Neighbors recall frightening moments when a man tried to blow up a Queens home: “I thought we were gonna die”

CNN Newsource on July 29, 2026

By Ali Bauman

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — The neighbors of a man who allegedly killed his relatives and tried to blow up his Queens house recounted the terrifying moments as the incident unfolded just below their home.

Police say Kegan Thomas, 33, barricaded himself Saturday inside a Far Rockaway home and killed two of his relatives. As officers were preparing to enter the home, there was a fiery explosion. Then, Thomas walked out, armed with a shotgun and additional ammo, and got into a shootout with officers.

Thomas was charged with murder, attempted murder, arson and animal cruelty, among other charges.

His neighbors, who were trapped upstairs, spoke exclusively to CBS News New York’s Ali Bauman.

Amari Mosley, 12, was home with his three younger siblings and two moms when they heard gunshots. They live in the upper unit of a two-family home where the incident happened.

“I thought we were gonna die that day,” said Cherise Johnson, Amari’s mother.

Johnson said they were looking out the window as police responded to the scene.

“I kept telling them to get out the window because I seen all the guns drawn,” she said.

The family didn’t know what was happening, and then the apartment below exploded.

“It was so many gunshots, a lot of gunshots, so I took the kids and was on the floor on top of them, and after the gunshots stopped we had to get up cause now the house is all black smoke,” Johnson said.

Amari said he saw Thomas as he and his family members ran out of the house.

“I ran down the steps and seen the man on the floor and blood over him,” he said. “I had to walk over the blood, and we went to the corner and heard the window shatter, and I seen fire coming out of the house.”

Amari said he can hardly sleep from fear.

“The nighttime really scares me,” he said. “My dreams are him waking up and coming to get me.”

While the family is grateful to be alive, they are still living with the aftershocks.

The Red Cross is temporarily putting them up, but their home and belongings were lost in the fire after the explosion.

“We can never go back there. It’s destroyed,” Johnson said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Bar that served wrong-way driver 9 drinks before deadly collision with trooper faces hearing

CNN Newsource on July 29, 2026

By Paul Burton

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    SAUGUS, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Regulators are now deciding whether to punish a restaurant and bar in Saugus where a man drank before killing a Massachusetts State Police trooper in a wrong-way crash. Investigators say Tribu Mexican Kitchen and Bar on Route 1 served Herman Marrero nine drinks in the hours before the deadly collision with Trooper Kevin Trainor.

Tribu was the subject of an Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission hearing on Tuesday. The restaurant is accused of serving after hours and providing the 50-year-old Marrero with free alcoholic drinks, which is against the law in Massachusetts.

“We believe that we have submitted substantial evidence to provide satisfactory proof that Tribu violated or permitted a violation,” ABCC associate general counsel Henry DiGiacomo said.

Supervising investigator Caroline Guarino testified that surveillance video showed how many drinks Marrero had at the Mexican restaurant on Cinco de Mayo. She said a bartender poured his final drink at 12:53 a.m. – just over an hour before he drove the wrong way on Route 1 and crashed into Trainer in Lynnfield.

“Marrero is viewed on video consuming this alcoholic beverage, which is Marrero’s ninth alcoholic beverage and the seventh alcoholic beverage not paid for by Marrero,” Guarino said.

Toxicological testing after the crash showed that Marrero’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.192, more than twice the legal limit, investigators said.

Tribu owners Paul Mongui and Abner Gonzalez both attended the hearing while their lawyer, Tracy Firicano, told commissioners, “This is an isolated occurrence.”

“My clients are taking these violations very, very seriously,” Firicano said. “While there are numerous violations, context is important. The context of it being one evening.”

Marrero also died in the crash. Firicano said he was very close friends with the bar’s manager and they have implemented additional measures so no violations will occur in the future.

“Sadly, two people lost their lives here. That’s a tragedy,” she said. “However, the issues before you honorable commission members are very narrow ones. And that doesn’t minimize the tragedy. All it does is keep it right-sized and narrows the focus on the evidence presented to you.”

The commission said it would issue a written ruling at a later date.

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Father upset after nonverbal son left alone in vehicle by caregiver

CNN Newsource on July 29, 2026

By Dennis Valera

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    HOWARD COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — A man is speaking out after his adult son with autism was left in a van by his caregiver for more than an hour in a parking garage in Howard County.

