Category: National

(DELANO, Calif.) — A convicted murderer remained on the loose Tuesday and was the subject of a massive manhunt in Central California, where authorities allege he escaped from a prison van while being transferred to a courthouse.

Cesar Hernandez, who was convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County in 2019 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, escaped Monday morning in the Central San Joaquin Valley town of Delano.

“The public should not confront this suspect as he is considered dangerous,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon.

The CDCR released new details on 34-year-old Hernandez’s escape. Authorities said Hernandez was being driven to a court appearance at the Kern County Superior Court in downtown Delano when he escaped around 10:40 a.m. local time on Monday.

“Upon arrival, Hernandez evaded staff custody, jumped out of the van, and is currently at large,” the CDCR said in a statement.

Hernandez was last seen wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and white thermals, the CDCR said. He is described as 5-foot-5 and weighing about 161 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

Hernandez was convicted of murder in Los Angeles County in 2019 and sentenced to 25 years to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, a second-strike offense, according to the CDCR.

Multiple law enforcement agencies — including agents from CDCR’s Special Services Unit, the California Highway Patrol and the Delano and McFarland police departments — were continuing to search for Hernandez Tuesday afternoon in the Delano area, about 33 miles north of Bakersfield.

In a safety alert to the Central California community, authorities urged people to “report any suspicious activity or sightings immediately.”

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(NEW YORK) — Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks said he’s out of 2,500 pies after thieves stole his van containing the baked goods and later ditched the vehicle.

According to an Instagram video posted by Banks, the pies were ruined.

“It’s pretty badly damaged,” Banks said. “And unfortunately, the bin in the back and all of the pies are pretty damaged as well.”

The refrigerated van was stolen from a storage unit with 2,500 pies in boxes that had Banks’ name written all over them, he said. The pies were worth about £25,000, Banks said, which is equivalent to just over $31,000.

Banks wishes the outcome was different, he said. But he is grateful for the outpouring support he received from other business owners and people watching online.

“I’d just like to say a massive thank you to everyone. I mean, so many people have been interested in trying to find these pies, and I think the response from people have been amazing, especially for the business owners who’ve offered to lend us everything from vans to pastry to flour to meat, everything to make it, make it work,” Banks said.

Banks declined ABC News’ request for an interview.

ABC News reached out to the North Yorkshire Police and was directed to a statement on their website.

“To recap, North Yorkshire Police received a report on 2 December that a refrigerated vehicle containing valuable food stock including pies, had been stolen from a business park in Melmerby near Ripon over the weekend of 29 November to 2 December 2024,” the police department said in a statement.

The statement added, “Initial enquiries revealed that the van, a white Fiat Ducato, was found abandoned with false number plates in the Hemlington area of Middlesbrough and was recovered by Cleveland Police on 29/30 November.”

The vehicle was stored by Cleveland Police and inquiries were ongoing as to the contents of the van when it was recovered, the New Yorkshire Police said.

The New Yorkshire Police said the van has been returned to the owner.

Cleveland Police said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should contact police.

Prior to the van being found, Banks uploaded a video on Instagram calling for the thieves to donate the pies to a charity for those in need.

He adds that the burglars “probably didn’t bargain for nearly ton of pies in the back of it.”

“These guys probably stole the van, right? Because that’s what they do,” Banks said.”They steal vans or cars or whatever, but they probably didn’t bargain for the nearly ton of pies that is in the back of it.”

Banks said that the pies were for York Christmas Market and it’s unfortunate because a lot of work went into the pies, he said.

“It’s kind of sad because that’s a lot of meat and a lot of flour and eggs and a lot of work,” Banks said. “Like so much work. So like 25,000 pounds worth of a stock in the back of this van.”

According to Banks’ video, a rising trend of vans being stolen has mustered up and he encourages everyone to stay safe.

“A lot of crime going around at the moment, a lot of vans being stolen,” Banks said. “And I did an interview on the radio earlier. People were saying how many vans are getting stolen. So I think especially at this time of year, just be vigilant. Definitely lockdown. I think we certainly learnt a few lessons and won’t be leaving stock in our vans overnight for sure.”

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(NEW YORK) — The jury has begun deliberating in the subway chokehold death trial of Daniel Penny.

The jury — comprised of seven women and five men — is considering whether to convict Penny of manslaughter and negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, on a New York City subway train.

To convict, prosecutors have told the jury that Penny’s use of lethal force must be considered unjustifiable and that Penny acted recklessly and consciously disregarded the substantial risk of putting Neely in the chokehold for so long. Defense attorneys told the jury that Penny was only trying to protect subway passengers.

Defense attorneys also said that Penny never intended to kill Neely, while prosecutors said they do not have to prove Penny intended to kill Neely to have the jury hand down a guilty verdict.

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(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing a rule that will eliminate the certificates that allow employers to pay some workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage, which stands at $7.25 an hour.

The department announced the change on Tuesday, which also marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

“One of the guiding principles of the American workplace is that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay, and this proposal ensures that principle includes workers with disabilities,” said Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman in a statement on the proposed rule.

She continued, “Since the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, opportunities and training have dramatically expanded to help people with disabilities obtain and maintain employment at or above the full federal minimum wage. Similarly, employers today have more resources and training available to recruit, hire and retain workers with disabilities in employment at or above the full minimum wage, and this proposed rule aligns with that reality.”

The rule, if passed, would no longer allow employers to apply for certificates under Section 14(c) of Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows for the subminimum wage. It would set a three-year phase-out period for employers who currently have existing certificates.

A 2020 report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that some workers were being paid less than a dollar an hour for their work.

The disability community faces higher rates of poverty and lower rates of employment in the workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Council on Disability. Disabled advocates have long criticized Section 14(c) for perpetuating what they call discrimination and stigma.

