2 dead, 19 hurt after small plane crashes into furniture warehouse in Southern California
Smoke rises from a roof after a small plane crash in Fullerton, Calif., on Jan. 2, 2025. Via KABC
(LOS ANGELES) — Authorities in Southern California say two people are dead and 19 others were hurt after a small plane crashed into an furniture warehouse just minutes after taking off from a nearby airport Thursday afternoon.
The crash happened in the 2300 block of Raymer Avenue in Fullerton, California, not far from the Fullerton Municipal Airport, according to police.
Fullerton police said the two people who died are believed to have been inside the plane at the time of the crash. The people who were injured were working inside the building. Their injuries ranged from minor to very severe. Of the injured, 11 were taken to the hospital.
The single-engine, four-seat airplane took from the airport shortly after 2 p.m. local time and climbed to 900 feet before radioing the control tower to request an immediate return to the airport, according to Elliot Simpson, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The pilot was cleared to land. However, the plane took a 180-degree turn and crashed about 1,000 feet short of the runway, crashing into a furniture warehouse and catching fire, Simpson told reporters during a news conference.
Simpson said the plane involved was a kit-built Van’s Aircraft RV-10 that was constructed in 2011. A kit-built is one in which the owner builds it and maintains it themselves and the Federal Aviation Administration inspects it to clear it to fly. Simpson said kit-built aircraft are common.
It’s unclear why the pilot radioed to return to the airport, but Simpson said authorities are continuing their investigation.
The crash caused a large fire and led to significant damage to part of the warehouse, said Michael Meacham, with the Fullerton Fire Department.
ABC News’ Sam Sweeney, Ayesha Ali and Jack Moore contributed to this report.
(NEW ORLEANS) — The man who is suspected of committing the New Years Day vehicle-ramming attack in New Orleans searched online for information about the Christmas market car-ramming attack in Germany, just hours before carrying out his own attack on Bourbon Street, according to the FBI.
In a report released Tuesday, the FBI said a search of Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s “electronics” showed that he “conducted many online searches” related to the New Orleans attack “as late as mid-November,” including “how to access a balcony on Bourbon Street” and information about Mardi Gras, which occurs in March.
“Just hours before the attack on Bourbon Street, he also searched for information about the car that rammed into innocent victims in a Christmas market in Germany just ten days before,” the FBI report said.
On Dec. 21, 2024, a man drove into a crowded German Christmas market, killing five and injuring 200, according to German authorities.
In the early hours of New Years Day, Jabbar, whom the FBI previously said had recorded videos “proclaiming his support for ISIS” and mentioning he had joined the terrorist group earlier in the year, drove a rented truck down Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring 57. He died in a shootout with police while he was reaching to detonate coolers filled with explosives, according to investigators.
“A total of 136 victims have been identified, including two businesses that suffered damages,” the FBI’s report said, updating the official number of victims.
The FBI report also provided more detail about Jabbar’s visits to the city prior to the attack.
“On November 10, 2024, Jabbar took a train from Houston, Texas to New Orleans and returned to Texas that evening on a bus,” the report said. “While in the city, Jabbar looked at an apartment for rent on Orleans Street. Just days after his travel he applied to rent the apartment but later told the landlord he changed his mind.”
Jabbar at the time lived in Houston, Texas. The FBI on Tuesday also released an image they said is of Jabbar in New Orleans on November 10.
“Thanks to the overwhelming response from the public, the FBI is closer to getting answers for those families who lost loved ones and the other victims of the New Year’s Day attack,” the FBI report said.
(DENVER, Co.) — Law enforcement agencies in the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area are investigating a rise in burglaries targeting Asian homes, businesses and places of worship across the community.
There have been around 100 reported burglaries of Asian homes across the state this year, according to Denver ABC affiliate KMGH-TV.
The sheriff’s office in Douglas County — which is south of Denver — told ABC News that there have been around 14 burglaries targeting homes of Asian business owners since the beginning of the year. Seven of these have happened since September, it noted.