The man’s son was left alone in the parking garage in the Merriweather District in Columbia, Maryland, on Thursday, July 23.

Thinking back to when he got the call still has Bill Shafley a little shaken up.

“You don’t want to leave your child’s safety to chance,” Shafley said. “The worst feeling in the world is that people you trusted to take care of your loved one were totally shirking that duty.”

The call from Howard County Police said his son — a man with autism — was found in a van in a parking garage in the Merriweather District.

The worst part, he was only found by chance.

“First responders who were in the area for something else actually saw him in the van, went and tried to communicate with him,” Shafley said. “But since he’s nonverbal, they weren’t able to do anything. [Then] they rescued him from the van.”

Shafley’s son was in the care of a caregiver from Richcroft, an organization that provides residential and personal care for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Police are still investigating to determine whether or not the caregiver will be criminally charged.

In a statement to WJZ, Richcroft said it has fired the caregiver and reported the incident to the state. Richcroft also confirms regulatory authorities are investigating.

“This is an unimaginable event that is completely inconsistent with the standards of care, dignity, and accountability that have guided Richcroft for more than four decades,” Richcroft’s statement said.

This isn’t Shafley’s first time running into issues with his son’s care.

He hopes by speaking out about this incident, there can be statewide conversations to get things put in place to prevent these incidents from happening again.

“There’s a lot of incredibly compassionate caregivers out there, but the lack of oversight, the lack of the use of technology that’s out there, and the lack of consequences when something like this happens both to the company and the individual — it gets news and nothing ever happens,” Shafley said.

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Man starts his own Free Blockbuster, honors late grandfather’s video store legacy

CNN Newsource on July 29, 2026

By Glenda Valdes

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    KENOSHA, Wisconsin (WTMJ) — Logan Kelley’s grandfather was in the movie business before Blockbuster even existed. Now, the 20-year-old Kenosha resident with autism is carrying on that legacy in his own way.

Logan created a Free Blockbuster movie exchange — inspired by the popular Little Free Library concept — where visitors are encouraged to leave a movie and take a movie. The project is completely free and designed to bring neighbors together through a shared love of film.

“So it’s like a free library — but for DVDs, VHS tapes, Blu-ray and 4K — basically physical media,” Logan said. “You take a movie, you leave a movie. We got all sorts of stuff for the kids, a lot of good stuff.”

The project has deep personal meaning. The back of the movie box features a tribute to Logan’s late grandfather, who owned Mr. Video, one of the first video store chains in Wisconsin and Illinois, opening seven years before Blockbuster.

“My grandpa, he opened the first video store in Wisconsin and Illinois — seven years before Blockbuster did,” Logan said. “It’s an honor. My grandpa, Mr. Video, he’s a legend.”

The box itself was a community effort, donated and restored by local businesses that believed in Logan’s vision. It is now listed on the national Free Blockbuster map, one of only a handful of locations in southeastern Wisconsin.

Logan’s dad, James, reached out to TMJ4 News hoping someone would tell his son’s story.

“He loves movies, I grew up with movies, my dad owned a chain of video stores — one of the first in Illinois and Wisconsin,” James said. “Logan is kind of following in his grandfather’s footsteps. There’s so much negativity out there nowadays — it’s good to have something positive in the area.”

Logan recommends the Free Blockbuster for movie collectors and families with kids, noting that streaming services keep removing content and physical media is the answer.

To visit or follow updates, search Logan’s Free Blockbuster on Facebook and Instagram.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Lancaster native and cancer survivor finds calling at end-of-life home in Sloan

CNN Newsource on July 29, 2026

By The Buffalo News, The Buffalo News, N.Y.

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    SLOAN, New York (The Buffalo News) — Seated in the chapel at Sloan Comfort Care Home, 22-year-old Evan Folsom reflected on what working at the end-of-life facility has meant to him.

“The Home did come at the right time for me,” said Folsom, hours after finishing an overnight shift there, and a day before taking the daylong Medical College Admission Test.

Folsom survived a brain tumor as a toddler and spent years recovering. That alone shaped an interest in medicine. But in the last couple of years, he’s confronted more health concerns and struggled to get concrete answers on what’s causing them. He’s had to learn how to push forward even in uncertain moments.

