Jessica Schladebeck – New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com Breaking US news, local New York news coverage, sports, entertainment news, celebrity gossip, autos, videos and photos at nydailynews.com Wed, 15 May 2024 19:47:54 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cropped-DailyNewsCamera-7.webp?w=32 Jessica Schladebeck – New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com 32 32 208786248 Driver accused of causing Florida bus crash that killed 8 pleads not guilty https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/15/driver-florida-migrant-worker-bus-crash-pleads-not-guilty/ Wed, 15 May 2024 19:47:54 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7699723 The driver accused of causing a deadly bus crash in Florida earlier this week has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter.

Bryan Maclean Howard entered his plea from jail by way of teleconference on Wednesday. His head was wrapped in bandages during the digital court appearance, and he was also sporting a protective gown typically given to inmates on suicide watch.

The judge denied bond, appointed a public defender and set his next court appearance for June.

Howard is accused of sideswiping a bus with his truck on Tuesday, causing it to flip over. Eight people, all of them Mexican farmworkers, were killed and at least 40 others were left injured. He told investigators he left his parent’s house that morning around 6:30 a.m. to drive to a methadone clinic in Ocala, where he was supposed to undergo treatment for a chipped vertebrae in his back. He added that he was also driving extra carefully because he’d just crashed his mother’s car three days earlier, the arrest report said.

Howard was traveling east on SR-40 when his pickup truck allegedly drifted to the center of the road, then struck the bus, which crashed through a fence and into a tree before overturning. It had been carrying 53 farmworkers to a Cannon Farms watermelon field about 80 northwest of Orlando.

“Thank you to all who have reached out and offered condolences, help and prayers! We are going to remain closed through tomorrow and we let everyone know our plan as far as when we will be back at the barn tomorrow afternoon,” the farm wrote on its Facebook page Tuesday. “Thank you so much for understanding.”

Six of the deceased victims range in age from 20 to 46, according to the arrest report. They were identified as Jose Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27; Isaias Miranda Pascal, 21; Manuel Perez Rios, 46; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Alfredo Tovar Sanchez, 20; and Evarado Ventura Hernandez, 30. Two other deceased victims were identified only as Hispanic males.

Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s foreign relations secretary, said via the social media platform X late Tuesday that all eight people killed were in the U.S. legally on H-2A farmworker visas.

Howard also told investigators he was hanging out with a friend who had a medical marijuana card Monday night and smoked marijuana oil with him. Before Howard went to bed, he said he also took some prescription medications.

With News Wire Services

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7699723 2024-05-15T15:47:54+00:00 2024-05-15T15:47:54+00:00
$1B lottery winner sued by family claiming he lied about sharing loot https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/15/maine-mega-millions-winner-sued-not-sharing/ Wed, 15 May 2024 15:38:37 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7699056 The winner of a $1.35bn Mega Millions jackpot, one of the biggest lotto prizes in American history, is the target of a new lawsuit alleging he stiffed his family out of their promised portion of the funds.

The Maine man, identified only as John Doe, beat the huge odds and claimed the Mega Millions prize back in January 2023. He purchased the ticket at Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon and opted to cash out with a lump-sum payment of $723,564,144, or nearly $500 million after taxes.

Since then, he’s worked to keep his identity a secret, going as far as to sue his ex-girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child. In a lawsuit filed in November 2023, he accused her of violating a non-disclosure agreement, which required she keep his lottery win a secret until June 1, 2032, when their daughter turns 18. Instead, his, ex, identified by the pseudonym Sarah Smith, allegedly discussed his newfound fortune with his father, stepmom and sister.

In response, Smith alleged that her ex was actually the one who blabbed the news to his family, according to new court documents obtained by the Press Herald. Her claims were corroborated by Doe’s father, who said he learned of the lotto win from his son.

“February or March of 2023, my son came to my house … and informed me and my wife that he won a large amount of money in the Maine State Lottery,” his father wrote in the court documents, according to the outlet.

At that time, Doe also promised to build his father a garage and to buy him some cars to fix up, per the latest round of filings. Doe also allegedly offered to purchase his father’s childhood home and to cover medical expenses for both his father and stepmother if necessary. His father has since said he did not ask for any of the money.

