New York county legislature candidate reported missing for almost a week
The Nassau County Police Department
(NEW YORK) — A New York county legislature candidate has been missing for almost a week, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Petros Krommidas, 29, a Democrat running for the Nassau County legislature’s 4th District, was last seen on April 23 in Baldwin, New York, police said.
Police said Krommidas was last seen wearing a camouflage print sweatshirt and gray sweatpants and is believed to be in the area of Long Beach, New York.
“Please keep searching. We need to find him,” Krommidas’ sister, Eleni-Lemonia Krommidas, said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to his family, Krommidas parked his car by the Allegria Hotel in Long Beach, locked his vehicle, grabbed his towel and walked onto the beach to exercise, “just as he had done many times before,” around 10:30 p.m. on April 23.
Krommidas was “always in great shape, and has many future plans,” including participating in a triathlon, his family said in a statement on Monday. He also was “not a stranger to cold water training,” his family said.
He was reported missing on April 24, with the family saying it is “completely out of character” for Krommidas not to respond to messages.
On April 24, police found Krommidas’ towel, clothes and phone left on the beach, officials confirmed to ABC News. Since then, the search efforts have continued, but the family is also encouraging the public to help by walking along the beaches — specifically areas between Long Beach, Lido Beach and Jacob Riis Park — during high tide.
“Every pair of eyes helps. Every step along the beach matters. Thank you for being part of bringing Petey home,” the family said.
Just two days before his disappearance, Krommidas spoke at a meeting for the Nassau County Young Democrats.
Police said anyone with information regarding Krommidas’ whereabouts should contact the Missing Persons Squad at 516-573-7347.
Police officers are seen on the University of Washington campus during an occupation of a building by protesters, in this screengrab from a video supplied by Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return UW on March 5, 2025. (Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return UW)
(SEATTLE) — More than 25 people were arrested after a group occupied an academic building at the University of Washington, demanding the school sever ties with Boeing as the war in Gaza continues, according to the university and a spokesperson for the group.
A group called Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return claimed it was behind the takeover, with a spokesperson telling ABC News that all of the people who entered the building were arrested.
”They were all arrested and legal and political support is ongoing for them,” the spokesperson, Oliver Marchant, said in a text, adding, “All arrested except one were inside the building — some of those arrested were also injured during arrest and need medical attention.”
About 30 people were arrested on charges that included trespassing, property destruction and disorderly conduct, Victor Balta, a university spokesperson and assistant vice president for communications, said in a statement. Some of those arrested were charged with conspiracy to commit all three of those charges, Balta said, adding that they would be referred to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Any students identified as being involved will also be referred to the Student Conduct Office,” Balta said.
The school said in an earlier press statement that “a few dozen individuals” had entered the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building just prior to its 5 p.m. closing. Campus police were called to the scene, the university said in a statement to ABC News.
Campus police, which were working with several other agencies, began clearing the area outside the building at about 10:30 p.m., Balta said. Protesters had worked to block the doors and also lit two dumpsters on fire in the street, he said. By 11 p.m., police had entered and began clearing the building.
Prior to the arrests, the school said the “trespassers are mostly covering their faces and stacking building furniture near entryways.”
“To the best of our knowledge, everyone connected to the UW who does not want to be inside the building has left,” the university said in a statement. “Individuals remaining in the building are trespassing and will face legal and student conduct actions.”
The group, which goes by SUPER UW and which identified itself as Pro-Palestinian, issued a series of demands for school administrators, including taking “Boeing out of the IEB,” as the building they’ve occupied is known.
The group asked for the building to be renamed.
Boeing, an airplane manufacturer and one of the largest defense companies in the United States, has a long history with the University of Washington.
The company, which previously was headquartered in Seattle, supplied about $10 million as a donation to aid in the construction of that $90 million engineering building, the school said in 2022, prior to construction. A press release from that time noted that “Boeing’s relationship with the UW dates back more than a century.”
The group that’s occupying the building sought, more broadly, to stop all donations from Boeing to the school.
“Return any existing donations, financial investments, and eliminate all other material ties to Boeing,” the group said. “Prohibit Boeing executives and employees from teaching classes or having any influence over curriculum.”
Balta in a statement said the school was “committed to maintaining a secure learning and research environment, and strongly condemns this illegal building occupation.” The school also condemned the strong language in the protesters’ press release, with Balta saying it “will not be intimidated by this sort of offensive and destructive behavior.”
ABC News’ Tristan Maglunog and Erica Morris contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione violated the “special treatment” he was afforded for his last court appearance when handwritten notes were concealed inside a pair of argyle socks he was allowed to wear, New York City prosecutors said Wednesday in a new court filing.
