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Disability
Norwalk, CT
Police & Fire
Decorated Norwalk Officer Charged With Workers' Comp Fraud, Perjury: State
This story has been updated to include a comment from the Norwalk Police Union. A Connecticut police officer collecting workers' compensation who said he was too injured to work has been arrested after authorities alleged they caught him lifting weights, officials said. State prosecutors say he fraudulently collected nearly $20,000 in benefits. Officer Steven Luciano was placed on "temporary total disability" by the Norwalk Police Department after a reported November 2024 injury while on the job, the State's Attorney's Office said. It's unclear how Luciano was hurt, but he filed …
Centreville, VA
Obituaries
‘Unstoppable Warrior’: Virginia Mom, Teacher Jessica Shivers Dies At 43 After Cancer Battle
She fought ovarian cancer for more than two years with courage, joy, and faith — and even in her final days, Jessica Shivers never lost her spirit or her love for the people around her. Shivers, 43, died peacefully on September 24 at Inova Fairfax Medical Center in Falls Church after a brave battle. For more than a decade, Shivers taught pre-K through second grade in Fairfax County, Arlington, and DC schools. She later worked for an organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities find meaningful work while pursuing her Master’s degree in Counseling, according to her obituary. Aw…
Jericho, NY
News
Retarded Children Association Driver Abused Jericho Passenger For 3 Years: Police
A Roosevelt man is accused of sexually abusing a disabled woman during van rides over three years in Jericho, Nassau County police announced on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Steven Harrison, 62, of Powell Street, was employed as a van driver for the Association for the Help of Retarded Children (AHRC), according to detectives. That beginning in March 2022, Harrison repeatedly stopped at the parking lot of the Home Depot at 86 Jericho Turnpike while transporting a 24-year-old woman home and engaged in sexual contact with her, police said. The victim, now 27, disclosed the abuse to a family member on T…
Medford, NJ
Police & Fire
NJ Caregiver Beat Autistic Man With Cord: Burlington County Prosecutor
A 45-year-old Burlington City caretaker was arrested and charged with beating an autistic patient, authorities announced Friday, Aug. 22. Fuller Williams worked at Friends of Cyrus Adult Day Services Program in Medford Township, a facility that provides services to adults with disabilities, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw and Medford Township Police Department Officer-in-Charge Captain William Dunleavy said. Williams beat the autistic man with a thin cord causing multiple injuries and welts to his back and buttocks, authorities said. The injuries were&n…
Edgewood, MD
Traffic
Motorcyclist Crushed In Edgewood T-Bone Crash Suffers Life-Changing Injuries
Kevin Peters suffered life-changing injuries doing what he loves — riding his motorcycle — and now faces a long road to recovery after being struck by an SUV in Maryland. In late June, Peters was riding his motorcycle northbound on Route 40 through Edgewood when a driver in a Lincoln Navigator made a U-turn and t-boned him, according to his sister, Sammy Peters. His bike was crushed and had to be mechanically removed from his body. The crash left Peters with catastrophic injuries. His family said he sustained a fractured skull and epidural hematoma, an open fracture of his tib…
Levittown, NY
News
Thief Rams Levittown Home Depot Worker With Car, Leaves Him Disabled—Now He’s Heading To Prison
A shoplifter who ran down a Home Depot employee with his car on Long Island – leaving the victim permanently disabled – will spend decades in prison. Joshua Mitchell, 29, of Queens, was sentenced to 22 years behind bars in Nassau County Court on Thursday, July 24, after a jury convicted him of assault and related charges in May. During the trial, prosecutors recounted how an employee spotted Mitchell stuffing over $3,000 worth of high-value plumbing supplies into a bin before trying to exit the Levittown Home Depot store without paying on the morning of June 17, 2020. When an asset protect…
New Providence, NJ
Sports
Billionaire Mark Cuban Joins Thousands In Supporting New Providence Wrestler With ALS
In the ring, he's known as Jeff Cannonball, a hardcore daredevil who beats his opponents with his devastating sit-out tombstone piledriver. But outside the ring, Jeff Guerriero is a husband to Sam and father to his toddler son, Milo. The New Providence resident, who also works as a dispatcher, announced his ALS diagnosis last month in a Facebook post. And the disease has been progressing rapidly, according to a fundraiser set up to support his family. "It absolutely sucks and I've been a bit of a wreck," Jeff wrote. "But my family and very few friends I've told have been ex…
Lower Providence, PA
News
Exclusive
: Man With Disability Shot Execution-Style After SEPTA Ride In Montco, Family Says
The family of Paul David Ley-Harris, the New Jersey-born man gunned down after stepping off a SEPTA bus in Lower Providence, is speaking out for the first time — calling the shooter a “heartless coward” who preyed on someone unable to defend himself. In an exclusive statement to Daily Voice, Paul’s older brother, Peter Li, confirmed that the 47-year-old victim was neurologically disabled due to severe epileptic seizures, giving new context to the chilling May 17 killing that Montgomery County prosecutors have described as an execution-style robbery. "He Had The Mind Of A Child" Paul had the…
