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Train hero Alek Skarlatos on Daniel Penny trial: 'This could happen to you'

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Train hero Alek Skarlatos on Daniel Penny trial: 'This could happen to you'

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EXCLUSIVE: The Oregon Army National Guard veteran who helped thwart a terror attack on a train from Amsterdam to Paris in 2015 is warning that New York Marine veteran Daniel Penny’s manslaughter trial is concerning to all those who thinks of themselves as “someone who would step up.”

Oregon House Rep.-elect Alek Skarlatos, who along with two friends and another good Samaritan disarmed and subdued the Moroccan terrorist Ayoub El Khazzani when he opened fire on a packed Thalys train, said he believes French self-defense law is more accommodating than in the Empire State.

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“Do you want people to step up and try to do the right thing or not? I mean, if he, God forbid, is convicted, it’s going to frighten a lot of people and blue states into inaction,” he said.

The problem with blue states, he warned, is an apparent double standard where politicized prosecutors pick and choose winners and losers.

DANIEL PENNY PROSECUTOR DANGLES RACE CARD AGAIN OVER DEFENSE OBJECTION DESPITE NO HATE CRIME CHARGES

Gen. Paul J. Selva thanks Army Spc. Alek Skarlatos, Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler during a ceremony honoring the three men, at the Pentagon, Sept. 17, 2015. (DOD photo by Army Staff Sgt. Sean K. Harp/Released)

“I think if you live in Oregon, Washington, California and New York, you are kind of concerned that something like this could happen to you, especially if you’re someone who thinks of themself as someone who would step up,” he told Fox News Digital. “In our terrorist attack, for instance… it happened on a gun-free continent. I wasn’t able to carry. We had to fight this guy by hand.”

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Skarlatos sees a two-tiered justice system in Democratic strongholds. Penny remained at the scene, spoke with police and was not arrested until 11 days later, when the same Manhattan District Attorney’s Office that prosecuted the controversial NY v. Trump case indicted Penny on manslaughter charges.

DANIEL PENNY RETURNS TO COURT FOR CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD TRIAL

Daniel Penny departs the Manhattan Supreme Criminal Court building in New York City on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)

No one deserves to die because they’re having a mental health episode, but at the same time, no one should have to put up with a drug-addicted schizophrenic person threatening their lives.

— Oregon House Rep.-elect Alek Skarlatos

“Hunter Biden is being pardoned today as well,” Skarlatos said. “There’s all sorts of double standards when it comes to how blue states and Democrat leadership enforce the law.”

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He also said he believes Penny acted with others in mind, stepping in to stop an apparent threat before it got out of hand.

“If you watched his interview with police after the fact, he thought that he did the right thing and the police had Neely in custody and everything was going to be fine,” he said.

DANIEL PENNY DEFENSE CALLS FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST TO WITNESS STAND: ‘THE CHOKEHOLD DID NOT CAUSE THE DEATH’

Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler pose in Paris on Aug. 23, 2015, following a foiled attack on a French train. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Crane)

Skarlatos and two childhood friends, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler were on board a Paris-bound train on Aug. 21, 2015, when El Khazzani jumped out of the bathroom and opened fire.

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The now-convicted terrorist had an AK-47 rifle, an automatic pistol, a box cutter and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The rifle jammed and they wrestled the guns away. By then, El Khazzani had shot one passenger, seriously slashed Mark Moogalian, an American ex-pat who was living in France and was first to engage the gunman, and cut Stone multiple times. 

“When we kind of got control of him and had him bent over kind of a table in the train car, he was still fighting to get away, and so I just told him, ‘Stop resisting, stop resisting.’ And he didn’t. So I put the handgun to the back of his head and pulled the trigger. And the handgun turned out to be completely empty,” he said.

Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler attend a parade held to honor them for stopping a gunman on a Paris-bound passenger train, in Sacramento, California, on Sept. 11, 2015. (AP)

Skarlatos cracked him in the head with the butt of the rifle instead, as Stone, who nearly lost his thumb, choked him out.

The former Oregon National Guard sniper said he was afraid to tell French authorities at first.

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“I actually asked the American FBI, who interviewed us the next morning, if it was something that the French would have a problem with,” he said. “And they said, no, pretty much it’s terrorism. They don’t care. You can do whatever you want to terrorists in France. And so, when the French federal police interviewed me later that same day, I told them about that.”

The three childhood friends received the French Legion of Honor, France’s highest award, in 2015. Skarlatos was also given the Army’s Soldier’s Medal in a ceremony at the Pentagon. Stone, who said later his medical training helped save the life of the fourth passenger who stepped in, Moogalian, received the Airman’s Medal and Purple Heart. 

