Animal sanctuary owner, about 100 cats die in fire, officials say
WABC
(MEDFORD, N.Y) — An animal sanctuary owner and roughly 100 cats have died in a fire on Long Island, according to officials.
The flames broke out at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Monday at Happy Cat Sanctuary in Medford, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. At the time of the fire, 300 cats were housed in the sanctuary, according to the Save The Animals Rescue Foundation.
Once the blaze was extinguished, police said they found the owner of the sanctuary, 65-year-old Christopher Arsenault, deceased in the home.
At least 100 cats died in the fire, Save The Animals Rescue Foundation said.
Arsenault attempted to extinguish the flames, taking cats away from the fire until “he went back in and he didn’t come out,” according to Lisa Jaeger, founder of Jaeger’s Run Animal Rescue.
“We lost the best man on the face of the planet, we’re just going to need everybody’s support now to try to continue his dream,” Jaeger said in a post on social media.
Jaeger said that “a lot of the cats did survive and we are doing our best to secure them.”
Jaeger’s organization, Suffolk County SPCA and other local animal groups are assisting in the rescue of the surviving cats, with many suffering burns and respiratory distress, according to Strong Island Animal Rescue.
Police said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
John Spat, the founder of Save-A-Dog Animal Protection Service, said in a statement that Arsenault was “one of the kindest humans to inhabit this Earth.”
“He just bought 30 acres upstate to make the USA’s best cat sanctuary. He was currently moving the cats up there. He never got to see his dream,” Spat said.
Arsenault began rescuing cats in 2006 after his 24-year-old son Eric “lost his life in a tragic accident when the throttle on his motorcycle stuck,” according to the sanctuary’s website.
After the death of his son, Arsenault came across a colony of 30 sick kittens, removed them from the colony and “nursed them back to health,” the website said.
“It was at that point he knew saving cats was his calling, and he opened Happy Cat Sanctuary,” the nonprofit’s website said.
Emergency units respond to airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided with a helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Figure skaters and coaches returning from the recent U.S. national championships were aboard the American Airlines flight that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, officials said.
No survivors were expected in the crash, officials said Thursday. There were 64 people aboard the plane and three in the helicopter, according to officials.
Fourteen figure skaters were among those on the flight, Doug Zeghibe, the CEO and executive director for the Skating Club of Boston, said he was told.
Zeghibe said six victims were from the Skating Club of Boston, including two coaches, two teenage athletes and two moms of athletes.
He identified the skaters from the Skating Club of Boston as Jinna Ha and Spencer Lane. Ha’s mother, Jin Han, and Lane’s mother, Christine Lane, were also on board. Zeghibe also identified the two coaches as Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. The two were 1994 World Pair Champions who joined the club in 2017, Zeghibe said.
“Six is a horrific number for us but we’re fortunate and grateful it wasn’t more than six,” Zeghibe said. “This will have long reaching impacts for our skating community.”
Zeghibe emphasized how tight-knit the skating community is and that “everyone is like family.”
“We are devastated and completely at a loss for words,” Zeghibe said.
The U.S. Figure Skating organization confirmed that “several members” of the skating community were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 which took off from Wichita, Kansas, and crashed approaching Reagan National Airport after colliding with a helicopter shortly before 9 p.m.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” the organization said.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the organization said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the jet and three personnel aboard the Army helicopter, which officials said was on a training flight at the time of the crash.
Officials have not publicly confirmed the number of fatalities in the crash.
The Mayor of Wichita, Lily Wu, offered her condolences during a press conference, becoming emotional when stating there are not any survivors.
“Our hearts are heavy as a city,” Wu said. “Our hearts are heavy as a city council, and we are here to provide the support needed for our community.”
At an early Thursday morning news conference, officials said they were continuing search-and-rescue operations in the icy Potomac River but did not say whether anyone had been pulled from the water alive, or confirm any deaths.
Meanwhile, Russian media reported that two Russian figure skaters were on board the American Airlines flight, and the presidential spokesman expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the plane crash.
“There were other of our fellow citizens there. Bad news from Washington today,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday morning.
Earlier, several Russian state media outlets reported that the 1994 world figure skating champions in pairs, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were on board the plane, though U.S. authorities have not confirmed these reports.
Oklahoma City figure skating coach Jackie Brenner was in Wichita with the skaters, coaches and officials who were aboard the flight.
“I was there on Sunday at a coaching workshop, which was the first day of U.S. figure skating development camp as they were coming into their two days of training,” Brenner said. “Huge excitement in the arena and lobby of all these families.”
The U.S. Figure Skating community has been struck by tragedy in a plane crash before. In February 1961, an entire U.S. figure skating team died in a plane crash on Feb. 15, 1961. The plane, Sabena Flight 548, was carrying the team to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Along with the team, 16 family members, coaches and friends of the skaters died in the crash.
(PIERCE COUNTY, Wash.) — A 28-year-old woman is missing after she and her dog fell into a Washington state river, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Monday.
Zuleika Witron was hiking with her girlfriend and two dogs on Sunday when she and one of the dogs fell off the Fairfax Bridge and into the Carbon River in Washington, located in Mount Rainier National Park, police said.
The woman’s girlfriend “witnessed her being swept away in the heavy current and attempted to grab her before being swept away in the rapids,” police said.
Police said a water rescue team responded to the scene, accompanied by drones searching for Witron and her dog.
The area’s sharp rocks, steep inclines, thick brush and slippery conditions made it difficult for rescue teams to access, police said.
The dog was located about a quarter mile downstream and was returned to Witron’s girlfriend, police said.
Authorities continued to search 1.5 miles down the river for Witron, but she has not been found, police said.
A Coast Guard helicopter was requested and initially en route to the scene, but the “visibility became too limited to operate safely,” police said.
“For every minute that’s passing by, it’s not being helpful for us,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Carly Cappetto told Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO.
The initial search was suspended at approximately 6:13 p.m. on Sunday, police said.
On Monday, authorities said drones have continued to search for Witron and the “search and rescue mission has now been changed to a recovery mission.”
If the weather permits, officials will attempt to get “air assets to survey the canyon” for Witron, police said.
Witron’s sister said on Tuesday the family is now offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who is able to locate her.
(NEW YORK) — Attorney General Pam Bondi is directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione if he is convicted of the December murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, she announced in a statement Tuesday.
One of the federal charges against Mangione, murder through use of a firearm, makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
“Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement. “After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan as the CEO headed to an investors conference on Dec. 4. He was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the murder.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges.
He hasn’t entered a plea to federal charges. He is due back in federal court on April 18.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
