Quantcast
Channel: NBC 7 San Diego - Top Stories
Viewing all 60603 articles
Browse latest View live

Who's Who: JFK's Assassination

$
0
0

Nov. 22, 1963 remains a day of infamy for many Americans. It is the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas at 12:30 CT while on a trip to help ease tensions between liberals in the Democratic Party. Who exactly killed Kennedy remains disputed to this day.

Photo Credit: AP

LAX Shooter Released from Hospital

$
0
0

A 23-year-old man accused of killing a security officer inside Los Angeles International Airport has been released from the hospital, after being critically wounded in a shootout with police inside the airport, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Paul Anthony Ciancia was released Tuesday from UCLA Medical Center and into the custody of the United States Marshals Service, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.

More: Timeline | TSA Agents Across U.S. Hold Moment of Silence | Full Coverage

He had been hospitalized in critical condition and under cosntant police surveillance since Nov. 1, when he allegedly entered the nation’s third-busiest airport armed with a Smith & Wesson M&P-15 semi-automatic rifle and up to 100 rounds of ammo, according to a federal complaint.

Photos: Inside the LAX Mayhem

Ciancia is accused of spraying LAX Terminal 3 with bullets, killing Gerardo Hernandez, a 39-year-old Transportation Security Agency officer and father of two.

A second security officer and a teacher from Calabasas were also struck by gunfire in the rampage, and have been released from the hospital.

A court date for Ciancia had not yet been scheduled by late Monday morning.

More Southern California Stories:



Photo Credit: FBI

Google Sorry Over Killed Teen Photo

$
0
0

Google is apologizing to a Bay Area father after a satellite view on Google Maps showed the body of his 14-year-old son who was killed four years ago, but whose image was recently discovered.

The image is still on Google Maps, but the Mountain View-based company said it is working to take it down.

The boy's father, Jose Barrera of Richmond, found out about the image last week.

Google Maps' vice president , Brian McClendon, called him on Monday to apologize.

"Our hearts go out to the family of this young boy. Since the media first contacted us about the image, we've been looking at different technical solutions. Google has never accelerated the replacement of updated satellite imagery from our maps before, but given the circumstances we wanted to make an exception in this case. We believe we can update this in eight days, and we've spoken to the family to let them know we're working hard on the update."

Barrera's son, Kevin, was shot and killed Aug. 14, 2009 on the railroad tracks near North Richmond and San Pablo, Calif. But when he saw the satellite image of his son laying lifeless on the ground on Google Maps, Barrera said all the painful memories came rushing back. His son's killers have never been found.

"We were really close," Barrera said. "So to see his body, those images, that hurt me a lot."

Despite the pain the image has caused him, Barrera said he hopes the publicity will finally bring a break in his son's killing, which remains unsolved.

"I'm feeling like it could help me to put more pressure on the police department," he said.

In the meantime, McClendon explained it will take eight days to fix the problem because the company wants to "uphold the highest quality imagery" in its maps and for areas that have 3D images, and that takes longer update. He pointed out that the company also has to update the imagery in three different products: new Google Maps, Google Earth, and older version of Google Maps.

For Barrera, the changes can't come too soon. Respecting his son's memory means remembering the images of his life and not of his death.

"I'm never going to forget my son," he said. "He's always on my mind."

NBC News contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

Mayoral Election Turnout Down

$
0
0

After an intense, whirlwind campaign, San Diego's precinct polls open Tuesday morning for voters to cast ballots in a special mayoral election to replace Bob Filner, who resigned in disgrace on Aug. 30.  

The order of finish, as projected by “likely voter” surveys in the past two weeks, has Councilman Kevin Faulconer, a Republican, in a comfortable driver’s seat.

The real race, according to conventional wisdom, is for second place.

On Monday, National University System's Institute for Policy Research reported that incoming ballots received by the Registrar of Voters since last Tuesday numbered an unexpectedly low 24,000 – most of them from the city's northern neighborhoods.

That, says senior research analyst Vince Vasquez, would seem to suggest that Councilman David Alvarez -- looking to overtake the slim lead of fellow Democrat Nathan Fletcher for second place, and a February runoff election spot -- needs a big turnout of voters from south of Interstate 8 at the precinct polls on Tuesday.

This perspective, from political strategist Jon Elliott, a onetime Filner campaign adviser: "My read is that Nathan has been trending down, and that David has been trending up. And momentum is a very powerful thing in elections. And when your name ends with a 'Z', all you have to do is turn out 'South of 8'. Because he has the opportunity of being the first Latino mayor in San Diego's history."

