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Murdered NY Influencer Targeted For Her Car, 12 Gangsters Accused In Sprawling Case: Feds
A violent street gang blamed for at least five murders was behind the killing of an influencer inside her car in Westchester County, authorities said Monday, July 20.
Ariela Mejia Polanco, 33, also known as Ariela “La Langosta,” was the victim of a carjacking gone wrong in Mount Vernon, the Justice Department said.
The feds said six members of the “Bad Boys 7” Trinitarios street gang targeted Mejia Polanco’s vehicle on Aug. 17, 2025, simply because it was a luxury SUV, not because they knew she was driving it, according to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.
Mejia Polanco was a friend o…
Motorcyclist Repeatedly Stabbed, Robbed In Southington; Waterbury Man, Child Charged: Police
A 58-year-old Connecticut motorcyclist was surrounded by a large rideout group, robbed of his cellphone, and repeatedly stabbed in the back with a screwdriver in a brazen daytime attack, police said.
Kevin Manuel Rodriguez, 20, of Waterbury, and a 13-year-old from Cheshire were arrested in connection with the assault, which happened around 2 p.m. Sunday, July 20, near 503 Main St. in the Plantsville section of Southington.
Officers responded after multiple 911 callers reported a large group riding bicycles, e-bikes, and mopeds was blocking traffic and creating disturbances. As police …
Deep-Sea Search Finds Long-Lost Pan Am Plane Bound For NY Easter Weekend: Video
A mystery buried beneath the Atlantic for more than seven decades has finally given up its secret.
An underwater search team has located the wreckage of Pan American World Airways Flight 526A, a New York-bound passenger plane that sank off Puerto Rico 74 years ago.
NBC’s “Today” reported the discovery on Tuesday, July 21, citing an exclusive expedition by the Discovery Channel.
The aircraft was a Douglas DC-4 named Clipper Endeavor. It left Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for New York’s Idlewild Airport, now John F. Kennedy International Airport, on Friday, April 11, 1952, wh…
New Rankings Reveal America's Most Loved Cities
A new travel ranking is giving vacation dreamers a fresh reason to argue over the map.
Travel + Leisure released its 2026 World's Best Awards list of the best cities in the US on Monday, July 7, after readers weighed in on their favorite travel experiences.
The magazine’s readers put Santa Fe, New Mexico, at No. 1 with a score of 88.85, ahead of Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, according to Travel + Leisure.
Santa Fe also ranked No. 19 among the best cities in the world. Travel + Leisure highlighted its sunshine, food, skiing, and cultural stops, including the Georgia O'K…
Kids' Biggest Heroes May Come As Surprise, Survey Reveals
The biggest heroes in kids' lives may not need capes, theme music, or superpowers.
Parents are the top role models for children ages 4 to 12, according to a survey published Thursday, July 9, by Talker Research and commissioned by Kiddie Academy.
The survey of 2,000 parents found that children are most likely to look up to people in their everyday lives, according to Talker Research on behalf of Kiddie Academy.
Parents topped the list at 71 percent, followed by teachers at 40 percent, siblings at 37 percent, extended family members at 33 percent, and friends at 31 percent.
Fictional super…
Year's Most Popular Meteor Shower Begins: Ideal Peak Viewing Ahead
The wait for summer’s most anticipated sky show is over, but its biggest act is still ahead.
The Perseid meteor shower became active Friday, July 17, and will continue through Monday, Aug. 24, according to the American Meteor Society.
Activity will build toward the peak overnight from Wednesday, Aug. 12, into Thursday, Aug. 13.
This year’s timing could hardly be better. The peak will coincide with a new moon, eliminating lunar glare that might otherwise wash out faint meteors.
The moon will be zero percent full during the peak, the American Meteor Society said.
NASA considers the Perseid…
75 MPH Wind Gusts, Flash Flooding, Isolated Tornadoes Possible As Severe Storms Near
A break from extreme weather won't last for long.
A new round of severe thunderstorms triggered by a strong cold front will sweep into the region on Tuesday, July 21, bringing damaging winds, hail, flash flooding, and a risk of tornadoes.
Click here for a new, updated story - Dangerous Storms To Hit Northeast In Waves: Timing, Highest-Risk Areas
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center placed parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and northern Virginia under an Enhanced Risk for severe weather, the third level on its five-point scale.
A lower but still serious threat extends …
‘I Scam The Government’: NYC Jail Guards Among Suspects In Brazen $500K Bank Scam, Feds Say
Two New York City jail guards were among seven people busted in a $500,000 fraudulent check scheme, authorities announced Monday, July 20.
Christopher Walker, 34, is currently employed by the city’s Department of Corrections, while Valeria Waldron, 37, is a former DOC employee who most recently worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, according to the Justice Department.
Two other NYC jail guards — Aaron Warren and Tara Dildy — previously pleaded guilty in the same case in Brooklyn federal court, according to the feds.
The scheme was orchestrated by Bianca Vieux, a 33-year-old …
CT Woman, 31, Sexually Coerced Long Island 13-Year-Old She Met Online: Feds
A Connecticut woman is accused of grooming a 13-year-old New York boy on Discord before driving him to her home and attempting to sexually abuse him, federal authorities said.
Amily Colon, 31, of Wethersfield, was arrested Friday, July 17, on a federal criminal complaint charging her with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to the US Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Colon allegedly used the name "Alice" when she started an online relationship with the 13-year-old boy from New York, according to cou…
Police Impersonation, Strangulation Lands NY Man Under Arrest — Again
A New York man who was arrested twice in Connecticut last month is back in custody after police said he was wanted on new charges tied to a vicious domestic incident.
Christopher Douglas Hassel, 42, of Syosset, New York, was arrested on an active warrant by the New Canaan Police Department earlier this month, authorities said.
Hassel is charged with third-degree assault, second-degree assault, second-degree strangulation/suffocation, criminal impersonation, impersonating a police officer, and disorderly conduct. His bond was set at $50,000.
The latest arrest comes just weeks after Ha…
Wallingford School PTO Treasurer Stole $22K From Elementary School Group, Police Say
A former Connecticut elementary school PTO treasurer is accused of stealing about $22,000 from the organization that supports local students and teachers.
Erica L. Vitale, 39, of Wallingford, was arrested Friday, July 17, according to police. She served as treasurer for the Highland Elementary School PTO and had full access to the group's funds.
The PTO claims $22,000 is missing from their accounts, and Vitale cannot account for it, police explained.
Vitale is charged with first-degree larceny and fraudulent use of an automated teller machine, Wallingford police said. She …
