One of the people inside the home was unable to get out, but thankfully, a good Samaritan and fire officials joined together to save their life.

The blaze erupted when an oxygen tank exploded.

Joyce O’Barske said she was outside the home when her husband rushed to her.

“My husband comes running — well, not running ’cause he’s an amputee — through the garage and says, ‘Joyce, there’s a fire,'” she said.

That’s when her husband started having trouble breathing, so O’Barske called 911.

Two police officers who arrived first on the scene found the couple stuck inside the garage.

Joyce walked out, but her husband was stuck in his chair because he is unable to walk.

As crews tried to help free the amputee, the garage door would not budge. That’s when a good Samaritan stepped in to help.

Thankfully, the three men were able to get the man out of the garage to safety.

Inside the house, officials described what they witnessed.

“We did find heavy fire and smoke conditions in the back of the residence. We were able to quickly get it out,” said a firefighter.

Days later, that good Samaritan got a reward for his efforts.

He received a Citizen Recognition Challenge Coin from the same first responders he helped.

The husband made it out of the garage all right.

“He’s got burn marks, but he should be OK,” said O’Barske.

The couple’s two dogs were also saved from the house.

Officials are investigating what caused the oxygen tank to explode.

According to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, the incident happened Friday evening as the victims were walking north on Harding Avenue, between 90th and 91st streets.

“A car drove by with four individuals, and that car threw a cup of water and a soda can at them while they were yelling ‘free Palestine,'” Burkett said.

Police said the water cup struck one person in the right shoulder, and a second individual was splashed with water.

Burkett said the Surfside Police Department already has a lead on the vehicle that was involved.

“And I think they’ve tracked down the car, actually, so we’re making progress there,” he said. “We take it seriously, very seriously.”

When the suspects are caught, Burkett said, they will likely be charged with battery.

“You don’t throw things at people and not be held accountable for that,” he said. “That’s uncool, it’s not who we are. We want our residents to all feel safe.”

Burkett said witnesses and license plate readers helped officials track down the vehicle. He hopes his police department will make an arrest soon.

Officers responded to over 100 protesters who were in front of Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami, at around 1 p.m., Monday.

“Netanyahu, what do you say,” said protesters, waving signs with messages for support of Palestine.

City of Miami officers appeared in riot gear, on horseback, and on motorcycles to prevent the protesters from advancing. Police officers were joined by state troopers and armored vehicles.

7Skyforce flew over the area as protesters were being arrested and taken into a transport van.

Several protesters were also seen being dragged from the street by police after they tried to lie down and block traffic to PortMiami. After repeatedly trying to block traffic, some were arrested by the police.

According to Miami Police, seven people were arrested due to obstructing traffic and refusing to remain in the designated area. They were charged with Obstructing Traffic and Breach of the Peace/unlawful assembly.

A few demonstrators who spoke to 7News shared they did not have ties to Palestine or were Palestinian but still wanted to show support for the cause.

“We are here to let South Florida know that we stand with the Palestinian people and that they deserve aid, they deserve water, they deserve food, they deserve to eat their food with their families, they deserve to grow up with dreams,” said protester Valentina Jadue.

The protest is part of a coordinated effort across the country to block several economic hubs like airports and port terminals to demand a cease-fire in Gaza.

Monday marks Tax Day in America, and Monday’s protesters disagree that taxpayers’ dollars should be used to support the war in Israel.

“After October 7, they have given more tax dollars, what we’re saying is that money could better be used to address the housing crisis in the US, the public education issue, the lack of accessible food and affordable housing, and better transportation,” said protester Libra Sankara.

In addition, the protesters in attendance talk about solutions to end what they are calling a genocide toward the Palestinian people.

Towards the end of the protest, a few people came out on the corner of Biscayne and 2nd Street to show their support for Israel.

“We’re both living in the same land, we’re not going anywhere. And I will always fight for my right to live peacefully in my own land, I will fight for theirs as well,” said Jesse Fromer, Israel supporter. 

Broward County high school seniors Christopher Raphael and Ervin Cruz thought they were invited to an event to record a video as part of the competition. But it turned out that they had already secured the win.

“You guys are the proud recipients of $40,000 that are gonna go towards your college education,” said an Amazon representative.

Both students worked very hard to win the scholarship, which will get them a much-needed financial assistance that will help them engineer their future.

Now, these bright minds have a bright future ahead with an express ticket to college.

“I’ve worked extremely hard,” said Christopher. “I showed dedication within my classroom, I’ve been doing community service for many years. I feel like I really deserve this.”

With the help from Amazon, both students are on their way to becoming computer science professionals.

Both are star students at McFatter Technical High School and Sheridan Technician High School. They said they were both accepted into Ivy League schools.

“My hope is to hopefully work for Amazon after the internship,” said Christopher.

The teens signed up to be the next recipients of the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship.

When they received an event invite, they thought it was for an interview to choose the winner, but it was all a setup.

“So, I walked in, and I was thinking that it was going to be an interview, right? I walk in and I’m expecting, ‘All right, so I’m going to be interviewed. I’m going to be asked about my career choice and what I want to do and things like that,’ and then it ended up not happening. Yeah,” said Cruz.

The two winners can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their hard work and years of studying has paid off.

“When I first opened the box, I thought maybe it was a mistake that they gave this box to me,” said Cruz. “I thought maybe this was for whoever was selected to be given afterward, and I thought the boxes got mixed up. And then I went, ‘Wait,’ and I saw everyone else’s expression in the room, and that’s when I realized it wasn’t a mistake.”

The teens’ parents were just as surprised when they found out that their children won the scholarship.

“When they send him the email from school, he was like, ‘Oh, Mommy, that could be it,’ and I was like ‘Oh, yes. That could be it,'” said Fernande Raphael, Christopher’s mother.

The teens thanked their parents for their support throughout the scholarship process.

“I also want to say thank you to my mom and sister. You guys have supported me along the way and have been there through every step, all the good and the bad, so thank you,” said Cruz.

7News cameras captured the parents hugging their kids as they celebrated their big achievement.

“I’m so proud. I don’t have words to say because he’s been working so diligently and so hard, through everything in classes, and I don’t have nothing else to say but that I’m so proud of my son,” said Fernande.

The parents said they are excited for what’s waiting ahead, as they know it would not have been possible without this well-deserved help.

“I’m so glad. You know how I feel? I know you worked very hard for this. The only thing I need to say is, ‘I love you, I love you,'” said Monica Doleo, Cruz’s mother.

Both students have been accepted for a paid internship at Amazon. The students hope they can get hired once their internships end.

Fort Lauderdale residents are remembering the more than two feet of rain that fell in their city in a matter of hours on April 12, 2023.

“It’s really scary. Streets were flooded everywhere,” said one resident.

“I didn’t know the water would keep coming higher and higher and higher,” said another resident.

The bull’s-eye of the rain was Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, but neighborhoods in the area saw historic flooding as well.

“I lost all my albums, four or five drawers of pictures,” said Tammy Green.

7Skyforce flew over the floodwaters as they overtook people’s front yards and driveways.

“You can see water, just water everywhere, in people’s front yard, backyard, and their driveways,” said 7Skyforce’ reporter Ralph Rayburn.

Broward House was one of the buildings that was hardest hit by the floods.

“We service some clients living with HIV, substance abuse, mental health,” said Broward House CEO Nicole Burrell.

The facility, which was home to the people in the community most in need, was damaged due to the flood.

“Two of our buildings, we couldn’t even get into for about four days,” said Stacy Hyde, the former CEO of Broward House

The building was forced to close after more than two feet of water rushed inside. It was ultimately demolished.

“There was water and muck all throughout the building,” said Hyde.

But Broward House was rebuilt, and they hosted a grand opening on Friday night to mark one year of the floods.

“We are just hoping that when clients come in, they can truly feel at home, right?” said Burrell. “For the time that they are here, that they can see it as being a home that they are proud to live in.”

“We were unusable for the past year,” said Matthew Patterson. “We were under construction ever since, displacing 74 individuals.”

Burrell said 30 of the 72 beds are already filled up.

Due to Broward House reopening their doors to the public, many feel a sigh of relief knowing people in need have a place to go.

“This grand opening means a lot to me,” said Patterson. “This place took me when no one else wanted me.”

The residents who experienced the floods will never forget the images and videos of people leaving their homes on boats and air mattresses. Other footage showed people helping each other out of stuck cars near the airport.

On Friday, neighbors met at the American Legion in the heart of Edgewood to reflect on the experience.

“Going forward together is the most important thing to me,” said one participant.

“I thought it was important to bring people together, because this neighborhood really was ground zero for a majority of the flood,” said Kitty McGowan, president of Edgewood Civic Association. “Going forward together is the most important thing to me.”

“The night of the flood, I grabbed my father’s medication, my two dogs and my ferret,” said Tammy. “We didn’t have insurance, so we’re still not completely back together.”

The residents hung pictures of the devastation and shared stories of the historic flooding.

“I spent the entire night in the darkness with water above my knee and trying to keep my dog on the bed so he didn’t jump off and drown, and they rescued us by canoe,” said Thom George.

Some people, like George, only moved back into their homes a few months ago.

Fort Lauderdale officials, including Mayor Dean Trantalis, called the flooding a thousand-year event.

“As this was, some say, a thousand years storm,” said Trantalis.

As a result of the major floods, Fort Lauderdale City Hall was lost in the storm, but a year later, Trantalis is hopeful.

“We’re not 100% there, but where we are, as a city, is moving forward,” he said.

The mayor said that in the next 10 years, nearly 30 neighborhoods will get new storm drains. Some of that installation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

When asked whether it will be enough to battle the floods, Trantalis replied, “Even the most sophisticated system will only accommodate three to four inches of rain per day. This is 26 inches in five hours.”

Due to those drainages not yet complete, some residents tell 7News they still get nervous anytime it rains.

Residents said they hope to never relive those days again, as the rebuilding of the city continues.

The incident occurred on Saturday morning just after seven in the morning.

According to Miramar Police, Onyxia Delinois was out for a run Saturday morning, heading eastbound along Miramar Parkway near 183rd Street, when a driver hit her and took off.

The group of women who were running with her dialed 911.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” a dispatcher said.

