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Atlanta firefighters rescue two children trapped 75 feet inside elevator shaft

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Atlanta firefighters rescue two children trapped 75 feet inside elevator shaft


Two Atlanta children are safe after a terrifying ordeal at Peachtree Center left them trapped inside an elevator shaft for hours — prompting a complex rope rescue by the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department’s Special Operations team.

Fire officials say they respond to as many as 2,000 elevator entrapment calls each year, but this one was far from routine.

A trip for lunch turns into a scare

What began as a simple afternoon walk to get lunch quickly turned into panic for 13-year-old Johnny Jones and his 11-year-old cousin, Malai Moore.

The elevator they were riding in abruptly stopped between floors inside the Peachtree Center complex — leaving them stuck with no access from the parking deck or any residential level.

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“It is actually a blind elevator shaft… they had no way to get to them,” said Battalion Chief Lem Mullins.

With no reachable entry point, firefighters first tried calling the elevator company to reset the system. They couldn’t reach anyone for hours.

A complicated rescue from above

Realizing the children couldn’t be accessed from any floor, Fire Rescue Special Operations crews initiated a vertical rescue from the top of the elevator car. Video from inside the shaft shows firefighters Ross and Captain Moss descending toward the trapped children.

“We had to build a rope system to go in at the top of the car… then send a second rescuer down to put the harness on the kids,” Chief Mullins explained.

The elevator was suspended roughly 75 feet above the bottom of the shaft.

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Inside, Johnny and Malai were trying to stay calm — pressing buttons, trying to call for help, and holding onto each other.

“It was scary and I was very terrified because I didn’t know what else would happen,” Malai said.

Johnny admitted two things crossed his mind: “I hope we get out sooner than later… and I hope we don’t die in here.”

“I needed to keep them awake”

Outside the shaft, Johnny’s mother could hear the fear in their voices as she called repeatedly to reassure them help was coming.

“They were hungry, cold, sleepy… I was calling to make sure they stayed awake so when the firefighters came down they would know what was going on,” she said.

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After hours inside the stalled elevator, firefighters successfully lifted both children to safety — cold, shaken, but uninjured.

“I said thank God that it is over,” Johnny said once he reached solid ground.

A reunion — and some celebrating

On Friday, the children were reunited with the firefighters who rescued them. Crews surprised Johnny and Malai with gift bags and a special tour of the firetruck used in the rescue.

Fire officials say specialized rope rescues like this are highly technical but something they train for regularly.

“Special training and teamwork made this rescue seem easy,” firefighters told CBS News Atlanta.

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As for the kids, they’re grateful, relieved — and maybe rethinking their next ride.

Johnny and Malai say they’ll be taking the stairs for a while.



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Atlanta, GA

Braves reportedly sign Robert Suarez to three-year, $45 million deal

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Braves reportedly sign Robert Suarez to three-year,  million deal


The Braves were involved in a few rumors but nothing turned concrete. Maybe that’ll be the case in the near future? We’ll see what happens.

Well, less than 24 hours later, the Atlanta Braves have made two big free agency signings. They brought Mike Yastrzemski into the fold on a two-year deal and now they’ve apparently got the man that they were linked to earlier this week. There were multiple reporters saying that the Braves were interested in Robert Suarez and as it turns out, there was something to that rumor because Suarez is now a member of the Atlanta Braves.

Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting that the Braves and Suarez have agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract.

The Braves were searching for a high-end reliever to pair with Raisel Iglesias after they brought him back on a one-year deal earlier this offseason and they’ve pulled it off with this deal. Although Suarez is heading into his Age-35 season, he’s coming off of the best season of his career where he finished with an ERA of 2.97 (73 ERA-), a FIP of 2.88 (71 FIP-), a career-low walk rate of 5.9 percent and a solid strikeout rate of nearly 28 percent. The Braves clearly feel that he can keep on providing that type of production and it’ll certainly be exciting to see him light up the radar gun with that elite heater of his that sits at nearly 99 miles per hour.

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The All-Star hurler will now join a bullpen that suddenly looks pretty tough to deal with at the end of ballgames. Atlanta was in search of improving their bullpen and they’ve done just that with the addition of Suarez. While the Braves could still use a starting pitcher, they’ve definitely done a solid job of improving their roster here in the offseason and it’ll be very interesting to see what’s next for improving the squad going forward.

UPDATE [1:05 p.m. ET]: The Braves have officially announced the signing and also announced that they designated Ryan Rolison for assignment in order to make room for Suarez on the roster, so there’s that.



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Man found dead inside southwest Atlanta apartment | what we know

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Man found dead inside southwest Atlanta apartment | what we know


Atlanta police investigate the fatal shooting of a 38-year-old man at The Manor III apartments on Arthur Langford Junior Place in southwest Atlanta on December 10, 2025. (FOX 5)

A 38-year-old man was found shot to death Wednesday evening at an apartment complex on Arthur Langford Junior Place.

What we know:

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Atlanta police said officers were called to The Manor III apartments located at 262 Arthur Langford Junior Place SW around 7:31 p.m. on a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found the man unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Homicide investigators spent the night collecting ballistic evidence, reviewing video and working with security at the complex. Detectives said the property has been cooperative and has provided footage that investigators are reviewing.

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What they’re saying:

A police spokesperson at the scene said detectives are still working to determine whether the shooter acted alone or whether multiple suspects were involved. “Unfortunately, the male was pronounced deceased from multiple gunshot wounds,” the spokesperson said. “We are still early in the investigation trying to gather information and speak with witnesses.”

What we don’t know:

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When asked about a potential motive, detectives said it was too soon to know.

What you can do:

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Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers or reach out directly to the homicide unit.

The Source: The Atlanta Police Department provided the details for this article.

AtlantaNewsCrime and Public Safety
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Car crash deaths outpace murders, new report shows

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Car crash deaths outpace murders, new report shows


A new report shows car crash deaths in metro Atlanta have now outpaced homicides. According to the street-safety group Propel ATL, data from 2020 through 2024 across five counties shows fatal crashes rising at a troubling rate.



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