Nine injured, hundreds evacuated in JFK airport escalator fire
WABC-TV
(NEW YORK) — Several people were taken to the hospital after an escalator caught fire at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told ABC News.
The small fire in Concourse C sent smoke billowing through the airport’s Terminal 8 at about 7 a.m.
Nine people received minor injuries due to smoke inhalation, four of whom were hospitalized, according to New York ABC station WABC-TV. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
About 960 people were evacuated on buses to another area of the terminal, officials said.
One traveler, Nate Peckinpaugh, told ABC News he had been about to board a flight from New York to Washington, D.C., when the fire broke out.
“I was catching a flight at the exact terminal we evacuated from. The alarm was going off for a long time and no one was paying attention,” Peckinpaugh told ABC News.
“Eventually this woman started running around and yelling for someone to help,” he added.
Peckinpaugh recorded the incident on his phone, from the alarm going off at the terminal to passengers being escorted outside, some covering their faces from the smoke. Firefighters were then seen arriving at the scene, with a few people being rescued from the jet bridge while others were being put on stretchers to receive assistance.
Operations had resumed in the terminal by about 8:15 a.m., officials said, and the cause of the fire is now under investigation.
(LOS ANGELES) — Five people have been charged in connection with the ketamine death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, federal officials in Los Angeles announced Thursday.
Three of the defendants, including a doctor, are in plea agreements for federal drug charges in connection with this death, while two others — including a second doctor and a woman known as “The Ketamine Queen” who is accused of selling Perry the batch of ketamine that killed him, were arrested on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said investigators conducted a wide-ranging investigation following Perry’s death in October 2023 that “revealed a broad, underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine to Mr. Perry and others.”
Defendants accused of taking advantage of Perry’s addiction
The lead defendants in the case are Jasveen Sangha, 41, allegedly known as “The Ketamine Queen,” and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, a licensed medical doctor known as “Dr. P,” who are expected to be arraigned later Thursday, the DOJ said.
The three others separately charged in the case include Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, who admitted in court documents to administering the ketamine on the day that Perry died; Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, a licensed medical doctor who admitted in court documents to selling ketamine to Plasencia; and Eric Fleming, 54, who admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry, the DOJ said.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves,” Estrada said during a press briefing on Thursday. “They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyway.”
Estrada said that in the fall of 2023, Perry, who has struggled with addiction in the past, “fell back into addiction, and these defendants took advantage to profit for themselves.”
Plasencia allegedly worked with Chavez to obtain ketamine and with Iwamasa to distribute that ketamine to Perry. Over two months, they distributed approximately 20 viles of ketamine to Perry in exchange for $55,000 in cash, Estrada said.
“Plasencia saw this as an opportunity to profit off of Mr. Perry,” Estrada said, noting that the doctor allegedly wrote in text messages, “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” and that he wanted to be the actor’s “go-to for drugs.”
The vials cost the doctors $12 but they were selling them for $2,000 a vial to Perry, authorities said.
As a doctor, Plasencia “knew the danger of what he was doing” and allegedly told another patient that Perry was “spiraling out of control with his addiction,” Estrada said.
“Nevertheless, he continued to offer ketamine to Mr. Perry,” Estrada said.
The other lead defendant, Sangha, is accused of selling 50 vials of ketamine for approximately $11,000 in cash over two weeks to Perry, working with Fleming and Iwamasa to distribute the drugs to Perry, according to Estrada. She is accused of selling Perry the batch of ketamine that killed him.
Perry died on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54. He was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
After his death, some of the co-conspirators allegedly talked about distancing themselves from the actor, according to the indictment. After Perry’s death was reported in the news, Sangha instructed Fleming on Oct. 28, 2023, “Delete all our messages,” according to the prosecutors.
Plasencia allegedly provided altered and falsified medical records, “purporting to show that he had a legitimate ‘treatment plan’ in place for Perry, with the intent to influence the investigation into Perry’s death,” in February and March in response to a request amid the federal investigation, prosecutors said.
The defendants allegedly used encrypted messaging and coded language referring to ketamine as “Dr. Pepper” to distribute their drugs, according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges that the two doctors were the initial sources of Perry’s ketamine supply, but at one point federal officials believe the drugs became too expensive and Perry switched to a new source, including Sangha, a federal source said.
A search of Sangha’s home following Perry’s death revealed a “drug-selling emporium,” including ketamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, scales and ledgers, Estrada said.
An 18-count superseding indictment returned by a grand jury on Wednesday charges Plasencia and Sangha with conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine.
Plasencia is also charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation.
The indictment alleges that Sangha was additionally aware of the danger of ketamine after, years earlier, selling the drug to someone who hours later died from an overdose in August 2019. A family member of the victim sent a message to Sangha, telling her the cause of death was ketamine, according to the indictment.
Plasencia faces a maximum of 120 years in federal prison if convicted, while Sangha faces a maximum of life in prison, prosecutors said.
3 defendants in plea agreements
The three others charged in connection with Perry’s death are in various stages of plea agreements, the DOJ said.
Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, admitting in his plea agreement to selling ketamine to Plasencia, the DOJ said. Estrada said prosecutors filed a plea grant for him on Thursday. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 30 and faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.
Fleming and Iwamasa have signed plea agreements that have been entered, Estrada said. They face up to 25 and 15 years, respectively, when they are sentenced, prosecutors said.
Fleming pleaded guilty on Aug. 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, admitting in court documents that he distributed 50 vials of ketamine that he obtained from Sangha to Iwamasa, including the ketamine that killed Perry, the DOJ said.
Iwamasa pleaded guilty on Aug. 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. According to his plea agreement, Perry asked Iwamasa to help him procure ketamine in September 2023 and provided his assistant with “money, or promised to reimburse him, and directed him to find sources from whom to acquire the drugs.”
Prosecutors alleged that Plasencia taught Iwamasa how to inject Perry with ketamine. Iwamasa “admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training, including performing multiple injections on Perry on October 28, 2023 — the day Perry died,” the DOJ said.
Plea agreement recounts Perry’s final hours
Iwamasa’s plea agreement also details the day Perry died.
At Perry’s direction, Iwamasa injected him with a shot of ketamine at approximately 8:30 a.m., then again at 12:45 p.m. while the actor watched a movie, according to the plea agreement.
About 40 minutes later, Perry asked his assistant to prepare the jacuzzi for him and “‘shoot me up a big one,’ referring to another shot of ketamine,” the plea agreement stated.
Iwamasa admitted to administering the shot while Perry was in or near the jacuzzi, then leaving the house to run errands for him, according to the document.
“After returning to the residence, defendant found [Perry] face down in the jacuzzi and deceased,” the document stated.
Perry had high levels of ketamine in his blood, likely lapsed into unconsciousness and then went underwater, according to the autopsy report.
He was reported to have been receiving ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety, with the most recent therapy coming 1 1/2 weeks before his death, according to the autopsy report. However, the medical examiner wrote the ketamine in his system at death could not have been from that infusion therapy, as ketamine’s half-life is three to four hours or less.
The autopsy report also listed drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects as contributing factors not related to the immediate cause of death. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
Prescription drugs and loose pills were found at his home, but nothing near where he was found dead, according to the autopsy report.
Multiple agencies have been investigating in the months since his death, including the DEA, Los Angeles Police Department, United States Postal Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Perry was known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom “Friends,” which ran from 1994 to 2004.
The actor’s family, which includes his mother, Suzanne Morrison, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison, said in a statement Thursday that they are “heartbroken by Matthew’s death, but it has helped to know law enforcement has taken his case very seriously. We look forward to justice taking its course.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The booking photo for Devereaux Christopher Johnson. (Canton Public Safety Department)
(NEW YORK) — A Michigan man is accused of fatally shooting his neighbor after getting into an argument with him on the street, officials said.
Devereaux Christopher Johnson, 47, of Canton, was arraigned Monday on first-degree murder in connection with the shooting, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said.
The victim — 35-year-old father-of-two Nathan Morris, also of Canton — was shot and killed while on a walk Saturday morning, the prosecutor’s office said.
“It is alleged that the defendant initiated a verbal argument when he saw Mr. Morris walking down the street,” the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. “Defendant Johnson then produced and fired a handgun multiple times, fatally wounding Mr. Morris who was unarmed at the time he was killed.”
The suspect allegedly started threatening Morris’ family after one of Morris’ daughters touched the neighbor’s mulch, according to former RNC National Committeewoman Hima Kolanagireddy, a friend and colleague of the victim’s, according to her statement shared on the Michigan GOP X account. Morris stayed behind to try and “diffuse” the situation while his family went home, her statement continued.
Canton police officers responding to a reported shooting shortly before noon Saturday found Morris lying in the street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the prosecutor’s office said.
Morris was transported to a local hospital, where he died, police said.
Johnson barricaded himself inside his home following the shooting before ultimately surrendering, according to police.
Johnson was additionally charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of felony firearm, the prosecutor’s office said. Judge Jim Plakas entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf to all charges during his arraignment on Monday.
Johnson’s attorney, Wade McCann, requested a referral to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry to assess competency and criminal responsibility, which Plakas allowed.
The suspect was remanded to jail without bond and is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 23. ABC News has reached out to his attorney for comment.
The charge of first-degree murder carries a sentence of life without parole if convicted, police said.
“This was a senseless act of violence toward the victim,” Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh said in a statement following the incident. “The Canton Police Department sends our deepest condolences to the victim’s family, and to the neighbors who may have witnessed this tragic event.”
Morris worked as an engineer at Ford Motors, according to Kolanagireddy, an executive committee member of the Wayne 6th County Republican Committee, where Morris served as the secretary.
“Nathan is one of those few guys who are near perfect,” Kolanagireddy said. “He would do no harm and think no harm. He is just an amazing and gentle soul. He will be missed dearly.”
He is survived by his wife of 10 years and two girls, ages 5 and 2, according to his church, St. Michael Lutheran Church of Canton.