“Um, we are a group of runners and one of our friends is on the side of the road. It seems that she may have gotten hit,” said a female caller.

Delinois was rushed to the hospital and underwent an emergency brain surgery, but she now remains in a coma.

Doctors say they are very concerned about her recovery and expect her to be in the hospital for weeks or months.

“We are extremely concerned about her neurological recovery,” said Memorial Regional Hospital Dr. Andrew Rosenthal. “I expect that she’ll be in the hospital for several weeks or months.”

Delinois’ husband, Roosevelt Delinois, left devastated by the tragedy as his wife remains on life support in the hospital.

During a press conference on Wednesday, he was joined by Miramar Police and doctors, who have been treating his wife, and left his wife’s bedside for a few minutes to plead to the media for justice.

“My wife is amazing, she does so much for me and our family, She’s selfless.” Roosevelt said. “This is not her fault. She did not do this. Someone else did this to her and just left her there.”

Roosevelt hopes the public can provide additional information to help catch the driver behind the wheel.

“I just want someone to say something, someone to come forward,” said Roosevelt.

Police are now searching for the driver responsible for hitting Onyxia and leaving the scene.

“You have to stop. You have to provide some aid. That can make the huge difference whether that person survives,” said Miramar Police Department Officer Jose Rosales.

A GoFundMe was created to assist with Delinois’ medical expenses.

If you have any information on this hit-and-run or the driver’s whereabouts, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

In October of 1995, Orenthal James Simpson was found not guilty of murdering his wife and her friend, in a murder trial watched globally. He left the Los Angeles County Courthouse as a free man but he was not free from trouble.

Simpson would then move to sunny South Florida where he lived with his kids during the period of time between his California acquittal and his Las Vegas conviction.

But even in South Florida, TV cameras and trouble seemed to follow.

While calling Kendall his home in a house on Southwest 112th Street, his residence was raided related to drug a investigation.

There were also controversial calls to 911 and he was also arrested in Miami-Dade County.

“I’m not going to let Mr. Simpson answer any questions about the facts of this case,” said his lawyer.

His private life routinely spilled out before the public during ugly exchanges with his then girlfriend, Christie Prody.

In October of 1999, Simpson called 911 and claimed Prody was high and out of control, accusing her of drug abuse.

“She up for two days on pain pills and red bull,” he said.

In May of the following year, police were called to a hotel near Miami International Airport.

“I guess someone evidently felt that they saw her get physical with me, but she didn’t,” Simpson said.

Later that year, Simpson was was back in the news when Prody sold a story to the tabloids, which claimed that he had given her a cocaine fueled confession to the infamous murders.

She also said Simpson was stalking her and that she was living in fear.

He followed up with the media and claimed she made it all up for money.

“For the last two weeks, she’s apologized for having done this story,” Simpson said.

Despite the relationship drama, he was never charged for anything to do with Prody.

“Never in my life have I chased the guy in a car,” said Simpson.

The drama between the two didn’t end there.

In January of 2001, police were called to Prody’s Kendall apartment after a neighbor called 911 about the pair fighting.

A month after that incident, Simpson surrendered at the Miami-Dade County Jail in relation to a road rage incident that happened in December of 2000.

“Reached inside, grabbed the driver’s glasses and tore him off his face,” said an official.

Simpson would stand trial in that case after being charged with burglary and battery.

“Sorry if I cut you off. Stop (expletive) following me!” said Simpson.

The outcome in that trial was the same as his first.

“As for count one of the charge, the defendant is not guilty,” said the judge. “As for count two of the charge, the defendant is not guilty.”

Years after leaving South Florida, his home was renovated.

7News cameras captured the renovation.

When the realtor was asked if it was a brand new floor plan, he replied “Yes.”

His Kendall home was up for sale in 2017 for $1.3M

An old neighbor of Simpson described the ex-football star as the perfect neighbor.

“Never had a problem with O.J.. He was very nice,” said Carlos Perez.

Simpson lived in the Kendall home until his conviction of armed robbery in Las Vegas in 2008. The home was later demolished.

Miami Gardens Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the 3800 block on Northwest 164th Street on Thursday after the teen was allegedly shot in the back.

The juvenile was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital Ryder Trauma Center. Police said he was conscious when he was taken to the hospital.

As of Friday, the teen remains at the hospital.

Detectives said they are looking for four people in connection to this shooting. They said the victim was with the four suspects when he was shot.

“We have four suspects, unknown the identification or the description of the four suspects. But one was believed to shoot the juvenile and he was then airlifted to Ryder Trauma,” said Miami Gardens Police Officer Diana Delgado.

7News cameras captured several evidence markers being placed in the area of the scene along with a scooter was on the ground. Doorbell security video captured the sound of gunshots going off as two people ran off.

A neighbor, speaking to 7News, said she helped the teenager after she heard him screaming.

“I heard someone yelling, ‘Help me, please help me.’ So I went back inside the house, grabbed my phone, called 911, and then I went to assist him,” said the woman who did not want to be identified. “He was on the phone with 911 and they were telling me to apply pressure until the police came and the ambulance.”

When she asked the teen who had shot him, he didn’t know.

“Horrifying. He looked helpless,” said the neighbor. “I’m a mother. If it was my child, I wouldn’t want him to be laying in the street somewhere, screaming asking for help, and no one wants to help him.”

As an investigation into this incident continues, authorities are asking the public to call police if they know anything about this crime.

The family said 87-year-old Vincenzo Cammalleri died, and his friend is still badly ill, after getting infected with Legionnaires disease, a pneumonia that spreads when a bacteria is inhaled or when contaminated water is swallowed.

The family said Cammalleri and his friend got sick while using the condominium’s hot tub.

Now the family is grieving the loss of Cammalleri, a parent and grandparent, who spent his winters in his Pompano Beach condominium, The Renaissance of Pompano Beach II, with his wife, who not only lost her companion but best friend.

The couple of 60 years loved to dance and were quite active, according to the family.

“He always said ‘I got lots to do, lots to do,’ said Ross Cammalleri, the victim’s son. “Because of this, there’s nothing else for him to do except rest.”

Cammalleri died on March 16, according to his son, Ross, after contracting the disease.

“He started to get flu-like symptoms on and off. They got worse, he became a little more weak,” said Ross.

Vincenzo was admitted to the hospital and was diagnosed with Legionnaires disease.

“When you contract Legionnaires, when you test positive for it, you are diagnosed with Legionnaires disease which is a severe form of pneumonia,” said Eric Shane, the family’s attorney.

The 87-year-old declined rapidly and then suffered cardiac arrest.

“It’s very hard. It’s very hard on my mom,” said Ross.

The family has filed a lawsuit against the condominium association on behalf of Vincenzo and his friend Giuseppe.

“We filed a wrongful death action on behalf of Vincenzo’s family for negligence,” said Shane.

According to the lawsuit, the jacuzzi was raging with active legionella after, the lawsuit said, the condominium association failed to maintain the jacuzzi.

“Jacuzzis are also breeding grounds for this type of bacteria to form and develop because of the heat of the water and the amount of bathers who use them, the heat will burn through the chlorine,” said Shane.

7Skyforce flew over the condominium and captured the jacuzzi still blocked off.

“We all miss him a lot and he was a great dad and a great grandfather,” said Ross.

The family said Vincenzo was a grandfather of five grandchildren, an amazing father, and a dance partner to his wife.

“This didn’t need to happen, it was avoidable, it should’ve never happened and we can’t let this happen to anyone else,” said Ross.

The condominium association sent out a letter on March 22 to residents, explaining how they are going to remedy the situation. They highlighted several actions including closing the spa, changing filters, having more testing of the water, and even hiring a consultant.

In the letter, the association said “the management and board of directors regret that this has occurred.”

7News did not hear back from the management of the condominium or its lawyers.

The toddler was identified as Legend Love.

“He’s a sweet boy, nice friendly playful,” said Anthony Johnson, Legend’s grandfather.

Anthony spoke to 7News, Wednesday.

“I was sleeping, I didn’t see any screaming,” Anthony said.

The grandfather was home when his grandson drowned.

“When I ran out, the lady had the baby, the caregiver had the baby, and carried out the baby and she was crying, so I took the baby, tried to get inside and then laid him down on the table, then I called 911,” he said.

Anthony said he came home from work early because he wasn’t feeling well. When he got home, he laid down to get some rest.

He thought Legend was being watched by the family’s caretaker, who was the only other adult at the home.

“She thought the kid was with me in my room,” Anthony said. “That’s what she said. She thought he was me but he wasn’t with me. It looks like, I don’t know, she got distracted.”

Anthony said he didn’t hear Legend go into his room, which has access to the backyard pool.

“I didn’t hear nothing. The child already goes through the main door. He never got out,” he said. “For some reason, he go in my room and I don’t know how he opened that door but he opened and he got out.”

The grandfather would then wake up to tragedy.

“He wasn’t responding,” he said. “I pumped him like two times.”

Legend’s mother, Shakiera Johnson Love, could not bear the loss of her son.

7News cameras captured the screams of the heartbroken mother as she learned of the tragic news.

Love works at Broward Health Coral Springs and was at the hospital when her son was transported to the ER.

“She didn’t have any idea till, I think, she got a call that there was an emergency with the baby,” said Antonio Johnson, Legend’s uncle. “It was her actual child coming there.”

It remains unknown how Legend ended up in the pool or how long he was in there.

All day on Wednesday, family, friends, and neighbors shared their condolences and dropped off flowers to the family.

“You just have to be there with them all the time,” Anthony said. “It’s not just the pool, they can put stuff in their mouth, they can use stuff to harm themselves because they are active and that kid was active.”

A grandfather will now always remember his grandson as the light of his life and his family’s.

“He’s a nice kid, man. He makes himself happy,” he said. “He knows how to play by himself and make himself happy. It’s a big loss for me.”

7News cameras captured Love’s family putting balloons and flowers on the front lawn of their home.

“We all miss him right now,” said Anthony.

At least 97 children in Florida drowned last year, eight in Broward County. Leaving behind devasting families like Legend’s.

“I’ve never been through anything like this before,” said Antonio. “I wish it didn’t went like that and there was a different outcome.”

A GoFundMe was created by the family to help cover the funeral expenses. If you’d like to donate, click here.