Pollsters list former city attorney Mike Aguirre and seven other candidates on the ballot as little more than 'spoiler' factor, and there’s disagreement among the various surveys over the size of the bloc of undecided voters.

Special Section: Race for Mayor

Whatever the case, with the number of mail ballots now in-house at the registrar’s office comprising just 20 percent of San Diego’s registered voters, election analysts are downgrading their turnout forecasts: Registrar Michael Vu, from 50-plus to 44 percent and National University, from 46 percent to the mid-30s.

In Elliott’s view, even that lower number would be respectable, reflecting an electorate more engaged than in many special elections: “Everyone knows about Filner,” Jon Elliott said in an interview Monday. “Everyone was upset and disgusted. Everyone now wants that chapter behind -- that page turned. Tomorrow starts that process entirely."

Meantime, the race is the subject of social media tracking by Prof. Ming Tsou and a team of researchers at San Diego State University.

They’re analyzing Twitter traffic generated by, and surrounding, the four major candidates -- and looking to establish a correlation between their data and the actual outcome of the election.

Their rankings for Faulconer the last six weeks roughly match the standard polls numbers -- but show a wider split between Fletcher and Alvarez, and more buzz about Aguirre than the support he received in traditional surveys.

Tsou estimates that about two-thirds of the Twitter campaign traffic that his team has been analyzing was on the negative side.

Skeptics question whether Twitter sampling truly reflects a given electorate. But Tsou says it produces indicators that shouldn't be ignored by campaigns or journalists.

"This is like 'the top ten' information in San Diego,” Tsou said. “But it's not decided by the mainstream media, it's by the public … that is the crowd making the decision. Let the crowd share their voice."

The top three candidates and their campaigns have raised a combined total well north of $4 million for the race.

If they spend it all, and the turnout is around the predicted 40 percent, each vote will have cost an average of around $15.

SDSU Theatre Changes Name

$
0
0

San Diego State University’s on-campus amphitheater will change its name to Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theater starting Jan. 1, 2014.

The name change is part of a 10-year agreement between the university and the California Coast Credit Union and will coincide with improvements to the theater, including a new stage roof, concourse expansion and renovations to seating and restrooms.

“The credit union has a long legacy of serving the educational community and was founded by local teachers, so we are excited to partner with them to help serve the financial needs of our students, faculty and staff and to add to the success of the Open Air Theatre into the future,” said Tom McCarron, SDSU’s Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs.

California Coast will also open a branch and ATM along the courtyard within the Aztec Student Union, which is scheduled to open in January.

Opened in 1941, the theater is one of the area’s longest running outdoor venues.



Photo Credit: Anthony Tran

San Diegans Vote in Special Election

$
0
0

NBC 7's Chris Chan reports on the Nov. 19 special election to fill the San Diego mayor street.

Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Graffiti Mecca Quietly Painted Over

$
0
0

5Pointz, the Queens building known for more than 15 years as a mecca for graffiti art that was featured in films and music videos, was painted over during the night as the building faces demolition to make room for two apartment towers.

The art "is gone," @5PointzNYC tweeted Tuesday. The building's owner, Jerry Wolkoff, told NBC 4 New York: "I know they're upset but it's over with."

The 200,000-square-foot former factory building, which stands five stories and one block long, is covered in hundreds of murals. Wolkoff bought the building 40 years ago for $1 million and never did anything with it.

In the 1990s, he was approached by a group that cleaned graffiti from city buildings and was asked if the vacant structure could be used as a safe place for graffiti artists to display their work. He agreed, and graffiti began to flourish there, eventually drawing attention from artists around the world.

It has been featured in music videos, including Jadakiss' "Hold You Down," and films, like the recent "Now You See Me."

But Wolkoff and his sons now aim to demolish the building and build two apartment towers that will house 1,000 rental units, 200 of them affordable housing. The plan has been approved by the City Council.

Wolkoff told NBC 4 New York that he had the building painted over at about 3 a.m. Tuesday to avoid a daytime confrontation with artists and because he wanted to spare them the pain of seeing their paintings demolished bit by bit over time. The demolition, he said, will begin in January and could take as long as three months.

"I can imagine going one piece, one piece, and going through hell, torture to everybody," he said. "So I said, 'Let me do it one time and end this torture one time.'"

