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Friday.
Twelve people, including five children, were killed and four others critically injured when a fire ripped through a five-story, walk-up apartment building at 2363 Prospect Ave. in Belmont Thursday night, Nigro said.
A 3-year-old boy with a history of playing with stove burners started the fire in a first-floor unit, according to Nigro.
The child’s mother heard him screaming, and was able to rush him and a 2-year-old out of the unit, but she left the door open, the fire commissioner said.
“This fire quickly spread up the stair,” Nigro said. “The stairway acted like a chimney. It took the fire so quickly up stairs, people had very little time to react. They couldn’t get back down the stairs. Those that tried, a few of them, perished.”
The lessons learned from the deadly incident are that children cannot be left unattended, and when fleeing a fire, people should always close doors behind them, Nigro said.
Fire crews arrived at the building a little more than three minutes after the blaze started, but it was too late.
Five people were later found dead inside, Nigro said.
Four people from a single family are among the dead, family members said.
A 1-year-old girl and 63-year-old woman who are related also died, police sources said.
The fire has been called the worst fire tragedy the “city has seen in at least a quarter century,” by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Four people in critical condition continue to fight for their lives Friday, and 10 other civilians also suffered injuries.
About six firefighters and one EMT suffered minor injuries, officials said.
Because of the number of lives lost, Nigro called the fire, “historic in its magnitude.”
The investigation into the fire, including whether or not the building had working smoke detectors, continues.
NYPD tweeted out the number to call for anyone looking to contact a loved one who may have been affected by the blaze: “If you’re unable to reach someone who may have been impacted by the five-alarm fire at East 185th Street and Prospect Avenue in the Bronx, call 311 or 212-639-9675 from outside NYC.”
Mom accused of leaving 10-year-old son out in the cold for hours while she attended Christmas dinner
A North Carolina mother was accused of locking her young son out of their home on Christmas day while she attended a dinner with her other children.
Susan Dowless, 43, was arrested on Wednesday after police said she intentionally left her 10-year-old son outside their Cary home for about five hours.
Authorities said Dowless took her other three sons out to a Christmas dinner, the News & Observer reports.
The police were called after a neighbor saw the child wandering around alone.
Investigators said temperatures on Christmas were below 40 degrees and the child did not have adequate clothing or proper nourishment or supervision.
The child is said to be healthy and in the care of a relative. Dowless’ oldest son, 21-year-old Gilmore Smith, told WRAL that the incident was a big misunderstanding and his mother did not intentionally lock the 10-year-old out in the cold. According to Smith, the child had been at a friend’s house and was told to come home by a certain time.
When the boy failed to return on time, Dowless assumed the child was staying over at the friend’s house.
“We waited for him for a good hour and then we went on,” Smith said. “We weren’t trying to abandon him or anything.”
“We thought he was going to be with his friends, like he normally was. Every time he comes home from school, he goes to his friend’s house. He plays until it’s dark, then he comes home.”
Dowless was charged with one count of misdemeanor child abuse. She was released from jail on Wednesday after posting her $5,000 bond. Dowless has been ordered to have no contact with her son as the investigation continues.
via: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/mom-left-son-cold-christmas-attended-dinner-article-1.3724100
Florida homeless man allegedly found naked and masturbating in closet arrested
A homeless man allegedly found naked and masturbating in the closet of a nursery in a Florida home has been arrested.
Kevin Jones, 36, lurked in the closet just feet away from a young mother preparing her 3-month-old baby for day care earlier this week, WFLA reported.
The woman, who did not want to be identified, screamed when she opened the closet door and then blocked the intruder’s escape route. Her fiance ran to her aid and Jones quickly put his hands in the air and told him he was homeless, according to the arrest report.
The father admitted to striking the suspect in an effort to protect his young daughter and 2-year-old son, according to the news station.
When Jones refused to leave, the fiance went off in search of a knife — but the suspect ran for the garage and then jumped the fence surrounding the property.
Authorities found him nearby and he was arrested. They charged him with burglary of an occupied conveyance, burglary or an occupied dwelling, exposure of sexual organs and two counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition.
Jones has denied masturbating inside the home.
Deputies said he began touching himself and exposed himself by lowering his pants during an interview at the sheriff’s office. He told deputies he did not remember how he got into the home.
The family had only just moved into the Orlando residence on Christmas Eve, a few days before they found Jones in their infant’s closet.
“To be in my baby’s nursery and to find something so horrific and experience that,” the woman told the Atlanta Constitution Journal. “We just feel stripped of our safety, our sense of security. The innocence of what should be a serene room in our home.”