Alexandra Baraga was charged with several driving under the influence charges.

Deputies said Baraga pinned the officer against another vehicle while he was performing a traffic stop.

The deputy and the other driver were taken to the hospital.

The deputy suffered serious injuries but is in stable condition and expected to make a recovery, according to the Florida Keys Sheriff.

The other driver sustained minor injuries.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and Miami-Dade Police Department responded to the Homestead Training Center near Southwest 304th Street and 117th Avenue, on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have an officer shot in Homestead Training Center. Pinecrest units put her in a vehicle in Homestead Training Center,” a dispatcher said. “They are about to leave to Homestead Hospital. Priority. Shutdown the roads taking to the hospital.”

7Skyforce flew over the scene capturing multiple law enforcement agencies responding to the scene.

The officer was initially transported to Homestead Hospital and then airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center Trauma Center.

According to the Pinecrest police chief, the officer was shot by another officer during an annual tactical firearms training exercise.

“It was an accidental shot by another officer. Both of the officers are female officers. At this point, we have no reason to believe it was anything but accidental,” said Pinecrest Police Chief Jason Cohen.

Pinecrest Police said the officer is in great condition and is expected to be OK.

“She’s in great condition. She’s going to be just fine. That’s the best news that we could have. She’s in good spirits. She’s surrounded by her family,” said Cohen.

Cohen said he was relieved to know the officer is recovering at the hospital.

“I’m extremely relieved. You get that call that no chief ever wants to hear, that one of your officers was shot, regardless of how it happened, you never want to hear that,” said Cohen. “But I knew from pretty early on that it wasn’t a very very serious wound and she was going to be OK, so that was a big relief.”

The chief said the officer has been on the force for four years.

“The one who was shot has been on the department for about four years and the other one has been on longer than that,” said Cohen.

Her identity has not been released.

It is unclear when the officer will be able to return to work but the chief said she will be able to go back and will be fine.

“We will evaluate the training, we will evaluate all the safety precautions and will make sure this never happens again,” said Cohen.

An investigation is underway to determine how the officer was shot.

In response to the fatal shooting, the city is hoping to address potential measures, like bar hours of operation and enhanced security, that may prevent tragedies in the future.

“He lost his life doing his job,” said Doral Mayor Christi Fraga after the tragic incident.

On Wednesday morning, Fraga led the discussion, titled “Policy and permits for extended hours,” and is going to talk about Doral’s ordinance and how to move forward regarding nightclubs in Doral.

“Right now, what we’ll do is put a hold on all of the extended hour applications and once the ordinance changes, which is what I’m proposing, that we change it to be until 2 a.m. Then that’ll be the max that anybody can ask for an extension to,” said Fraga in an interview with 7News ahead of the meeting.

On Wednesday afternoon, officials held a workshop to provide a platform of deliberation on proposed policy adjustments and to discuss safety measures within Doral’s nightlife scene.

The shooting at CityPlace unfolded after, Doral Police said, the shooting occurred after two people got into a fight over a pillow. Authorities working the area immediately responded and shot and killed the gunman, who was identified as Jamal Wayne Wood.

Despite his efforts to intervene and protect others, George Castellanos succumbed to his injuries.

“So he goes out there and tries to separate the fight and when he does, the guy just takes out a gun and shoots him two times. One in his chest and the other in his stomach,” said George’s mother, Jeannine, the day after her son was killed.

Six other innocent bystanders and a Doral police officers are also recovering after being shot in the exchange.

Officials will examine bar hours of operation so something like this doesn’t happen again.

“We will look at incident reports and decide whether its a good idea to keep the same time operations or to reduce that,” said Mayor Fraga.

For the past two decades, some bars were able to stay open until 4 a.m. with permission. Another undeniable issue is firearms in plain sight.

“Require a security company to have a mobile metal detecting device for additional security measures that must be utilized for the entrance of any patron into the establishment,” added Fraga.

The Castellanos family wants to see more of those regulations. They know it won’t bring back their son’s beaming smile, but they will make sure his death will not be in vein.

“My son is 22, almost 23, and he was also planning to work at that place, at that time,” said Councilwoman Digna Cabral at Wednesday’s meeting. “My thoughts and prayers to the family.”

Fraga hopes the ordinance will stop tragedies like this one from ever happening again.

“As the community has grown, as the city has evolved, we will now make a decision on whether it’s appropriate for those businesses to be open until that time. My opinion is, it’s not. We are a family-oriented community and this is what our residents want,” emphasized Fraga.

Once the council members decide they want to move forward with the proposed ordinance, it will be presented in two weeks to the full council and then again on May 8 for a final vote.

In the past few months, residents in Kendall have seen massive poles pop up on public sidewalks in the area of Southwest 117th Avenue and Killian Parkway. The homeowners said this is an issue that is also happening in Naples and Tampa.

Communication companies said they are working to improve everyone’s connectivity, but members of the Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations said the poles are an eyesore that could impact their health and their property value.

At a meeting on Tuesday night, association leaders reacted to the towers being placed in their neighborhoods.

“The community has screamed out to us about these towers that keep popping up in their communities and coming soon to where I live in Calusa,” said Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations President Michael Rosenberg. “I may walk out one morning and, boom, there’s this 60-foot tower in front of my house.”

Miles Moss, who represents about 1,500 homes in the Winston Park community, said the blame lies with the county.

“They have an off-duty officer with them that they hire, and they just start putting the pole up. The county has issued the permit way in advance,” said Moss.

Miami-Dade County officials declined to speak with 7News during Tuesday’s meeting.

Homeowners said the county officials told them that the Florida Legislature tied their hands with a new law that automatically grants permits to companies after a certain amount of time.

“It’s an extremely attractive state law for the company that’s putting these up because, again, there’s very little jurisdiction,” said Silvia Morales Gutierrez, a homeowner in Glen Cove.

Homeowners at the meeting said they would like to see the same transparency they’ve seen in the past with utility companies.

“AT&T talked about where the lines were going to go, ‘We’re going to put it here, we need to go in your backyard, we need to do this here,'” said Moss. “[Florida Power & Light] has done the same, the water department did the same, but these guys, I don’t know who they are.”

7News did not immediately heard back from the communications company listed by the homeowners.

But these homeowners are very motivated to get the state law changed. They said they are organizing and in contact with their state representatives because they don’t want this to happen to any other homeowner in Florida.

The governor was in Stuart, Florida, on Tuesday to send a strong message to potential retail thieves and porch pirates.

“They will be held accountable,” said DeSantis.

House Bill 549 stiffens penalties for thieves, especially those who come on people’s property to take packages, known as porch pirates.

“You have a cottage industry of porch piracy where people will steal packages from someone’s front porch,” said DeSantis.

The law’s new penalties for porch pirates include:

• Making theft of property in an amount less than $40 is a first-degree misdemeanor.
• A subsequent violation is a third-degree felony.
• Theft of property valued at $40 or more is a third-degree felony.

7News has reported at length on thefts that took away people’s sense of security, along with their items.

“I had several packages stolen from my front door,” said Miami resident Myron Roberts.

Some video shows packages being scooped up in seconds.

Back in May of 2023, in Northwest Miami-Dade, two women made off with two large packages worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in broad daylight.

“This makes me feel very upset, that that they felt like it was OK to just walk on your property,” said resident Kiana Jackson.

But the thieves aren’t just targeting personal items. Small business owners who depend on delivery to function are also impacted by the thieves.

“I run a company called Urban Troos. It’s a really fine designer pillow decor brand,” said business owner Hannah Gardner.

Thieves in Dania Beach set Gardner’s business back a month in production and $20,000 in the hole.

“We would love for you to return thousands of dollars of inventory that absolutely has no value to you,” said Gardner.

The new law aims to make criminals think twice.

“This is not the place to do it, and if you try to do it in Florida, you are going to regret that you tried to do it in Florida,” said DeSantis.

The law goes into effect on Oct. 1.

Speaking with 7News on Tuesday, Dave Singer said the high school prank went terribly wrong.

“I couldn’t see out of my eye for two days. I mean, it was like staring at a white wall,” he said.

Since the shooting, Singer said, he’s had to visit the hospital every day to get his eye checked out.

“Three of the ophthalmologists who saw me said I’ll get my vision back, but eventually I’ll get glaucoma, and there’s a potential for me going blind in my left eye,” he said.

The incident occurred Friday night at Singer’s home located on the 8300 block of Southwest 154th Terrace.

Ring video provided to 7News by Singer shows his son and some friends arriving home when a car passes by and sprays the home with the water pellets.

At first, the shooter misses, and the car drives off. Singer reached into his car to get his wallet and begins talking to his son.

“My son said ‘Hey, they are coming back again. That’s the car,'” said Singer.

Moments later, the car drives by again and fires the water pellet gun in all directions, with one of them hitting Singer in the eye.

“Someone call the cops,” Singer is heard saying on the Ring video.

After being hit, Singer falls to the ground.

“It could have taken my eye out, because the doctor said, ‘You have no idea how serious this injury is. You could have lost your eye,'” said Singer.

The water-based gel bullets don’t usually cause much bodily harm, unless they hit someone directly in a sensitive area, like the eye.

Now Singer wants the water pellet shooters to be held accountable. He believes investigators know who is behind the drive by.

“Kids make mistakes, right? So I don’t want to ruin the kids’ lives, but it’s more upsetting to me, literally right now, that the police are not, the Palmetto Bay Police are not being more thorough with in their investigation and the kids haven’t been arrested,” said Singer.

Miami-Dade Police, who are contracted to police the Village of Palmetto Bay, said they have not arrested anyone in this incident because they cannot prove probable cause.

Police told 7News they cannot prove that the kids who shot the SplatRBall gun intended to seriously hurt Singer or anyone on the property.

“They shouldn’t have these kids five days later walking the street after they did a drive by, that’s basically what they did. They did a drive by with a pellet gun,” said Singer.

Singer, a former council member in Palmetto Bay, is the father of Jeremy Singer, the 16-year-old teen who was arrested in January after beating up a 15-year-old following baseball practice.

According to the police report, Jeremy said he tested his arm strength by throwing an air horn at the victim in an attempt to scare him, which accidentally struck his ear.