Hyde Park, NY
News
Man Admits Grabbing Resident By Testicles At Autism Center In Hyde Park: DA
A man has learned his fate after admitting to physically abusing two disabled adults while working at a center for autism in Dutchess County, prosecutors announced. Garnet Collins, of Poughkeepsie, was sentenced to one to three years in prison after pleading guilty in January to first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday, May 7. The abuse took place at the Anderson Center for Autism in Hyde Park on June 5 and June 12, 2024, where Collins was responsible for the care of two …
Randolph, NJ
News
Boy Survives Quadruple-Fatal Route 10 Randolph Crash But Faces Long Road To Recovery
Despite suffering severe injuries in a four-car crash that killed four people, 4-year-old Hunter, a Randolph Township boy, just keeps smiling. Hunter, who uses a wheelchair after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, was a passenger in a school minivan in the crash that occurred on Route 10 near Millbrook Avenue in Randolph on Thursday, April 10, according to a fundraiser set up to support him and authorities. Four people, Bertha Castaneda, a 67-year-old Dover resident, Diane Goetz, a 71-year-old Randolph resident, Maria Figueroa, a 58-year-old Wharton…
Newark, NJ
Police & Fire
Man Killed In Fatal Newark Fire ID'd: Prosecutor
A 44-year old Newark man has been identified as the victim of a fatal fire on Thursday, April 3, authorities said. Khalil Hardaway was living in a first floor apartment on South 11th Street where the fire originated, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. He was a disabled individual with limited mobility, authorities said. Hardaway was pronounced dead at the scene after firefighters attempted lifesaving measures, authorities said. A pit bull also died in the fire, authorities said. The Red Cross assisted with relocating affected residents, authorities said. The cause of the fire remai…
Newark, NJ
News
Stroke Victim Awarded $10.8M After NJ State Trooper Alleged DUI On Route 78
A New Jersey woman who sued the State Police after they allegedly mistook her stroke for drug use, handcuffed her, and delayed lifesaving care has been awarded $10.8 million, a court order shows. A jury initially awarded Cheryl Rhines, of Jersey City, a total of $19.1 million in damages on Jan. 29, after finding that NJ State Trooper Jennifer M. Albuja was 60% responsible for Rhines’ injuries, according to a ruling from Essex County Superior Court Judge Thomas Vena. However, following a motion from attorneys representing the State of New Jersey, NJ State Police, and Trooper Albuja, the cour…
Greenburgh, NY
News
$11.2M Loan Fraud Scheme: Nurse Practitioner From Elmsford Stole Doctors' Identities
A nurse practitioner from Westchester County who stole the identities of over a dozen doctors and orchestrated a multi-million dollar disability loan fraud scheme will spend years in prison, federal prosecutors announced. Catherine Seemer, age 44, of Elmsford, was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday, Feb. 5, after pleading guilty to defrauding federal disability loan programs of more than $11.2 million, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. From June 2017 through March 2022, Seemer ran a scheme that falsely claimed student loan borrowers wer…
Branford, CT
News
Branford Woman Stole $61K From Disabled Medicaid Recipient: Prosecutor
A Connecticut woman has been charged with stealing over $61,000 from a trust account meant to support a disabled Medicaid recipient, authorities said. Jennifer Rose, 47, of Branford, was arrested by state Inspectors from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit after an investigation revealed she allegedly drained the trust account during her time as trustee from Jan. 2020 to Jan. 2021, state prosecutors said. According to court documents, Rose used the funds, intended to cover the care and well-being of the disabled beneficiary, for personal expenses, including trips and other purchases…
West Chester, PA
News
Nearly $15K Stolen From Housing Assistance Program By PA Woman: Chesco DA
A Thorndale woman is accused of stealing nearly $15,000 from a Chester County non-profit dedicated to aiding families facing housing insecurity, the District Attorney’s Office announced on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2025. Patricia Ginter, 56, allegedly submitted a fraudulent application to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) in September 2023, intentionally omitting over $60,000 in household income to qualify for COVID-related eviction relief, according to the Chester County Detectives’ criminal complaint. Ginter’s deception resulted in her receiving $14,617 in federal funds meant for strug…
Albany, NY
Politics
Election 2024: NY's Controversial Anti-Discrimination Amendment Decided By Voters