In an interview that aired on Tuesday, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly told ABC News Live’s Diane Macedo that there is a “multi-jurisdictional investigation” into a “sophisticated” operation, where the burglars are using “WiFi jammers to subvert alarm systems” and even conducting their own surveillance by setting up cameras near the homes of their victims to ensure that they are away when the burglars strike.
“Many times, these criminals will enter from the back, dressed as utility workers, are wearing vests,” Weekly said. “They’re very methodical. They plan these burglaries early, and they’ve made off with over $2.5 million that we’re aware of.”
The Douglas County Sheriff’s office first warned the community of these burglaries in an Oct. 31 statement and so far, no arrests have been made, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
Asked why Asian business owners appear to be targeted, Weekly said that some are known to keep “large amounts” of cash in their homes, as opposed to depositing the money in a bank.
Lisa Nguyen, the owner of a plaza of Asian-owned businesses, told ABC News that one of the businesses in her plaza was burglarized.
“They are destroying small businesses,” Nguyen said in Tuesday’s interview. “The amount of money that they took is detrimental to, you know, them being able to operate.”
She’s also president-elect of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, and said that the home of one of her real estate clients was burglarized twice since September.
According to Nguyen, who shared surveillance video of both burglaries with the ABC News, $17,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from a convenience store in her plaza.
She said a burglary of that scale puts families in a position where “multiple months of rent have been stolen” and “could cause businesses to completely shut down.”
Weekly urged the community to notify law enforcement if they see anything suspicious and advised residents to keep their homes locked, install lights on their property and to implement multiple security measures to safeguard their homes, as well as to communicate with their neighbors.
“It’s really critical if somebody sees something, call law enforcement so we can get out there,” Weekly said.
Weekly held a town hall on Monday night, along with Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown, the Organized Crime Unit and 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, to address the issue and share safety information with the community.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s office also partnered with the Colorado Asian Chamber of Commerce to distribute safety tips and urge anyone who has experienced a burglary or seen anything suspicious to come forward.
Nguyen said that she hopes an arrest will be made soon.
“I think my message is just that somebody literally has to know something out there,” she said. “And you know, that’s all it’s going to take is for somebody to come forward.”
People watch as the hearse carrying the flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter departs Phoebe Sumter Medical Center on January 4, 2025 in Americus, Georgia. (Photo by Alex Brandon – Pool/Getty Images)
(ATLANTA) — The emotional, week-long public goodbye to former President Jimmy Carter is underway.
Carter’s body was transferred from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta on Saturday. The former president, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100, will remain in Atlanta through Tuesday.
Carter to remain in Atlanta through Tuesday
Former President Jimmy Carter will lie in repose at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta through Tuesday.
Mourners can pay their respects at the center from 7 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
He will be transported to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning. A service will be held at the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon and the late president will lie in state at the Capitol on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, dignitaries will gather in D.C. for Carter’s state funeral at Washington National Cathedral. President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy.
On Thursday afternoon, Carter will return to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, for a private service and private interment.
‘The two of them together changed the world’
Former President Jimmy Carter’s son Chip Carter thanked his parents for their service and sacrifice at Saturday’s service at the Carter Presidential Center.
“The two of them together changed the world,” he said, overcome with emotion.
Chip Carter called out the caregivers who cared for his father in the last years of his life, including one caregiver attending Saturday’s service who spent 6 years working for the former president.
“They are the people that helped keep him alive and comfortable and fed and cleaned,” Chip Carter said. “It was amazing, what they did for us.”
He also shared memories from his childhood.
Chip Carter said when he failed Latin, his dad spent Christmas break learning Latin and teaching it to him. Chip Carter said when he returned to school, he asked to re-take the test and got an A.
‘His legacy will live on,’ grandson says
At a service at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason Carter said the family has been planning for this day for a while, but it’s still difficult.