Singer said that while he is trying to keep a positive attitude about what happened on Friday night, he believes the kids who accidentally shot him should be arrested, just like his son was.

“These kids, basically, shot my eye out, OK? And the police department wants to charge them with a misdemeanor, which is absolutely crazy in my book,” he said. “So, it seems like they have different set of laws for my kids compared to other kids in the neighborhood.”

Singer said he disagrees with the MDPD because he believes that probable cause was established when the kids inside the car attacked his home twice.

The incident occurred about a year and a half ago, but new body camera footage, obtained by The Tributary, a nonprofit newsroom, shows a better picture of what happened that day.

“You can’t bend me over like that, bro. I know my rights,” said the man as he was searched by a deputy.

The footage shows officers strip searching the man during an arrest for allegedly selling cocaine in September 2022.

The video shows officers pulling down Ronnie Reed’s pants and underwear, exposing his genitals in front of the public.

Following the incident, three of the officers involved have been disciplined by the department.

“If the individual is concealing contraband, meaning drugs, he will pick up a second charge, which is introducing a controlled substance into a corrections facility. But that’s not the street officer’s concern,” said law and safety expert Dale Carson.

Safety experts like Carson say that since the officers were searching for a $20 bill and narcotics, a strip search in public view was absolutely inappropriate.

“It sends a message to the community that they shouldn’t cooperate at all with law enforcement. That’s the devastating aspect of this circumstance,” said Carson.

Florida Statute does authorize law enforcement to conduct strip searches for narcotics upon receiving written approval from a supervising officer, but the policy only allows corrections officers to conduct the searches.

During the internal investigation, both officers testified they were never trained on the agency’s strip search policy.

“Had you ever had any type of training in the search that was conducted on Mr. Reed?” asked a female officer in the interrogation video of the officers.

“No, not to that extent. No,” said JSO Officer Joel Belgard.

But according to the department, all officers are trained on the strip search policy.

“Bro, listen, bro. You’re doing too much,” said the man being searched on the bodycam footage.

“No, I’m not!” said the officer.

Carson said that at the end of the day, any officer should know the conduct captured in the body camera footage is wrong.

“You don’t need a general order to spell out what is common sense. The key to this is to not treat people like you would not like to be treated,” said Carson.

The three officers involved in the strip search received written reprimands, which is one step below a suspension.

The 47-year-old Miami man now faces charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence. His attorneys, Ben Crump and Larry Handfield, and family members spoke at a news conference following Armstrong’s arraignment to demand all charges to be dropped.

“First of all, it goes without saying what happened in that video is unconscionable,” said Crump. “She only wanted to get him help. She did not expect for him to get six bullets in his torso.”

The civil rights attorneys have been hired to represent Armstrong after an encounter with Miami Police on March 7 at Northwest 58th Street and Seventh Court, where he was tased twice and shot six times. The incident has since led to outrage and calls for justice.

“I just called the police to get him so help. I need y’all just to pray for him please,” said Denise Armstrong, Donald’s mother. “Do that for me, please, Lord.”

Donald, who was experiencing a mental health episode at the time of the police response, was filmed by bystanders during the confrontation. Video evidence showed Donald at the entrance of the home, allegedly holding a screwdriver. In that same video, Donald lifts his shirt to prove he was unarmed before being tased twice and shot six times by officers.

“That’s excessive. That’s the very definition of excessive. A man on the ground and you continue to empty the clip and then you charge him with aggravated assault,” said Crump.

“I think the video shows that the sole basis of filing allegations of aggravated assault was to cover up for the reckless conduct exhibited by one officer,” said Handfield.

He is now experiencing some paralysis and is being held in the jail’s medical ward.

While Denise couldn’t get through many other words, her attorneys did. Donald’s legal team said that the video clearly shows excessive force being used as several shots were fired even after he had already fallen to the ground.

“It is shocking, it’s deplorable, it’s horrific,” Crump said. “It is what you would teach officers if you wanted to show them what not to do.”

“This was a 911 call for a mental health issue crisis, but instead, he received six bullets that could’ve taken his life,” Handfield said.

One day after the shooting, the family’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. Gaston E. Smith, spoke out about the incident.

“I do know that he was dealing with some emotional, perhaps mental concerns, that his mother was concerned about,” he said in an interview with 7News on March 8. “She reached out for help. She did not reach out for her son to be shot multiple times.”

Crump continued to question the officer’s respond during the incident.

“If it was really a dangerous situation, where all those officers felt their lives were in danger, then they should have had everybody shoot,” he said. “But the other officers didn’t shoot because they knew that it wasn’t a dangerous situation to warrant that use of deadly force.”

Miami Police Chief Manny Morales released a statement following the shooting, saying in part, “I pledge to ensure that our department does better in addressing calls involving mental and behavioral issues.”

Now, the Armstrong family wants the charges of aggregated assault to be dropped and for Donald to recover from his injuries at home. His attorneys are also not ruling out a potential lawsuit.

“How many videos like this do we have to see? We’re going to look at exploring every possible legal redress to this injustice,” Crump said. “What happened on that video was excessive and if we don’t hold police officers accountable, it might be your child next, that’s what this is about.”

Miami Police said that the case is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Internal Affairs.

Armstrong is being held without bond in a jail hospital. A hearing has been set for Thursday to address a request for a bond to be set in this case.

Students and staff at FIU filled the lawn of their school on Monday afternoon, as they took turns peeking through the two telescopes provided by the school or looked at the eclipse through their safety glasses.

“I am so excited for this,” said FIU student Michelle Nassimos. “I’m glad that FIU is doing like a free public viewing.”

The next time students and staff will get to experience a natural phenomenal like this will be in 20 years.

“It’s crazy. Who knows, you know, if we’re going to be, you know, alive in another 20 years, so, gotta experience it today,” said Nassimos.

For other curious students wanting to see the eclipse, the experience was very new.

“It feels like something out of a movie, like, I’ve never seen one before, and it looks really cool how you can see the shadow of the moon on the sun,” said Laly, another FIU student.

“I’ve never got to see this event before, and it’s, for me, it’s fascinating,” said Amelie Perez.

“I’m so excited, I love stuff like this,” said FIU student Acayah Brand. “Just seeing it, and having the telescope and the glasses provided for us, it makes me really happy, ’cause I like the solar stuff and, like, the space things.”

A Ph.D. student at FIU told 7News that the school saw 46% of the moon covering the sun.

Dr. James Webb, a professor at FIU, helped set up the viewing party. He said he is glad to hear the students’ feedback.

“Actually, nature sets us up. I’m just capitalizing what nature is doing,” said Webb.

Webb hopes this scientific event will seep into student’s minds.

“I like people to show that, if we can predict eclipses hundreds of years in advance, maybe they’ll take science and other things seriously, like global warming,” he said.

Interest in the science is peaking, as 7News cameras captured people gathering on the school’s lawn to witness the event.

“If we didn’t have this, I don’t think anyone probably would have cared as much to see it,” said Brand.

“I think it brings a lot of people together,” said Lely. “Normally this place is so empty, but it’s packed right now, and everyone’s just here to see it.”

Meantime, children at Zoo Miami went wild over the eclipse, as the local zoo hosted a viewing party at its plaza.

Guests at the zoo were able to use telescopes, grab some safety glasses and learn about the partial solar eclipse, thanks to the Southern Cross Astronomical Society of Miami.

Several children described what they saw and felt during the event.

When asked whether she was feeling excited, a girl replied, “Yeah. It’s a memory that we will never forget, and it’s a beautiful moment.”

“It looks orange, and there’s, like, a little piece taken off,” said Lily.

“It’s kind of like a cookie that’s been bitten, like a chip off,” said a boy.

“It’s like a circle, and it’s half cut,” said Rachel.

“I don’t see anything,” said a second boy. “Oh, I see it.”

When asked whether this was the best day of your life, a fourth girl said, “Yeah.”

7News cameras captured another eclipse watcher trying to put her phone up to her glasses to capture the moment.

Another big concern at Zoo Miami was how the animals were going to react to the partial eclipse. Following the partial eclipse, the animals barely reacted.

At schools throughout Miami-Dade and Broward, students came ready with an extra school supply: eclipse sunglasses.

The solar eclipse brought a perfect opportunity for students at three South Florida schools to bring a lesson to life.

Magnet students at Terra Environmental Institute prepared for citizenry science as they crowdsourced information for scientists.

“Any scientists that are working on trying to identify animal behavior during the eclipse, due to a biotic factor, can actually, hopefully, have more data and more information on it,” said Lissette Perez-Munoz, a teacher at Terra.

7News cameras captured Terra students looking up at the sky with their sunglasses on as the eclipse took over the South Florida sky. Others used their own imagination to protect their eyes.

“I know I’m supposed to use a solar filter, but I didn’t have the resources available, so I improvised with a photo filter I bought online and some tape,” said Isaac Litan, a student at Terra.

Over in Pompano Beach, science teacher Dianne Paillet’s class at Crystal Lake Middle School went through a play-by-play of the solar eclipse.

“It’s very cool, and basically we’re seeing, every single time a cloud goes over it, it gets smaller and brighter,” said one student.

“To be able to see it, live, it brings it out of the classroom and into real life,” said Paillet.

At Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in West Miami-Dade, the astronomy club enjoyed the eclipse to its full potential, as they used the paper sunglasses and state-of-the-art equipment to mark the moment.

A senior at the school described what he saw.

“Last time it came around, I was in sixth grade, but I did not have the opportunity to see it, so this is actually my first eclipse,” said Anthony Turbe, a senior at the school.

Other students said the eclipse provides scientists an opportunity to learn more about the universe.

“As much as a spectacle as it is, and as cool and interesting as it may look, it’s also a fantastic opportunity for scientists to make really important observations about the universe and the laws of physics as we understand them,” said Gaston Lacayo, a student at Terra.

Officials at Belen said their students have the technology to take their experience to the next level. They said they are the only school in the country that has a 16-inch telescope that is equipped to take quality snaps of the celestial sight.

They are also one of a handful of high schools in Florida that has an observatory.

“The observatory gets used a lot and often so that we can really expose the kids, especially, to these incredible things,” said Father Guillermo García-Tuñón, Belen’s president.