“It’s trying to reconcile this idea of going forward despite the uncertainty and trying to keep your head up high and look forward and not back,” Folsom said.

At that critical juncture, he started volunteering and then working at Sloan Comfort Care Home, which has two beds for guests and provides free round-the-clock care to those in the final months of their lives.

While supporting guests and their families, Folsom has learned about himself, gained perspective and found a potential career path in end-of-life care. Soon, he’ll start a one-year bioethics program at Harvard Medical School.

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Fertility doctor, chair of UND’s OB-GYN department, accused of fraudulently fathering patient’s children

CNN Newsource on July 29, 2026

By TASHA CARVELL

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    WARD COUNTY, North Dakota (The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead Newspaper) — A newly filed civil case in Ward County alleges a fertility doctor there secretly substituted his own genetic material during insemination procedures, resulting in the births of two girls in the mid-1980s.

Tasheena Greaves and Janae Nelson Raymond did not discover that Dr. Dennis Lutz was their biological father until recent DNA testing, according to the complaint, filed Monday, July 27.

The women’s mother, Jean Ann Nelson, now of Mandan, sought fertility treatment from Lutz and became pregnant as a result of his medical procedures three times, the suit said. The first pregnancy ended in miscarriage but the two subsequent ones resulted in the births of Greaves, on Feb. 14, 1985, and Nelson Raymond, on May 22, 1986, according to court documents. Lutz was practicing in Minot at the time.

The suit claims Lutz told Nelson that mixing donor sperm with her husband Warren’s sperm would make it more likely that she would conceive a child from her husband’s genetic material, even though that representation “is generally inconsistent with basic principles of sperm competition and reproductive biology.”

Instead of using donor sperm, the suit alleges, Lutz used his own and never disclosed it to Nelson.

“Dr. Lutz’s conduct was intentional, knowing, and undertaken with conscious disregard for Plaintiff’s rights, and was not the result of mistake, accident, or medical judgment,” the complaint said.

Kellen Bubach and James Hoy, of Fargo’s Maring Williams Law Office, are the attorneys for Nelson, Greaves and Nelson Raymond in the suit.

Nelson now lives in Mandan, while Greaves lives in Crosby and Nelson Raymond resides in Utah.

Lutz is a resident of New Mexico, according to court documents. He serves as the chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Dakota’s medical school.

The initial version of the complaint named a hospital where Lutz was once employed, but Lutz is the sole defendant listed in the amended version of the complaint. Lutz was in private practice at the time of the alleged conduct, according to court documents.

The suit claims the discovery that Lutz had fathered Greaves and Nelson Raymond caused “severe emotional distress and identity-related harm” to both women and their mother, the three of whom are the named plaintiffs in the suit.

In addition, the suit alleges that the women’s DNA testing revealed “additional individuals identified as potential half-siblings, suggesting that additional conceptions involving Dr. Lutz’s genetic material may have occurred.”

“The conduct described herein implicates not only the rights of the named Plaintiffs but also raises substantial concerns regarding whether similar conduct affected other patients treated by Dr. Lutz during the same time period and throughout his medical practice,” the complaint said.

The suit accuses Lutz of several counts of fraud, medical battery, breach of fiduciary duty, intentional infliction of emotional distress and intentional concealment of biological parentage.

In a statement, Bubach said the case is about “patient consent, reproductive autonomy, medical trust, and the right of children to know the truth about their genetic identity and medical history.”

“The allegations involve the alleged misuse of reproductive material by a physician in one of the most intimate and vulnerable medical settings,” he said. “The Nelson family is coming forward because they are appalled by the alleged conduct, want accountability, and are concerned that other patients or families may have been affected.”

Bubach urged “anyone with relevant information” to contact his office.

The women are seeking damages in excess of $50,000 and a jury trial in the case.

In a statement, UND Assistant Vice President for Communications David Dodds confirmed that Lutz is a current professor and chair of the OB-GYN department, based at the medical school’s Minot campus.

“The University was unaware of the allegations that have been brought to light today by way of a lawsuit filed in Ward County District Court regarding Dr. Lutz. The University does not comment on personnel matters or personal legal situations and has no further comment at this time,” the statement read.

