Crews still searching for flight reported missing on Thursday in Alaska
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(NOME, Alaska) — Crews in Nome, Alaska, are conducting search-and-rescue operations after a Bering Air caravan with 10 people aboard went missing, according to local authorities.
Bering Air Flight 445, a Cessna 208B, disappeared while flying from Unalakleet Airport to Nome Airport around 3:20 p.m. local time Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
“The aircraft was 12 miles offshore transiting from Unalakleet to Nome when its position was lost,” the U.S. Coast Guard Alaska maritime region said.
There were nine passengers and a pilot on board.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post it was conducting an active ground search but that, due to weather and visibility, its crews were unable to search by air.
A National Guard C-130 reported it found nothing found so far. The Air Force also sent a C-130 to resume the search and also reported no visuals, and have one hour of flight search time remaining, according to an update early Friday morning.
The National Transportation Safety Board is aware of the reports and is monitoring situation, ABC News has learned.
ABC News’ Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.
(LAS VEGAS) — The man who rented the Cybertruck that exploded outside of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day has been identified as U.S. Army Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, a Special Operations soldier who was on leave from his base in Germany, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Although investigators are still examining DNA evidence of the person found in the truck, Las Vegas Metro Police Department Sherriff Kevin McMahill told reporters at a news conference that Livelsberger’s identification and credit cards were found at the scene. The coroner’s office said the person in the truck sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and a handgun was found at his feet.
Seven people suffered minor injuries when the truck, which was filled with fireworks-style mortars and gas canisters, exploded around 8:40 a.m. PT. Investigators believe the explosion was intentional, but hadn’t determined a motive, authorities said in the news conference.
As they continue their investigation into the blast, a profile of Livelsberger is emerging from the Army and people who knew him.
Livelsberger’s wife told investigators her husband had been out of their Colorado Springs, Colorado, residence since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity and said he would not hurt anyone, an official who had been briefed on the investigation told ABC News.
Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas Division, told reporters it was too early to speculate about any politicial connections behind the attack. Livelsberger allegedly supported President-elect Donald Trump, the official who had been briefed on the investigation said.
“It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggest it was because of this particular ideology or any of the reasoning behind it,” Evans said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a major Trump donor who has been advising the president-elect, has been assisting in the investigation, authorities said, including providing police with video of Livelsberger at Tesla charging stations along his route from Colorado to Las Vegas.
Livelsberger enlisted in the Army as a Special Forces candidate and served on active duty from January 2006 to March 2011, then joined the National Guard that month and served until July 2012, followed by a stint in the Army Reserve from July to December 2012, according to the spokesperson. He went back on active duty in December 2012 as a Special Operations soldier, the spokesperson said.
He spent time at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and was deployed to Afghanistan three times, according to the spokesperson.
Livelsberger was a Green Beret operations sergeant who was stationed mostly at Fort Carson, Colorado, near Colorado Springs, and in Germany, according to McMahill.
He was on approved leave from the Army at the time of his death, according to U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
Livelsberger received numerous accomodations throughout his military carer including a Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor, and four additional Bronze Stars, according to the Army spokesperson.
“USASOC is in full cooperation with federal and state law enforcement agencies, but as a matter of policy, will not comment on ongoing investigations,” the spokesperson said.
Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck in Denver on Dec. 28 using the car-sharing app Turo, the same app used to rent a truck by the suspect in the New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day, though investigators said they have not established any links between the two attacks.
Livelsberger told the truck’s owner that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official said.
The subject purchased two semiautomatic firearms legally on Monday, Kenny Cooper, the assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, San Francisco Field Division, told reporters.
(GREENCASTLE, Pa.) — The CEO of Pete and Gerry’s Eggs is speaking out after 100,000 eggs mysteriously disappeared from one of its facilities in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, last weekend.
In an exclusive interview with “Good Morning America,” Tom Flocco said the egg firm, which contracts with over 300 farms across the country, is going to boost security measures after 8,000 cartons — worth $40,000 — were stolen from the back of a distribution trailer at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Feb. 2.
