13-year-old, 7-year-old among 5 killed in massive crash on I-95 in Virginia: Police
A Virginia State Police car. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
(STAFFORD COUNTY, Va.) — Five people were killed and 44 were injured in a massive crash between a bus and multiple vehicles on Interstate 95 in Virginia early Friday morning, according to state authorities.
The accident unfolded at about 2:35 a.m. on I-95 south in Stafford County, about 45 miles south of Washington, D.C., the Virginia State Police said.
As traffic slowed for a work zone, a bus did not slow down and struck a Chevrolet Suburban, police said.
The bus then hit other cars, while the Suburban was forced into an Acura SUV and other cars, police said.
The Acura caught fire, police said. Four of the five people killed were in the Acura: a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts, police said.
The fifth victim killed, a 25-year-old woman, was in the Suburban, police said.
Forty-four people were taken to hospitals, including three with critical injuries, police said.
The bus — which was en route from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina –was carrying about 34 people, police said, noting that the bus driver, Jing S. Dong, 48, suffered injuries.
Charges are pending, police said.
The crash initially closed all lanes of I-95, Virginia’s Department of Transportation said, causing massive delays for the Friday commute. All lanes have since reopened.
Travelers wait in line to go through security in Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 27, 2026 in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Despite high prices for gas and airfare, a record-breaking 45 million Americans are expected to travel for Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA.
Whether you are hitting the road or taking to the skies, here’s what you need to know:
By plane
About 3.66 million people are expected to fly over Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA.
The top U.S. destinations are Orlando, Florida; Seattle; New York City; Las Vegas; Miami; and San Francisco, according to AAA. The top international cities are Rome; Vancouver, Canada; Paris and London.
American Airlines said its busiest travel day of the holiday weekend is expected to be Friday, May 22. American also said it’s predicting its busiest summer ever, with Friday, July 17, set to be the airline’s most popular day to fly.
By car
The majority of people are expected to drive to their Memorial Day destination, with AAA predicting 39.1 million will travel by car.
If you are heading out the door on Friday, May 22, the best time to be on the road is before 11 a.m., because traffic will be heaviest from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to analytics company INRIX.
When you are ready to hit the road to go home on Monday, May 25, INRIX recommends leaving before 10 a.m., with the worst traffic forecast from noon to 5 p.m.
Although millions are driving to their Memorial Day vacation, filling up the tank will be costly as the war in Iran sends gas prices surging. As of May 10, the national average for gas was above $4.50 per gallon, according to data from AAA and Gas Buddy. Last year on Memorial Day, the national average for a gallon of gas was $3.17, according to AAA. This year marks the highest gas prices since the summer of 2022, AAA said.
Alleged serial killer Rex A. Heuermann appears inside Judge Tim Mazzei’s courtroom with his attorney Michael Brown at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead for a frye hearing on July 17, 2025 in Riverhead, New York. (Photo by James Carbone-Pool/Getty Images)
Heuermann, a New York City architect, was arrested in 2023 and initially pleaded not guilty to killing seven women. Over 17 years, he targeted sex workers and dumped their bodies near Long Island’s Gilgo Beach, prosecutors said. His trial had been set for September.
“Do you feel it’s in your best interest to plead guilty rather than go to trial?” Judge Timothy Mazzei asked.
“Yes, your honor,” Heuermann replied.
Heuermann, 62, agreed to serve three consecutive life sentences followed by four consecutive sentences of 25 years-to-life, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said. He will face no other prosecution in connection with the eight victims but must cooperate with the FBI going forward.
His sentencing is set for June 17.
Standing in a dark suit with his hands shackled behind his back, Heuermann admitted he murdered Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, whose bodies were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach.
“You killed each victim in the same manner, namely strangulation?” Tierney asked.
“Yes,” Heuermann answered in clinical fashion.
Heuermann also pleaded guilty to strangling to death Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Heuermann also admitted to an eighth killing: 34-year-old Karen Vergata. He was not formally charged with Vergata’s death, but admitted to it as part of the plea agreement.
Authorities believe Vergata was working as an escort when she went missing in February 1996, prosecutors said. Some of her remains were found in April 1996 on Long Island’s Fire Island, prosecutors said, and additional remains were recovered in April 2011 on Long Island’s Tobay Beach.