Lutz’s attorney, Angela Elsperger Lord of the Vogel Law Firm, did not immediately respond to The Forum’s request for comment on the suit.

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Man who is homeless turns hardship into art on a street corner

CNN Newsource on July 29, 2026

By Ana Medina

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    LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WLEX) — Joseph Curtis has been homeless for almost four years. Instead of just panhandling, he picks up a brush.

Every day, Curtis sets up at the corner of Russell Cave Road and West New Circle Road in Lexington, his 9-month-old dog Bobby by his side, and paints whatever he envisions that day.

“Panhandling out here like this, it breaks a man’s spirit,” Curtis said.

“I started doing this because it don’t make me feel like I’m bumming, you know. I do what I can for, you know, for my dog, for my girlfriend,” Curtis said.

State data shows more than 900 people are experiencing homelessness in Fayette County. Behind the numbers are real people with real stories.

Curtis says he is no fine art master, but he finds meaning in every piece he creates.

“I’m nowhere near Bob Ross, nowhere. That man to me is a God when it comes to paintings,” Curtis said.

He describes one of his paintings as carrying a deeper message.

“It’s more of — there’s a light at the end of the darkness,” Curtis said.

Curtis believes most people who buy his work are motivated by more than just wanting the art itself.

“I think people’s more or less, uh, buying my paintings just to help me out, you know, not because they actually want them,” Curtis said.

When asked about available resources, Curtis expressed frustration.

“They say they got resources. Well, all right, prove it. Quit tearing down buildings that they can get to, you know. Let the homeless use to sleep in,” Curtis said.

He also spoke about how he feels society views people experiencing homelessness.

“The way society looks at homeless people. They look at us like we’re a piece of trash,” Curtis said.

What Curtis says he wants most isn’t sympathy — it’s a chance.

“Give us a helping hand up, not a helping hand out,” Curtis said.

Through every painting he sells, Curtis hopes people see more than his circumstances — they see the person behind them.

Curtis says if anyone wants to purchase his art, you can stop by at the corner of Russell Cave Road and W. New Circle Road, every day.

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Fed Decision Ahead of Microsoft and Meta Earnings

CNN Newsource on July 29, 2026

By Jacqueline Policastro | Quincy News Correspondent

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    Washington (Quincy News) — Market Recap: Stocks finished mixed Tuesday as Coca-Cola earnings beat and investor optimism around Boeing’s turnaround offset another semiconductor selloff. The Dow rose 1.03%, the S&P 500 gained 0.21%, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.22%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 4.5% as investors continued questioning whether massive AI spending will generate profits quickly enough.

Brent crude fell Tuesday as hopes for easing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz reduced immediate supply concerns. Though the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran remains fragile.

Today’s Focus: The Fed announces its interest-rate decision at 2:00 p.m. ET, followed by Chair Kevin Warsh’s news conference at 2:30 p.m. ET. Markets expect the Fed to hold its benchmark rate at 3.50% to 3.75%, but recent volatility in oil prices and persistent inflation have increased uncertainty around the decision compared to a week ago.

Microsoft and Meta report after the close. Investors will be watching cloud, advertising and revenue growth for evidence that heavy investments in chips and data centers are producing stronger returns – results that matter beyond Wall Street since both companies make up a significant portion of many 401 (k)s and index funds, and swings in their stock can ripple through retirement accounts and the broader market.

ON THE SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2026

-2:00 p.m. ET – Federal Reserve interest-rate decision

-2:30 p.m. ET – Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh news conference

-After the close – Microsoft and Meta earnings

-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. ET – Second-quarter GDP (advance estimate), Personal Income and Outlays (including headline and core PCE inflation), and Initial and Continuing Jobless Claims

-Thursday, after the close – Apple and Amazon earnings

-Friday, 10:00 a.m. ET – University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment (Final, July)

-Friday, earnings – Exxon Mobil and Chevron

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eBay reaches $55.7 million settlement with couple that was “terrorized” in stalking scandal

CNN Newsource on July 28, 2026

By Neal Riley

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    NATICK, Massachusetts (WBZ) — eBay has agreed to pay $55.7 million in a settlement with a Massachusetts couple that was the victim of a bizarre harassment and cyberstalking campaign orchestrated by former employees of the company.