New York voters have made their voices heard on a controversial constitutional amendment aimed at expanding anti-discrimination protections. Proposal 1, dubbed the “Equal Rights Amendment,” was approved by voters. The "yes" votes were leading 62 to 28 percent with 34-percent of the vote counted as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, according to the state Board of Elections. It would amend the New York State Constitution to protect against unequal treatment based on the following: Ethnicity, national origin, age or disability Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression Pregnanc…
Albany, NY
Politics
Election 2024: Here’s Closer Look At NY’s ‘Equal Rights Amendment' Prop 1
New York voters will decide on a whole lot more than just the next president and vice president this Election Day. Earlier Report: Here's When Early Voting Starts In NY, How To Find Polling Places Among the statewide issues being decided is Proposal 1, known as the “Equal Rights Amendment.” If approved, it would amend the New York State Constitution to protect against unequal treatment based on the following: Ethnicity, national origin, age or disability Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression Pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes Reproductive healthcare and auton…
Deer Park, NY
Police & Fire
Deer Park Man Impersonating DDS Worker Sexually Abused Resident At LI Facility: Police
A man who impersonated a New York Department of Social Services employee has been accused of sexually abusing a resident at a shelter facility on Long Island. Deer Park resident Alfred Balcerak, age 65, pretended to be the DDS employee to gain entry into a shelter facility in East Farmingdale, on Sunday, Sept. 6, according to Suffolk County Police. Once inside, he made sexual contact with a disabled resident, and also took personal items belonging to the resident, according to police. Following an investigation by Suffolk County PD First Squad and S…
Somers, NY
Police & Fire
Nursing Home Employee Accused Of Attacking Disabled Resident In Somers
A 51-year-old nursing home employee from the Hudson Valley faces charges after allegedly attacking a disabled resident in the Northern Westchester facility where she worked, police said. Dutchess County resident Jossette Thompson of Dover was arrested on Tuesday, June 11 in connection with the alleged attack, New York State Police announced on Wednesday, July 17. According to authorities, while employed at The Paramount at Somers Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Somers at 189 Route 100, Thompson physically attacked a disabled resident at the facility. After her arrest,…
Ridgefield Park-Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
Police & Fire
Repeat Offender Punches Disabled Man In Face For 75-Cent Bus Fare: Ridgefield Park PD
A repeat offender heartlessly punched a disabled man on a Ridgefield Park street and took the 75 cents he'd been carrying for bus fare, authorities said. Joshua Bendewald, 30, approached the victim near the corner of Main Street and Grand Avenue and “asked him how much money he had” around 11 a.m. Saturday, June 1, Ridgefield Park Police Lt. Justin Tress said. The 64-year-old victim said he had only the 75-cent bus fare he held in his hand, which the robber took, the lieutenant said. When the victim said he didn’t have any more, Tress said, Bendewald punched him in the face, knocking the m…
Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes, NJ
Police & Fire
Overnight Fire Destroys Home Of Couple Raising Special Needs Child
Their humble yet cozy Oakland home meant the world to Omar McCalla and Natalie Gregory as they raised their daughter, Amaria, who was born with multiple disabilities. "This was their first true home as a family outside of the extensive time spent at hospitals," friend Ana Sampson said. "(It) represented their bright future." A ferocious overnight fire on Saturday stole that dream. Flames were already shooting through the roof when firefighters arrived shortly before 2:30 a.m June 1. They had the blaze knocked down after about an hour and a half. Fire officials were trying to determine the…
Rivertowns, NY
News
Superintendent, Security Specialist Stole From Greenburgh-Graham District, DA Says
A former superintendent and security system specialist face corruption charges after allegedly stealing thousands from the Westchester school district they served and using the funds to buy luxury items for themselves, officials announced. Former Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District Superintendent Oliver Levy, age 55, and the district's former security specialist, Surendra Kumar, age 47, were both arrested and arraigned on Thursday, May 30 in connection with the scheme, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli ann…
Hudson, NY
Police & Fire
Update: EMTs Resign Over Alleged Mistreatment Of NY Patient Caught On Video
Two paramedics in upstate New York who were seen on a viral video mistreating and berating a developmentally disabled patient have resigned. The Greene County incident happened Friday evening, May 17, in the Village of Catskill. Emergency crews were called to a residence on Main Street for reports of a 63-year-old man who was unable to get up and was having difficulty breathing, Greene County newspaper Porcupine Soup reports. Nest home video footage posted on YouTube shows a male and female EMT responding to the residence in an ambulance. The female EMT appears agitated right off the bat w…
Cambridge, MA
Police & Fire
Disabled Woman ID'd As Person Killed In Sudbury Fire; 2 Others Taken To Hospital