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(MORRIS COUNTY, N.J.) — The FBI is investigating after large drones were spotted flying over central New Jersey over the last two weeks.

The “cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed wing aircraft” have been recently sighted along the Raritan River, the FBI said.

Larger than the typical drones used by hobbyists, the devices have raised questions due to their proximity to both a military installation and President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course, officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed drone flight restrictions while authorities investigate.

Local police have said there is no known threat to public safety.

“Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon would like to inform everyone that the recent drone activity observed by many in our communities is being actively investigated. There is no advisable immediate danger to the public at this time,” the Morris County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Anyone with information about the drones is being asked to contact law enforcement.

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(LONG BEACH, Calif.) — An undocumented Chinese national living in the U.S. has been charged with procuring and shipping guns, ammunition and electronics to North Korea, according to federal prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Shenghua Wen was allegedly moving items to North Korea by concealing them in shipping containers from Long Beach, California, through Hong Kong and then to North Korea.

Federal agents in August seized two devices from Wen’s home that he had allegedly planned to send to North Korea for its military use — a chemical threat identification device and a handheld broadband receiver, according to a criminal complaint.

In September, over 50,000 rounds of ammo were found in Wen’s vehicle that he allegedly admitted were heading to North Korea, the complaint says.

Wen entered the United States on a student visa in 2012 and never left, according to the complaint.

He allegedly met North Korean officials in China before he came to the U.S., the complaint alleges. He was then directed to procure goods on behalf of North Korea.

Being in the U.S. illegally, Wen knew he could not buy the goods so he allegedly used other people to purchase the guns through straw purchases, prosecutors say.

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(WILMINGTON, Del.) — Two days after President Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon to his son Hunter Biden, the younger Biden’s federal gun case in Delaware was terminated Tuesday by the judge overseeing the case.

“In the absence of binding precedent” for a case that had yet to reach sentencing, “all proceedings in this case are hereby terminated,” U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika wrote in a brief docket entry Tuesday.

In a court filing Monday, prosecutors had urged Noreika to terminate the case instead of dismissing the indictment, in order to allow the record of the case to continue to exist.

Prosecutors in special counsel David Weiss’ office, who brought both the gun case and separate tax-related charges against Hunter Biden, on Monday made a similar filing to the federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s tax case in California.

President Biden on Sunday issued a blanket pardoned to his son, who earlier this year was convicted on federal gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax-related charges, and was scheduled to be sentenced in both cases later this month.

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(WASHINGTON) A U.S. Secret Service agent fired shots near the home of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen early Tuesday morning after a confrontation with occupants in a vehicle near her residence.

At about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, an agent working in the vicinity of Yellen’s home “observed a sedan with multiple occupants who were attempting to open car doors along the street,” the Secret Service said in a statement.

“As the sedan approached the agent, a confrontation occurred between the agent and the car’s occupants,” the Secret Service said.

The agent fired their weapon, but there is no indication the gunfire struck anyone, the Secret Service said.

The car’s occupants fled the scene, and local police are now looking for them.

“There was no threat to any protectees during this incident and no protectees were harmed,” the Secret Service said.

The incident is now being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

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(NEW YORK) — A wintry blast is slamming the Great Lakes region with 3 to 5.5 feet of snow — and more lake effect snow is in the forecast for later this week.

Monday’s intense lake effect snow band from Lake Michigan brought 7.5 inches of snow and whiteout conditions near Hartford in western Michigan, where a pileup closed Interstate 94 in both directions.

About 14 passenger vehicles and three semitrucks were involved in the crash, according to the Michigan State Police. One driver was critically hurt.

A winter storm warning is ongoing in western Michigan on Tuesday morning.

“Please drive safely and just stay home if it’s unnecessary to drive,” state police said.

A lake effect snow warning remains in effect through Tuesday evening for Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, where another 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected.

A new storm system will move in Wednesday, behind this system. One to 2 feet of lake effect snow is forecast for Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

The heaviest snow will be closer to the lakes, but a rain and snow mix is possible from northern New Jersey to Maine Tuesday night into Wednesday.

No snow accumulation is forecast for the Interstate 95 corridor, but up to 9 inches of snow is possible from Vermont to northern Maine.

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(NEW YORK) — One person was killed and six firefighters were injured after a multi-alarm fire broke out in an apartment building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Monday.

The fire started around 7:15 p.m. at a six-story residential building located between York and East End avenues on 82nd Street, according to a statement from fire officials.

When FDNY crews arrived to the scene, they reported heavy fire on the fifth and sixth floors.

The flames eventually extended down to the fourth floor, as well, officials said.

Crews stretched multiple hose lines and had to pull apart walls to fight the flames, according to a spokesperson for the FDNY.

The fire was elevated to three alarms around 7:40 p.m.

About 138 FDNY and EMS personnel responded to the blaze, representing 33 emergency response units, officials said.

FDNY officials say one civilian was killed, while six firefighters suffered minor injuries.

“You know, the art and skill of a firefighter is inherently dangerous,” a spokesperson for the FDNY said on Monday night. “It’s a cold night, we have a lot of water going on, we have ventilation — windows breaking, we have a lot of fire and smoke. So, thank God, all the [injuries] seem to be minor at this time.”

The civilian, who has not yet been identified, was found in the hallway of the fifth floor, the spokesperson said.

The fourth, fifth and sixth floors all suffered heavy damage from smoke and fire, and other parts of the building were damaged from the water.

Multiple apartments were impacted.

The FDNY said that an MTA bus was going to shelter some of the victims whose homes were affected until they could be “properly relocated.”

Fire marshals will continue to investigate the cause of the fire.

ABC News’ Maci Smith contributed to this report.

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