Marie Flageul, an artist with 5Pointz, was in tears at the building Tuesday, where artists showed up throughout the day, gazing in stunned silence at the new face of the structure.

"My heart is broken," said Flageul. "What's ironic is we're supposed to be the vandals and we did everything by the book, and he's the biggest vandal of all. He disrespected everything we've done for this community in a lawful manner."

Wolkoff likened the move to forcing a child to take medicine, and said he is surprised the artists are upset, pointing out that the new building will have a 60-foot wraparound wall for graffiti. 

"In the new building we're going to let them come back, and it's going to be similar and better," he said. "They're upset with me now but it's the right thing for both of us."

A federal judge this month denied an effort by graffiti artists to stop the building from being destroyed. On Saturday, supporters rallied at the building in Long Island City to try and save it. 

Some New Yorkers who ride the 7 train lamented the whitewashing of the once-colorful building, which could be seen from the above-ground train in that part of Queens.

"Going to miss seeing this from the 7 train!" Joshua Pondicanno commented on NBC New York's Facebook page.

The building was "my fav thing to look at on my work commute," said Jess Freijo Vanderbilt.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission said in August that 5Pointz didn't meet landmark status, clearing the way for the residential development.

 

Suspect Arrested in Oceanside Homicide

$
0
0

Oceanside police have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of an 18-year-old man whose body was discovered lying face-down on a bike path Friday evening.

Suspect Torrey Deangelis, 20, is accused of fatally shooting Ozzy Maturano on Nov. 15 in the 300-block of Neptune Way near some railroad tracks and a bike path.

Maturano’s body was discovered by passersby around 6:40 p.m. Friday.

Police said the victim sustained obvious trauma from a single gunshot wound and died at the scene, despite life-saving efforts.

On Saturday, Sgt. Rick Favela said investigators believed Maturano's death was neither an accident nor a suicide. A homicide investigation was launched over the weekend.

Investigators said new details revealed two groups of individuals were involved in a verbal confrontation believed to have been motivated by gang rivalry.

The confrontation escalated into a physical fight and police said Deangelis allegedly fired a fatal gunshot at Maturano.

Deangelis was booked into San Diego Central Jail on several charges, including first-degree murder and participation in a gang.

He’s scheduled to appear in court Tuesday and again on Nov. 27.

Police said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on this case should contact the Oceanside Police Department’s Crimes of Violence Unit at (760) 435-4054.
 

More NBC 7 stories:

 



Photo Credit: Shutterstock

SD-Based QB Jumped by Opponents

$
0
0

A bathroom fight Friday among football players from Winston-Salem State and Virginia State during a CIAA championship game luncheon left the WSSU quarterback beaten and charges filed against a player from the other team.

San Diego athlete Rudy Johnson, the starting quarterback for the Rams, was "viciously beaten" by members of the Virginia State team, school officials said.

Johnson played basketball and football for Horizon Christian Academy in San Diego before enrolling at Winston-Salem State.

A school spokesperson said Johnson was assaulted in the bathroom at the conference center on campus during the luncheon.

A photo taken of Johnson shows him holding ice over his right eye.

Spokesperson Nancy Young identified the suspect as 22-year-old Lamont Daniel Britt, a running back from Portsmouth, Va. Britt was held Friday on a charge of misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury.

Virginia State issued a statement saying it is fully cooperating in the investigation and couldn't comment further.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported that five Virginia State players were involved and WSSU's chancellor said university police are trying to identify the others.

One of Johnson's teammates told the newspaper that "Rudy was beaten up bad and he can't play."

Johnson, a 6-2, 205-pound junior from San Diego, moved into the starting lineup in the second game.

He has completed 150 of 239 passes for 2,076 yards and 22 touchdowns with five interceptions in his nine games. He's also the team's second-leading rusher with 420 yards and six rushing scores.

Britt, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound sophomore, was Virginia State's third-leading rusher with 276 yards and one touchdown on 63 carries. He also had seven catches for 78 yards on the year.

The conference consists of 12 historically black colleges and universities in Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The title game was canceled.

Food Photos Kill Appetites: Study

$
0
0

Hungry? Better not turn to scouring Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest for delicious-looking food photos, researchers say.

Looking at too many pictures of food can make eating less enjoyable, a recent study by Brigham Young University published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology found.

Scouring "food porn" on Instagram can oversaturate your cravings, reducing how much pleasure you feel when you actually fulfill your desire for, say, an ice cream sundae, the study found.

