3-year-old boy dies after being left in hot car in Florida: Sheriff
Stock image of car air conditioning ventilation grille. (aire images/Getty Images)
(RIVERVIEW, Fla.) — A 3-year-old boy died after being left in a hot car in Florida, according to authorities.
Deputies responded to a home in Riverview, just outside of Tampa, at about 10:40 p.m. Saturday after the boy’s father found him unresponsive in a parked car, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
The boy was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.
The temperature hit a scorching 95 degrees in Riverview on Saturday, and with humidity, it felt hotter than 100 degrees.
It’s not clear how long the boy was in the car.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister called the death a “tragedy” and warned, “A vehicle can reach lethal temperatures within minutes.”
“We urge every parent and caregiver in our community to make hot vehicle safety a priority,” the sheriff said in a statement. “Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even for a moment.”
No charges have been filed at this time and the investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff’s office.
At least eight children have died in hot cars so far this year in the U.S., according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org. Last year, at least 37 children died in hot cars across the country, KidsAndCars.org said.
Click here for what to know to keep your children safe.
ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report.
Matthew Perry of the television show ‘The Kennedys – After Camelot’ speaks onstage during the REELZChannel portion of the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Langham Hotel, Jan. 13, 2017, in Pasadena, Calif. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — A woman reportedly known as the “Ketamine Queen,” who admitted to providing the ketamine that killed Matthew Perry, should serve 15 years in prison for her “cold callousness and disregard for life,” federal prosecutors said in a new court filing ahead of her sentencing.
Defense attorneys for Jasveen Sangha, who has been behind bars since her arrest in August 2024 in connection with the 54-year-old “Friends” actor’s fatal overdose, asked for time served, according to a court filing.
Sangha pleaded guilty last year to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She admitted to working with another dealer to provide Perry with dozens of vials of ketamine in the weeks before his death in October 2023, including the ketamine that killed him, according to the plea agreement.
She also admitted in the plea agreement to selling ketamine in connection with another overdose death, prosecutors said. The victim, Cody McLaury, died hours after Sangha sold him four vials of ketamine in August 2019, according to the DOJ.
In a sentencing memorandum filed on Wednesday, prosecutors said Sangha ran a “high-volume drug trafficking business out of her North Hollywood residence,” where she stored, packaged and distributed drugs, including ketamine and methamphetamine since at least 2019. They said she continued to sell “dangerous drugs” even after learning she sold ketamine that contributed to the deaths of McLaury and Perry.
“She didn’t care and kept selling,” prosecutors wrote. “Defendant’s actions show a cold callousness and disregard for life. She chose profits over people, and her actions have caused immense pain to the victims’ families and loved ones.
“That defendant had the opportunity to stop after realizing the impact of her dealing — but simply chose not to,” warranting a “significant” sentence, they continued.
The defense, meanwhile, said Sangha should receive a sentence of time served due to her “demonstrated rehabilitation.”
“She has maintained sustained and exemplary sobriety, and actively engaged in recovery-oriented and rehabilitative programming while in custody, and has tremendously strong family and community support to facilitate successful reentry and reduce the risk of recidivism,” her attorneys, Mark Geragos and Alexandra Kazarian, wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed on Wednesday.
Sangha faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced in Los Angeles on April 8.
In addition to Sangha, four other people were charged and pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death — the other dealer, Erik Fleming; Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in personal assistant; and two doctors, Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia.
Prosecutors said Sangha worked with Fleming to distribute ketamine to Perry, and that in October 2023, they sold the actor 51 vials of ketamine that were provided to Iwamasa.
“Leading up to Perry’s death, Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the ketamine that Sangha supplied to Fleming,” the DOJ said in a press release last year. “Specifically, on October 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three shots of Sangha’s ketamine, which caused Perry’s death.”
Iwamasa pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22.
Fleming pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death and is set to be sentenced on April 29.
Chavez and Plasencia have also been convicted for their roles in what prosecutors called a conspiracy to illegally distribute ketamine to Perry.
Chavez, who once ran a ketamine clinic, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was sentenced to eight months home confinement in December 2025.
Plasencia, who briefly treated Perry prior to his death, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of distribution of ketamine and was sentenced to 30 months in prison in December 2025.
(LONGVIEW, Wash.) — A chemical tank ruptured at a facility in Washington state, resulting in multiple critical injuries and an unknown number of fatalities, authorities said.
The “hazardous materials incident” was reported Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a pulp and paper mill in Longview, fire authorities said.
A tank containing white liquor ruptured at approximately 7:15 a.m., according to a joint statement from local authorities and Nippon Dynawave Packaging.
