2 college students found dead in Colorado mountains fell to their deaths while climbing: Authorities
Two Colorado hikers, Kaden Matsuda, left, and Jackson Donlon, found dead. (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)
Two college students who went missing on a weekend hike in the Colorado mountains died after an anchor they were using while climbing failed and they fell a “substantial” distance, according to authorities.
Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found dead in a basin of West Apostle Mountain on Oct. 28, days after setting out on their trip, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy this week determined that the cause of both of their deaths was multiple blunt force injuries, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and Chaffee County Coroner’s Office. Their deaths were “instant,” the offices said in a statement on Tuesday.
An investigation found that the two fell a “substantial” distance while rappelling after their anchor “had a catastrophic failure of unknown cause,” the offices said.
A heavy snowstorm had impacted the area while they were on their trip. It is unknown if the storm “had a negative impact leading to the incident, but it did not play a direct contributing factor in their death,” the offices said.
The two friends had attended Colorado Mountain College in Leadville. Matsuda — of Ridgway, Colorado — was studying to be a wildland firefighter, and Donlon — of Queensbury, New York — was studying to become a mountain guide, authorities said.
“Kaden and Jackson lived life at the highest peaks chasing freedoms and panoramic views that most of us only see in pictures. We hope their families and friends find strength in the memories of their vibrant spirits,” Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in a statement.
The sheriff said there is also “relief knowing neither of them suffered.”
“While their lives were far too short, they spent their final moments together surrounded by the majestic beauty of Chaffee County’s high peaks that they loved,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — About 6,600 people in New Jersey who said they were not U.S. citizens had been incorrectly registered to vote due to a technical error during the previous gubernatorial administration, Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who took office this year, said Tuesday. She added that fewer than 400 were found to have actually voted and that the state is taking action to remove them from its voter rolls.
The admission came less than a week after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent letters to New Jersey and three other states alleging that those states might have tens of thousands of noncitizens registered to vote, although Mullin did not explain how precisely DHS got those numbers.
Mullin and DHS had alleged that New Jersey could have “as many as … 35,152 non-citizens registered to vote in New Jersey.”
Sherrill said in a statement on Tuesday, “Last week I learned that a serious software error in New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle System led to the registration of roughly 6,600 people who indicated that they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024, almost three years prior to my taking office. These individuals answered ‘no’ when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers’ licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway.”
The governor’s statement said that the state’s “preliminary analysis” found that less than 400 people who were erroneously registered to vote had voted in elections and were not tied to just one party; they were registered as Democrats, Republicans, or unaffiliated voters.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Sherrill said those voters could have potentially voted in any election since being registered, but the state has “no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed” because of those voters
Sherrill said that she has ordered an independent investigation about what happened, the removal of any New Jersey residents from the state’s voter rolls who should not have been registered to vote, and that the new administrator of New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission is starting to replace the vendor tasked with running the faulty system.
The governor also said she will present the state’s findings after it investigates, and that the state is taking care to protect the identities of noncitizens who were registered inadvertently so that their immigration status does not get imperiled.
In a statement, IDEMIA, the company that runs the system faulted by the governor, said: “IDEMIA works with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and has for more than 40 years, to support the process through which eligible individuals may indicate their interest in registering to vote when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or state-issued identification card. IDEMIA’s role is to transmit information through the motor vehicle system. The voter registration information is transmitted to the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, which is ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote. Information submitted by IDEMIA must still be validated and adjudicated by the Division of Elections.”
At her press conference, Sherill pushed back against any insinuation that the finding validates claims the Trump administration has made about New Jersey’s voter rolls.
“Let me be clear: Donald Trump has zero credibility on the issue of election integrity. For the past 10 years, he’s cried wolf and peddled bizarre conspiracy theories about fraud with no evidence,” she told reporters during the press conference.
Sherrill also briefly referenced the DHS letter, saying that the number of alleged noncitizen voters appears to be unrelated to the number of noncitizen voters New Jersey uncovered. She confirmed New Jersey received the DHS letter, but said the state asked the administration for any evidence of there being that many noncitizen voters and has not gotten anything back yet.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice said Tuesday that is investigating the matter.
In a letter to Sherrill shared on social media, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, wrote: “Ensuring that U.S. citizens’ votes are not illegally diluted by noncitizens votes is of paramount importance. We therefore write to formally request additional information to assess New Jersey’s compliance with various federal statutes.” Dhillon asked for the state to provide within five business days personal information on the registered noncitizens the state identified and details on the around 400 who voted.