Ina and David Steiner, who run the trade publication ECommerceBytes from their home in Natick, started receiving online threats and upsetting deliveries to their home in 2019, including a bloody pig mask, live spiders and a book on surviving the death of a spouse. Pornographic magazines addressed to David Steiner were purposefully sent to their neighbors, and their home was listed on Craigslist as a nightly destination for “singles, couples and swingers.”

Law enforcement was able to trace a rental van that followed David Steiner one day back to an eBay employee, and in 2020, the Department of Justice charged seven eBay executives and employees with cyberstalking. Some executives even went to prison for their role in the scheme.

Federal prosecutors say leaders at the company were enraged by the couple’s newsletter and critical comments from readers who posted on their website.

“Take her down,” former CEO Devin Wenig texted.

“I want to see ashes. As long as it takes. Whatever it takes,” former chief communications officer Steve Wymer wrote.

The Steiners told “60 Minutes” that they started sleeping in separate rooms so that if someone broke in at night, at least one of them could call police or escape.

“It felt like corporate terrorism because we were terrorized. And it was very calculated. It was very vicious,” Ina Steiner said.

The couple will receive $48.7 million in the settlement, including $2 million from Wenig. eBay will give $6 million to various charities, and Wenig will also donate $1 million to a charity protecting First Amendment rights in Ina Steiner’s name.

eBay, which paid a $3 million criminal penalty in the case in 2024, said in a statement on Tuesday that “we continue to extend our deepest apologies to the Steiners.”

“As we have long stated, what the Steiners were subjected to by former eBay employees in 2019 was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened,” eBay said. “We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the employees who perpetrated and pled guilty to criminal charges for the misconduct against Ina and David Steiner.”

Wenig, who has said his “take her down” text referred to a communications strategy, also issued a statement.

“No one should ever have been subjected to what the Steiners endured in 2019, and I’m saddened by it, especially because it occurred during my time as CEO of eBay,” Wenig said. “The harassment was deliberately done in secret and without my knowledge, as established by an independent law firm review, a federal probe, and the sworn testimony of the security employee convicted as the ‘ringleader.'”

Christopher Murphy, the attorney for the Steiners, said in a statement that “this case was always about more than obtaining financial recovery.”

“From the beginning, our clients wanted to uncover the truth, protect journalists and publishers, hold those responsible accountable, deter future corporate misconduct, and help ensure others would never have to endure what they experienced,” Murphy said. “We believe this resolution sends a clear message that corporations and their executives cannot engage in this type of misconduct without facing significant consequences.”

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Minnesotan who lost Global Entry after Border Patrol encounter sues federal government

CNN Newsource on July 28, 2026

By WCCO Staff

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — A Minnesota woman who’s a trained legal observer is suing the federal government after she says she faced retaliation for monitoring agents during Operation Metro Surge earlier this year.

One of the four plaintiffs in the suit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, is Richfield resident Nicole Cleland, who told WCCO in February her Global Entry was revoked just three days after an encounter with a Border Patrol agent on Jan. 10, whom she says she was legally following in a vehicle. Cleland, 56, said the agent already knew her name and warned her not to follow him.

“It isn’t about losing that privilege, it is about how I lost the privilege,” Cleland told WCCO earlier this year. “Of those methods in which [the government is] tracking people, which of them are actually legal and how many of them are actually interfering with our privacy and our personal security?”

The defendants in this case are three federal agencies and the men who currently run them: Markwayne Mullin with the Department of Homeland Security, David Venturella with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Rodney Scott with Customs and Border Protection.

Lawyers allege in the filing that the agent’s actions amount to “intimidation and retaliation” regarding Cleland’s First Amendment-protected right to legally observe federal law enforcement.

“Nicole Cleland has self-censored some of her personal communications over electronic media for fear of government surveillance; experiences fear and anxiety each time she travels; and, until she successfully used it as identification at an airport, reasonably feared that in addition to terminating her Trusted Traveler status, the government may have invalidated her passport as well,” the court filing reads.

Cleland says she’s used Global Entry since 2014 and was reapproved in 2024. That status typically lasts for five years.

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