The tensions in their relationship were ignited when Doe’s father said he would not cut off communications with Smith despite his son’s request. His father said the woman was a “good mother and we did not want to turn our back on her.”

“I told him that, ‘You are not the son I knew.’ He got angry, calling me a ‘dictator,’ ” the court documents said. “I have not heard from my son since, and he has not done any of the things he promised.”

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Woman wanted in 2023 shooting killed after police chase across 2 states https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/15/woman-wanted-2023-shooting-killed-police-chase-delaware-pennsylvania/ Wed, 15 May 2024 13:12:54 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7698557 A woman wanted in connection with a 2023 shooting was killed after a gunfire exchange with officers and a police chase across Delaware and Pennsylvania, authorities said.

The chaos kicked off on Tuesday around noon, when officers in Delaware were called to the 300 block of North Madison Street in Wilmington, NBC Philadelphia reported. They were attempting to arrest an unidentified suspect for a shooting that occurred in Wilmington on Dec. 2, 2023, but she fled as soon as she spotted law enforcement.

According to authorities, she crashed her vehicle into multiple police cruisers before taking off on I-95 northbound and driving into Pennsylvania. The subsequent chase involved law enforcement officers from both states, police said.

The woman eventually crashed her car in Chichester, Pennsylvania, at which point she pulled out a gun and fired at the pursuing police, according to investigators. A pair of Delaware state troopers returned fire, but she again managed to evade authorities. Police said she exited her crashed car and then stole a black SUV. She managed to make it to Chester, Pennsylvania before she again crashed, this time into a home under construction along the 1200 block of Kerlin Street, authorities said.

The suspect then made her way inside the residence before attempting to flee in yet another vehicle. At that point, three Wilmington police officers, five Delaware state troopers, a Trainer Borough police officer and a Chester police officer pulled out their weapons and started shooting, according to NBC Philadelphia. Authorities said the pursuit only ended after a SWAT truck slammed into the woman’s vehicle.

When officers pulled her from the car, her body was riddled with bullets. She was pronounced dead on the scene, though it’s unclear whether she was killed in the crash or by the gunfire.

Police said a Wilmington officer also suffered minor injuries during the ordeal.

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and the Office of Professional Standards are currently investigating the incident. Two Wilmington officers, both of who discharged their weapons, were also placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.

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7698557 2024-05-15T09:12:54+00:00 2024-05-15T11:41:17+00:00
Red Lobster shutters dozens of restaurants, puts them up for auction https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/14/red-lobster-restaurants-closing-auction/ Tue, 14 May 2024 18:07:20 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7686292 Red Lobster is shuttering dozens of restaurants across the country, including several locations in New York and New Jersey.

The restaurant chain, famous for bringing affordable seafood to middle-class costumers, has long been heralded as a pioneer in the casual dining industry. In recent months, however, it has been plagued by a large debt load, executive turnover and financial losses, triggering considerations of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

The struggles have seemingly culminated in restaurant closures spanning several states, marking one of the only times Red Lobster has been forced to simultaneously close dozens of stores since it first started serving customers more than 50 years ago. In New York State, restaurants in Poughkeepsie, Buffalo and Rochester shut their doors this week alongside those in Lakewood, Amherst and Kingston. Locations across New Jersey, including stores in Bridgewater and East Brunswick as well as in Ledgewood and Lawrenceville, were also among those recently closed.

On Monday, TAGeX Brands, an auction company that specializes in restaurant and food auctions, revealed it would be conducting an online sale of Red Lobster restaurant inventory, including kitchen equipment, furniture, tables and chairs.

According to the TAGeX notice, the sale is its “largest restaurant equipment auction ever.” It kicked off Monday and is set to end Sunday.

“On our Restaurant Equipment marketplace, we are auctioning off 50+ locations across the country,” TAGeX said Monday. “These auctions are WINNER TAKES ALL — meaning, each winner will receive the ENTIRE contents of the Red Lobster location they bid on.”

The scope of affected stores, however, may be significantly larger. On Tuesday, Restaurant Business Magazine reported 99 locations were closing, which represents about 15% of Red Lobster’s approximately 700 locations.

Red Lobster still remains the largest seafood restaurant chain in the U.S.