The solar eclipse was a great way to start the school week off on a high note.

Up north in Broward, at Markham Park, people were able to take a peep through a telescope to get a safe view of the moon passing between the Earth and the sun.

“It’s a once-in-a-generation experience that this is just very fascinating,” said Steven Luxenberg, president of the South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association.

7News cameras captured Broward residents of all ages coming together to see the amazing phenomenon.

In Fort Lauderdale, the Riverwalk was packed with people wearing eclipse glasses.

After witnessing the event on the campus lawn and the zoo plaza, the students and children are now a little more prepared for the next one when it comes again in 20 years.

Speaking with 7News on Monday, Noah West described the terrifying moment when he suddenly found himself under fire along the 1700 block of Northwest Fourth Street, March 21.

“I was by myself so, when I was coming, I was walking this way toward right there by the street, and I’m walking, and I see this dude on a scooter with a ski mask on, and I’m like ‘That’s suspicious,'” he said, “and then I just saw him hop off the scooter, pull out a gun and start shooting.”

When asked at what moment he realized he had been shot, West replied, “When I started running, ’cause when I started running, the bullet hit me, and I fell, and then I got back up.”

West said he ran almost all the way home, which is close to the park where the shooting occurred, but stopped when he saw someone with a phone in order to call for help.

Once Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue units arrived at the scene, they transported the 10-year-old to Broward Health Medical Center.

Thankfully, West’s injuries were not life-threatening. He is expected to be OK but is still recovering, as he is walking with a limp.

“When I was in the hospital, I thought I couldn’t walk,” said West.

West has since returned to school and is getting stronger every day.

West’s mother, April Lofton, said her son has been doing better in the weeks since the shooting.

“He’s still shaken up. He still definitely just wants to stay in the house, pretty much stay to himself, but his spirits are pretty good,” Lofton said.

West said he stopped going to the park but just wants to be a kid.

“I just don’t come. I don’t come over here no more,” he said.

When asked whether he will return someday, he said, “Yeah, I’ll come back someday.”

The boy’s comments come as newly released surveillance footage from BSO captured the moment when West was left injured during the drive-by shooting.

The 10-year-old is seen dribbling a basketball while he crossed the street. As he makes his way to the other side, a gray sedan approaches him, and someone inside the vehicle is seen firing shots in his direction.

Several children in the area hit the ground when the shots rang out, and West was seen running away after he was shot in the leg.

Video shows the man on the scooter takes off in the other direction.

The victim’s mother and law enforcement officials believe that he was not the intended target of the shooting.

There was a scooter in the area, which is what Noah’s family believes was the intended target.

Now, the family wants whoever was behind the shooter to be caught.

“We’re getting the word out, just making sure that another parent doesn’t have to experience this. It’s imperative to find these suspects,” said Lofton.

BSO detectives continue to search for the victim and those responsible for the shooting.

If you have any information on this shooting or the whereabouts of the subject or subjects involved, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

The owner, Grethel Beaton, said Chloe, the 1-year-old French bulldog, ran off when a pool cleaner left the gate open.

“In a matter of seconds, the door opens, she went out,” said Beaton. “She means the world to me, she is one year and four months, she is our baby, she’s the baby of the house.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Chloe was picked up by a car after getting loose from Beaton’s house.

In a video, tracked down by a private investigator, the dog is seen running into the street. A person driving a white van picks the dog up.

But, in a rush to get to work, the driver hands the dog off to another woman. It is the last time the dog has been seen.

“That person gave the dog to someone else, to a woman who was walking by,” said Beaton.

The family is now offering a $2,000 reward.

“She has more value for us than to anybody else. The $2,000 could buy any dog, but it’s not about the money,” said Gerardo Machado.

Now, the family is hoping that whoever got the dog in the chaos brings her back home safely.

“When I got home from school, I will always go to her cage and play with her,” said the owner’s daughter.

“By airing this, they should know that, please, return the dog to the proper owner so the kids could have closure with their dog,” said Chase A. Lalani, the private investigator.

While it’s unclear who may have Chloe, the family hopes that the person who took her hears their cry for help and brings the dog home.

“So we have four humans and two dogs. We are a family of six, but now we’re a family of five, so we’re missing a family member,” said Beaton.

The crane smashed into a car, damaging other vehicles nearby, and killing a 27-year-old construction worker.

The calls detailing how distressed drivers reacted as they watched the incident unfold.

“Someone is bleeding from their head,” said one person.

“It’s off Las Olas,” said a second person as they cried on the phone.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe what I just saw,” said a third person.

“We heard, just heard stuff from the top falling and people screaming,” said a fourth person.

“People are rolling on the ground. I need people here now,” said a fifth person.

“A piece of crane fell on the bridge on a car,” another distressed person said.

7SkyForce over the scene on Thursday afternoon surveying the damage.

“This is the upper portion of the bridge. You can see something went down here,” said 7Skyforce’ reporter Stephen J. Grey.

The huge part of the crane came down on Thursday afternoon during rush hour.

Police said worker Jorge de la Torres, a father of two from Georgia, was secured to the equipment and came down with it.

Onlookers reacted to the collapse.

“I see the piece just tumbling down,” said Jason Taub.

“And it was falling in slow motion and I screamed ‘Oh my God,” said a woman who lived nearby.

“I saw this big blue piece of metal coming down,” said Mark Cerezin, the driver of the Tesla that was also impacted by the collapse. “I couldn’t believe I was still alive,”

Witnesses in nearby buildings heard a woman screaming. Cerezin said he quickly got out of his car and helped the bleeding woman get to safety.

Hours later, experts were able to take a look at the damage. The crane punched a hole, that is three feet in diameter, right through the concrete but the drawbridge stayed aligned.

Crews temporarily patched the hole with a steel plate.

On Friday, the bridge reopened as officials said it was safe to travel.

Crews said it will take a month to design the permanent fix to the hole and then another couple months to install it.

On Facebook, his loved ones wrote “God took you from me and I’ll never never know why. I will love you for the rest of my life. You are a great dad and annoyingly funny best friend, the best provider and love of my life.”

The injured people who were transported to the hospital have since been released.

Investigations by several agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Department of Transportation continue.

KAST Construction, the company working on the high-rise where the crane was being used, has been contacted for comment on this incident.

One of the victims, Jacob Flickinger, is an American-Canadian dual citizen, with South Florida ties. Flickinger was a father of a 1-year-old and lived in Costa Rica with his partner.

Flickinger’s parents are South Florida residents. The parents told 7News they are devastated and grieving. They believe the airstrike that killed their son was intentional.

“All the facts point to this was a deliberate attempt to target these aid workers,” said John Flickinger, Jacob’s father. “We’re crushed, we’re sad. I don’t feel any anger. I feel some anger but the overwhelming feeling is just sad for our son and his partner and his young son.”

Jacob was killed along with six other aid workers from the World Central Kitchen as it attempted to deliver the badly needed food to refugees in Gaza. John said his heart breaks for them too.

“They haven’t gotten the same attention that our son Jacob has, but their lives are of no less value,” said John.

A few days after the airstrike, President Biden held a phone call with Israel’s Prime Minister who admitted that the Israeli military was to blame for the deaths. Hours after the phone call, Israel announced new ways of safe passage for aid to get into Gaza.

John said the Israeli government has to do more to keep humanitarian workers, like his son, safe.

“The humanitarian corridors need to be opened up. The IDF needs to stop targeting civilians and aid workers,” said John.

The parents want an independent investigation into the strikes that killed their son but they also hope that this tragedy will lead to even more change in the war-torn region.

“If we can move the needle toward that end, a small fraction of an inch, than Jacob’s life and the other workers’ lives won’t be in vein,” said John.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the grieving family pay for funeral costs and living costs. To donate, click here

Fans eagerly anticipate performances from headliners like Lainy Wilson, Hardy, and country superstar Jason Aldean.

“I’m here to see Jason Aldean, Lainy Wilson is gonna be here tonight,” said a concertgoer.

“Well, we’re here to see Lainy Wilson,” said another concertgoer.

“Jason Aldean is gonna be here,” said a third concertgoer.

“Lainy Wilson, Old Dominion, Jason Aldean, top three,” said a fourth concertgoer.

For those seeking variety, the festival also features non-country acts such as Boyz II Men and TLC.

“I just came with my family so we’re just going to have a nice time on the beach, in the sun and I’m just here to dance and have fun,” said a concertgoer.

In a shift from previous years, single-day tickets are now available, offering attendees more flexibility in their festival experience.

“For the first time in two years, the festival is now selling single-day tickets,” said Chris Stacey, CEO of Tortuga Music Festival. “Which, obviously, is less money but also less of a time commitment so, if you want to come out and just spend a Friday or Saturday or Sunday with us, take your pick, you can do them all.”

Beyond the music, Tortuga Music Festival is committed to protecting the environment.

All concessions at the festival utilize compostable and recyclable materials.

“A portion of proceeds from the show go back to the Rock the Ocean Foundation to help save the seas,” said Stacey.

The three-day festival kicked off Friday afternoon and will conclude on Sunday.

It’ll be the longest, most visible solar eclipse in more than a century as the moon will block out the sun.

But there are steps you can do right now to keep your eyes safe.

The countdown to one of nature’s most fascinating light shows is on as Americans gear up to watch Monday’s solar eclipse.

The phenomenon will take place in the afternoon, when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, which will block out the sun’s rays and will cast its shadow on the earth.

But while many people will get to see a partial eclipse as it crosses through North America, only a handful of folks will experience the full darkening effects based on its path.

“Only a single narrow path of people from really, uh Texas up to Maine will be able to see this event called totality,” said Dr. David Rogers with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

But no matter where your seat is for the event, doctors say you need proper protection for your eyes.

“If you look at the sun, directly with your unaided eye, you can damage the eye permanently and lose vision,” Rogers said.

So what are your options?

“Solar eclipse glasses are 100,000 times darker than your regular sunglasses,” he said. “Regular sunglasses absolutely cannot be used.”

These spectacles work by blocking invisible light rays from injuring your eyes.

“These are in ultraviolet and infrared rays that can actually damage that retina,” Rogers said.

For an indirect way to safely see the eclipse, NASA recommends making a pinhole projector.