His friend, Edward McCall, called the incident “surreal” and said the victim’s family and friends are “numb and shocked.”
“He was a great man, and a real gentleman, a real father figure,” McCall told ABC Detroit affiliate WXYZ-TV. “I’m just kind of sorting through the kind of loss that represents for his family.”
(WASHINGTON) — The FBI continued to mishandle tips regarding sexual abuse against children even after the agency promised reforms in the wake of its botched handling of assault allegations against former USA Olympics gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, according to a Justice Department watchdog report released Thursday.
DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s findings were a result of an extensive audit undertaken in the 16 months after his office released its scathing 2021 report that detailed the FBI’s failures in acting on multiple credible abuse claims against Nassar by athletes under his care. While the report details how the FBI updated its policies and training to handle such tips in the wake of the Nassar report, it found multiple instances where bureau employees failed to properly act on the allegations.
Of nearly 4,000 child sexual abuse cases opened by the FBI between October 2021 and February 2023, the IG’s office reviewed 327 and found 42 cases where investigators had to flag it to the FBI for their “immediate attention,” according to the report.
For those 13% of the cases audited by the IG, the report said, investigators had concerns that varied from a lack of recent investigative activity or referrals to appropriate agencies, leads that were not properly followed up on and, in some instances, clear violations of FBI policy regarding handling sexual abuse claims.
In one specific instance identified in the report, FBI agents failed to follow up on an allegation involving abuse against a minor by a registered sex offender, which led to the offender victimizing at least one additional minor “for a period of approximately 15 months,” the report said.
“After we raised this incident to the FBI’s attention, the FBI took appropriate action, and the subject was indicted on federal charges,” Horowitz said in a taped video statement.
The report further found significant issues regarding FBI agents’ obligation to report allegations of sexual abuse against children to various entities immediately after they are received.
In 47% of incidents reviewed by the IG, they found no evidence that FBI employees complied with mandatory reporting requirements to state and local law enforcement agencies, and in 50% of cases, they found no evidence that they reported the allegations to social services agencies, according to the report.
“Additionally, we found that FBI employees didn’t always comply with FBI policies put in place to protect victims,” the report said. “For example, in the incidents we reviewed, we found 40 percent of the active child sexual abuse allegations did not include evidence that the FBI responded within 24 hours.”
A central issue identified in the IG report was a surge in recent years of claims of child sexual abuse that have caused a strain on FBI resources.
One agent who spoke to the IG said they had been assigned approximately 60 such cases and that the risk of them “falling through the cracks” was in large part due to high agent workloads. But, according to the IG, FBI Headquarters denied requests from all but one of 15 field offices that requested an increase in the number of special agents dedicated to investigating child abuse threats in 2022, and further denied requests from seven of those field offices when they again appealed for help.
In a letter responding to the report released Thursday, the FBI said they “recognize further action is necessary to ensure our corrective measures have the full intended effect of improving the FBI’s handling of allegations of hands-on sex offenses.”
But the bureau also argued that “most of the incidents” flagged by the IG’s office appeared to reflect failures in documentation rather than clear failures in proper investigative actions being taken.
“Ensuring the safety and security of children is not just a priority for the FBI; it is a solemn duty that we are committed to fulfilling with the highest standards,” the FBI said in a statement. “The FBI’s efforts combating crimes against children are among the most critical and demanding undertakings we do. The FBI deeply values the trust the public places in us to protect the most vulnerable members of society. We are committed to maintaining the public’s trust by implementing the necessary improvements to ensure the important changes we made to our Violent Crimes Against Children program in 2018 and 2019 have the intended effect of promoting the highest level of compliance and effectiveness.”
Crimes against children are among the top priorities for the FBI, but the bureau continues to be challenged by an increasing number of sexual abuse tips and has previously failed to take necessary investigative measures, an FBI official acknowledged to reporters on Thursday.
“It’s staggering,” the official said, referring to the growing number of reports as an “overwhelming situation.”
“Any mistake or deficiency is unacceptable and the FBI recognizes that,” the official said.
Thursday’s report is likely to draw further criticism of the bureau and FBI Director Christopher Wray, who in the wake of the Nassar report issued a personal apology to the gymnasts abused by Nassar.
“I am sorry that so many people let you down over and over again and I am especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed, and that is inexcusable,” Wray said in September 2021 congressional testimony. “It never should have happened, and we are doing everything in our power to make sure it never happens again.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin said in a statement Thursday that he intends to hold a hearing with the FBI in the coming weeks.
“The FBI’s failures enabling Larry Nassar’s abuse of young victims continue to remain a stain on the Bureau,” Durbin said. “Today’s report shows that new policies implemented by the FBI to address these egregious failures are effectively being ignored, leading to similar abuses as seen in the Nassar investigation. It’s shameful that the FBI is continuing to fail victims.”
Nassar pleaded guilty in 2017 in connection with crimes against several victims and was sentenced to 60 years behind bars for child pornography and other charges. He again pleaded guilty in 2018 and was sentenced to an additional 40 to 175 years for multiple counts of sexual assault of minors.
