Woman found murdered at Hamptons resort, police investigating
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(NEW YORK) — Police are investigating the murder of a woman at a high-end resort in the Hamptons.
A staff member at the Shou Sugi Ban House found the victim dead in a guest room on Monday afternoon, Suffolk County police said. The resort is in Water Mill, located between Southhampton and Bridgehampton.
The woman hasn’t been identified, police said, adding that her cause of death will be determined after an autopsy.
No one has been taken into custody.
Police ask anyone with information to call the department at 631-852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
(WASHINGTON) — Federal authorities are offering a $25,000 reward in connection with a series of arson incidents involving ballot boxes in Washington state and Oregon during early voting last month.
The FBI said Wednesday it is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect sought in three incendiary fires.
The agency is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect responsible.
The first incident occurred on Oct. 8 in Vancouver, Washington, when a ballot box was set on fire between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, the FBI said.
Then, on Oct. 28, ballot boxes in Vancouver and Portland were set on fire between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, the FBI said. Hundreds of ballots were damaged in the Vancouver incident after a fire suppression device failed to work properly, officials said.
In all three incidents, an “improvised incendiary device” was placed on the ballot drop boxes, the FBI said.
The Portland incident was captured by a surveillance camera, including a vehicle driven by the suspect believed to be responsible for these crimes, the FBI said.
In a roughly 3-minute video released by the FBI, a vehicle can be seen stopping next to the ballot box, located on a sidewalk. The driver appears to light an item and pass it through the driver’s window, then drives away. Almost immediately after the vehicle departs, the ballot box begins smoking, then briefly sparking. Fire suppressants prevented further damage and protected nearly all the ballots, according to elections officials.
The vehicle was described by the FBI as an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan, dark in color, with dark wheels and a light-colored interior. It does not have a Volvo logo on the front grill, the FBI said.
“At the time of the October 28, 2024, incidents, the vehicle also displayed a fraudulent temporary Washington license plate on the rear and no front license plate. The plate, which is not associated with a Volvo, may no longer be on the vehicle,” the FBI said.
The driver of the vehicle was described by the FBI as a white male, approximately 30 to 40 years old, with thinning hair.
“It is believed that he may have some experience with metal work and welding,” the FBI said.
The incendiary device used in the initial incident had “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” on it, two sources familiar with the ongoing investigation previously told ABC News. The two subsequent devices carried the slogan “Free Gaza,” according to the sources.
One of the sources told ABC News it was unclear whether these markings reflect the views of a pro-Palestine activist — or if it was an individual trying to manipulate existing divisions in the U.S.
ABC News’ Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — With Election Day around the corner, American parents may be considering paying for childcare to ease the voting process. But in some states, heading to the polls while your child is being cared for can be free of charge.
In swing state North Carolina, 11-time Olympic track and field medalist Allyson Felix paired up with the nonprofit Chamber of Mothers to offer up to two hours of paid child care through Politisit.
In Western North Carolina, which was devastated by the impacts of Hurricane Helene, Politsit is offering parents reimbursement for up to a full day’s worth of childcare.
“You should never have to choose between your profession, your passions, and motherhood,” Felix said in a statement. “I’m honored to partner with Chamber of Mothers to tell moms that this election, you don’t have to choose between voting and motherhood. This election, you can do both.”
A Knight Foundation study released in 2020, which surveyed 12,000 non-voters, found that more than 60% of the most disconnected non-voters are women, and within that figure, many were single women with children.
For reimbursement, eligible parents can fill out this Politsit form and indicate how much the childcare will cost.
In California, the company Bumo, which offers education-based child care for children six months to six years of age, has donated $20,000 in free childcare services that are being offered in Los Angeles and San Francisco on Election Day.
Similarly, Los Angeles-based child care center Brella is offering up to a full day of free child care for kids three months to six years of age.
New York-based Vivvi child care centers are offering caregivers in New York City and Westchester who are headed to the polls a full day of free services.
Politisit and partner organizations are also offering free care opportunities in California, Houston, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, New York City and Brooklyn, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
“Childcare is expensive and shouldn’t be a barrier to voting,” the organization said on its website, adding, “We believe that parents shouldn’t have to choose between voting and care for their children.”
(NEW YORK) — A man has been arrested after allegedly punching a pregnant woman and biting a medic’s hand in a violent carjacking attempt at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Connecticut, police said.
The incident happened on Tuesday when the 28-year-old suspect, later named as William Rodriguez, pulled into the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru store on 704 Foxon Road in East Haven, Connecticut, at 7:44 p.m. and parked his vehicle “directly in front of the victim’s car while she waited at the drive-thru window,” according to a statement from the East Haven Police Department released on Tuesday.
“He then exited his vehicle, entered the victim’s car through the passenger door, and demanded her keys. When the victim refused, Rodriguez began punching her. The victim managed to escape and ran inside Dunkin Donuts to seek help,” authorities said.
A female Dunkin’ Donuts employee who witnessed the attack immediately alerted two male employees who, police said, then “rushed outside, where they confronted Rodriguez, who was struggling to operate the victim’s vehicle.”
The two male Dunkin’ Donuts employees were able to remove Rodriguez from the car and restrain him on the ground until police arrived, law enforcement said.
“Upon officer’s arrival, Rodriguez was taken into custody after a brief struggle. While receiving medical attention from an East Haven Fire Department medic, Rodriguez bit the medic’s hand,” authorities said. “Rodriguez was subsequently transported to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he remained under guard until being transported to the East Haven Police Department for processing.”
It was subsequently discovered that the vehicle Rodriguez was driving, a 2016 Hyundai Elantra, had been reported stolen out of New Haven. The New Haven Police Department responded to the scene and took custody of the vehicle for further investigation.
Rodriguez now faces a litany of charges, including breach of peace, assault on emergency medical personnel, robbery in the third degree, reckless endangerment in the second degree, assault on a pregnant person, assault in the third degree, interfering with an officer and two counts of larceny of a motor vehicle.
Rodriguez is now being held on a $250,000 bond for those charges, as well as multiple outstanding arrest warrants totaling $475,000.00 and two outstanding warrants from CSP Troop A and Troop I.
The East Haven Police Department said they commend “the quick and courageous actions of the Dunkin Donuts employees, who helped bring this dangerous situation under control.”
Rodriguez is now awaiting arraignment and the investigation remains open.