"In a way, you're becoming tired of that taste without even eating the food," said study coauthor and BYU professor Ryan Elder in a press release. "It's sensory boredom – you've kind of moved on. You don't want that taste experience anymore."

In other words, looking at ice cream sundaes all day is going to make the next time you eat one less enjoyable; eating your third, fourth or fifth bite of sundae is going to be less enjoyable than the first.

Elder and coauthor Jeff Larson studied how repeated exposure to food pictures effects the eating experience by asking 232 people to look at and rate pictures of food. Half the participants viewed 60 pictures of sweets like cake and chocolate, and the others looked at pictures of salty foods like chips.

Participants were then asked to eat peanuts and rate how much they enjoyed them. People who viewed the salty food pictures said they had enjoyed eating the salty peanuts less than those who had viewed pictures of sweets.

Even though those people hadn’t actually seen pictures of peanuts, the researchers said, the overexposure to pictures of salty foods had diminished the peanut-munching experience.

Dog Predicts Polar Bear Pregnancy

$
0
0

A polar bear at SeaWorld San Diego has taken the world’s most unusual pregnancy test—and it’s positive.

According to SeaWorld, a 2-year-old beagle named Elvis may be the "polar bear pregnancy whisperer." Experts hope the dog’s keen sense of smell can determine if a polar bear is pregnant simply by smelling fecal samples.

So far, Elvis has tested 17 polar bears across the U.S. and Canada, including one at SeaWorld San Diego.

SeaWorld says 18-year-old Szenja (pictured above) recently took a breeding trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo. Because conventional polar bear pregnancy tests are inconclusive, SeaWorld called Elvis, along with scientists from the Cincinnati Zoo and a professional dog trainer, for answers.

After taking a sniff, Elvis indicated that Szenja is indeed pregnant.

It seems the nose could be right. SeaWorld says Szenja has been showing signs of pregnancy, including weight gain, picky eating and “nesting” in her den.

So is Szenja pregnant? It will take a while to know for sure. Polar bear pregnancy can last anywhere from 195 to 265 days, including 135 to 205 days of delayed implantation, according to SeaWorld.

Scientists hope this new testing method could help preserve the threatened polar bear species.



Photo Credit: SeaWorld

Cooper Thieves Almost Caught

$
0
0

Utility and construction companies battle copper thieves every night and early Tuesday, San Diego police came close to catching two people in the act.

San Diego police searched for two people who they say stole copper from a San Diego Gas & Electric substation shed in an area east of the Interstate 5/Interstate 805 merge and south of Carmel Mountain Road.

Police arrived around 3 a.m. Tuesday with two K-9 units after security guards said the theft was captured on surveillance cameras.

The suspects were seen and heard but it was dark and the brushy, dense terrain was difficult to search, officials said.

Around dawn, just as police wrapped up their search, neighbors told police they didn’t recognize a pickup truck parked near the substation.

Officers said they found bolt cutters and copper wire in the truck bed. They also found bolt cutters at the scene.

Investigators said there was enough evidence to impound the pickup truck, and it was towed.

However, officers said the suspects were probably still in the area as of this morning.

Search for Missing Woman

$
0
0

Chula Vista police searched Monday for a 72-year-old woman suffering from dementia and seizures.

Norma Luikart was last seen Sunday morning around 7:45 from her care facility in the 400 block of South Oxford Drive.

Officers hope someone will recognize her face and give them a call.

Dozens of San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue volunteers joined the search Monday without any luck.

The volunteers, wearing bright orange jackets, jumped on quads to roam nearby parks and canyons and walked neighborhoods with dogs.

Luikart is not able to care for herself, couldn’t tell you her own name, and doesn’t have any money.

“She is not familiar with the area, she hasn’t lived here very long, so she absolutely does not know how to get back home or does not know how to contact anyone for assistance” said Chula Vista Police Sgt. David Oyos.

She is 5'2" tall, with a medium build and short blond hair. She was last seen wearing a pair of pink and green striped pants, a long-sleeve brown shirt and a brown jacket with a floral print.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Chula Vista Police Department at 619-691-5151 any time day or night.

Fire Uncovers Pot Grow Operation

$
0
0

Authorities discovered a marijuana grow operation inside a Spring Valley home Tuesday after a fire sparked at the residence, officials confirmed.

Just after 9 a.m., crews responded to reports of a structure fire at 10154 Campo Rd.