The closures come after Thai Union, one of Red Lobster’s biggest investors, announced this year it was seeking to end its partnership with the popular eateries. It cited the “COVID-19 pandemic, sustained industry headwinds, higher interest rates and rising material and labor costs” as reasons for its exit.

In response, Red Lobster said it was seeking a buyer in a bid to avoid filing for bankruptcy, but no one has yet come forward with an offer.

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7686292 2024-05-14T14:07:20+00:00 2024-05-14T15:54:18+00:00
Ex-Marine from N.J. arrested for threatening to kill white people in mass shooting https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/14/joshua-cobb-marine-new-jersey-threats-kill-white-people/ Tue, 14 May 2024 16:43:25 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7686124 A former Marine from New Jersey has been arrested for threatening in violent social media screeds to slaughter “as many” white people as possible, federal prosecutors announced.

Joshua Cobb of Trenton, who is Black, is facing one count of transmitting a threat in interstate and foreign commerce, according to a statement issued Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. During an interview with the FBI last month, 23-year-old Cobb allegedly confessed to penning a series of online posts that discussed his interest in serial killers and his intent to “cause mayhem on the white community.”

“The reason i specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles. Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I don’t care to. I want to erase them. All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can,” a post from December 2022 reads.

“As of today I have officially began planning my attack,” it continued. “It is going to take place in 2023 in the state of New Jersey, I have not chosen a exact date but I am going to be sure it is close to an important holiday to their race.”

Cobb added that he had purchased four firearms to carry out the violence, and that he planned on buying more. He also discussed his potential targets with authorities, specifically a Jersey Strong gym and an Aldi grocery store in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

In several subsequent posts written in the spring of 2023, Cobb fantasized about  “the rush you’d feel while shooting some s–t up,” adding that he’d get “literally high off the adrenaline alone” and that he’d “probably OD” on “adrenaline after the 10th body goes down.”

He also allegedly wrote about how he dreams of becoming a serial killer.

“Tbh I hope I do progress into a serial killer because I f—ing hate life man…” Cobb said. “But one day everyone will suffer. I promise I will make everyone feel my f—ing pain. My deep, sincere, raw, & sharp pain.”

In another post, he wrote: “There is no way out for me. The only way out is bloodshed.”

Cobb’s first post in December 2022 came months before he enlisted with the Marines last year, according to the criminal complaint. He attended basic training in South Carolina  from June to October 2023 and was stationed at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif, in February

He was discharged on or around May 10, the complaint indicated.

During a court appearance on Monday, Cobb was ordered to remain in detention pending his bail hearing on Friday. If convicted he faces five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine.

No attack was ever carried out.

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7686124 2024-05-14T12:43:25+00:00 2024-05-14T12:43:25+00:00
Two parties at Waterbury, Conn. event space end in deadly gunfire https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/14/waterbury-connecticut-so-bluniq-shooting/ Tue, 14 May 2024 13:13:29 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7685876 Gunfire broke out between two separate parties at a Connecticut event venue, leaving one person dead and another two wounded, police said.

The violence unfolded inside So Blu’Niq, a rental hall in Waterbury, on Monday around 1:20 a.m., NBC Connecticut reported. When officers arrived on the scene — located in the Mall View Shopping Plaza on Sharon Road — they found three people suffering from gunshot wounds.

One of the victims, identified by police as 29-year-old Shaquille Morris, of Waterbury, succumbed to his injuries a short time later and was pronounced dead on the scene. A 39-year-old woman and a 44-year-old woman, both from Waterbury, were also shot. Their injuries were determined to be non-life threatening and they have since been treated and released from the hospital.

Their names have not been released.

Police said two private events were happening inside So Blu’Niq when the gunfire began. It was preceded by a confrontation between groups of people from both parties, which quickly escalated into violence. One of Morris’ relatives, who did not wish to be identified, said the tensions were initially sparked by the type of music being played. The witness added that Morris had earlier made brunch for a Mother’s Day celebration at the event hall.

“He made the food,” the relative told WTNH. “He was standing around, and a guy from the other side of the club just opened fire. And, unfortunately, he and two other people were shot.”

Authorities believe the people attending both of the parties knew each other.

No arrests have been made and an investigation into the matter is ongoing. Anyone with information in the case has been asked to call the Waterbury Police Department Detective Bureau or the Crime Stoppers tip line.