The family said they were not sure how Jones got into their house or how long he’d been there.
“I don’t know if he watched us as we slept,” the mother said.
Jones was being held without bond at the Orange County Jail.
via: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/homeless-found-naked-nursery-closet-arrested-article-1.3727811
Florida Man Arrested After ‘Rigging’ Door to Electrocute Pregnant Wife, Deputies Say
A Florida man was arrested this week in Palm Coast after deputies say he “rigged” his door in an attempt to electrocute his pregnant wife.
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to 110 White Hall Drive in Palm Coast on December 26 to conduct a security check of the property after the homeowner contacted authorities about suspicious statements made by his son-in-law regarding not letting a child touch the front door of the home, Tampa Bay television station WFTS reported Friday.
When deputies arrived they saw that the front door appeared to be barricaded and there were burn marks near the door handle. A deputy kicked the door and upon doing so, they saw a large spark.
Based on observations made by the deputies on scene, it was apparent that the suspect rigged electrical devices to the top door lock and lower door handle in an attempt to electrocute and cause serious bodily injury or even death to whoever attempted to unlock and open the front door of the residence.
After investigating thoroughly, deputies discovered that 32-year-old Michael Scott Wilson had rigged the door in an alleged attempt to harm his estranged wife, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
He was also accused of stealing a gun from his father-in-law, the release stated.
An arrest warrant was issued for Wilson, and he was taken into custody early Thursday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Wilson faces charges of aggravated battery on a pregnant person and grand theft of a firearm, authorities say.
He is being held on $150,000 bond.
4-year-old girl found alone in the cold leads Utah police to mother’s body
OGDEN, Utah — A man came to the aid of a 4-year-old girl who was alone and not dressed for the cold Wednesday night, leading police to a tragic scene, according to KSTU.
Ogden Police say he encountered the young girl just before 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Marcus King said he was on his way to play pickup basketball when a little girl called out to him from a playground near the Marshall White Community Center.
“I had heard a little girl’s voice inside the park, didn’t really think nothing of it… once I came around this way she had got my attention,” he said.
King said the girl was playing in the snow on the playground, but with the sun already down and temperatures near freezing, he was shocked by her attire.
“She didn’t have any jacket, no shoes, no parental supervision, and just took action then and took her inside,” he said.
The staff at the nearby community center helped him call the police, and King stayed around for almost three hours until police could figure out where the girl’s mother was.
“When they walked over there, the door was wide open,” King said. “And the way the little girl was explaining it was: Her mom wasn’t paying attention, and her mom was on the floor sleeping.”
Lt. Tim Scott with Ogden Police spoke about the scene.
“Officers went inside and found a 41-year-old mother dead,” he said. “She was living alone with her mother. There is no sign of foul play. There are some pre-existing medical conditions that may have played a role.”
Ogden Police confirm the girl’s mother died nearly 24 hours before the child was found by King. At some point, the young girl left the apartment and went across the street to the playground.
King said he was glad to help out a child in need.
“This is not a good part of Ogden—there’s a lot of weirdos around here, and I’m really, really fortunate and happy that I got to her, and nobody else did,” he said.
As of Thursday night, the child was in the care of the Division of Child and Family Services and authorities were working to determine if there are relatives she can stay with.
Two Arrested In ‘Savage’ Christmas Day Slaying Of New York Mother, Two Kids And Female Partner
Two men have been arrested in the killing of a mother, her two children and her female partner, whose bodies were found in a basement apartment in Troy, New York, the day after Christmas.
James White, 38, and Justin Mann, 24 — both from nearby Schenectady — were each charged Saturday with one count of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, Troy police confirm to PEOPLE. They were arraigned in Troy City Court and are being held in the Rensselaer County Jail. It is not known if they have entered a plea.
“The outstanding work of the Troy Police Detectives with the help of the NYSP Major Crimes Unit and other units, NYS DOCCS (Parole), the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office and many other law enforcement partners lead to these arrests,” Troy Police Captain Dan DeWolf told PEOPLE in a statement. “We also thank the public for all their tips and assistance in aiding in the investigation along with the media for the abundance of coverage they have provided . We appreciate all of the help and cooperation.”
Earlier in the week, the victims were identified as Shanta Myers, 36, and 22-year-old Brandi Mell. Myers’ two children, Jeremiah, 11, and Shanise, 5, were also killed.
On Wednesday, Troy Police Chief James Tedesco described the quadruple homicide as brutal and said it was targeted. “There are indications at the crime scene that this was not a random act,” Tedesco told reporters, according to the Albany Times Union.