All three were invited to the White House when they returned home. They later played themselves in the Clint Eastwood-directed movie based on their memoir, “The 15:17 to Paris” in 2018.

DANIEL PENNY DEFENSE RESTS AS FINAL WITNESS REVEALS JORDAN NEELY HAD OPEN WARRANT, DEFENDANT DOESN’T TESTIFY

Jordan Neely is pictured before going to see the Michael Jackson movie, “This is It,” outside the Regal Cinemas on 8th Avenue and 42nd Street in Times Square, New York, in 2009.  (Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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Penny’s case has received national attention since the 26-year-old veteran’s arrest on manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges in May 2023.

He placed Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia and synthetic marijuana in his system, in a headlock to stop a fear-inducing outburst on a Manhattan subway car.

Neely had an active arrest warrant at the time, a history of violent attacks, and witnesses testified that they feared for their lives as Neely screamed about killing people and not being afraid to go back to jail.

Penny’s defense has argued that the restraint was a justified use of force and that it was not the sole factor in Neely’s death. Prosecutors accuse Penny of taking the move too far.

Screenshot from bystander video showing Jordan Neely being held in a chokehold on the New York City subway. (Luces de Nueva York/Juan Alberto Vazquez via Storyful)

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He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted.

Skarlatos was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives last month. Once he takes office, he said, he hopes to oppose restrictive gun control measures and ensure citizens have a chance to defend themselves.

“Word on the street is the Democrats are going to be bringing a lot of anti-gun bills, which is kind of my pet cause, so to speak, being a gun owner and surviving what we survived in France,” he said. 

Fox News’ Ashley Papa and Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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New Hampshire

NH Lottery Mega Millions, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 23, 2025

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The New Hampshire Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

15-37-38-41-64, Mega Ball: 21

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

02-04-12-37-42, Lucky Ball: 10

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

Day: 1-9-3

Evening: 0-1-6

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

Day: 4-9-8-7

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Evening: 6-4-8-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Gimme 5 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

21-25-31-36-39

Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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When are the New Hampshire Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Pick 3, 4: 1:10 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. daily.
  • Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Megabucks Plus: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
  • Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a New Hampshire managing editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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New Jersey

N.J. congresswoman charged in ICE jail melee returns to the facility after detainee’s death

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N.J. congresswoman charged in ICE jail melee returns to the facility after detainee’s death


U.S. Rep. Lamonica McIver returned to the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in Newark on Tuesday for the first time since May, when an encounter with a federal agent resulted in criminal charges against her that are still pending in federal court.

McIver’s return was for a congressional oversight visit two days before Christmas and 11 days after detainee Jean Wilson Brutus died on Dec. 12, the day he arrived at Delaney Hall.

“It is very traumatic to be back here, personally,” McIver, D-10th Dist., told news crews during a press conference, when she offered her condolences to Brutus’ family. “But I had to put aside my traumatic experience here, and come back here and represent for them what is happening inside of this awful detention center.”

In a Dec. 18 announcement of Brutus’ death, ICE said the 41-year-old Haitian immigrant had died from what the agency said were “suspected natural causes.”

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ICE said its officers arrested Brutus on Dec. 11 on criminal mischief charges. Local police had arrested him four times previously and released him each time. He initially entered the United States illegally through the port of Hidalgo, Texas, on June 20, 2023.

The case is being investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, a kind of internal affairs bureau within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, said U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, D-8th District, who was with McIver on Tuesday and during the May 9 oversight visit.

They are among members of Congress demanding information on Brutus.

The charges against McIver stem from her May 9 attempt to shield Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka from arrest by a federal officer just outside Delaney Hall’s barbed wire security fence. Charges of assaulting and impeding a federal officer are pending against her in U.S. District Court.

The two were joined Tuesday by another House Democrat, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus.

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Menendez said the State of New Jersey would conduct an autopsy on Brutus, though the congressman did not know how long the OPR investigation would last or when the autopsy would be performed.

The City of Newark’s top lawyer, Corporation Counsel Kenyatta Stewart, offered his condolences to the Brutus family on behalf of Baraka, who was traveling on Tuesday.

Stewart said the city expected a thorough investigation into the death, and criticized ICE for being less transparent about the people it held than officials of the Essex County Detention Center are about the criminal suspects they hold in the big jail right next door.

McIver said she was traumatized by the events surrounding Baraka’s arrest, but that whatever she suffered was nothing compared to what the families of Brutus and other detainees were going through.

McIver and her House colleagues said detainees complained of dehumanizing conditions including bad food served at odd and restricted hours; overcrowding and inadequate medical attention, a particular concern in the wake of Brutus’ death.

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The House members noted that Brutus was one of four ICE detainees to die in a four-day period this month.

Spokespeople for ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Several members of the Brutus family appeared outside Delaney Hall on Tuesday, though they declined to talk to reporters.

