Category: CNN Regional

By Rachel Williams

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    FORT PIERCE, Florida (WPBF) — A Florida man is recovering after surviving a shark attack while spearfishing off the coast of the Bahamas during a fishing-trip-turned-nightmare.

Eddie Jarmakowicz from Riviera Beach was diving during a three-day fishing trip to Grand Cay on Aug. 16 when he was bitten by a shark. The attack occurred just offshore and left him with serious injuries to his left hand.

“I never saw the shark that attacked me, but my wrist was hanging down, and I could see flesh, so obviously that was a concern. I swam back to the boat, and the whole rescue started from then,” Jarmakowicz said.

There were four people in his group at the time — two in the water and two aboard the boat. The other diver in the water said the type of shark that bit Jarmakowicz was a reef shark about 6 feet long.

He recalls, “It came from behind me, turned and grabbed the fish, and unfortunately got my hand as well, and then it swam behind me and my friend tried to poke it away with his spear a couple of times, and then it swam off.”

Because they were offshore, it took them about 45 minutes to return to land. The local emergency facility on the island wasn’t equipped to treat his injuries.

“Then we started trying to make plans to get back to the United States. Fortunately, there was someone who had a plane on Big Grand that offered to fly me home. From Grand to Stuart, Florida was the closest route, so we flew here. I was trauma-hawked to the hospital,” he said.

When Jarmakowicz arrived at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, his hand had been tightly wrapped in a tourniquet for more than four hours. Trauma surgeon Dr. Aleta Paschal said the extent of the injury was immediately alarming.

“He had a major injury where we consider it a mangled extremity, multiple muscles that were exposed, tendons that were involved. I could see down to his bone and his forearm. I slowly brought down the tourniquet just to see if the vascular flow was affected, and thankful to God it wasn’t,” Paschal said.

After losing about a liter of blood, Jarmakowicz underwent emergency surgery. Due to the complexity of the wound, Paschal consulted with a plastic surgeon to assist with the operation.

“We looked at all the tendons, and it was a very complex repair. I believe eight tendons that needed to be repaired in his forearm. There were also smaller tendons, because the shark had another bite towards the wrist,” Paschal said.

Jarmakowicz was discharged from the hospital the next day. Doctors say he’s fortunate not only to have survived but also to still have movement in all of his fingers.

As he begins a six- to eight-month physical therapy recovery, Jarmakowicz is already thinking about his return to the water with added precautions, sharing what he learned with others.

“Be conscious of sharks in the area, be conscious of barracudas in the area, have a tourniquet on your boat, and have a way to contact emergency care, whether that’s a satellite phone or another phone,” he said.

Doctors called the outcome a miracle, given the severity of the injury and how quickly he received care after being flown back to the U.S.

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By Ryan Lovell

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    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WTVM) — Did you know the person recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest natural beard locks of a living person lives in Birmingham?

Rudolf Martino has beard locks measuring 3 feet, 6 inches. His beard is still growing after more than 10 years.

“It takes two to three days to dry. It takes about 30 minutes to an hour to wash it thoroughly,” Martino said. “Every day I kind of just put moisturizer in it, but when it’s time to shampoo it, I have certain shampoos and conditioners that I use.”

Martino said growing his beard has become part of a spiritual commitment, and winning the record signifies acceptance for his unique look and beliefs.

“Being an African-American, there’s stereotypes about locked hair,” he said. “For me personally, I was able to bring my own distinctive look and beliefs into the world and be accepted. It means a lot to me that I don’t have to change who I am to be accepted.”

He achieved the recognition on August 4, 2025.

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By Gail Paschall-Brown

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — Orlando police released on Tuesday surveillance and bodycam footage showing the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of Benjamin Hale, 46, who charged at officers with scissors on Aug. 22 at 3:40 a.m. near West Amelia Street and Chatham Avenue.

The incident occurred after police responded to a disturbance between two roommates, although Hale was not involved in the initial dispute.

The video shows officers repeatedly commanding Hale to drop the weapon, which was later identified as a pair of scissors.

Roy Bedard, a former law enforcement officer who provides training in the public safety sector, reviewed the footage and noted, “There’s a lot of things happening there, first of all, the element of surprise.”

Bedard explained that Hale did not rush the officers but walked towards them, taking two to three steps before the shot was fired.

“He doesn’t rush the officers, but he does walk towards the officers, and I had to go through slow motion a few times to see he takes two to three steps towards the officers when the shot is fired,” Bedard said.

When asked if a Taser could have been used instead of a gun, Bedard said, “With the benefit of hindsight perhaps,” but added that a Taser against a weapon is not a good tactical choice.

He further explained, “We’re uncertain about what he’s going to do. We don’t know where he came from. We saw him bolt up to the door. He quickly turned around, still with the scissors in his hand, and refused to comply with officers’ orders. The best solution for that is to address that deadly threat with deadly force.”

Benjamin Hale died at the scene.

Orlando police stated that the officers had no prior contact with Hale and that it appeared he had been sleeping in Luminary Green Park near downtown Orlando.

The two officers involved in the shooting were not injured.

As with all officer-involved shootings, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.

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By Nick Catlin

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    ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KOAT) — The FBI returned a historical map to the Mexican government after being reported stolen for more than a decade.

