“The investigation has determined that this incident was intentional in nature, though the circumstances remain under investigation,” the statement said.
The 33-year-old woman and the two children, a 9-year-old and a 5-month-old, were all from Niagara Falls, state police said.
State police did not specify the relationship between the woman and the children in the statement.
An investigation determined the woman and the children crossed over a safety guardrail and went over Niagara Falls on Luna Island, which is attached to Goat Island, according to state police.
State police and state park police attempted a rescue effort. The incident was deemed not to be a threat to the public, state police said.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
Six corrections officers have been indicted in connection with the alleged assault of an inmate at a state juvenile facility in Burlington County.
The officers, including three South Jersey men, allegedly lacked justification to pepper spray an inmate and remove him from a cell in April 2020, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. They're also accused of filing false reports about the incident at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield.
The indictment claims the officers did not give the inmate an order to leave his cell or the opportunity to comply, which are both required for forced removals.
It states that Sgt. Michael Emmert pepper-sprayed the juvenile after the inmate extended his hands to be cuffed. Emmert allegedly sprayed the inmate a second time when he returned to the cell with a five-person extraction team.
The statement also says "the victim screamed in pain and had to be given an inhaler and oxygen in the infirmary."
The officers' alleged conduct "does a discredit to every correctional officer who performs their duties with integrity," Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in announcing the charges Wednesday.
Those charged included 46-year-old Mark Sadlowski Jr. of Sewell, 58-year-old Michael Gaines of Willingboro and 60-year-old Michael Amrozaitis of Southampton.
The seven-count indictment also names Emmert and Christopher Toth, both 40, and Raymond Quinones, 50, all of Ocean County.
Except for Emmert, all are senior corrections officers.
They are charged with official misconduct, tampering with public records and falsifying or tempering with records.
Emmert and Toth are also accused of aggravated assault. Toth faces an additional charge of failing to intercede on the inmate's behalf.
The charges are only allegations. No one has been convicted in the case.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
(NEXSTAR) — TGI Fridays has closed nearly 50 stores in the U.S. as reports that the chain may become the latest to file for bankruptcy grow.
Multipleoutlets reported a notable change on the company’s store locator webpage: instead of the 213 TGI Fridays locations that were open earlier this month, the webpage shows only 164 restaurants remain as of Oct. 29.
TGI Fridays had 270 locations nationwide at the start of the year, according to CNN. In January, it closed 36 “underperforming” locations throughout the U.S. in order to “focus on streamlining operations.” Restaurants in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Virginia were shuttered, according to reports from Nexstar affiliates. Other impacted locations were in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Some of those same states are seemingly impacted by the latest sudden closures.
A location in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, abruptly closed last week, according to Nexstar’s WPRI. A sign posted to the location’s door said “Fridays has made the difficult decision to close our restaurant effective October 24th.” Other recently shuttered Fridays locations were in Brighton, Clifton Park, Syracuse, and Wilton, New York.
The Syracuse TGI Fridays closed without notifying the mall they were located in, officials told Nexstar’s WSYR. CBS News reports additional locations that have closed were in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio.
TGI Fridays did not immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment.
Bloomberg reported earlier this month that the company was seeking new financing as it prepared to file for bankruptcy protection. John Bringardner, head of Debtwire, told CNN the chain could pursue Chapter 11 in order to “restructure its debt” and “emerge from bankruptcy.”
LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) — A group of five men are being investigated — and charged with organized criminal activity — after police say they assaulted another man and filmed the attack.
According to an affidavit obtained by KXAN News, police in Lakeway, Texas, found the victim with a bloody nose, bloody bare feet and cuts on his limbs.
One of the men identified as a suspect in the affidavit is affiliated with a proclaimed online vigilante group called, “Dads Against Predators” (DAP). This group, founded in Ohio, operates in several states, according to Lakeway PD.
KXAN reached out to a person associated with the online group for a statement or an interview about the accusations. This story will be updated if a response is received.
The affidavit said Lakeway PD got a call on Sept. 27, in which witnesses said, several men chased a man “in the store and into the parking lot where there was a physical altercation.”
The men called the man they attacked a pedophile. Lakeway police have since identified that man as a victim.
The men beat up the victim, punching him repeatedly and smashing his phone in an assault that lasted nearly five minutes.
“These are just law breakers who have taken the law into their own hands, and there’s no place for this in society,” said St. Edward’s University Criminal Justice Associate Professor Carsten Andresen.
The video from the men — identified as assaulters — showed them leave a home together, and drive to the Lakeway H-E-B where they later assaulted the victim, according to the affidavit.
Police said in the social media video the men stated “they were going to [expletive] these pedos up,” as they made their way to the grocery store.
An anonymous tip online led police to identify the men involved in the assault via their social media pages. The affidavit also revealed a similar incident happened at an Austin H-E-B store, but didn’t say which one.
“It’s dangerous, because… They’re not going to restore public order, they’re actually going to make this a very complicated, multi faceted criminal justice problem,” Andresen said.
Lakeway PD said there’s no known threat to the public, but condemned the violent actions.
“The Lakeway Police Department welcomes the public’s assistance in detecting and preventing crime, but does not condone acts by the public that are geared toward seeking out violent resolutions to possible criminal conduct. People often respond passionately to crime, particularly crime against children, but if you suspect someone is attempting to commit a crime, we ask that you call 911 so that officers can respond and investigate appropriately.”
Lakeway Police Chief, Glen Koen
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