Farmworkers hailed as heroes after rescuing 20 children from burning school bus in California
The bus was destroyed after the fire. Madera County Public Information Team
(MADERA COUNTY, Calif.) — Two farmworkers were honored Tuesday for rescuing 20 children from a burning school bus last month in California.
Carlos Perea Romero and Angel Zarco were honored by the Madera County Board of Supervisors in a ceremony after they courageously evacuated the flaming bus filled with students on the way to school on Sept. 4.
“All the students made it out safely without any injuries due to the immediate action taken by the farmworkers and the bus driver. The Board of Supervisors recognize the two men for their selfless courage and bravery, demonstrating the highest ideals of public service, compassion and community spirit,” a press release from the ceremony reads.
The duo saw smoke rising from the vehicle near Avenue 8 and Road 23.5 in Madera when they jumped into action and began evacuating the students inside — fighting thick plumes of smoke to get to the back row.
“We were just making sure the kids were far away enough so that they wouldn’t get hurt,” Zarco told ABC News affiliate ABC 30.
“One more moment that would have lasted, I don’t now what would have happened,” Romero said in a post from Madera County.
Zarco added, “I’m just happy to help out the community. This is where I grew up, and I’m just glad to be able to keep somebody safe.”
Madera County sheriff Tyson Pogue told ABC that Romero and Zarco’s actions helped protect the local community.
“We are profoundly grateful to the two farmworkers whose heroic actions saved the lives of more than 20 children. Their quick thinking, bravery, and compassion in the face of danger exemplify the very best of Madera County. Without hesitation, they acted selflessly to protect others. Our community is stronger because of individuals like them, and we are proud of their extraordinary heroism,” he said.
CAL FIRE Division Chief Larry Pendarvis also sang the praises of the heroes at the ceremony.
“I would like to recognize and thank both of you on behalf of Madera County Fire and CAL FIRE for your service above self. The situational awareness and fortitude you showed to help these young children in a time of need was extraordinary,” Pendarvis said.
Brian Walshe during the murder trial of Ana Walshe on December 9, 2025. Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
(DEDHAM, Mass.) — Brian Walshe, a Massachusetts man accused of killing and dismembering his wife, the mother of their three children, has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
His wife, Ana Walshe, went missing on Jan. 1, 2023, at the age of 39. Brian Walshe pleaded guilty last month, ahead of the trial, to lying to police following her disappearance and improperly disposing of her body, though he denies he killed his wife and has pleaded not guilty to murder.
Ana Walshe’s body has not been found.
After deliberating for nearly four hours following closing arguments on Friday without reaching a verdict, jurors resumed deliberations Monday morning for another approximately two hours. Brian Walshe remained stoic as the guilty verdict was read.
His sentencing has been scheduled for Wednesday. He faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Judge Diane Freniere informed the jury on Friday they could choose to convict on second-degree murder or the first-degree murder charge the prosecution has argued for, which includes the element of premeditation.
During opening statements in the Dedham trial, defense attorneys said Brian Walshe did not kill his wife but found her dead in bed on New Year’s Day in 2023 — calling her death sudden and unexplained — and then panicked and lied to police as they investigated her disappearance.
Prosecutors alleged Brian Walshe premeditatedly murdered and dismembered his wife, then disposed of her remains in dumpsters. The internet history on his devices on Jan. 1, 2023, included searches such as “best way to dispose of a body,” “how long for someone to be missing to inherit,” and “best way to dispose of body parts after a murder,” prosecutors said.
Defense attorney Larry Tipton argued during closing arguments the Commonwealth hadn’t proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Brian Walshe — whom he described as a “loving father and loving husband” — killed his wife or there was any motive to do so.
Tipton conceded there’s evidence Brian Walshe lied and disposed of a body, but argued there was nothing proving he planned to harm his wife. He claimed the internet search on murder came six hours after his wife died and “upsetting” searches about dismemberment and “cleaning up” do not point to a plan but rather his “disbelief.”
Commonwealth prosecutor Anne Yas, meanwhile, argued during closing arguments that Ana Walshe didn’t die of natural causes — but instead Brian Walshe killed her and then disposed of her body to hide the evidence in a “methodical” plan.
“The defendant did not want anyone to find Ana’s body and to know how she died, so the defendant bought cutting tools at Lowe’s and Home Depot and he cut up Ana’s body — the woman that he claimed to love — and he threw her into dumpsters,” she said.
Yas said their marriage was in “crisis,” and they had been having arguments about Ana Walshe being away from the family due to her job in Washington, D.C. She also claimed Brian Walshe knew his wife was having an affair, which the defense has denied.
The defense rested on Thursday without calling any witnesses. Freniere noted in court on Thursday that it appeared Brian Walshe would testify in his defense, based on the defense’s opening statement. Though he ultimately waived his right.
