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Nearly a dozen cars stolen with kids left inside over Thanksgiving, car safety group warns

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Nearly a dozen cars stolen with kids left inside over Thanksgiving, car safety group warns

A child car safety group is warning parents not to leave children unattended in their vehicles this holiday season after nearly a dozen cars were stolen over Thanksgiving with kids left inside.

Kids and Car Safety, a group that compiles data on car thefts with children alone inside, says that there were 11 such incidents over Thanksgiving impacting 17 children under 14. So far this year, 107 children have been left unattended in vehicles that were subsequently stolen with them inside, according to data documented by the group, which also compiles data on child hot car deaths.

While most victims are eventually reunited with their families, the trauma of these events can be devastating, leaving emotional scars on children and families while placing significant demands on law enforcement, said Janette Fennell, president of Kids and Car Safety.

SHOCKING VIDEO SHOWS FLORIDA CARJACKER ABANDON KIDNAPPED CHILD ON SIDE OF ROAD

An infant that was in a carjacked SUV in 2016 was found unharmed in Baltimore City. Police officers are pictured at the scene where the baby and car seat were left. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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Tragically, two cases this year resulted in fatalities when parents attempted to stop car thieves who had unknowingly taken their child, she said.

“With colder weather, we see a sharp rise in car thefts involving children left unattended in vehicles,” Fennell says. “This is a critical moment to raise awareness. Parents and caregivers need to understand how quickly these preventable tragedies can occur. Together, we can prevent these avoidable situations and protect our loved ones.”

Fennell says the numbers of cars stolen with kids left inside has been steadily increasing since the group first started crunching the numbers in 2012, when the group recorded 68 cars stolen.

Then numbers peaked at 265 in 2022 before dipping to 162 in 2023, the group says. 

CHILD HOT CAR DEATH PUSHES PARENTS WHO LOST DAUGHTER TO SOUND ALARM ABOUT ‘PREVENTABLE TRAGEDY’

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Over Thanksgiving, there were three separate incidents in New York City. In one case in California, a vehicle with three children inside was stolen.

On Dec. 2, a vehicle was reported stolen with a 4-month-old and 5-month-old in the backseat, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

On Dec. 2, a vehicle was reported stolen with a 4-month-old and 5-month-old in the backseat, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.)

Even in the safest neighborhoods, car thefts can happen in seconds, especially when vehicles are left running or unlocked, Kids and Car Safety says. 

Most incidents happen at convenience stores, residential driveways and places where thieves know people feel safe leaving their vehicle momentarily unattended. 

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Often, many thieves are unaware a child is inside until after the vehicle has been taken, compounding the danger. These cases commonly result in children being dumped on the side of a roadway and even high speed chases, AMBER Alerts and crashes, the group says.

Child sits in car seat (Kids and Car Safety)

Kids and Car Safety says that children should never be left alone in a car — even for a minute. The group also advises parents to use drive-thru or curbside pickup services whenever possible and call ahead for assistance when going to stores, noting that many businesses are happy to accommodate families with young children.

The group also advises parents to keep car doors locked and keys with them when pumping gas with children in the vehicle.

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“These simple steps can save lives and ensure your holiday season remains safe and joyful,” Fennell says.

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Hawaii

Hawaii suffers first defeat of the season against Loyola Chicago | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University

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Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University


The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.

The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.

The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.

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“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”

The brother and parents of Kaylee Goncalves speak after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025. Reuters
Bryan Kohberger in police custody after his arrest in December 2022. Moscow Police Department
Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found dead inside an off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho.

Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.

“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”

According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.

The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.

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Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:


The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.

The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.

“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.

Madison Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, and stepfather, Scott Laramie, leave the courthouse after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing. Reuters
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on July 23, 2025. Getty Images

The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.

Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

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Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.

Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogan, and Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, embrace after the sentencing hearing for their daughters’ murderer. Reuters
Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.

Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.

WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.

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‘It was apocalyptic’, woman tells Crans-Montana memorial service, as bar owner detained

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‘It was apocalyptic’, woman tells Crans-Montana memorial service, as bar owner detained


‘In this shared grief we stand united’: Day of mourning for New Year’s Eve fire victims in Switzerland

Tragedy brought people together in Crans-Montana and brought the country to a standstill.

On Friday, just down the road from the bar where 40 young people were killed by fire on New Year’s Eve, church bells rang in their memory.

They tolled right across Switzerland, to mark a national day of mourning.