One of their lawyers, Oliver Barry, said the family had received little information on what had happened. But he said the family was heartened by the concern they saw outside Delaney Hall on Tuesday, when immigrant rights advocates from Pax Christi, Eyes on Ice and other groups were demonstrating.

“They are glad that there are so many people in the community who are taking this matter very seriously and coming out to show respect for their loved one who is no longer with us,” Barry said of the family.

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His co-counsel is Joseph Champagne Jr., a former mayor of South Toms River who in 2010 became one of New Jersey’s first Haitian-American elected officials.

The House members said several detainees told of being taken into custody by ICE after emerging from asylum hearings or otherwise complying with the legal immigration process. They also said others recounted being arrested at their jobs or other habitual locations despite having visas or working papers.

“These people are not criminals,” said Menendez, a vice chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “These people have been part of our community for decades.”

Menendez put the number of Delaney Hall detainees at 952, close to the 1,000 capacity under a 15-year, $1 billion contract between its private owner and operator, the GEO Group of Boca Raton, Florida, and ICE.

GEO did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

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The House members said some detainees told them they had been waiting for months even after agreeing to be deported.

Clarke said the mass incarceration of immigrants was motivated by greed, and likened the repeated transfer of prisoners to human trafficking.

“I was searching my heart as I drove from Brooklyn, and I thought about the fact that this is the holiday season,” Clarke said. “They were showing up for their asylum hearings. They had viable cases within immigration courts, only to be kidnapped and trafficked across the country.”

And it’s all at taxpayers expense, Clarke said.

“Many of them have been circulating throughout the private prison system around this country, and brought back,” Clarke said of detainees. “How could that be?”

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Pennsylvania

Blasts and fire shatter Pennsylvania nursing home, killing at least two

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Blasts and fire shatter Pennsylvania nursing home, killing at least two


  • Five people unaccounted for but figure is preliminary
  • Search-and-rescue operation ongoing hours later
  • Explosion apparently sparked by gas leak in building
  • Bystanders helped with patient evacuations
  • Portion of ground floor collapsed into basement

BRISTOL, Pennsylvania, Dec 23 (Reuters) – A pair of explosions and a fire, apparently sparked by leaking gas, ripped through a nursing home near Philadelphia on Tuesday, killing at least two people and prompting an intense search for victims in a collapsed portion of the building, officials said.

Five people were believed to be missing hours after the blasts and flames ravaged the Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol Township, about 21 miles (33 km) northeast of Philadelphia, Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said.

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Besides the two people killed, an unspecified number of survivors were injured, Dippolito said, adding that numerous patients and staff initially trapped inside a demolished portion of the building were rescued.

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The Bucks County emergency dispatch center received first reports of an explosion shortly after 2:00 p.m. EST (1900 GMT).

Dippolito said the first firefighters arriving on the scene, some from a fire-and-rescue station across the street, encountered “a major structural collapse,” with part of the building’s first floor crumbling into the basement below.

He said numerous victims were extricated from debris, blocked stairwells and stuck elevators, while firefighters ventured into the collapsed basement zone and pulled at least two more people to safety before retreating amid lingering gas fumes.

“We got everyone out that we could, that we could find, that we could see, and we exited the building,” Dippolito said. “Within approximately 15 to 30 seconds of us exiting the building, knowing there was a heavy odor of natural gas around us, there was another explosion and fire.”

The front of the structure appeared to have been blasted away from the inside, but the majority of the facility remained standing, though most of its windows were shattered, according to a Reuters photographer on the scene.

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News footage from WPVI-TV, an ABC News affiliate, showed roaring flames and smoke billowing from the crippled building shortly after the first explosion.

The precise number of patients and staff inside at the time was not immediately known. The nursing home is certified for up to 174 beds, according to an official Medicare provider site.

More than 50 patients, ranging in age from 50 to 95, are typically in the building at any one time, WCAU-TV reported, citing a nurse employed by the facility who arrived on the scene after the blast. About five hours later, nursing home officials had informed authorities that all patients had been accounted for, Dippolito said.

In the early moments following the initial explosion, bystanders rushed to assist police and firefighters in escorting people to safety, Bristol Township Police Lieutenant Sean Cosgrove told local media earlier.

“This is the Pennsylvania way, neighbors helping neighbors in a moment of need,” Governor Josh Shapiro said at the news briefing with fire and police officials.

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Five hours after the incident, Dippolito said fire and rescue personnel were still treating the search effort as a rescue operation as heavy equipment was brought in to help clear away larger pieces of rubble.

Reporting by Bastiaan Slabbers in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks, Maria Tsetkova and Helen Coster. Editing by Donna Bryson, Rod Nickel, Nia Williams and Michael Perry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab



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