Evidence presented during the two-week trial included surveillance footage of a man believed to be Brian Walshe buying tools and other supplies at a Lowe’s on Jan. 1, 2023. A receipt showed that items, including a hacksaw, utility knife, hammer, snips, Tyvek suit, shoeguards, rags and cleaning supplies, totaling $462 were purchased with cash.
Additional surveillance footage presented in court showed someone throwing out trash bags at dumpsters on multiple days in early January 2023.
Several blood-stained items recovered from dumpsters by investigators — including a hacksaw, a piece of rug, a towel and hairs — and an unknown tissue were linked to Ana Walshe through DNA testing, a forensic scientist from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory testified during the trial.
Blood was also found in the basement of the family’s rental home in Cohasset, another forensic scientist with the crime lab testified.
Ana Walshe was reported missing by her employer on Jan. 4, 2023. Brian Walshe told police at the time that she had a “work emergency” at her job in D.C. and left their Cohasset home on New Year’s Day, according to audio of his interview played in court.
At the time, Brian Walshe and their three children were living in Massachusetts while he was awaiting sentencing in a federal fraud case after pleading guilty to a scheme to sell counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings.
Jurors heard testimony, including from a D.C. man with whom Ana Walshe was having an affair, that the mother of three was upset about being away from her young children so much — who were 2, 4 and 6 at the time — and there was stress in the marriage. The defense maintained the couple were happy.
In this handout satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Melissa churns northwest through the Caribbean Sea captured at 17:00Z on October 27, 2025. (NOAA via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Celebrities are dedicating their voices, time and talents to helping the island of Jamaica recover from one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall in the Atlantic basin.
On Oct. 28, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph. The monster storm then swept across western Jamaica, bringing catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge throughout the island.
The destruction left in Melissa’s wake was extensive and widespread. Dozens of people were killed. Entire communities were either demolished or isolated from the direct hit. Power and water was cut off for much nearly 500,000 people. Debris and floodwaters littered roadways.
Officials made clear that the rebuilding process — still not complete from Hurricane Beryl’s impact in 2024 — would be lengthy. When prominent members of the entertainment industry got word of the devastation, they rallied to be of service.
“When I finally connected with some of my folks on the ground there, and they relayed the devastation … it definitely mobilized, for me personally, that I have to get boots on the ground to help,” Mona Scott-Young, famed producer of the “Love and Hip Hop” series, told ABC News.
On Monday, Scott-Young, along with rapper Busta Rhymes and actor and R&B singer Tyrese Gibson, flew to the island aboard a cargo plane filled with supplies.
Upon touching down, they immediately got to work — coordinating where the assistance was needed, getting their hands dirty and even using the gifts that made them famous to raise spirits within the community.
In Norwood, a community in St. James, Rhymes helped to rebuild a roof on a school, putting nails into the wood himself. In the underserved community of Flankers, Rhymes held an impromptu performance. A soccer game was also organized for the kids.
Over the multi-day mission trip, the aim was to lift spirits but also help those affected to gain a sense of normalcy.
“The spirit of the people of Jamaica is still there — just as strong,” Gibson said.
They worked with nonprofits such as Helping Hand for Relief and Development and the GrassROOTS Community Foundation, as well as local groups — a collective of people and organizations who love Jamaica.
Scott-Young “led the charge” and was instrumental in helping to organize such a large relief effort, Rhymes said.
Monday marked the second trip for Scott-Young and Gibson, who were on the ground in Jamaica within two weeks after Melissa battered the island.
They knew that once the hurricane passed, it wouldn’t be long before the public’s focus was no longer on Jamaica.
“We knew that people’s attention span towards the people of Jamaica was gonna be as short as it is on Instagram,” Gibson said.
During the first trip, Scott-Young and Gibson helped to survey the landscape and assess the needs of the island, Gibson said.
When the pair arrived in Flankers, a neighborhood in Montego Bay, they came across a medical center that had no medicine.
That’s when they realized they needed to step up their efforts. Once Rhymes became involved, the scale of the project multiplied exponentially, Gibson said. While they brought about a half a pallet of supplies on the initial trip, they were equipped with more than 50 pallets this week due to Rhymes’s far-reaching influence, Gibson said.
It was “incredibly gratifying” for the group to show up to the bare medical center with medicine, diapers and other provisions needed to care for the community, Scott-Young said.
Each has a direct connection to the island, they said.
Rhymes is Jamaican and has family and friends — many of whom he grew up with — who were affected by the hurricane.
“My whole family is Jamaican,” Rhymes said. “Everything about Busta Rhymes that y’all have known to grow and love was bought up and raised in a Jamaican household.”
Scott-Young, who is from Haiti, felt an interconnectedness with another Caribbean nation, especially as a regular vacation spot for her family, but also knows personally knows people who have lost everything. Gibson has a close family friend who is Jamaican and said he feels a closeness to the culture and its people.