“You can just use a sheet of paper, pinhole, and have the sun behind you, and then it’ll project through the hole, and then you’ll have shapes of the sun on the ground as the moon traverses,” said Heather Futrell, NASA’s Heliophysics Program Executive.

Pets should be kept inside for the big celestial event if they’re at risk of looking at the sun.

James Peter Tidot was charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm and culpable negligence charges, Friday morning.

The incident happened on Wednesday in a family member’s home in North Miami Beach.

According to the arrest report, Tidot “did leave a loaded firearm unsecured and unholstered within reach of his son.”

The report states that North Miami Beach officials found the child “in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to his head and a firearm on the floor next to his body.”

He was taken to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for treatment. Family members said he is expected to be OK.

Family members did not want to go on camera but told 7News that Tidot is a police officer in South Carolina with the Columbia Police Department.

The Columbia Police Department in South Carolina released the following statement:

A Columbia Police Department (CPD) officer has been placed on investigatory suspension after being arrested by the North Miami Beach Police Department this week.

CPD was notified by the arresting agency of charges stemming from allegations of negligence after an incident involving his 4-year-old son and an improperly secured and loaded duty weapon assigned to Peter Tidot.

Per protocol, Tidot who has been with CPD since April 2023 will remain on investigatory suspension until the disposition of criminal charges in Florida and administrative investigation by CPD’s Internal Affairs Unit under the Office of Professional Standards.

Columbia Police Chief W.H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook says, “We are praying for the speedy recovery of the child and everyone impacted by the incredibly unfortunate incident. Let this serve as a reminder about the importance of gun safety and proper gun storage.”

CPD will continue to work with the North Miami Beach Police Department regarding the case

CPD

CPD Chief W.H. Holbrook also released the following statement:

“We are praying for the speedy recovery of the child and everyone impacted by the incredibly unfortunate incident. Let this serve as a reminder about the importance of gun safety and proper gun storage.”

Tidot appeared in bond court on Thursday.

“Good afternoon sir,” said Judge Mindy S. Glazer. “I’m allowing you to have supervised contact with your child. I hope your child is OK and you cannot possess a gun.”

Tidot has since been released on bond and spent the day at the hospital.

Andrew Fierle, 44, was charged with three counts of soliciting a romantic relationship with a minor while in a position of authority.

Fierle made his court appearance Friday morning after turning himself in to the Broward County Jail the previous night.

According to police, Fierle was having a relationship with a student while teaching at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, which began in 2020 as a friendship. The victim, police said, was 17 years old.

Investigators said that a year after the beginning of the friendly relationship, it turned into something more.

The victim started visiting Fierle in his classroom where “Fierle would unzip her jacket,” the arrest report reads.

Fierle was a math teacher at the high school and would tutor the victim after school at his home in Sunrise where, police say, they would engage in sexual activity.

Following initial allegations, Fierle was fired in 2021 by the school.

During his court appearance, the judge ordered Fierle to not have contact with any minor and he could not return to any school campus. His bond was also set to $75,000 and he will be fitted with a GPS ankle monitor once he pays his bond.

“I do find probable cause for your arrest on three counts of an authority figure engaging in a romantic relationship,” said the judge.  

“Who do you live with?” said the judge.

“My wife and my two dogs,” said Fierle.

“Have you ever been arrested anywhere else in the world?” said the judge.

“No, no, no.” said Fierle.

The Archdiocese of Miami released the following statement:

Mr. Andrew Fierle was terminated as a teacher from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School on June 24, 2021 due to a complaint from a female student’s parents regarding violations of the school’s and Archdiocese of Miami’s Safe Environment policies.

The parents of the student alleged their daughter was being tutored at Mr. Fierle’s home after school hours.

Mr. Fierle’s actions were immediately reported to the State Department of Education and the Department of Children and Family Services, and the parents were encouraged to report to law enforcement.

Fierle has since paid his bond and remains at Paul Rein Detention Facility in Pompano Beach.

The incident, which occurred near the New River around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, also led to the damage of a Tesla SUV and a minivan after debris fell onto the bridge, creating a significant hole on the road that led to the closure of the bridge. Initially, the collapse raised concerns about the bridge’s structural integrity.

“When the piece of crane fell through, it punctured directly through the entire concrete deck and broke through the steel,” said Anh Ton, Broward County Director of Highway and Bridge Maintenance.

While workers focused on the significant hole left by the crane, officials said the drawbridge stayed aligned.

“If alignment is off by half an inch, it wouldn’t work. Fortunately, when we tested the bridge last night, the alignment was still in place,” said Ton.

The bridge, owned by Broward County, had repairs done to it overnight but officials said they are temporary. Crews are set to eventually close down the bridge again for more in-depth repair work, which they said, will occur during overnight hours to minimize disruptions.

“Unfortunately it’s downtown Fort Lauderdale, so that is the sense of urgency, to make sure the bridge is functional,” said Ton.

Officials said it will take four weeks to design the permanent fix and then another couple months to install it.

But for now, Broward County’s structural engineers, who spent most of Thursday night on the bridge, said it is safe for travel.

“I drove through it myself multiple times and I wouldn’t do that unless I felt it was completely safe,” said Ton.

7Skyforce was overhead Friday morning where a steel plate was seen covering the hole made by the collapse. Traffic was moving along the road as investigators gathered at the high-rise under construction where the crane was being used.

“We had a one-inch steel plate that was large. We put it on top of where that hole was, that way when the vehicles go over, it serves as temporary deck to split the load out,” said Ton.

According to fire rescue officials, a man and woman were transported to Broward Health Medical Center in stable condition. Both victims were released from the hospital on Friday morning.

The construction worker killed in this incident fell with one of the loads off the side of the building and succumbed to their injuries, police said. The identity of the deceased worker has not been released.

Mark Cerezin, the Tesla driver, recalled the moments when he narrowly avoided the piece of the crane, crediting the vehicle’s design to his survival.

“It was just an instinct. It was just a reaction, peripheral reaction, slamming on the brakes,” said Cerezin. “I have a Tesla, it’s all glass on top, so I saw here coming down, and that’s when I gauged, I guess, by a split second. Had I not slammed as hard as I had with my foot, I’m not here speaking to you.”

Cerezin did not need to be taken to the hospital but his Tesla was damaged, saying the front of his car didn’t appear to be there.

“I hit the front of my car. It was like slow motion. And then I just saw the front of my car just disappeared. It just, like, sliced it,” he recounted. “Then that piece of metal bounced in the air and then went to the right and landed on another car.”

Experts said that had the Tesla not taken the brunt of the impact, the bridge would’ve been damaged far worse.

After speaking to the crane operator, fire officials said the crane fell in the process of being adjusted.

“It is my understanding from the construction company that they were doing a process at the time called stepping the crane. It was not the crane that failed; it was a platform that they had equipment staged on that had failed at the time of the incident,” said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan.

Witnesses and local residents described the chaos and their shock.

Jason Taub, who was working from his apartment, said he had been watching the crane for about 20 minutes and started to record the crane being hoisted up on his phone, but as soon as he stopped, he heard a strange sound.

“All of a sudden I hear a pop,” said Taub. “And then I see the piece tumbling and tumbling down.”

“It looked like it was falling in slow motion and I screamed ‘Oh, my God’, and I see it fall right on top of the car,” said a woman who lives on the ninth floor of the building in front of the construction site. “Right away, you can see the driver walk away, but you can hear her screaming, but it was so scary to witness.”

Video obtained by 7News shows Cerezin comforting the woman who was driving the minivan, who is seen visibly distraught.

Cerezin said he took off his shirt to help the woman. He is in disbelief that he hit the brakes just seconds before the crane fell down.

“There was a lady that was bleeding, and I took off my shirt and put compression and helped her,” he said.

Cerezin said he feels grateful and lucky to be alive.

“From, of course, this day forward, I’m just happy to go home to my wife. I’m happy to go home to my family and to my friends. I’m just so grateful,” he said.

On Friday, the 911 calls were released showing distressed drivers watching the incident unfold.

“A crane just broke down on a car on the bridge,” said one caller. “Oh my God, I can’t believe what I just saw.”

Fire rescue officials have since secured the crane and the area has been cleared of debris and damaged vehicles as investigations by several agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Department of Transportation, continue.

The closure of bridge caused significant traffic and stopped marine traffic along the New River, but since it’s reopening, all traffic has returned to normal.

KAST Construction, the company working on the high-rise where the crane was being used, has been contacted for comment on this incident.

It came after a crash involving two cars near Northwest Eighth Street and First Avenue, just after 8 p.m., Friday.

According to City of Miami Fire Rescue, while one of the drivers involved was checking out the damage to their car, the vehicle broke down on the tracks.

The driver tried to move the vehicle but ended up moving themselves out of the way after hearing the oncoming freight train’s horn. Moments later, the train slammed into the car.

The vehicle wound up with some minor damage, but no one was hurt.

Police temporarily shut down Northwest Fifth to Eighth streets, between Northeast Biscayne Boulevard and Northwest First Avenue, while they investigated.

Officials said the Florida East Coast Railway has been notified.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue units responded to a two-story home located near Northeast Second Street and Sixth Avenue, at around 6:45 p.m., Thursday.

Fire crews arrived to find thick, black smoke and flames coming from a window of the second floor.

The home sustained major damaged to its inside and outside.

Nobody was home at the time, so no injuries were reported.

It is unclear how the fire began.

Jacob Flickinger, an American-Canadian dual citizen, was one of the victims of the food aid convoy blast. Flickinger was a father of a 1-year-old and lived in Costa Rica with his partner.

His father, John Flickinger, is the founder of Breakthrough Miami, a nonprofit that helps children from marginalized background. He posted a heartfelt message on Facebook that read, “My son, Jacob, was killed Monday delivering food aid to starving families in Gaza … He is survived by his partner and infant son. Please help them if you can as we navigate through this heartbreaking tragedy.”

The tragedy prompted World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés to accuse Israel of deliberately launching the airstrikes.

“We were targeted, deliberately. None stopped until everybody was dead in this convoy,” said Andrés.

Andrés said his organization would stop the aid trucks for now.

Israeli military officials said the strike was a grave mistake.

“The strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a mis-identification at night, during the war, in very complex conditions,” said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the Israeli military.