Upon arrival, Cal Fire San Miguel Battalion Chief Andy Menshek said crews could see smoke and fire shooting through the windows and roof of the residence.

Menshek said firefighters tried to access the home, but all of the doors were “fortified with extra bars and security devices,” so they were unable to get inside at first.

Crews quickly determined the cause of the fire was from an illegal electrical connection running from the house to an adjacent power pole.

Menshek said it appeared the resident or residents had somehow climbed to the top of the power pole, hooked directly into the power source and brought the electricity inside the house.

The fire was caused by the illegal hookup to the pole, he said.

Fighting the fire became very dangerous for crews because the power could not be turned off at the meter.

Once crews made it inside, firefighters discovered a marijuana growing operation. Details on the exact number plants and estimated street value of the marijuana were not released, but Menshek said between 50 and 100 plants were discovered at the scene.

He said investigators believe the residents had illegally tapped into the power source in order to bypass the meter and avoid detection for generating all the power used in the grow operation.

Officials said residents were not home at the time of the fire, but a pit bull was found on the property. The dog was turned over to Animal Control.

The San Miguel Fire District will handle the investigation into the fire, which caused approximately $40,000 in damage to the structure. San Diego Gas & Electric will cover the electricity theft portion of the investigation. Officials from the Narcotics Task Force will take the lead into the investigation of the marijuana grow operation.

As of Tuesday evening, no arrests had been made.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Relative Arrested in Grandfather's Beating Death

$
0
0

A family member was arrested Tuesday in San Diego's El Cajon area in connection with the brutal beating death of an 84-year-old grandfather in Glendale, Calif., police said.

James Adrian Sanchez, 22, was taken into custody for the slaying of Ruben Sanchez, according to the Glendale Police Department.

Ruben Sanchez was found severely beaten Monday morning in his home in the 1800 block of Glenoaks Boulevard (map).

A neighboring family heard loud noises coming from Sanchez's first-floor corner apartment. When they went to check on their neighbor, they found what police described as a "badly beaten and bloody" victim.

Sanchez was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Initially, detectives believed the 84-year-old grandfather and widower may have been a victim of a violent home invasion robbery. A friend of the victim told NBC4 that Sanchez had been attacked a few weeks ago when someone tried to rob him.

Further investigation led detectives to a family member found in El Cajon, about 140 miles south of the crime scene, police said. Authorities did not immediately say how the suspect and the victim are related.

A motive for the attack has not been released.

James Adrian Sanchez has been booked into Glendale City Jail for murder. No bail has been set. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call detectives at 818-548-3987.


USS Freedom Heads to Philippines

$
0
0

San Diego-based USS Freedom (LCS 1) is now on its way to the Philippines to deliver aid to the typhoon-ravaged region, the Navy confirmed.

According to Navy officials, the ship arrived at Brunei’s port of Muara Monday to load up on fuel and supplies in preparation to support disaster relief efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.

The Navy vessel is one of three ships heading to the Philippines for Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response (HA/DR).

Last week, San Diego-based USNS Mercy began preparing for its voyage. That ship is expected to arrive in the disaster zone in late December.

Navy officials said USS Freedom’s MH-60R helicopter is an important asset in HA/DR efforts. The ship also carries 10 pallets of HA/DR supplies, including pallets of hygienic and medical supplies.

"It's a tremendous opportunity to join our ships and those from other navies that are already in the Philippines providing relief. We are prepared to help out in any way possible," said Freedom's independent duty corpsman, Chief Hospital Corpsman Blair Taylor, in a media release Tuesday.


More Stories from NBC 7 San Diego:



Photo Credit: United States Navy

Gonzalez Blames US for Mom's Death

$
0
0

Elián González says his experience in South Florida marked him for life, and he said his mother's death was a product of the Cuban Adjustment Act, according to a report published in a Cuban newspaper.

Gonzalez was the sole survivor of a capsized boat that killed his mother and became a symbol of troubled relations between the United States and Cuba.

“They were very sad moments for me, that marked me for life,” González said in Spanish during an event, according to the newspaper Girón. “I never had the possibility to have a moment to think about my mother, who died in the ocean as a product of Cuban Adjustment Act.”

González, now 19, recalled the moments when at 5 years old he was rescued from the waters off Fort Lauderdale. He also said that his rights had been violated in the United States.

After his rescue in 1999, the boy’s relatives living in the United States fought to keep the child, but his father and Fidel Castro ordered his return.