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7685876 2024-05-14T09:13:29+00:00 2024-05-14T09:13:29+00:00
Man made famous by ‘dress that broke the internet’ admits to violently attacking wife https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/11/dress-that-broke-the-internet-husband-attacks-wife/ Sat, 11 May 2024 18:46:51 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7682666 A Scottish man who achieved internet fame thanks to “the dress that broke the internet” — a wild optical illusion that made the frock look blue and black to some, and white and gold to others — has confessed to strangling and abusing his wife.

Keir Johnston, 38, pleaded guilty on Thursday to attacking his wife, Grace Johnston, in their home on Scotland’s Isle of Colonsay on March 6, 2022.

Days before the incident, the couple, who married in 2015, got into a fight over Grace interviewing for a job on the mainland, The Guardian reported Friday. Johnston did not want her to go, but she did so despite his protests.

In the hours before the attack, Johnston was drinking at a pub and texting his wife, prosecutor Chris Macintosh told the court. One of the messages read: “You should support me but you do not.”

When Grace returned home later that night, Johnston, who’d been asleep at the time, awoke and announced that he planned to leave her.

“She went outside the property to stop him leaving. He followed her and pinned her to the ground,” Macintosh said. “He placed both knees on her arms, so she was unable to move. He then began strangling her with both his hands.”

A passerby who heard Grace scream was able to separate the two and Johnston went back inside the home. But he returned just a few minutes later, this time with a knife in hand. He then vowed to “finish her off,” before again choking her.

Grace was eventually able to call the police and told them her husband was trying to kill her.

Johnston’s attorney, Marco Guarino, said his client wants to accept responsibility for the assault. A judge denied him bail and he is slated to be sentenced in June.

The violent attack came some seven years after the couple gained worldwide fame through a viral social media post. Grace’s mother, Cecilia Bleasdale, was looking for a second opinion when she texted her daughter a snap of the dress she planned to wear to their upcoming wedding. But the image she sent left the couple confused after they disagreed over the color of the garment.

Johnston saw it as blue and black while Grace perceived it to be white and gold. Their wedding guests were equally floored by the color-changing dress, and one of them eventually posted it to Tumblr. From there, the post exploded, with high-profile personalities and celebs weighing in on debate.

In actuality, the dress is blue and black.

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7682666 2024-05-11T14:46:51+00:00 2024-05-11T14:46:51+00:00
Arizona State professor barred from campus after viral video showed him harassing woman in hijab https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/11/asu-professor-jonathan-yudelman-banned-viral-video/ Sat, 11 May 2024 16:44:16 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7682600 An Arizona State University scholar has been barred from the institution after he was caught in a viral video screaming at a woman wearing hijab during a pro-Israel protest near campus.

Jonathan Yudelman was a postdoctoral research scholar at ASU’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, and also taught a pair of classes during the spring semester.

On Sunday, Yudelman was caught on camera harassing an unidentified woman participating in a demonstration in support of Israel. She’s already trying to get away from Yudelman, who was mocking and mimicking her, at the start of the clip.

“I’m literally in your face, that’s right,” Yudelman tells her in the video.

Another man seen with Yudelman can also be heard speaking over the two.

“If you don’t like it, go back to Jihad,” he says to the woman.

The pair can then be seen backing her into a tree.

“You’re disrespecting my religious boundaries,” the woman says, to which Yudelman responds: “You disrespect my sense of humanity, b—h.”

Their insults only end when other people attempt to intervene. One person nearby can be heard yelling “Hate crime!” in the background.

Yudelman was initially placed on leave in wake of the viral confrontation earlier this week, but the university’s president, Michael Crow, has since confirmed he has been banished from campus.

He is no longer permitted to be on campus and will never teach here again,” he said in a statement to CNN.

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7682600 2024-05-11T12:44:16+00:00 2024-05-13T10:35:08+00:00
Missouri teen who beat Kaylee Gain in viral video should be tried as juvenile, officer says https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/11/kaylee-gain-beating-video-suspect-maurnice-declue-tried-as-juvenile/ Sat, 11 May 2024 14:29:19 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7682510 Officers have recommended the 15-year-old who violently beat Kaylee Gain outside of their St. Louis high school — leaving her with brain damage, including short-term memory loss — should be tried as a juvenile.