Mangione, who is accused of gunning down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December, was given special accommodations for his “fashion needs” when he was allowed to change out of his jail-issued clothing before his Feb. 21 court appearance, according to the filing.
The defense team gave a court officer a bag of clothes, which included a new pair of argyle socks wrapped around cardboard, the filing said.
“Secreted in the cardboard were two personal heart-shaped notes, one addressed to an unknown person named ‘Joan’ and the other to Luigi stating in part ‘know there are thousands of people wishing you luck,'” the Manhattan district attorney’s office said.
“In spite of this, the defendant was permitted to wear the argyle socks, which he first changed into and later changed out of because he felt that ‘they did not look good,'” prosecutors said.
Mangione ended up appearing sock-less at the court appearance, with shackles around his ankles.
“Fortunately, the items smuggled were handwritten notes and not contraband capable of harming the transporting officers,” prosecutors noted.
The sartorial detail was included in a filing that responded to defense accusations that prosecutors withheld grand jury witness testimony and copies of electronic devices seized upon Mangione’s arrest, in violation of discovery obligations.
Prosecutors conceded they have not provided the testimony of civilian witnesses before the grand jury because they “constituted a fraction of the testimony before the Grand Jury,” comprising four of the 23 witnesses called. Otherwise, the DA’s office said there have been ample discovery disclosures to the defense.
Prosecutors also said in Wednesday’s court filing that Mangione does not need his own “specially formulated laptop” in jail because he “fails to show a necessity” to receive one.
Mangione’s attorneys asked that he be provided with a laptop “modified to the detention center’s regulations” so he can view videos, photos and other evidence.
“Without the laptop, which allows Mr. Mangione to review discovery outside the presence of counsel, there are not enough visiting hours that would allow the defense to view all discovery with the defendant (including thousands of hours of video) and also meet the Court’s current motion schedule,” the defense said.
Few inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn are given laptops.
Prosecutors said Mangione “has ample access to desktop computers” that he can use to review evidence, conduct legal research, send emails and draft motions.
“Ironically, the defense repeats at every opportunity that defendant is being treated differently than other defendants similarly situated. Yet, that’s precisely what the defense seeks — special treatment for defendant, without circumstances that warrant it,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann said.
On Dec. 4, Mangione allegedly shot and killed Thompson in a premeditated attack outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan as the CEO headed to an investors conference.
According to a newly disclosed court document, the backpack Mangione was carrying when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the murder was full of items that could suggest he intended to remain on the run and, possibly, kill again.
The backpack had a gun, a Glock magazine, 9 mm cartridges and a silencer, along with a knife, phone charger, duct tape, passport, zip ties, clothes, a computer and handwritten notes, the automatic discovery form said.
Authorities also found receipts for items purchased at a CVS and for registration at a New York City hostel under the name Mark Rosario, which matches the name on a fake New Jersey driver’s license Mangione allegedly carried.
Prosecutors extracted data from devices linked to Mangione, including a Motorola cellphone he allegedly dropped while fleeing, the document said.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges.
He has not yet entered a plea to federal charges. One of the federal charges, murder through use of a firearm, makes Mangione eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
(CHICAGO) — Federal authorities seized nearly $34 million worth of illegal e-cigarettes in their latest effort to crack down on unauthorized vaping products entering the U.S.
The Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection discovered nearly two million illegal e-cigarette units during inspections in Chicago this February, officials announced Thursday.
Almost all the products came from China and included brands like Snoopy Smoke and Raz.
In a new move to combat illegal imports, the FDA also sent warning letters to 24 companies that bring tobacco products into the country.
“We can and will do more to stop illegal e-cigarettes from coming into the United States,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in the press release. “These seizures keep unauthorized products away from our nation’s youth.”
More than 20 million e-cigarettes are sold each month in the U.S., according to CDC Foundation data. However, only 34 tobacco and menthol-flavored e-cigarette products are allowed to be sold in the U.S.
Officials said many companies tried to sneak illegal products past customs by using fake labels and incorrect values on shipping documents.
“We keep finding more shipments of vaping products that are packaged and mislabeled to avoid getting caught,” according to Bret Koplow, who leads the FDA’s tobacco regulation center. “But we’re getting better at stopping these products before they reach U.S. stores.”
The FDA said the seized products would be destroyed. This operation was part of an ongoing effort that had already stopped more than $77 million worth of illegal e-cigarettes in the past year through similar raids in Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago.
The agency has also issued more than 750 warning letters to companies making or selling unauthorized vaping products and over 800 warnings to stores selling them. It also filed financial penalties against 87 manufacturers and more than 175 retailers.