The map titled “Villa de Santa Fe” was presented and handed over to Mexico after it was recovered. The map was reported stolen in 2011. Justin Garris, special agent in charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, took part in the ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

“On behalf of the FBI, it is my honor to return this historical artifact to the people of Mexico,” Garris said. “The FBI is committed to returning stolen art and other objects of cultural and historical significance to the communities to which they belong.”

The ceremony also included research scholars who offered insights into the map’s historical value.

The map is also connected to the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, a historical route that stretched from Mexico City to the San Juan Pueblo. The roadway was used from the late 1500s to the 1880s and was designated a National Historic Trail in 2000.

The planning map was initially named “La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís,” which translates to the royal town of the holy faith of Saint Francis of Assisi.

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By Lindsay Weber, Carolina Estrada

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    VACAVILLE, California (KCRA) — A parked vehicle rolled down a hill, crashing into a Vacaville apartment building and rupturing the gas and water lines on Tuesday afternoon, according to the police department.

Just before 5 p.m., officers responded to the 700 block of Markham Avenue for the report of a vehicle that had crashed into an apartment building.

Noel Manangu, who was inside the apartment when the truck hit it, said his wife was hit by debris and suffered minor injuries.

“My wife screaming, ‘sweetheart, there’s something going on now. There is a truck came through in the kitchen,'” Manangu recounted. “I start screaming to everybody, get out in the house, because I’m thinking about the gas.”

Manangu said his son was also inside the apartment.

“All our stuff [is] damaged,” said Manangu.

Because the gas and water lines were damaged in the crash, officials said eight apartment units were evacuated. Immediately after the crash, when gas was leaking, the surrounding buildings were also told to shelter in place.

The police department said it’s believed that the truck was parked at an adjacent apartment building, which is up on a hill. It then rolled down, colliding with the structure.

Roads in the area were shut down as the police department waited for a tow truck to pull the truck from the building.

Vacaville police said the residents of the apartment building should be able to re-enter the building soon, except for the resident of the apartment that was struck. The affected gas and water lines have been shut off.

Manangu and his family are staying at a hotel tonight.

KCRA 3 reached out to the property management, but so far, there has been no response.

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By James Stratton

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    NEW BERLIN, Wisconsin (WISN) — Police in New Berlin are asking for the public’s help finding Joseph Levenhagen, a Milwaukee man they say is a serial burglar and wanted for burglarizing multiple homes across six cities in three counties.

“He knows the methods that we’re going to take to try to locate him,” New Berlin police Capt. Brad Polczynski said. “It’s possible that he has people in the area who are helping him out. I can’t say for certain. I think just the amount of times he’s been through this, you know, he’s seasoned and this is a career thing for him.”

A search warrant shows Brookfield and New Berlin police officers were tracking Levenhagen on April 2, using a court-approved GPS monitor on his mother’s car.

Police say Levenhagen led them on a chase and ran away after crashing his mother’s car near 12th and Finn in Milwaukee.

“He was just able to slip through,” Polczynski said. “It’s extremely frustrating.”

Polczynski said Levenhagen is wanted for four burglaries in New Berlin, three in Brookfield and others in West Allis and Whitefish Bay. Court records show he’s also wanted for not showing up to court for 2023 burglaries in Wauwatosa and Mequon.

Police have searched multiple homes for him, spoken to family members and looked for other cars he may be driving, but have had no luck.

“We really want to hold him accountable for his actions,” Polczynski said.

Police ask anyone to call New Berlin police at 262-782-6640 if someone may know where he is. Or, submit a tip to Waukesha County Crimestoppers.

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By Steve Large

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KMAX, KOVR) — Sacramento police are releasing dozens of reserve officers from duty, even as the department faces staffing problems.

Sacramento police reserve officer Joseph Wagstaff showed the uniform and equipment that he will have to turn in after nearly 50 years of service, 31 as a full-time sworn officer, 17 as a reserve.

“I have to turn my gear in, and all my equipment and my badge,” Wagstaff said. “We were released immediately, with a phone call from a captain. Do not come back to work.”

Wagstaff is one of 41 reserve Sacramento police — retired officers, hired back for part-time work, who got the call they are being released from duty.

Sacramento police issued a statement reading in part, “At this time, we are still working with City Human Resources to determine how the work previously performed by retired annuitants will be addressed, and we do not yet have details on what the impact will be to staffing.”

The reserves are being released after an audit by CalPers, the California Public Employee Retirement System, showed the city of Sacramento violated specific CalPers codes on when retired employees may be hired back.

“It should have been something that the city and CalPers can work together on with a real simple settlement moving forward, instead were put in a position where we ended up letting go of the vast majority of reserves that work for the city,” said Dustin Smith, Sacramento Police Officer’s Association president.

Smith said having 41 fewer officers will affect cold case investigations, processing arrests at the jail, and staffing at big events like the California International Marathon, Aftershock, and ‘Run to Feed the Hungry.’

“So, you have this wonderful charitable event, that you’re not going to have 41 people to do traffic control, to do different security projects, throughout that event. And I don’t know how we staff an event like that anymore,” Smith said.

“Who was asleep at the switch,” Wagstaff said. “Because it looks like somebody was.”

Those 41 reserve officers are being asked to turn their badges in by Sept. 30. The impact on services is yet to be determined.

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