Gas grill explosion at Hawaii condo leaves 7 injured, 3 in critical condition
(mbbirdy/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Maui Police Department in Hawaii is investigating what led to a gas grill explosion at a Kaanapali Beach condo Thursday evening which left seven people injured.
The Maui Police Department, according to their statement, received reports of the explosion which took place at 2481 Kaanapali Parkway at approximately 6:15 p.m. and found seven people, from the ages 18 to 74, injured, ABC News’ Honolulu affiliate KITV reports.
Three of those seven people are currently in critical condition, and one had to be transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center Emergency Room for further treatment, KITV said.
In livestream video obtained by ABC News, the explosion seemingly takes place in one of the middle floors of the condominium complex with beachgoers and other witnesses rushing toward the scene to help in the immediate aftermath.
Preliminary investigations suggest the explosion may have involved liquefied petroleum gas, commonly used for BBQs and, according to KITV, witness statements indicated there could have been a grill malfunction before the incident.
There are no further updates on the conditions of those involved and the public has been asked to avoid the area while first responders investigate.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — A group of FBI agents who assisted in criminal investigations stemming from the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol filed suit Tuesday in an effort to block the Justice Department from assembling lists of agents for potential disciplinary actions or firings.
The class-action lawsuit, filed anonymously by the agents Tuesday afternoon in D.C. federal court, includes screenshots showing a survey that was sent this week about their actions related to the Jan. 6 cases.
“Plaintiffs are employees of the FBI who worked on Jan. 6 and/or Mar-a-Lago cases, and who have been informed that they are likely to be terminated in the very near future (the week of February 3-9, 2025) for such activity,” the lawsuit said. “They intend to represent a class of at least 6,000 current and former FBI agents and employees who participated in some manner in the investigation and prosecution of crimes and abuses of power by Donald Trump, or by those acting at his behest.”
The suit specifically seeks to enjoin the DOJ from “aggregation, storage, reporting, publication or dissemination of any list or compilation of information that would identify FBI agents and other personnel, and tie them directly to Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago case activities,” referring to the Capitol attack and the probe into President Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021.
The Justice Department, under leadership appointed by the Trump administration, has asked for information about potentially thousands of FBI employees across the country who were involved in work related to investigations stemming from the Jan. 6 attack.
According an email sent to the FBI workforce on Friday, and obtained by ABC News, the requested information was to be provided by Tuesday afternoon to the office of the acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove, whose office will then conduct a review to determine if any “personnel actions” are warranted.
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Minnesota has found MyPillow CEO and Trump ally Mike Lindell in contempt of court for failing to provide discovery and financial documents in the defamation case brought by voting machine company Smartmatic.
Smartmatic sued Lindell for defamation in 2022, alleging that he lied about the company’s role in the 2020 presidential election for his own financial gain.
In a filing on Thursday, Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan said Lindell failed to produce analytics data for his company’s website and financial records to show Lindell’s financial condition for the years 2022 and 2023.
“If Defendants do not comply, Smartmatic is invited to bring another motion for an order to show cause or to seek further relief,” Judge Bryan wrote.
Lindell told ABC News he was not aware of the judge’s order.
“We will not stop until we have paper ballots counted and we’re going to melt down all the voting machines and turn them into prison bars,” Lindell said.
Lindell was one of the leading promoters of false 2020 election fraud claims. He continues to spread false election claims including calling for the ban of voting machines.
(NEW YORK) — The nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization is urging New York prosecutors to pursue hate crime charges against five suspects arrested in what authorities described as a prolonged “torture” killing of a transgender man.
The group, GLAAD, issued a statement calling on Ontario County District Attorney James Riffs to consider hate crime charges in the homicide of Sam Nordquist, whose body was found in a field in Benton, New York, in Yates County last week.
Riffs said the five suspects in Norquist’s killing were arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder under the state’s depraved indifference statute.
In a statement to ABC News on Wednesday morning, Ritts’ office said that prosecutors filed a certification with the Hopewell Town Court “indicating that the Grand Jury of the County of Ontario voted at least one felony charge against all 5 defendants charged in connection with the death of Sam Nordquist.”