The White House said Tuesday’s announcement from Sherrill bolsters the need for Congress to pass the president’s signature SAVE America Act, which would significantly retool the administration of American elections.
“Democrats and their media allies have repeatedly said it is impossible for noncitizens to register to vote, let alone cast a ballot,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
“As President Trump has said, there is nothing more important than the integrity of our elections. And this latest incident underscores the absolute necessity of the SAVE America Act,” she added. “American voters deserve to have confidence that our elections are safe and secure — President Trump will never stop fighting to make that happen and all patriotic Americans should join in his effort.”
A memorial dedicated to the 19 children and two adults murdered on May 24,2022 during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School is seen on January 05, 2026 in Uvalde, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
(UVALDE, Texas) — Former Uvalde, Texas, school police chief Pete Arredondo is due in federal court Tuesday as part of his push to compel federal agents to testify at his trial for allegedly endangering students during the response to the Robb Elementary School mass shooting.
Arredondo is charged with 10 counts of endangering students for allegedly failing to quickly respond to the May 24, 2022, shooting, in which 19 students and two teachers were killed.
Arredondo filed a civil lawsuit this year to compel 19 U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees to testify during his criminal trial, which is set to begin on Feb. 22, 2027.
Arredondo’s attorneys have argued the testimony is vital for him to have a fair trial.
“The testimony will not only be material to determining whether he alone is responsible for the delay, it will also be helpful to show that Mr. Arredondo is not personally responsible for many shortcomings or any delay of CBP agents as part of the law enforcement response,” defense attorney Paul Looney wrote in a court filing.
This year, Looney filed a formal request to make the agents available to testify at trial, arguing that the accounts of the agents who stormed the classroom where the shooter was barricaded is necessary to prove Arredondo was not responsible for the botched response. Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell has sued to compel similar testimony, but CBP declined the requests to facilitate the testimony.
CBP Chief Counsel Andrew Block said in court filings that the testimony is not necessary for Arredondo’s defense, could be sought through other means, could impact CBP operations, and may result in the disclosure of “confidential law enforcement techniques and procedures.”
“You seek testimony from 19 CBP employees, which would require CBP to make all 19 officers available before and during the trial, pulling them off duty, incurring travel costs, and lost work hours, which negatively impacts CBP operations and national security,” Block wrote.
Former Olympian David Hearn outside DC Superior Court in Washington, DC, July 9, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn says he is “relieved” after a Washington, D.C. judge permanently dismissed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against him, ending the possibility that prosecutors could recharge him.
Hearn was indicted this summer and prosecutors alleged that he ripped a piece of the lining from the pool while he was out on a bike ride.
The charges were rolled out in a press conference where U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Hearn “forcefully and violently” vandalized the pool and that they had proof “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
President Donald Trump had insisted the damage to the pool, a key renovation project of his, was the work of vandals, but Pirro later said that evidence surfaced that renovations to the pool had caused the damage. Hearn had faced up to 10 years in prison in connection with the case.
Speaking exclusively to “Good Morning America,” Hearn called Thursday’s ruling “a victory for democracy.”
“I’m relieved,” Hearn said. “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. Anybody in this country.”
Asked what he meant, Hearn said people could be “targeted and unfairly accused of something they didn’t do.”
“Nobody should feel they’re immune from this kind of abuse of power,” he said.
Hearn said he believes Pirro and Trump owe him an apology.
“Do you think the president should apologize to you?” Hearn was asked.
“Yes,” Hearn said.
“Do you think he will?”
“You know, if pigs fly, maybe,” Hearn said.
Just six weeks after Hearn’s arrest, Pirro dropped the charges, President Trump subsequently criticized Pirro over the decision, saying she “choked.”
The Justice Department wanted to preserve the possibility of bringing the case again, but In his ruling Thursday, Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Hearn cannot be charged again over the same allegations.
Edelman also addressed Trump’s public comments about the case, writing that despite there being no evidence of a crime, the president’s public pressure created “a risk that Mr. Hearn will be prosecuted nonetheless.”
Hearn said the experience has shaken him and that the past few months have been “difficult” while thanking those who rallied around him during the case.
He and his attorney, Norm Eisen, are also considering whether to pursue legal action against Trump or the administration.
Eisen told ABC News that they are “actively” considering their options and that “nothing is off the table.”
