Northeast

Fourth victim dies after fiery crash near western New York concert

Published

2 years ago

January 13, 2024

Fourth victim dies after fiery crash near western New York concert

A fourth person has died nearly two weeks after a driver crashed an SUV packed with gas cans near a crowd of New Year’s concertgoers in western New York, but authorities said Friday they may never know the motive for what they call an intentional attack.

Rochester police revealed Friday that motorist Michael Avery, 35, spent several hours in parking lots and other spots near the Kodak Center on the night of the fiery wreck, which killed him, two passengers in another car and a pedestrian who died earlier this week. Avery even went up to the theater and bought a ticket to the show, but didn’t go in, Police Chief David Smith said at a news conference.

Along with gasoline-filled canisters, investigators found a replica gun and lighters in Avery’s rented Ford Expedition, Smith said. There was also a 20-page journal with sporadic entries that appeared to be several years old and unrelated to the crash, the chief said.

COLD CASES CRACKED IN 2023: UNSOLVED MYSTERIES THAT FOUND RESOLUTION

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said that Avery mounted a planned “assault on innocent people” and that his actions made plain “that he wanted to do more.”

Rochester police investigate a fatal fiery crash outside the Kodak Center in Rochester, N.Y. early Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. A Ford Expedition struck a Mitsubishi Outlander, sending both vehicles “through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk,” the statement said. (WHAM-TV via AP)

“We may never know why he decided to carry out this act,” Evans said.

Investigators have searched Avery’s hotel room, storage unit, his own car — parked at Rochester’s airport — and more. Authorities are working their way through hundreds of hours of surveillance video and have interviewed people who knew him. Investigators haven’t found any co-conspirators, any ties to “extremist ideologies” or indeed any motive so far, Smith said.

He said Avery, a sometime delivery driver who lived in the Syracuse area, had had behavioral problems. But his family saw no immediate signs of trouble last month, Smith said.

FIERY NEW YORK CRASH KILLS 2, INJURES 5 FOLLOWING CONCERT IN ROCHESTER

Avery spent the last few days of December in the Rochester area, buying and filling multiple gas cans, police said.

Then, around 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, he drove the Ford Expedition into an oncoming traffic lane and appeared to be headed for a crosswalk filled with people leaving a show by the jam band moe.

The SUV hit a ride-hail vehicle, and both careened into the crosswalk. Two ride-hail passengers, friends Justina Hughes and Joshua Orr, were killed, and several other people were injured, many of them pedestrians.

One of the injured, Dawn Revette, 54, died Wednesday, Smith said. Revette lived in Rochester.

The police chief said one person is still hospitalized, with injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening.

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Boston, MA

Charlotte plays Boston on 5-game win streak

Published

1 hour ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Charlotte plays Boston on 5-game win streak

Charlotte Hornets (31-31, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (41-20, second in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Celtics -6.5; over/under is 214.5

BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte is looking to keep its five-game win streak alive when the Hornets take on Boston.

The Celtics are 27-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is sixth in the NBA with 46.2 rebounds led by Nikola Vucevic averaging 8.8.

The Hornets are 19-21 in conference matchups. Charlotte is 7-8 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 15.0 turnovers per game.

The Celtics average 15.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.7 more made shots on average than the 12.8 per game the Hornets allow. The Hornets average 16.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 more made shots on average than the 13.9 per game the Celtics allow.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is averaging 29 points, 7.1 rebounds and five assists for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard is averaging 17 points and 5.8 assists over the past 10 games.

Kon Knueppel is averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 22.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 8-2, averaging 109.4 points, 50.7 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 6.1 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 98.5 points per game.

Hornets: 7-3, averaging 117.3 points, 47.8 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.2 points.

INJURIES: Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out (achilles), Neemias Queta: day to day (rest).

Hornets: Coby White: day to day (injury management).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Pittsburg, PA

2 young girls found dead in suitcases in Cleveland, police say

Published

2 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

2 young girls found dead in suitcases in Cleveland, police say

The bodies of two young girls were found inside suitcases in Cleveland, Ohio, police said on Tuesday.

In a press conference, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said on Tuesday that the bodies of the two girls were found in suitcases buried in shallow graves on Monday evening. One of the girls was believed to be between the ages of 8 and 13 years old, while the other was believed to be 10 to 14 years old. Neither girl was identified as of Tuesday night.

“This is a priority,” Todd said during Tuesday’s press conference. “This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community, and this is just such a tragic incident, but we are trying to develop any leads we can.”

Police said there are no active missing persons reports in Cleveland that match the two victims.

Officials said someone walking their dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue found what appeared to be a body inside a suitcase around 6 p.m. on Monday. When officers responded to the scene near Ginn Academy, they found one of the bodies stuffed in a suitcase in a shallow grave. The second shallow grave with the body stuffed in a suitcase was found after officers searched the area.

“This is a field close to the school over there,” Todd said. “This is just a residential neighborhood that I’m sure a lot of people do frequent.”

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has custody of the bodies and will identify the girls. Todd said there is no clear indication of possible causes of death for the girls or how long the girls were there.

“It was some time, so it’s not something that was recent,” Todd said.

There is no suspect, Todd added. Anyone with information can contact the Cleveland police at 216-623-5464.

“Usually in residential areas, you know what’s happening in your neighborhood, something just seems a little bit off,” Todd said. “That’s why we’re asking that anyone who has anything that they believe to be information directly related to or suspicious, that they give us a call.”

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Connecticut

Multiple cars involved in crash on I-84 in Hartford

Published

3 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Multiple cars involved in crash on I-84 in Hartford

A multi-vehicle crash temporarily close Interstate 84 on Tuesday night.

The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. and involved four cars, according to the Hartford Fire Department.

Fire crews arrived at the scene and helped one of the drivers who was trapped. The driver was then taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Four other people reported minor injuries but declined ambulance treatment at the scene, officials said.

I-84 East was temporarily shut down as crews responded but has since reopened.

The Connecticut State Police is investigating the crash.

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