Teen rescued from atop overturned boat in deadly capsize off Alaska coast
A 15-year-old boy is rescued from a capsized boat off Alaska, Sept. 7, 2026. (Carlos Escartin)
(NEW YORK) — A 15-year-old boy survived atop a fishing vessel after it capsized in frigid waters off the coast of Alaska, while his two crew members died, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard pilot who spotted the lone survivor sitting atop the overturned boat in the Bering Sea called the rescue an “emotional roller coaster” in an interview with ABC News on Thursday.
“We are beyond excited and beyond grateful that we found him, and at the same time, we are overwhelmingly remorseful that we didn’t find the other two in time,” Lt. Cmdr. Jonathon Resch told ABC News correspondent Trevor Ault.
The 18-foot fishing vessel had departed Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island on Friday and was due back early Sunday, according to the Coast Guard. It was reported overdue Sunday night, prompting the search and rescue effort.
Due to weather conditions, the Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircrew wasn’t able to begin the search until Monday, according to the Coast Guard.
Resch spotted the teen sitting on top of the skiff Monday morning approximately 4 miles from St. Lawrence Island, calling it “nothing short of miraculous.”
“People don’t survive those scenarios,” he said. “People don’t flip boats and survive nights. They don’t do it in warm water, let alone in water that’s, you know, 40 degrees.”
The Coast Guard coordinated the rescue with a nearby good Samaritan vessel, Northwest Explorer.
The aircrew dropped flares and life rafts in the water to increase the visibility of the teen’s overturned boat while waiting for the Northwest Explorer to arrive, Resch said.
“That’s another miracle in itself,” Resch said of the boat rescue.
Video of the rescue showed the teen kneeling on the overturned skiff as he’s reeled in with a heaving line and then brought aboard the Northwest Explorer fishing vessel.
The 15-year-old survivor had symptoms of hypothermia, the Coast Guard said. The two deceased boaters were recovered from the water and transported along with the survivor to Nome.
The Coast Guard has not released the names of the deceased boaters or the survivor.
“Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners,” Rear Adm. Bob Little, the commander of the Arctic District, said in a statement. “We are grateful for the incredible efforts of the motor vessel Northwest Explorer, Federal, State, Village first responders and mission partners who assisted in the effort that resulted in a life saved.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stand guard in front of protesters outside Delaney Hall, which is being used as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, May 27, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEWARK, N.J.) — Tensions continue to rise outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, as activists and Democratic leaders clash with the federal government over conditions there.
A hunger strike inside the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall detention center has been ongoing since Friday after detainees alleged they are not being well fed or provided sanitary living conditions, according to activists.
“They’re given rotten frozen food, or in the case of last week, they found live worms in their food. We’re also hearing of people being denied toilet paper,” activist Catalina Adorno told New York ABC affiliate WABC on Tuesday.
Several protests have taken place outside the facility since the strike began, and ICE agents were filmed using pepper spray and batons against protesters who have gotten close to them, according to WABC.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied the allegations of a hunger strike and inhumane conditions inside Delaney Hall, which is currently holding 300 detainees. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday that there were “only a handful of individuals that was refusing to eat” because they allegedly wanted their “ethnic right food.”
“Well, they can go back to their country and get whatever food they want,” he told reporters. “The fact is, we’re giving them the calories they want. This isn’t Holiday Inn.”
Activist groups and several New Jersey Democratic Congress members, including Rep. Rob Menendez Jr., and Sen. Andy Kim, have pushed back against DHS claims and have participated in protests since Friday.
Menendez and Kim went inside the Delaney Hall detention center Saturday after repeated asks and said they saw the poor conditions and treatment of detainees firsthand.
“These are not the people that Donald Trump keeps saying that they were trying to lock up. You know, there is a woman that was pregnant that says she’s not getting full, OB-GYN care,” said Kim, who has called for Delaney Hall to be shut down.
“There is a woman that had a miscarriage that said that she did not get the care that she needed and was left to be able to manage that on her own,” he added.
Kim joined protesters again on Monday along with New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who said she was denied access to the facility multiple times over the past couple of weeks.
The governor spoke with some of the protesters, which included families of the detainees, and joined calls for the facility to be closed.
“My request for access to Delaney Hall was formally denied this morning, raising serious questions about what they are trying to hide from public view,” Sherrill said in a statement Monday, in part.
