Indiana

Firefighters battle large blaze at Merrillville, Indiana apartment building

Published

2 years ago

January 13, 2024

Firefighters battle large blaze at Merrillville, Indiana apartment building

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WLS) — Firefighters have been working for hours to put out flames at a large apartment building in Northwest Indiana on Saturday afternoon.

The Merrillville building in the 100 block of East 54th Avenue caught fire around 2 p.m. Thankfully, only one person suffered minor smoke inhalation, and no one else was seriously hurt.

Several area fire department battled the blaze in the bitter cold.

Teena Woods lives in the building next door to the 24-unit building that caught fire near Broadway.

“I just hope they can put this out. All these firefighters out here, I hope they can put this out,” Woods said. “I smelled it, so I started to panic and I called my next-door neighbors. Everybody’s running back-and-forth seeing if everybody’s OK.”

The roof is now torched and completely gone from the three-story building.

When firefighters first arrived, they said, the blaze was in a wall of the building, but the gusting winds helped spread the fire.

“This is wild. This is blowing my mind,” Woods said.

That, plus a limited water supply, hampered their ability to put out the fire for several hours.

“Scary. Scary. I immediately went into my praying mode,” Woods said.

The Merrillville fire chief said everything was stacked against them.

Merrillville Councilwoman Shauna Haynes Edwards came to the scene to work with the American Red Cross, which is handling relocation efforts for residents impacted.

“I was concerned about our citizens and our residents, because it is super cold. Not that any fire is a good fire, but the fact that it’s happening now, our families are going to be displaced for now,” Edwards said. “We are going to see what we can do, how many families are actually displaced and see what the next steps are from there to make sure that they are safe and warm for the duration of what has taken place.”

It is unclear exactly how many people were displaced by the fire. The cause of the fire is also unknown.

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Indiana

Hobart police officer rescues family from house fire

Published

3 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Hobart police officer rescues family from house fire

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team

Monday, June 1, 2026 3:34AM

NW Indiana police officer rescues family from house fire

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WLS) — A northwest Indiana family is safe thanks to the heroic actions of a Hobart police officer.

Adam Zormier rescued a woman and four children from a burning home.

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ABC7 talked to Zormier, who told us he was on patrol in Hobart on Sunday when he noticed heavy black smoke in the air.

He discovered it was coming from the windows and roof of a house in nearby Merrillville.

A Good Samaritan helped him knock on doors. When there was no answer, he forced his way in.

Zormier was treated for smoke inhalation. No one was seriously hurt.

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Indiana

Indiana EMT charged with sexually assaulting 14-year-old in the back of an ambulance during transport

Published

13 hours ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

Indiana EMT charged with sexually assaulting 14-year-old in the back of an ambulance during transport

(WXIN/WTTV) — An EMT working for an Indiana ambulance service has been arrested after accusations that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old while transporting them to the hospital.

Ronald D. Elliott Jr., 37, was officially charged Wednesday with a slew of child sex crimes. Online jail records show Elliott, who lives in Dunreith, was arrested Thursday and booked into Delaware County Jail without bond.

Booking photo of Ronald Elliott Jr. (Delaware County Jail)

The arrest stems from accusations made by a 14-year-old who told police that Elliott sexually assaulted her in the back of an ambulance during a February transport from Muncie to Monroe County.

The alleged victim came forward on March 16 and told Indiana State Police investigators that an EMT had forced her into sexual contact while taking her to a medical facility in Bloomington.

The juvenile said that Elliott, who is listed as an EMT for Quest Ambulance Service, began showing her pictures and videos on his cell phone during the transport. The files reportedly included photos of Elliott’s genitals and videos of him engaged in sexual activities.

Elliott is then alleged to have groped the teenager under her clothes and exposed himself to her. The girl said this led to Elliott sexually assaulting her in the back of the ambulance while en route to Bloomington.

The 14-year-old said that, after the assault, Elliott provided her with his “Mr. Fogger” nicotine vape as well as his phone. The girl told officers she signed into her Instagram account on Elliott’s phone, and court documents state she failed to log off after leaving the ambulance.

It was through the girl’s Instagram account that Elliott allegedly found a second juvenile victim. Identified as Victim 2 in court documents, Elliott reportedly began messaging the 13-year-old girl on Instagram. Throughout his conversations, the 37-year-old EMT is alleged to have:

Called the juvenile a “young sl-t”
Lied about his age, claiming he was 18 years old
Sent a picture of himself only wearing a towel
Made “sexually suggestive” comments about “good naughty girls”
Told the 13-year-old girl she “looks cute”

During an interview with Elliott conducted on March 25, the EMT reportedly admitted to letting the 14-year-old use his phone and nicotine vape. However, he denied any sexual contact with the girl and said that any nude images she may have seen on his phone were an accident.

After uncovering “corroborating evidence” from both Elliott’s cell phone and the victim’s Instagram account, police requested that a warrant be filed for his arrest. Online court records show that the warrant was granted on Thursday.

Indiana State Police said that Elliott was taken into custody without incident during a traffic stop. Delaware County Jail records show Elliott was booked around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. He now faces the following several Level 4 felony charges including child seduction, child solicitation, and sexual conduct with a minor.

No other information was included in the probable cause affidavit filed against Elliott.

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