Still, despite the airstrikes, Global Empowerment Mission CEO Michael Capponi, who has been helping both regions of the war since the beginning, said they won’t stop their aid deliveries.

“Israel has allowed more to come in. The problem is the entire economy is completely destroyed, so it’s not self-sustaining anymore, so you can’t live off 120 trucks to feed 2 million people,” said Capponi. “We can’t halt due to the circumstance like this. We’re extremely sad for what happened and obviously concerned.”

Capponi said he’s been on the complex roads that Israel described while on aid mission deliveries.

“At 11 o’clock at night. Not all drones can see color and see what’s going on, right? So, I’m not defending anybody, but it’s really important to understand that,” said Capponi.

Capponi said his organization has donated hundreds of thousands of items to Israel and Gaza and they hope to continue donating many more. For more information, click here.

“I was so scared,” Jahkeam Moore said. “My teacher was gone,” he said.

Six-year-old Jahkeam was safe and sound Thursday morning, one day after he was forgotten on that field trip.

His kindergarten class from Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in Northwest Miami-Dade on Wednesday made their way to the fair on the bus for some food and fun.

Jahkeam’s godmother, however, told 7News that 13 students were also left at the fair when the school bus initially took off.

“The school bus did turn around and pick up eight of them,” she said. ” A parent did leave with two, and then my godson and two others in the vehicle with this one parent.”

A bus returned to pick up eight kids, but five other students found their own way back to the school.

“There’s many red flags with this, and it’s totally unacceptable,” said the godmother.

The parent who drove Jahkeam back to campus told 7News that she was not an approved chaperone for the trip, and she simply went to the fair on her own account to watch her son, who was also on the field trip.

She said, at some point, the teacher left Jahkeam with her.

Latasha Jones, Jahkeam’s mother, said she wants answers on how the bus left her child behind.

“I want to know how did my child get left at the fair,” said Jones. “When I signed that field trip form, he was supposed to stay with his teacher, not go off with a parent that’s not even a chaperone on a field trip. I’m still angry.”

Jahkeam’s godmother told 7News that Jahkeam was up at 4 a.m. thinking about the incident. She also said that there were red flags regarding the situation, and several unanswered questions remain.

“He just embraced me, he told me and said how scared and afraid he was because, even though he knows the parent’s son, he did not know the parent at all. That was his first time,” said Jahkeam’s godmother.

She now wants those responsible for leaving her godson and those 12 other students to he held accountable.

“Just from one parent to another, I just think the proper protocol was not done when it comes to doing head counts, when it comes to ensuring that every child is on the bus,” she said. “They basically just told the bus driver, you know, gave the clear, the OK, and they left.”

The school district released a statement following the incident.

“Miami-Dade County Public Schools is deeply concerned to learn that several students from Charles R. Drew K-8 Center returned to their school from a field trip with a parent instead of their assigned bus. We are looking into the matter and will take appropriate action.”

MDCPS

For now, Jahkeam’s family is happy that he is OK, but his mother wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“This is very frustrating because what if my son never made it back to me. Then, what answers would they have for me?” said Jones.

As of Thursday afternoon, no action has been taken by the school district related to the field trip.

Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue responded to the scene of the crash in the area of Coral Way and Southwest 117th Avenue around 7:45 p.m., Wednesday.

“Ladder 29 responding Coral Way, Southwest 117th Avenue, reference a vehicle in the canal,” a dispatcher said in radio transmissions.

According to MDPD, everyone inside the four-door Lexus that went into Snapper Creek got out.

“We do have a vehicle in the canal. Reportedly everyone is out of the vehicle,” said the dispatcher.

The occupants of the car, who are 18 and 19 years old, said the other car made a U-turn in front of them while they were driving southbound. They swerved their car to get out of the way and went into the canal.

One of the occupants, Eric Hernandez, spoke with 7News.

“I’m safe and alive,” he said.

Hernandez said he and his friend were returning home from getting some food and were heading southbound when the crash occurred.

“We tried, like, swerve and brake, but we couldn’t, and since he was making a U-turn, we, like, it made us go to the rail, and it broke, and we went to the water,” he said.

The teen explained how he and his friend escaped the sinking vehicle.

“In the water, all the glass started, like, cracking, and we tried opening the door, and the door didn’t open, so we went out through the sunroof,” said Hernandez.

7News cameras captured the damaged car along the canal and some damage to the guardrail. The two teens were seen wrapped in aluminum blankets.

“[The car] floated all the way down this way, due to the wind — as you can see, how it’s really windy — and it finally sank over here,” said Ivan Grau of Sunshine Towing.

After escaping, the boys swam to the shore, where Grau helped them out, and they were able to call their parents.

7News cameras captured the teens as they tried to salvage belongings in the car.

Southwest 117th Avenue was temporarily shut down near the scene of the crash, but it has since reopened to traffic.

It remains unclear whether or not the driver of the other car will be cited.

Students from Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in Northwest Miami-Dade went to the fair on Wednesday. After their trip had concluded, the school bus left the fairgrounds, but the staff who were supervising the students apparently forgot a few of them.

Speaking with 7News on Wednesday, Latasha Jones said her son Jaquime was among those students.

“I’m angry. I’m very angry. I’m still angry,” she said.

Jones said her son went to the fair on the school bus with his kindergarten class, but when it was time to return to school, he was left behind.

Thankfully, another parent brought him back in her own personal car.

That oversight left Jones fuming.

“They didn’t even know that they left him until the parent who retrieved him and brought him back to the school, she beat the buses back to the school,” said Jones.

That good Samaritan parent told 7News that she was not an approved chaperone for the trip.

“He went to the fair on a school bus with his teacher, got to the fair, and ended up with a whole another parent that’s not even a chaperone,” said Jones.

Still, the good Samaritan parent said she went to the fair on her own account to watch her son, who was also on the field trip. At one point, the parent said, the teacher left Jaquime with her.

Now Jones wants to know how and why this happened, saying that this could have ended very differently.

“You didn’t even know who you left my child with. You just hand him off to be someone else’s responsibility. When I signed that field trip form, he was supposed to stay with his teacher,” said Jones.

Another parent who spoke to 7News said her child was also left behind on the field trip.

The school district released a statement following the incident.

“Miami-Dade County Public Schools is deeply concerned to learn that several students from Charles R. Drew K-8 Center returned to their school from a field trip with a parent instead of their assigned bus. We are looking into the matter and will take appropriate action.”

MDCPS

The object left homeowner Alejandro Otero wondering where it came from. He thinks it’s from outer space.

“It used to have a cylindrical shape, and you can tell by the shape of the top that it traveled in this direction through the atmosphere, when it burned, created in this burn and melting the metal over in this direction,” he said.

The unknown two-pound object crashed through the family’s home in Naples.

“It’s either space junk or a space meteorite. It’s 50/50,” said a person on video.

Otero said his son was home alone when he heard a loud bang.

“It was a tremendous sound, and it almost hit my son. He was two rooms over and heard it all,” he said.

Otero called the Collier County Sheriff’s Office after making the discovery. They helped Otero dig out the object after it crashed throughseveral layers of ceiling and the floor.

“Is it heavy?” Otero asked the deputies. “Holy cow! Are you kidding me?”

“I was shaken, I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage?” said Otero. “And, you know, totally, I’m super grateful that nobody got hurt.”

Otero said he thinks the object came from space.

“The International Space Station had scheduled debris coming from them to land into Earth, and to go through the atmosphere, burn and safely land, whatever it was left, in the ocean, the Pacific, or any other areas, northern urban areas,” said Otero.

There are several articles online about trash from the space station hitting Earth on March 8, the same day Otero’s home was hit.

Still, after everything, this family is happy no one was hurt.

“Very heavy and very damaging. I mean, this lands on anybody or any structure will [be] completely destroyed. We got super lucky,” said Otero.

NASA officials said they plan to analyze this object at the Kennedy Space Center to figure out its origin.

Plantation Police said 40-year-old Jean Carlos Aponte killed his wife, Sara, and their young son, Ethan, before he unsuccessfully tried to take his own life.

The young boy was just days away from celebrating his third birthday. A party had been scheduled for this weekend but now, the house is silent and empty.

The gruesome discovery was made last Tuesday by Sara’s parents, who came to the house when they couldn’t get in touch with their daughter.

Investigators said the parents found Sara on the kitchen floor, covered in blood, and stabbed 28 times. They called 911. Police later found the 2-year-old boy in the backyard pool. Both had been stabbed to death.

The parents’ second child, a 4-month-old, was crying but unharmed as she sat in an infant swing.

According to police, Aponte had overdosed and was found unconscious in the bedroom.

New unredacted pages from the arrest report detail how Sara’s father told detectives “that Jean suffered from [post-traumatic stress disorder] from his deployments in Iraq while he was in the Marine Corps. He stated that he believed that Jean managed his “issues” well most of the time but knew him to have a few anger outbursts.”

Sara’s mother also spoke to police, telling them “she knew that Jean suffered from PTSD and had some aggression issues and was taking medication.”

The mother and sister of Aponte also met with police and told them that he “suffered from depression and was recently in constant pain.”

According to the newly released pages, Aponte’s marriage was in trouble. Detectives said that, on the day of the murders, one of the baby monitors recorded an argument between the couple with a woman’s voice saying, “I hope she was worth it. Don’t come after my money.”

An hour earlier, Aponte sent his wife a text message that read “I understand I broke your trust.”

Ninety minutes later, on the baby monitor, police say, a child is heard screaming.

As police investigated, they found a text message from Sara to a contact saved as mom that read “Call 911.” That text was never sent.

While Aponte recovered in the hospital, before he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, police monitored his recovery and took notes of what he said while in and out of consciousness.

According to the arrest report, at one point, an officer said he admitted to the crime by saying “I did it.”

Aponte has since been discharged from the hospital and is now behind bars at the Broward County Jail.

On Wednesday, Fort Lauderdale Police held a press conference with those family members.

According to Fort Lauderdale Police, on March 22, 89-year-old Major Melvin and 87-year-old Claudette Melvin were shot to death at their home in Melrose Park.

The suspect or suspects, then left the scene in the couple’s 2014 Ford Fusion. The car remains missing as police hope to find it.