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Then, moments after the last notes of a special memorial service had faded, came the news that one of the bar’s owners had been detained.

Swiss prosecutors said Jacques Moretti, a French national, was a potential flight risk. He and his wife Jessica, who is also French, are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

Many of the victims’ families had demanded action like this from the start: more than a week after the fire, the anger in this community has been increasing.

At the main ceremony in Martigny, down in the valley, relatives of the dead were joined by survivors. Some had come from hospital for the memorial. People held white roses in their laps and gripped each other’s hands for support.

“The images we faced were unbearable. A scene worse than a nightmare. Screams ringing out in the icy cold, the smell of burning. It was apocalyptic,” a young woman called Marie told the audience.

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She had been in a bar opposite Le Constellation when the fire broke out and suddenly found herself helping the injured as they ran from the flames.

She said she would never forget what she’d seen.

Listening in the front row were the presidents of France and Italy, whose citizens were among those killed and injured in the fire. Both countries have opened their own investigations.

Back in Rome, Italy’s prime minister vowed to make sure all those responsible were identified.

“This was no accident. It was the result of too many people who did not do their jobs,” Giorgia Meloni said.

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She wants to know why the music wasn’t cut as soon as the fire started.

“Why did no-one tell the young people to get out? Why did the council not make the proper checks? There are too many whys.”

In Crans-Montana people have the same questions and many more.

For now, the only two formal suspects are the co-owners of Le Constellation, Jacques and Jessica Moretti. Early on Friday, the pair were called in by prosecutors. They are being investigated for causing death and injury through negligence but have not been charged.

Now Jacques Moretti has been remanded in custody. In a statement, the public ministry said the move followed a “new assessment of the flight risk.”

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“I constantly think of the victims and of the people who are struggling,” his wife told a crush of TV cameras after several hours of questioning at the ministry.

It was her first public comment since the fire.

“It is an unimaginable tragedy. It happened in our establishment, and I would like to apologise.”

Nine days on, Le Constellation is still obscured from view behind white plastic sheets. A lone policeman stands guard, his face covered against the relentless snow.

What unfolded inside the building’s basement has gradually become clearer – and it’s the story of a disaster that should never have happened.

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Mobile phone footage shows a sparkler tied to a champagne bottle apparently starting the fire as it brushes the ceiling. Covered with soundproofing foam that was never safety tested, it ignites quickly.

When the crowd eventually rush for the exit in panic, there is a crush on the stairs. It seems the emergency doors were blocked.

But another video, from six years ago, suggests the risk was well known. On the footage, a waiter can be heard warning that the material on the ceiling is flammable.

“Be careful with the foam,” the voice shouts, as people wave the same sparklers.

But the questions here are not just for the owners.

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This week the local authorities in Crans made the shocking admission that they hadn’t carried out mandatory safety checks of the bar for five years.

They offered no explanation.

“It was a hell inside that bar. More than 1,000 degrees of temperature. There was no way to escape,” Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, told the BBC, citing a long list of safety violations.

Six Italians were killed as a result.

“Italy wants justice, the Italian government wants justice and the Italian people want justice, for sure. The families want justice,” the ambassador stressed.

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That includes for those with life-changing injuries.

The regional hospital in Sion took the first major influx of patients. The stress was compounded by the fact that many doctors’ own children were partying in Crans for the New Year.

“They were all scared the next stretcher to arrive would be carrying their own child,” hospital director Eric Bonvin remembers.

But he’s proud of how his team coped.

Some casualties were unconscious and so badly burned, it took time to identify them.

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The most serious cases were moved to specialist burns centres elsewhere in Switzerland and in Europe where some are still in a critical condition.

All face a long, tough path to recovery which the doctor likens to a “rebirth” because many of his young patients have severe burns to the face.

“First the body needs to be protected, like the foetus in a mother’s womb. That’s what’s happening for many now. Then they will have to re-enter the world and find their identity,” Professor Bonvin says.

“It will take a lot of work and resilience.”

Add to that the anguish of surviving.

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“They came round and at first they felt lucky to be alive. But some now feel this guilt, wondering why they are here, but not their friend or brother,” Bonvin explains.

“It is a delicate moment.”

In central Crans, the heap of tributes for the dead is still growing, protected from the elements by a canvas.

After leaving their own fresh flowers on Friday, many people then stood in front of the ruins of the bar itself for a moment. Remembering, in silence.



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