Middlesex County authorities have identified the 74-year-old woman who was killed in a Wednesday, Feb. 21, fire in Sudbury. The blaze sent two others, including two men who tried to save her, to the hospital. Hema Shahani was killed in the early morning blaze on Goodman's Hill Road that began around 5 a.m., the Middlesex District Attorney said. Firefighters found heavy smoke pouring from the rear of the home when they arrived. Three people were able to escape the blaze. Shahani was unable to get outside because of her disability, her son, Jeet Shanani told NBC Boston. One of her sons an…
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
News
Disabled Teen Urinated On Herself During Atlantic City McDonald's Incident, Suit Says
The family of a teen girl is suing McDonald's, saying an Atlantic City restaurant employee refused to serve them, made a racist comment, and discriminated against the girl because of a disability. According to court documents, the high school student and her parents visited Atlantic City to celebrate her birthday in May 2019. They stopped at the McDonald's on Arkansas Avenue near Tanger Outlets Atlantic City before returning home to Staten Island, NY. The lawsuit said a cashier refused to serve the teen and her father, telling them to order and pay from a kiosk. When the girl's father …
Bristol, PA
News
Philly Car Salesman Ripped Off Wheelchair-Bound Buyers For $2.5M, Feds Say
A used car salesman in Philadelphia faces federal charges for allegedly scamming $2.5 million from his customers, authorities say. Edward Scott Rock, 47, is accused of mail and wire fraud, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Between 2019 and 2023, investigators claim Rock accepted payment for about 120 cars equipped for wheelchair users or people with disabilities, but never delivered the vehicles. Authorities say he took $2.5 million from victims across 36 states, about two-thirds of whom were either physically disabl…
Dorchester, MA
Police & Fire
Group Of Teens Beat Up Disabled Person, Several Others In Broad Daylight Boston Attacks: Police
Police in Boston are asking for the public's help in identifying a group of teens they say attacked several people, including someone with disabilities, in front of a family-friendly restaurant in Mission Hill. The attacks and unarmed robbery all happened on Friday, Dec. 1, Boston police said. One person was waiting outside a TGI Friday restaurant at 1626 Tremont St. for his mom, who was in a nearby store, when a group of six teens jumped him shortly after 11:30 a.m. Officers found him bleeding from his ear, with large welts on his head, and visible shoe impressions on his face and f…
Cambridge, MA
Obituaries
Woman, 63, ID'd As Walker Killed In Chain-Reaction Car Crash In Malden: DA
A 63-year-old Malden native was identified as the person who was hit and killed last week in Middlesex County as she was walking near the road, authorities said. Mary "Teresa" McTaggart died Thursday, Oct. 19, as she walked along Main Street at Mountain Avenue in Malden around 1:15 p.m. when she was struck in a chain-reaction crash, the Middlesex County District Attorney said. An initial investigation found that a BMW SUV was driving south on Main Street when it crashed into a vehicle at a stop light, went off the roadway, and hit two telephone poles before crashing into Mc…
Frederick, MD
Traffic
Police ID Pedestrian In Wheelchair Killed By Garbage Truck Near Maryland Shopping Center
The Frederick Police Department has released new details after a person in a wheelchair was struck and killed by a garbage truck earlier this month. Police say that at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12, officers from the department were called to the 1200 block of West Patrick Street, where they found 73-year-old Frederick resident William Arthur Whitted, Jr. in the roadway after being struck by the truck. Whitted was pronounced dead at the scene. According to investigators, it has been determined that a 2014 Mack garbage truck registered to BFI Waste Services in Hagerstown, w…
Brentwood, NY
News
'Nightmarish' Shark Attack At Coastal NY Beach: Support Swells For Victim
The victim of a shark attack along the New York coast has undergone five surgeries in just over a week, with no end in sight, according to her family. “She…was eagerly anticipating her retirement, when she could — for the first time in her life — take a break.” Tatyana Koltunyuk was bitten by a shark on the left leg on Monday, Aug. 7 while swimming at Rockaway Beach in Queens, setting her forth on a life path her family could not anticipate. The 65-year-old woman was close to retirement, meant to be a promise of rest after a “grueling” life, as her daughter describes in a GoFundMe set up…
Albany, NY
News
New Update: Missing Capital Region Woman Found Dead
The search for a missing woman from the region has ended in tragedy two days after she went missing. Okelly Yhap, age 29, of Albany, had last been seen at around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, July 9, near Alexander and Clinton streets. On Tuesday, July 11, Albany Police announced that Yhap was found dead in the town of Bethlehem. Police did not speculate on a possible cause of death. The investigation is ongoing, but her death does not appear suspicious, according to police. In their initial announcement, police said Yhap was developmentally disabled, deaf, and had a history of depression.
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