Maurnice DeClue was charged with felony assault after the brutal beatdown near Hazelwood East High School in Spanish Lake, which was recorded with cellphone cameras and later went viral online. The clip sees DeClue getting on top of Gain and repeatedly slamming her head into the concrete on the afternoon of March 8.

On Friday, DeClue appeared in court for a certification hearing, a required step in the legal process when juveniles are charged with more serious offenses.

An officer who reviewed DeClue’s academic records, sat down with her and her family, and examined the arrest report said the teen should remain in the juvenile court system, KSDK reported. She also confirmed Gain threw the first punch, adding that she’d just been suspended the day prior for fighting with a different student.

“There was no malice, she was just defending herself,” DeClue’s mother, Consuella DeClue, said of her daughter.

Her lawyer, Greg Smith, described her as an “outstanding student” who plays the violin, speaks multiple languages and had never been in trouble before the assault.

The judge said he would take the recommendation under advisement, but made no decision on Friday. He did however reject Smith’s request that DeClue be released to her parents and remain on house arrest with a GPS monitor.

Earlier this week, Gain’s family confirmed she’d finally returned home after a month in the hospital and two weeks at a rehabilitation facility. During that time the teen underwent a series of medical procedures, including a craniectomy, which involved removing part of her skull to relieve pressure on the brain. As a result, Gain has to wear a customized helmet until she can undergo surgery to reattach the missing piece.

Gain is also required to attend physical and speech therapy three times a week and experiences short-term memory loss.

St. Louis teen beaten in viral fight is out of ICU but has limited speech and trouble walking, attorney says
GoFundMe
Beating victim Kaylee Gain. (GoFundMe)

Gain and her family did not attend DeClue’s hearing on Friday. Her attorney, Bryan Kaemmerer, in a statement to KSDK said that it “would not be in the best interest of her mental or physical health.”

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7682510 2024-05-11T10:29:19+00:00 2024-05-11T10:29:19+00:00
Suspect IDed, charged for murdering attorney Jeffrey Limmer at Texas McDonald’s https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/10/texas-mcdonalds-murder-jeffrey-limmer-suspect-identified/ Fri, 10 May 2024 19:16:40 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7681374 A suspect has been identified in the fatal shooting of attorney Jeffrey Limmer, who was killed while trying to de-escalate a conflict at a Texas McDonald’s.

Anthony Landry, who remained at large as of Friday afternoon, is wanted on one count of murder in connection with 46-year-old Limmer’s slaying.

According to a statement from the Houston Police Department, the deadly confrontation unfolded at the McDonald’s near the Katy Freeway Saturday night. Landry was dissatisfied with the food he received and demanded a refund from employees, police said. He became irate when they refused, prompting Limmer to step in.

But his attempts to calm Landry were unsuccessful, and their conflict turned physical in the parking lot outside the fast food joint, police said. There, Limmer shoved Landry to the ground, who in turn retrieved a firearm from his nearby vehicle, and then fired off two shots.

Officers arrived a short time later to find Limmer had sustained a fatal gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. He worked as an attorney for the Lewis Brisbois law firm

The suspect is accused of twice shooting 46-year-old Jeffrey Limmer (inset), an attorney for Lewis Brisbois law firm, outside the McDonald's on the Katy Freeway in Houston on Saturday. (Google)
Anthony Martin Landry is accused of twice shooting 46-year-old Jeffrey Limmer (inset), an attorney for Lewis Brisbois law firm, outside the McDonald’s on the Katy Freeway in Houston on Saturday. (Google)

Police said Landry had already fled the scene by the time they arrived, likely in a blue Ford pickup truck.

Limmer’s family in a statement released Thursday said they were “relieved to learn” the suspect had been identified.

“We pray that he is apprehended as soon as possible so that he cannot hurt anyone else,” they said.

“Additionally, we are praying for the safety of law enforcement as they work to bring him to justice,” the statement continued. “We are grateful to the community for your overwhelming love and support, and we ask that you respect our privacy as we mourn the loss of our dear Jeff.”

Anyone with information regarding Landry’s whereabouts have been asked to contact the Houston Police Department. They’re offering a $5,000 reward.

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