What they witnessed has changed them forever and inspired them to do more, they said.
“This was exactly what God asked me to do,” Gibson said.
The island is still in a state of devastation. People are sleeping on the ground under tarps, Scott-Young said. Basic necessities, including communication and WiFi, are not yet up and running. Diseases are starting to spread, as is a growing rodent problem.
Many communities, especially those on the hillsides, “have not been touched,” Gibson said. They still don’t have water, electricity or any significant aid because the focus is primarily on the epicenter, where the hurricane hit the hardest, Scott-Young said.
Future efforts will especially be focused on reaching the communities in the surrounding areas that have not been the priority over the past six weeks.
The three are already planning more trips to Jamaica and enlisting the assistance of other celebrities connected to the island. Rhymes commended artists Shaggy and Sean Paul, who are both Jamaican, on their endeavors to help their home island as well.
“We’re gonna continue to do our part,” Gibson said. “…The tragedy is not over.”
Luigi Mangione appears for the second day of a suppression of evidence hearing in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 02, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A police officer who responded last Dec. 9 to a McDonald’s where witnesses said they may have spotted the man accused of killing a health care CEO testified Tuesday that he knew right away it was the suspect.
“I knew it was him immediately,” Altoona, Pennsylvania, police officer Joseph Detwiler testified about Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last year.
Mangione, 27, is in court Tuesday for the second day of a high-stakes hearing in his state criminal case, where his lawyers are fighting to bar prosecutors from using key evidence against him — including the alleged murder weapon and writings that prosecutors say amount to a confession — by arguing it was unlawfully seized when his backpack was searched without a warrant.
The backpack was searched by law enforcement as they arrested Mangione in Pennsylvania, five days after the fatal shooting of Thompson on a sidewalk in midtown Manhattan. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to killing Thompson.
Defense attorneys have alleged that Detwiler violated Mangione’s rights by questioning him for nearly twenty minutes without reading him his Miranda rights. They argue that mistake should justify barring prosecutors from introducing any testimony about the statements Mangione made to police that morning.
Recollecting the events of Dec. 9, Detwiler testified that he responded sarcastically when he got the dispatch call that a local McDonald’s manager reported a “male who looks like the NYC shooter.” He said he didn’t even turn on his police sirens when he drove to the McDonald’s because he “did not think it was going to be him.”
“I did not think it was going to be the person they thought it was,” he testified, though he noted his supervisor promised to buy him a “hoagie” if he “got the NYC shooter.”
“I said consider it done,” Detwiler testified.
An avid watcher of Fox News, Detwiler testified he saw the images of the murder suspect “a lot” and was familiar with the ongoing coverage of the high-profile assassination. Prosecutor Joel Seidemann walked through each of the photos of the suspect that circulated after the shooting; each time, Detwiler responded in a monotone voice that said he saw the pictures in the same place — Fox News.
“I saw a lot of Fox News and saw a lot of video and articles on the shooter. I saw the person’s picture many, many times prior to those five days — many times,” he said.
During Detwiler’s testimony, prosecutors for the first time played his body-camera footage from the morning of Dec. 9. The footage showed Detwiler and his partner casually entering the McDonald’s before turning right to the rear of the restaurant, where they found Mangione sitting at a table.
“What’s your name?” Detwiler asked in the footage.
“Mark,” Mangione said.
“Mark what?” Detwiler asked.
“Mark Rosario,” Mangione said.
“Someone called and said you were suspicious,” Detwiler said in the video. “Thought you looked like someone.”
Prosecutors on the first day of the hearing on Monday played for the first time security camera footage from inside the McDonald’s where Mangione was arrested, the 911 call placed by the store manager who expressed alarm that he “looked like the CEO shooter in New York,” and the minute-to-minute dispatch audio leading to his arrest.
“There’s a male in the store that looks like the NYC shooter,” a dispatcher said in a recording played in court.
The crux of Mangione’s argument is that his constitutional rights were violated when Pennsylvania police interrogated him before reading him his rights and searching his backpack without a warrant.
Defense lawyers allege that officers waited nearly 20 minutes after first approaching Mangione, extensively questioning him about his whereabouts without informing him of his right to remain silent.
They also allege that officers searched through his backpack — which allegedly contained a handgun, magazine, and his journal — without having a warrant.
Citing police body camera footage, they argue that officers searched Mangione’s backpack as early as 9:58 a.m. but waited until after 5 p.m. to seek a warrant. They have asked the judge to limit prosecutors from using the evidence because it was the “fruit” of an illegal search.
Prosecutors argue the arrest and search were conducted lawfully, and that the evidence overwhelmingly proves Mangione’s guilt.
If defense attorneys succeed in limiting the evidence seized from Mangione’s backpack and statements made during his arrests, they could severely undercut the prosecution’s case against the alleged murderer.