While police have declined to officially confirm a cause of death, law enforcement sources told the Times Union that the victims were bound and their throats were slashed. Investigators continue to search the apartment for clues. According to police, the building’s property manager discovered the four bodies on Tuesday after one of the victims’ relatives asked him to check on the residence after they had not answered phone calls.
Myers’ oldest child, 15-year-old Isaiah, was not at home at the time of the murders — and he told reporters he fears for his life. “I’m scared to go to the corner store,” the teen told reporters, according to the Times Union. “I’m not sure if they’re coming for me next.”
Myers’ sister, Shakera Symes, also mourned the loss of her family members. “It feels like somebody has ripped us to shreds,” Symes said. “My sister was supposed to be with me and her children, all three of them, for Christmas and I got robbed of that opportunity,” she said.
The slayings have shaken the entire community of Troy. “Only a person of savagery would do something like this,” Chief Tedesco said. “Nobody that’s been involved in this case is ever going to forget this.”
Stylist arrested for giving man unwanted ‘Stooges’ hairdo
MADISON, Wis. — Police in Madison, Wisconsin, arrested a hairstylist after he gave a customer a very unwanted Larry Fine hairdo.
Police spokesman Joel DeSpain says the 22-year-old victim told officers the stylist asked him to stop fidgeting and moving his head during the Friday haircut.
Khaled Shabani allegedly nicked the customer’s ear with his clippers before running them down the middle of the man’s head.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports that DeSpain says the stylist then nicked the customer’s ear with his clippers before running them down the middle of the man’s head on their shortest attachment, “leaving him looking a bit like Larry from ‘The Three Stooges.’”
DeSpain says officers arrested the 46-year-old hairstylist, Khaled A. Shabani, who pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct Wednesday. DeSpain says Shabani told officers it was an accident.
via: http://pix11.com/2017/12/28/stylist-accused-of-giving-man-unwanted-stooges-hairdo/
Parents locked daughter in room for 15 years until she died
A couple in Japan have been arrested after their emaciated adult daughter was found dead in a windowless room where she had apparently been locked for at least 15 years.
The daughter, 33, weighed less than 42 pounds – about the average weight of a 4-year-old – when her body was discovered Saturday, police said. She appeared to have died from exposure to the cold, police said.
The couple, who live in Osaka, kept their daughter in an unheated structure next to their house, according to police. The room measured about 39 square feet and the pair locked it from the outside, police said.
Her parents fed the woman one meal a day and forced her to drink water through a tube, police said.
The couple, who were arrested Tuesday and remain in police custody, said they confined their child because she was mentally ill and violent.
The official reason given for the arrests is abandoning a corpse. Under the law Osaka police have 23 days from the time of the arrest to decide whether to press charges. The defendants’ first court appearance would occur several months after any formal charges.
via: http://pix11.com/2017/12/28/parents-locked-daughter-in-room-for-15-years-until-she-died-police-say/
Florida man says he punched ATM for giving too much cash
COCOA, Fla. — A Florida man told investigators he punched an automatic teller machine because it gave him too much cash.
An arrest report says 23-year-old Michael Joseph Oleksik man caused about $5,000 in damage to an ATM at a Wells Fargo bank branch in Cocoa on Nov. 29.
He was arrested Dec. 22 on a criminal mischief charge after bank officials decided to press charges.
Florida Today reports surveillance video captured Oleksik pummeling the touch screen.
An arrest report says that Oleksik told a bank manager he was angry that the machine was giving him too much money and he didn’t know what to do because he was in a hurry for work. He apologized for causing damage.
Jail records don’t list a lawyer for Oleksik.
via: http://pix11.com/2017/12/27/florida-man-says-he-punched-atm-for-giving-too-much-cash/
Rihanna’s cousin fatally shot in Barbados hours after Christmas
NEW YORK — Rihanna is mourning the death of her cousin and calling for an end to gun violence.
The singer posted photos of herself with 21-year-old Tavon Kaiseen Alleyne on Instagram on Tuesday, writing that she “can’t believe it was just last night that I held you in my arms!”
Alleyne died Tuesday after being shot in Barbados, where Rihanna was born and raised. She also wrote, “Never thought that would be the last time I felt the warmth in your body!!! Love you always man! #endgunviolence.”
On Instagram on Wednesday, Rihanna posted a clip of her cousin smiling and filming himself. In the video he says, “It’s nice to wake up and see all of your brothers and sisters.”
Rihanna captioned the video with: “Be grateful for life man.”