González was returned to Cuba in 2000, after federal agents raided his relatives' home in Little Havana and seized the boy from a closet at gunpoint. He returned to Cuba two months later.

Over the weekend, González asked President Barack Obama to free the five Cuban spies convicted of espionage in Miami.

González also denounced Cuban exile groups like the Cuban American National Foundation and Alpha 66, calling them “terrorists organizations” and blaming them for keeping him from his family.

But González said he was not alone, and mentioned Operation Peter Pan, in which thousands of Cuban children were sent from Cuba to Miami to escape the government of Fidel Castro.

“Our struggle is not against the American people; it is against their government,” González said.

More NBC6.com Stories:


 



Photo Credit: AP

Black Friday Backlash?

$
0
0

San Diego State marketing professor Miro Copic says shoppers are confused about Black Friday.

"They are actually forcing consumers to change their behavior," Copic said. 

After years of starting the Christmas shopping season early Friday morning the day after Thanksgiving, retailers have started to open their doors on Thanksgiving night.  Now, department stores like Wal-Mart and Target are moving up their hours to the time some families are still eating dinner.

Copic says that could eventually hurt the busiest shopping day of the year, as it takes away the focus of the shopping season.

"You're going to get lackluster traffic on Thanksgiving Day,"  Copic said. "And you're not going to get the intensity that you've had in the past on Black Friday."

Why are stores opening early?  This will be a very short shopping season, six days shorter than last year.  Since Thanksgiving is late in November, there are only 26 days until Christmas.  Some store owners are worried that a shorter shopping season could mean less money in the cash register.

But Copic says earlier sales may not mean more money.

"The total number of shoppers over that big Thanksgiving weekend is about 135 million the last couple of years.  This won't increase that but just spread out the days which they're going shopping," he said.



Photo Credit: AP

2 Bodies Found After Plane Crash

$
0
0

Two bodies have been found after a small plane with four people aboard crashed in the Atlantic Ocean about three miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale Tuesday night, authorities said.

The bodies of one man and one woman were located near the debris field from the Learjet 35 aircraft, Fort Lauderdale city spokesman Matt Little said in an email.

U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews were searching overnight for two people still missing.

"The men and women out there from all of the responding agencies are doing their best to try and find any survivors in the water," said Lt. Commander Dave Summa.

He extended "thoughts and prayers and condolences to the families of those lost."

The debris is believed to be spread over a very large area, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Wreckage was being recovered from the plane, which took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport at 7:51 p.m., airport spokesman Greg Meyer said.

Its last tower communication was at 8:20 p.m., he said.

The bodies of the dead were recovered at about 8:45 p.m., according to authorities.

Two pilots and two passengers were aboard the Mexican-registered Learjet 35, whose intended destination was Cozumel, Mexico, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in an email.

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami, two Coast Guard cutters and two small boats, a Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue boat crew and three Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission search and rescue crews were contributing to the effort.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified.

Below: Wreckage from the plane is brought aboard a Coast Guard boat. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

 

More NBC 6 South Florida Stories:

 



Photo Credit: NBC 6 South Florida

Warehouse Heist Close But No Cigar

$
0
0

It was a case of “close but no cigar” for burglars who broke into a South Florida warehouse but didn’t get away with any stogies, authorities said.

The suspects shinnied up a tree as they tried to get into Florida Distributors Inc.’s cigar warehouse in Tamarac through its roof at 2700 NW 55th Court early on Saturday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.

They weren’t able to, but they rappelled down the building with a rope and used a stolen sheet metal saw to cut through a garage door, according to the BSO.

Deputies, who were alerted by the security company watching surveillance cameras, approached the building just after 3:30 a.m. and saw a white Ford van speed off.

Three suspects got away, but deputies apprehended Hermes Perez, 30, of Miami, who faces charges of burglary and possession of burglary tools, the BSO said. It wasn’t immediately known whether he has an attorney.

The same business was hit by burglars on July 26, when suspects bent the rebar away from a ceiling vent and stole between $400,000 and $500,000 worth of cigars, the BSO said. Those suspects spent about two hours loading about 700 cases of cigars into three vehicles before they drove away in the middle of the night, the agency said.

It’s unclear if the same group was involved in the new case, the BSO said.

The warehouse owners had no comment.

Authorities ask anyone with information to call Det. Jeremy Grant at 954-720-2225 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

More NBC6.com Stories:



Photo Credit: Broward Sheriff's Office
Viewing all 60603 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images