Man facing federal charges for allegedly setting massive fire that destroyed warehouse: DOJ
In this screen grab from a video, a Kimberly-Clark warehouse burns in Ontario, Calif., April 7, 2026. (KABC)
(ONTARIO, Calif.) — A man is facing federal charges for allegedly purposely setting the fire that destroyed a massive warehouse in Southern California, prosecutors said.
Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, is charged with arson of a building used in interstate and foreign commerce and used in activities affecting interstate and foreign commerce, the Department of Justice said on Friday.
On April 7, Abdulkarim allegedly took video of himself setting fire to paper goods in the Ontario, California, distribution center, prosecutors said.
Abdulkarim allegedly said in the video, “If you’re not going to pay us enough to [expletive] live or afford to live, at least pay us enough not to do this [expletive],” the DOJ said in a statement.
The massive blaze destroyed the 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse and caused about $500 million in damage, prosecutors said. No one was injured, the Ontario Fire Department said.
In texts and phone calls, Abdulkarim allegedly said, “I just cost these [expletive] billions,” and, “All you had to do was pay us enough to live. … Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift,” according to prosecutors.
The suspect also allegedly posted videos on social media of him starting the fire, prosecutors said.
Abdulkarim, of Highland, California, was arrested on Tuesday on state charges and is expected to be arraigned in state court on Friday, prosecutors said.
Attorney information for Abdulkarim was not immediately available.
A Boeing C-135 Stratotanker / Stratolifter military aircraft known as KC-135 of the United States Air Force USAF configured as Air Tanker Transport for aerial refueling. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Four service members were killed when their refueling aircraft “went down” in friendly airspace in western Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command.
“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” CENTCOM said Friday.
The KC-135 aircraft went down at approximately 2 p.m. ET when two aircraft were involved in “an incident,” CENTCOM said in a brief statement Thursday, confirming that “one of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.”
Gen. Dan Caine addressed the crashed refueling plane, saying the incident is being treated as an active rescue and recovery mission.
“The incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission, and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire,” Caine said Friday. “We’re still treating this as an active rescue and recovery operation, as CENTCOM announced this morning, four airmen have been recovered, and the Air Force and US Central Command will provide updates as information becomes available.”
The other aircraft involved was also a KC-135 tanker, according to a U.S. official.
The circumstances of the incident are currently under investigation and the identities of the service members who died in the incident are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified, officials said.
KC-135 aircraft are not equipped with parachutes and do not have ejection seats, which are primarily in fighter aircraft, officials have told ABC News.
Passengers and crew members of KC-135s instead are trained on how to exit the aircraft when it is on land or on water, officials said.
According to a 2008 Air Force profile of the tanker crews, the move to get rid of parachutes was made because the tankers “seldom have mishaps, and the likelihood a KC-135 crew member would ever need to use a parachute is extremely low.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — Police in Greensboro, North Carolina, are urging the public to share any tips in connection to the disappearance of Marissa Carmichael, a Black mother of five who was last seen on surveillance footage at a gas station on Jan. 14, 2024, after making a distressed call to 911.
Carmichael was 24-years-old at the time of her disappearance.
A spokesperson for the Greensboro Police Department (GPD) told ABC News on Tuesday that police are “absolutely” still concerned about Carmichael’s welfare two years after her disappearance, and are urging the public to come forward with any information about her case.
“We know that not being home with her children – and not having any contact with her family – is out of character for her,” the spokesperson said.
Asked if foul play is suspected and if any suspects have been identified in connection to the case, the police spokesperson declined to comment. “In surveillance footage obtained by our department, Ms. Carmichael was seen getting into a vehicle and leaving the gas station,” the spokesperson said, adding that the footage has not been released publicly as part of “the active investigation” into Carmichael’s disappearance.
Police said in a Feb. 13, 2024, update in this case that “detectives have identified and interviewed the driver of that vehicle, who is currently considered a witness in this case.” The spokesperson for GPD said that no further updates are available publicly at this time.
According to police, Carmichael was last seen at 3:46 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at the Exxon gas station on 809 East Market St. in Greensboro and made a distressed call to 911 just before she vanished.
In the 911 call – the audio of which was obtained by ABC News — Carmichael appeared distressed and was asking for help finding a ride home. According to an incident report obtained by ABC News, when police arrived at the gas station, Carmichael wasn’t there.
During the two-minute call, Carmichael, whose name is bleeped out when she identifies herself, tells the 911 dispatcher that a man had asked her to pick up some things at the gas station but drove off while she was inside and that she has no way of getting home. Police have confirmed that the call is from Marissa.
“I don’t know where I am in Greensboro … he took off with my phone. I have no clue where I’m at. I have no numbers,” Carmichael tells the dispatcher.
Carmichael’s mother, Sara Carmichael, previously told ABC News that the family last saw Marissa on Saturday, Jan. 13, but since Jan. 14, her daughter has not been active on her social media accounts and her phone has been turned off.
According to Sara Carmichael, on the night before her disappearance, Marissa told her sister Emma that she was going to the club and asked her not to tell her mother because she didn’t want her to worry.
Sara Carmichael said after talking to her daughter’s friends, she learned that Marissa went to One17 SofaBar & Lounge, and then later went to an Airbnb for an afterparty, then was dropped off at the Exxon station.
Sara Carmichael told ABC News on the one-year anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance that her family, including Marissa’s five children, are distraught as they await updates from detectives working the case.
“Every day I wake up and it’s like, here, you know, it’s just the day where I might find out some news,” her mother said. “Is this the day where, you know, there may be some answers for me, for her kids? It just sometimes – this does not seem real. It still just doesn’t seem real.”
Ahead of the two-year anniversary of Marissa Carmichael’s disappearance, ABC News reached out to Sara Carmichael for further comment.
Greensboro police told ABC News that Marissa Carmichael’s information was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as a missing person the day she was reported missing.
Police also urged the community to reach out to police or call Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers to share tips anonymously at 336-373-1000.
(NEW YORK) — A major winter storm is making post-Christmas road travel extremely dangerous in parts of the Northeast, and bringing snow and ice to the New York City area.
The storm is also impacting flights. More than 1,500 flights were canceled on Friday, with New York City’s three airports and the Philadelphia International Airport hit the hardest.
More than 500 flights were canceled on Saturday.
New Jersey and New York were under state of emergencies.
“Please continue to monitor your local forecast, avoid unnecessary travel and if you must travel, take all necessary precautions to ensure you arrive safely,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
Heavy snow is expected to hit parts of New York, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, western Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The heaviest snow began moving into the tristate area Friday afternoon and will continue through the night, making travel difficult from Philadelphia to New York City to Albany, New York.
The snow began reaching New York City around 5 p.m. Friday and was expected to continue overnight, ending around 7 a.m. Earlier, New York City was forecast to get about 7 inches of snow — which would have been the most snow in nearly four years.
However, the National Weather Service later revised its forecast saying the mix of precipitation had shifted further northeast, lowering the expected snowfall totals around New York City and northeast New Jersey.
Instead, the New York City area was expected to see between 2 to 5 inches with some spots seeing 6 inches especially to the north. A “glaze of ice” from freezing rain was also expected.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called it a “significant snow event” and said plows would be hitting the streets later Friday night.
Six to 10 inches of snow is possible from upstate New York to Long Island.
Philadelphia can expect 1 to 3 inches of snow along with a glaze of ice, making travel challenging on Friday night.
On Friday morning, the freezing rain moved into Pennsylvania and covered roads across the state with dangerous ice. An ice storm warning is in place in parts of western Pennsylvania, where numerous power outages and downed trees are possible.