“I have long opposed private detention facilities and will continue to advocate for the closure of Delaney Hall and against any expansion of mass detention facilities in New Jersey,” the statement continued.
“I came today to hear from families and advocates, and what I heard from them was heartbreaking. I will continue to hold ICE accountable,” the statement further said, adding that Sherrill would continue working with Menendez, Kim and others “to demand answers, protect constitutional rights, and ensure humane conditions.”
“The people inside Delaney Hall are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and members of our community. In New Jersey, we believe in the rule of law and that everyone deserves to be treated with basic dignity. We have a duty to safeguard the rights, health, and well-being of everyone within our borders,” the statement said.
Shortly after Sherrill left the rally on Monday, things became more tense between the protesters and federal agents. ICE agents deployed pepper spray and fired rubber bullets into the crowd as they clashed with agents, who were moving vehicles in and outside the facility, according to WABC.
Several people were hit with the spray including Kim, who was seen trying to de-escalate the situation.
“Instead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire,” the senator said on social media Monday.
Mullin decried the Memorial Day protest and told reporters Wednesday that Congress members “probably shouldn’t have been there.”
Lauren Bis, DHS acting assistant secretary, accused the New Jersey lawmakers of conducting a “political stunt.”
“We need these sanctuary politicians to stop peddling this garbage and cooperate with us to get these criminals out of their state,” she said in a statement Monday.
The protests and clashes continue, with federal agents deploying pepper spray against protesters who formed a human barricade outside the facility.
Mullin alleged in a social media post Tuesday night that law enforcement agents were sprayed with “an unknown chemical substance.”
“Two individuals were arrested for assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal officers,” Mullin said.
Sherrill did not immediately have a comment about Mullin’s claims.
Protesters showed up to Delaney Hall Wednesday but the demonstrations were peaceful as of the afternoon.
(MIDLAND, Texas) — One victim was killed and 10 others were injured in a mass shooting in Midland, Texas, on Friday morning, and the suspected gunman is dead following a standoff with police, authorities said.
When police responded to an active shooter report around 8 a.m. local time Friday, the suspect, Victor Mata Villarreal, allegedly fired at bystanders and officers, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Villarreal, 45, then barricaded himself in an abandoned veterinary clinic, DPS said. After an hourslong standoff, the Odessa, Texas, resident was found dead in the building around 12:30 p.m. local time, authorities said.
Nine victims were taken to Midland Memorial Hospital, where four were rushed into surgery and five were admitted in stable condition, hospital officials said. The five in stable condition have since been discharged, officials said.
The victims have not been identified. DPS said no law enforcement officers were hurt.
Villarreal had been wanted for attempted capital murder of an officer after he allegedly fired multiple shots at police during a car chase on Wednesday, DPS said.
He fled from that scene on Wednesday and went into hiding, according to law enforcement. On Friday, when officers tried to apprehend him, he began opening fire, according to law enforcement.
Midland Mayor Lori Blong said at a news conference, “I would really ask Midlanders to pray for the families of those who have been impacted, for the victims themselves, for the family of the one who is confirmed deceased.”
ABC News’ Alex Stone and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
Tracy Mingo is accused of using disguises to evade identification so he could target employees at Circle K, Subway and Family Dollar stores throughout the Atlanta area between October 2025 and January 2026, the FBI said. (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the northern District of Georgia)
(NEW YORK) — A man who federal prosecutors in Atlanta nicknamed “master of disguise” is facing federal charges Thursday for allegedly robbing 10 businesses at gunpoint while dressed in different costumes.
Tracy Mingo is accused of using disguises to evade identification so he could target employees at Circle K, Subway and Family Dollar stores throughout the Atlanta area between October 2025 and January 2026, the FBI said.
Mingo allegedly entered each of the stores late at night — after all or nearly all customers had left — and robbed employees at gunpoint, officials said.
He allegedly donned disguises, including a construction worker, a health care professional and a security guard, according to the indictment.
Police and the FBI arrested Mingo in January when they said it appeared he was putting on the same security guard disguise used during the robbery of a Circle K store the night before. Mingo, 33, of College Park, Georgia, is now charged with 20 counts, including Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“For months, Mingo allegedly used disguises in an attempt to evade identification and continue targeting innocent workers at gunpoint,” FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham said in a statement. “He underestimated the determination of the investigators pursuing him and the strength of the partnerships that exist between the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners.”