To the Carter Center employees, he said, “While we mourn my grandfather’s passing, I know in my heart — and you all do — that his legacy will live on not only because of the millions of people he touched across the globe,” but because of the tireless work of the Carter Center employees.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter Center after his presidency to improve health around the world and enhance freedom and democracy.
Hearse arrives at Carter Presidential Center
Former President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade has arrived at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta for a 4 p.m. service.
“Hail to the Chief” and “America the Beautiful” were played as his coffin was brought to the building, with the Carter family looking on.
Carter’s son Chip Carter and grandson Jason Carter are expected to speak.
President Carter is survived by four children — John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff) and Amy Lynn — and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, died on Nov. 19, 2023, at age 96.
Motorcade stops at Georgia’s state capitol
The motorcade’s first stop in Atlanta is Georgia’s state capitol, where former President Jimmy Carter will be honored with a moment of silence.
Carter served as governor of Georgia and a state senator before becoming the 39th president.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens are among the officials coming to the capitol to pay their respects. The president’s eldest son, Jack Carter, briefly exited the car to shake officials’ hands.
Georgia state troopers who were on Carter’s protective detail during his time as governor also attended.
Carter’s White House portrait dressed in black bunting
Former President Jimmy Carter’s official White House portrait has been dressed in black bunting.
President Joe Biden ordered American flags to be flown at half-mast for 30 days following Carter’s death. He also marked Jan. 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning.
Georgia residents line the streets to watch motorcade
Georgia residents from Ellaville to Fort Valley lined the streets with their families, holding American flags, to watch former President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade pass by on Saturday.
The motorcade is driving through several Georgia towns while en route from Carter’s hometown of Plains to Atlanta.
The motorcade will reach Atlanta around 3 p.m.
Carter begins final journey to Atlanta
Former President Jimmy Carter is now taking his final drive to Atlanta.
The public can view the motorcade in the cities of Preston, Ellaville, Butler, Reynolds, and Fort Valley.
The motorcade will arrive in Atlanta at about 3 p.m. The first stop will be the state capitol for a moment of silence. Carter’s remains will then go to the Carter Presidential Center for a service at 4 p.m.
Hearse makes emotional stop at Carter’s boyhood home
The motorcade is stopping in front of the Plains, Georgia, farm that was former President Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home. The home had no running water or electricity during his childhood.
The home is now a part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.
National Park Service employees who work at the home saluted the hearse and the farm bell was rung 39 times in his honor.
Motorcade drives through Plains
The motorcade next drove through the small town of Plains, Georgia, the lifelong home of former President Jimmy Carter.
Members of the public were invited to line the route to pay their respects.
Secret Service agents carry Carter’s remains to hearse
The week-long funeral ceremonies for former President Jimmy Carter are officially underway.
Members of the public holding American flags gathered outside the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, to honor Carter as his remains leave the facility.
Current and former Secret Service agents who protected Carter since he took office served as pallbearers, carrying the former president’s remains from the medical center to the waiting hearse.
The agents walked alongside the hearse with their hands on the vehicle as it slowly left the medical center.
After departing from the medical center, the motorcade will drive by Carter’s boyhood home in nearby Plains.
Carter will then be driven to Atlanta for a ceremony Saturday afternoon.
Motorcade arrives at medical center
The Carter family has arrived at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, to witness the transfer of former President Jimmy Carter.
After leaving the medical center, the motorcade will drive by Carter’s boyhood home in nearby Plains. Carter will then be taken to Atlanta for an afternoon ceremony.
Schedule of events for this week’s services
Former president Jimmy Carter’s body will be transferred Saturday morning from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta.
A ceremony will be held at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Mourners can pay their respects to Carter in Atlanta over the following days before his remains are transferred to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
Carter will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday to Thursday.
Carter will be honored with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday morning. President Joe Biden expected to deliver a eulogy.
On Thursday afternoon, Carter and his family will return to Plains for a private service.
The public is then invited to line the motorcade route as Carter and his family travel through Plains to the late president’s final resting place.