“I’ve worked in other industries before where things get stolen from factories,” Flocco told “GMA’s” Elizabeth Schulze. “It happens. It’s terrible. I’m not happy about it, but it does happen.”
To ensure this does not occur again, Flocco said the company will place additional security on the ground, install better lighting and include extra cameras throughout its facilities.
“It could happen once, it could happen again,” Flocco said. “We are putting additional measures in place.”
Police are still scrambling to find a suspect and closely examining video surveillance. If the public knows of any leads, officials urge people to contact Pennsylvania State Police Chambersburg.
“We are working with local authorities in Pennsylvania and we’re giving them our full cooperation,” Flocco said. “We’ll let you know when we learn more.”
Flocco said the thieves might face one obstacle after this unusual heist: The eggs need to stay refrigerated as they are transported, since they can spoil at room temperature.
“They’re transported in a refrigerated truck, they’re brought into a refrigerated warehouse, kept there until they’re ready to be processed, washed, cooled and kept cold until we eat them,” Flocco said.
This case comes amid a soaring amount of bird flu infections occurring across the United States, which is also causing an egg shortage. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 142 flocks were confirmed to test positive for bird flu, also known as avian influenza, in the last 30 days.
When a bird becomes infected with the virus, the animal needs to be culled and the eggs need to be destroyed. With more farms experiencing bird flu outbreaks, the USDA predicted at the end of January that egg prices will rise up to 20%.
Restaurants like the Waffle House have implemented a surcharge of 50 cents for egg items on their menu due to the shortage, the company announced on Monday. Flocco said Pete and Gerry’s Eggs will continue to remain at the same price of about $7 a dozen, despite the recent heist.
“We’re finding the consumer interest for our product is greater than it’s ever been and we only expect it to continue,” Flocco said. “We are charging the same price to our retail partners today as we did a year ago.”
(LOS ANGELES) — Family members have begun to identify the Los Angeles residents who were killed in the wildfires sweeping through the area since Jan. 7.
As of Sunday evening, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said it was investigating at least 14 fire-related deaths from the Eaton and Palisades Fires which have burned through thousands of acres.
Here is what we know of the deceased victims.
Anthony and Justin Mitchell
Hajime White told ABC News that her father, Anthony, and brother Justin, were killed in the Eaton fire in Altadena.
Both had disabilities and were in wheelchairs and were waiting for an ambulance to transport them to relatives, White told ABC News.
White says her father called her the morning of the fires, saying he knew the fire had broken out and he had to evacuate. He told her he loved her, and then all of a sudden, he said, “Baby, I gotta go. The fire is in the yard,” according to Hajime.
“And that’s the last words I have from my dad,” she said.
Anthony was an amputee and lived with Justin who had cerebral palsy, according to White.
Anthony had several grandchildren, including Hajime’s six daughters, and welcomed two great-grandchildren last year, according to his daughter.
“He was a great man. A great dad that any little girl could want,” she said.
White said Justin was very smart and enjoyed reading, especially the newspaper with their dad.
“He’d try his hardest to say ‘hi.’ He tried to tell me he loved me,” White said of her brother.
Victor Shaw
Victor Shaw died he died in a heroic attempt to protect his home in Altadena, his sister Shari Shaw, told ABC News.
Shaw lived in the family home since 1965, and had health issues that impacted his mobility, according to his sister.
“I can’t imagine what he might have been thinking, how he might have been so frightened,” Shari said.
Charles Mortimer
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed on Sunday that 84-year-old Charles Mortimer was among those killed in the fires.
Mortimer’s family said he “truly lived life to its fullest.”
“He was a world traveler, a sun worshipper and an avid sports fan,” the family said, adding that he was happy to see his “beloved” Chicago Cubs win the World Series.
“He will be remembered as a man with a quick wit, a brilliant mind, and a love for his family. His infectious smile and never-ending sense of humor will be greatly missed by his friends and family all over the world,” the family said.
ABC News’ Sean Keane and Mola Lenghi contributed to this report.