Several of the victims’ relatives sobbed quietly and were seen wiping tears as Heuermann admitted to the killings.
Heuermann’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and his daughter attended the hearing.
Ellerup leaned forward in her seat, gripping the back of the chair in front of her. Ellerup and her daughter sat in the back row of the courtroom packed with relatives of victims and investigators who have labored over the case for decades.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” Ellerup said after court. “Their loss is immeasurable.”
“She never wanted to believe the man she was married to for 27 years, the father of Victoria, was capable of these heinous acts,” Ellerup’s attorney, Bob Macedonio, said.
The Gilgo Beach killings went unsolved for two decades until the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, New York State Police and the FBI first identified Heuermann as a suspect in 2022 through his Chevrolet Avalanche, a distinctive pickup truck sparsely purchased on Long Island.
From there, prosecutors said they compiled DNA from a hair lifted from burlap used to wrap some of the victims and from pizza crust in the trash outside Heuermann’s Manhattan office.
Heuermann used an alias to communicate with dozens of sex workers and to amass an extensive collection of torture pornography. Prosecutors said he kept a “blueprint” of his killings that included a list of supplies, locations of “dump sites” and reminders to “consider a hit to the neck next time.”
Heuermann’s victims date back to 1993, when Costilla was killed. The final woman, 27-year-old Costello, went missing in September 2010, according to police.
New York Knicks fans run from fireworks in Times Square during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, on June 10, 2026 in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The New York Knicks’ historic comeback against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday ignited celebration as well as chaos outside Madison Square Garden as some fans went berserk, prompting dozens of arrests.
Rowdy fans got into fistfights, climbed scaffolding, blocked Midtown Manhattan traffic, set off fireworks and smoke bombs, ripped down street signs, climbed poles, jumped atop taxis and other moving vehicles, and damaged police vehicles, according to authorities and videos of the mayhem posted on social media.
And the Knicks haven’t even won the championship — yet. The team leads the best-of-seven series 3 games to 1, and can close it out in San Antonio on Saturday night.
But one fan hoisted themselves up in a bucket lift in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday night to encourage the fans to party like it’s 1973, the last time the Knicks won an NBA championship.
Another fan climbed on top of a big-rig truck stuck in a traffic jam, while a group of fans was caught on video stomping on a Citi Bike.
Ten police officers were injured in the post-game revelry, including one who was struck in the face with a glass bottle, the New York Police Department said.
Some Knicks fans even showed up at the hotel where the Spurs were staying and threw eggs at San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 star Victor Wembanyama, according to online videos.
The wild scenes played out after the Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit to win the game. The biggest comeback in NBA Finals history was capped by a high-flying tip-in shot by Knicks’ forward OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds left in the game.
A fan watch party initially planned for Wednesday outside Madison Square Garden was canceled at the last minute by Garden officials in a dispute over the crowd being limited to 1,000 people and the strict rules enacted by police and city officials on spectator behavior.
“The NYPD wants New Yorkers to be able to enjoy these celebrations, but our primary responsibility is to ensure that everyone can do so safely,” the NYPD said in a statement on Thursday morning. “Once again, there were large crowds of people who engaged in incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior last night both during and after the game. This demonstrates exactly why the NYPD has increased our presence in and around Madison Square Garden.”
At multiple locations blocks from the Garden, crowds refused numerous verbal commands to disperse, police said. In total, there were 56 people taken into custody, including 15 who were arrested and 41 who were released with criminal court summonses, according to the NYPD.
Fans were arrested on suspicion of assault on a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon (a knife), reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental administration, and trademark counterfeiting, the NYPD said.
But the lockdown of streets adjacent to the Garden didn’t stop Knicks fans from trying to get as close as they could to the arena.
During the Wednesday’s game, thousands of unruly fans began gathering at various places north of Madison Square Garden. As the game progressed, the crowds became increasingly destructive, some jumping atop moving vehicles in the area.
At one point, about a dozen people, most wearing Knicks jerseys, jumped on top of a cab stuck in traffic and stomped on and busted the front windshield, while several revelers took turns using belts to whip the hood of the taxi, according to bystander video.
“We haven’t seen a miracle like this since the birth of Jesus,” a fan yelled into a camera.