The suspects arrested in the case were identified by New York State Police as Precious Arzuaga, 38, of Canandaigua, New York; Jennifer “Brooklyn” Quijano, 30, of Geneva, New York; Kyle Sage, 33, of Rochester, New York; Patrick Goodwin, 30, also of Canandaigua; and Emily Motyka, 19, of Lima, New York.
The statement from Ritts’ office says the felony charge in the indictment against the suspects will be disclosed once it is filed in Ontario County Court.
“As this is an ongoing investigation and law prohibits us from disclosing any additional information at this time. This is the only update we can provide today,” according to the statement.
A criminal complaint filed in the case alleged that the suspects sexually assaulted Nordquist with a “table leg and broomstick.” The complaint further alleges that the suspects subjected Nordquist to “prolonged beatings by punching, kicking and striking [Nordquist] with numerous objects, including but not limited to sticks, dog toys, rope, bottles, belts, canes and wooden boards.”
According to the complaint, the torture allegedly took place in room 22 at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell, New York, in Ontario County between Jan. 1 and Feb. 2.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, the state police and Ritts addressed whether investigators are pursuing hate crime charges against the suspects.
“At this time we have no indication that Sam’s murder was a hate crime,” the joint statement reads. “To help alleviate the understandable concern his murder could be a hate crime, we are disclosing that Sam and his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ+, and at least one of the defendants lived with Sam in the time period leading up to the instant offense.”
Authorities said they released the information after getting “multiple inquiries from across our community, New York State and the entire nation.”
In the statement, officials noted that under the New York State penal code, a hate crime is defined as an offense committed “in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.”
In response, GLAAD released a statement Tuesday, saying, “While we are encouraged to see law enforcement act swiftly to investigate this horrific act, we caution investigators from ruling out hate crime charges.”
“Anti-LGBTQ hate can be perpetuated by anyone, regardless of their relationship to the victim or their own gender identity or sexual orientation,” GLAAD said.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, added, “Our hearts are broken over the loss of Sam Nordquist.”
“Sam was more than just a statistic — he was a son, a brother, a friend, and and bright light in the lives of those who knew him,” Ellis said in a statement. “His life was stolen from him after enduring unspeakable cruelty. We stand in solidarity with Sam’s family, friends, and community as they demand justice. We refuse to let Sam’s story fade into silence. We demand accountability, we demand justice, and we demand a world where transgender people are safe, respected, and able to live freely.”
Nordquist’s family filed a missing person report with the New York State Police on Feb. 9, after last hearing from Nordquist on Jan. 1, according to a missing-person flyer issued by the Missing People in America organization.
According to the flyer, Nordquist’s family said he left Minnesota on Sept. 28, 2024, with a round-trip plane ticket to New York. The family, according to the flyer, alleged that Nordquist met a woman online who convinced him to visit her.
The family claimed Nordquist was planning to fly back to Minnesota within two weeks, but never boarded his return flight.
“I don’t understand why someone would do that to another person,” Kayla Nordquist, Sam’s sister, told Saint Paul, Minnesota, ABC affiliate KSTP-TV. “Sam was amazing and would give the shirt off his back to anyone.”
When asked at a news conference on Friday about the missing-person flyer, Capt. Kelly Swift, a New York State Police investigator, declined to comment.
Swift would not disclose details of the abuse, saying the investigation is in its early stages. However, she said, Nordquist was “subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his death.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Sunday that she had directed the State Police to provide any support and resources to Ritts’ office “as they continue their investigation, including into whether this was a hate crime.” The statement further said that Hochul had directed the New York State Division of Human Rights Hate and Bias Prevention Unit to offer assistance and support “to all community members affected by this terrible act of violence,” adding, “There must be justice for Sam Nordquist.”
Hochul also said that she had instructed the New York State Office of Victim Services to offer support to Nordquist’s family.
“The charges against these individuals are sickening and all New Yorkers should join together to condemn this horrific act,” Hochul said in the statement. “We are praying for Sam Nordquist’s family, community and loved ones who are experiencing unimaginable grief.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James also said in a statement, “This is beyond horrifying, and those responsible for this terrible act must be held accountable.”