Authorities initially referred to the incident as a chemical explosion and then an implosion, before referring to it as a rupture.
“The incident is stable, but is in the recovery phase,” Longview Fire Battalion Chief Mike Gorsuch said during a press briefing Tuesday, calling it “tragic.”
“Recovery efforts remain underway at the facility,” he said.
The number of fatalities is undetermined at this time, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein said during the press briefing.
A number of personnel are missing, Goldstein said, declining to confirm how many.
Nine people at the facility suffered injuries, including chemical burns, and were transported by ambulance to area hospitals, authorities said. The injuries ranged from critical to minor, according to Goldstein.
One firefighter was also injured in the incident and has since been treated and released from a nearby hospital, according to Gorsuch.
Patients with traumatic injuries are being treated at nearby medical facilities, while patients experiencing burns and exposure are being sent to other hospitals around the area, including in Portland, which are considered burn centers, Rick Graves, the spokesperson for Portland Fire and Rescue in Oregon, told ABC News.
PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview told ABC News it received nine patients from the incident — including one deceased. Six are in fair condition, and two other patients have been transferred, it said.
Legacy Health confirmed to ABC News it is treating patients in the incident, including at the Legacy Oregon Burn Center in Portland, though did not go into further detail.
Information on those killed and injured in the incident is being held pending next-of-kin notifications, authorities said.
The 80,000-gallon tank was about 60% full at the time of the rupture, according to Goldstein. White liquor is a chemical mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate used in the paper-making process, he said.
The cause of the rupture is unknown at this time, Goldstein said.
“We’re dealing with life safety concerns and incident stabilization at this point,” he said. “That will come in the hours and days to come.”
There is no immediate threat to the public, authorities said.
“The scene remains in the recovery phase as emergency responders continue operations,” the joint statement said. “Responding agencies continue coordinating closely with facility personnel and partner agencies as the investigation and recovery efforts continue.”
Residents were urged to avoid the area amid the active emergency response.
The Nippon facility is located on the Washington-Oregon border near the Columbia River. The kraft pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant employs nearly 1,000 people, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.
ABC News’ Trevor Ault and Alyssa Pone contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A fuel pump at a Wawa gas station in Aston, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Gas prices stand near their highest level in four years as millions of Americans ready themselves to hit the road over Memorial Day weekend.
The national average for a gallon of gas on Friday stood at $4.55, which amounts to a roughly 42% rise from this time last year, AAA data showed. Gas prices surged in recent months as the Iran war choked off global oil supply.
Six states boast average gas prices above $5, including Washington and Alaska. California, the state with the nation’s highest gas prices, offers drivers an average gallon of $6.13, according to AAA.
Roughly 39 million people are expected to travel by car over the Memorial Day holiday, exceeding last year’s total, AAA forecasted.
“Travel demand remains strong, and despite higher fuel prices, many people are prioritizing leisure travel,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA travel, said in a statement.
Americans will spend about $2 billion more on gasoline over the four-day Memorial Day weekend compared to a year ago, amounting to an added cost of roughly $22 million per hour, Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, said in a post on X on Friday.
Nineteen states are expected to post record-high Memorial Day gas prices, among them Colorado, Ohio, Missouri and New Mexico, De Haan said.
Crude oil is the main ingredient in auto fuel, accounting for more than half of the price paid at the pump, according to the federal U.S. Energy Information Administration. The Middle East conflict triggered a historic oil shortage, driving up crude prices and hiking the cost of auto fuel.
The surge in oil prices came about after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global crude supply.
The U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures price — a benchmark of U.S. oil prices – has soared 50% since the outbreak of war on Feb. 28.
The U.S. is a net exporter of petroleum, meaning the country produces more oil than it consumes. But since oil prices are set on a global market, U.S. prices move in response to swings in worldwide supply and demand.
Oil prices have fallen slightly this week, however, as negotiations have given rise to hope among traders about a possible resumption of normal tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
As a result, De Haan said, gasoline prices may drop over the weekend, falling to an average below $4.50 by Memorial Day.
Roughly one of every 10 low-income households is spending more than 10% of its monthly income on gas, Bank of America said in a research report shared with ABC News last month, citing internal data. For middle- and upper-income households, the share spending that much on gas drops stands at about one of every 20.
Oil prices remain well below the highs reached after some previous economic shocks. In 2022, the price of Brent crude surged above $139 per barrel in March, just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the 2008 financial crisis, U.S. oil prices shot up as high as $147 a barrel.