“I have the photo here of the vehicle. It’s a red Ford Fusion, it’s a 2023,” said Fort Lauderdale Police Sgt. Donald Geiger. “We’re looking at several leads right now. It’s very distinct that it has side damage on the left driver’s side, rear door, and we also have some damage on the right rear bumper.

“Angry. I’m so numb I can’t feel, yes. We’re angry,” said Kim Melvin Hill, daughter of the couple. “We’re angry. We’re very angry. We still trying to wrap our minds about how can we, who would, who did, why?”

911 calls of the incident were released by police on March 28.

“My brother just called me. I don’t have my car, I can’t get over there,” Hill is heard saying to a dispatcher.

A family member was sleeping in the back bedroom of the Melvins’ home of 50 years when they woke up to shots being fired. In a panic, the family member called his sister, who then called police.

“My parents were married for 60 years. My mom and dad worked here, they raised their grandchildren in that house,” said Hill.

The family told 7News that Major had $500 in his pocket and his wife had $400 in her bag but the killer did not walk away with the money.

They believe the person or people behind the murder came in through the front door when they first saw Major and then turning the gun on Claudette.

“They shot him point blank with a nine-millimeter,” said Tonya Mitchell, the daughter of the couple. “She was shot as well, in the chest, and she fell back.”

Family members described the elderly victims.

“They were the most loving people that I’ve ever known. Both caring and whoever this perpetrator is, he just needs to be found,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell pleaded with the public to help her find the person behind the murder of her parents.

“If you have any information on the car, any information on this maggot, that was the individual,” said Mitchell. “We’re asking the public, the media, please help us. We just want our closure. As to why, they didn’t deserve this.”

If you have any information on these deaths that could help investigators, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

Miami-Dade Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue were dispatched to a traffic crash in the area of Northwest 27th Avenue and 113th Street in Northwest Miami-Dade on Tuesday evening.

According to police, a civilian vehicle crashed into a motorcycle that had two male riders and then fled the scene. The two male riders were ejected from the motorcycle. One of them is in critical condition while the other is in stable condition.

Video shows the crashed motorcycle on its side on the street. Other video, which was blurred because of the graphic content, shows the two victims being treated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

Both victims were airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital Ryder Trauma Center.

If you have any information on this hit-and-run, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

The video, from the point of view of the troopers involved, shows how troopers used one of their tactics to bring the pursuit to an end.

The driver, identified as 34-year-old Jacqueline Marie Maxson, is seen dangerously weaving through traffic as troopers follow right behind her.

Moments later, a trooper used a PIT maneuver to bring the speeding car to a stop, but not before it crashed into another SUV.

The hours-long pursuit was a nightmare for commuters trying to get home on Friday night. Some of them were stuck on the highway for most of the evening.

“Three hours,” said a driver.

“An hour and a half, two hours,” said another driver.

“About an hour and a half,” said a third driver.

The chase began as troopers tried to conduct a traffic stop on the BMW coupe in Northwest Miami-Dade near 103rd Street. It ended near Hollywood Boulevard.

7News cameras captured the occupants of the red Jeep that was hit by Maxson getting out of the car. The occupants were seen comforting each other after the commotion. One of them was transported to the hospital.

Maxson was arrested. She appeared in bond court on Saturday.

“First appearance of the felonies at this time being in a moving, or attempting to flee or elude a police officer,” said Judge Carmen R. Cabarga.

As she was in the back of the cruiser, footage shows she complained about being hot.

“Can I please get a little bit of air?” Maxson said.

Maxson attempted to get comfortable in the back seat after her dangerous driving brought I-95 to a screeching halt on a busy Friday afternoon, endangering thousands of drivers.

7News cameras captured Maxson walking into jail after her wild ride on I-95.

“Maxson, I found probable cause on both counts and am granting a bond of $7,500 on count one and I’ll give $500 on count two,” said Cabarga.

Maxson was taken to jail but has since posted bond and was released.

Miami-Dade officials launched the “Occupant with Autism” decal program which aims to alert officers when a person inside a home or vehicle is on the spectrum. It expects to improve how emergency situations involving people with the disorder are handled.

It is the second phase of a training effort for cops and county officials in partnership with Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities.

Kim Clenney, Courtney’s father, spoke exclusively to 7News as he opened up about his daughter.

“We’re just trying to understand what life is like for you and your wife knowing that your daughter is in jail and facing serious charges that will affect her for the rest of her life if convicted,” said 7News’ reporter Sheldon Fox.

“Well, as you can imagine, it’s been two years of hell. No family should be subjected to this. Courtney is a good kid. She’s innocent,” said Kim. “We just want to bring her home.”

This is Kim’s first time speaking publicly since he and his wife Debra were arrested for what, police say, was a hacking of a computer that belonged to their daughter’s boyfriend Christian Obumseli.

“There are warrants for you and your wife’s arrest,” an officer said on body cam video. “What?” said a stunned Kim as he was arrested in Texas back on Jan. 30.

The couple’s attorney, Jude Faccidomo, said the computer charges are weak and are diverting attention from the real matter at hand: Their daughter’s murder case.

“This is a distraction,” said Faccidomo. “Why the State Attorney’s Office chose to distract from that, with these rather specious and frivolous allegations, that’s a question for them.”

In his interview with 7News, Kim only spoke about his strong and painful feelings regarding his daughter, as he was advised not to discuss his pending charges.

“If you’re my friend or family member and I love you, then I don’t want you to imagine the pain that we go through,” said Kim. “This is a tragedy for both families.”

Kim’s comments come nearly two years to the day when, prosecutors say, OnlyFans model Courtney fatally stabbed her boyfriend Obumseli inside the One Paraiso Miami condo.

Miami Police Department footage, obtained by 7News from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, shows the point of view of officers who responded to the fatal incident.

“Get up, get up right now,” said an officer.

“Baby, baby, baby, baby, wake up, wake up,” Courtney is heard saying to her unresponsive boyfriend.

Another angle of the footage shows a hysterical Courtney being moved to another room by police.

“No, no, no, no, no, I can’t. I can’t let this, OK?” said Courtney.

“Fire Rescue,” said an officer. “He’s not breathing.”

The stabbing happened in April 2022. Before the body cam video was released, still pictures, tabloid articles, scene photos, and 911 calls provided a glimpse of the horrific day.

While Miami Police responded to the 911 call, they did not arrest Courtney on the day of the incident. Months later, while Courtney was in rehab in Hawaii, U.S. Marshals picked her up and brought her back to South Florida.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office is charging Courtney with second-degree murder. She is currently in jail without bond as her trial is pending.

From the beginning, Courtney has claimed self-defense.

“She should be on trial for what happened on one day and one instant when she acted in self-defense to save her own life. She’s not the person that she’s being portrayed, let me put it that way,” said Kim.

The parents have a hearing on their computer charge case on April 23.

The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Darnell Paul.

The incident began in the 2700 block of South State Road 7 around 11:52 p.m. when Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports of an armed robbery. The victim reported that a known individual carjacked her, leading to authorities to issue a Be-On-The-Lookout for the stolen vehicle and suspect.

Once officers found Paul, a pursuit began and extended into early Tuesday, involving both BSO and Miami-Dade Police officers. The chase led to a crash around 3 a.m. on the off-ramp of Interstate 95 at Miami Gardens Drive, where Paul barricaded himself.

“Detectives say through investigative methods, they were able to locate the vehicle and a pursuit ensued in both Broward and Miami-Dade counties,” said BSO’s Gerdy St. Louis.

Live video footage showed Paul as he was surrounded by law enforcement, including officers from the Special Response Team of the Miami-Dade Police Department.

7Skyforce captured the moments before he was arrested as a robot dog approached the vehicle to aid in the situation. Just before 9 a.m., the Special Response Team closed in on the car to open the driver-side door to arrest him as a sniper was spotted close by.

“This is one of the Miami-Dade Special Response teams. As they force the door and bring out a suspect here,” said 7Skyforce’ reporter Ralph Rayburn. “This is a gentlemen that may have been involved in a carjacking in West Park.”

As a result of this incident, all lanes of South I-95 were closed between Ives Dairy Road and the Golden Glades, creating a traffic nightmare for morning commuters, but they have since been reopened.

“Vehicle appears to have crashed into a tree. There was one person, that we know of, inside. That was the driver of the vehicle,” said Rayburn.

Warren, who works nearby, said he was affected by the incident.

“I had not seen that many police officers in a long time,” said Warren. “We were basically told that there was an armed suspect out on the street and they were trying to find him and we were basically shut out of all of our businesses until they could find whoever it was.”

Paul’s car was towed away.

Miami-Dade Police Department is the lead on this incident while Florida Highway Patrol troopers assisted with traffic.

Paul faces charges of armed carjacking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and attempted murder in regards to BSO’s case.

MDPD have not disclosed any additional charges he may face.

According to BSO, Paul was previously arrested in Miramar after he barricaded himself on the balcony of a house and threatened to kill himself. He was released in March after the state declined to prosecute.

Detectives said Paul knew the owner of the vehicle he carjacked. Their relationship is unclear.

Paul remains behind bars at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

A 7News viewer sent a video of the incredible sight on Monday.

The viewer was out on a boat with friends off Cudjoe Key, located between Marathon and Key West, when he spotted the marine predator.

The shark was seen in 25 feet of water. The viewer said he estimates the shark is about 15 feet long.

According to the viewer, the shark was feeding on the carcass of what appears to be a dead whale.

While his video only captured the great white shark, the viewer said, three other tiger sharks were also feeding on the whale.

Remember, if you see news happening and can do so safely, take a picture or shoot video and send it to: senditto7@wsvn.com.

Thirty-one-year-old Leandro Ledea Chong was fatally shot by Homestead Police officers inside his home, located along Sunrise Boulevard, Saturday morning.

7News cameras on Monday captured the front of the house riddled with bullet holes and dried blood, showing the aftermath of the shooting.

Chong’s ex-girlfriend spoke to 7News on Sunday about the incident through a translator.

“When I got there, I started screaming that they had killed him,” said Cabrera.

Cabrera said she dated and lived with Ledea Chong for two years. After their separation, she said, she still took care of him, living just two homes away.

Cabrera claims her ex-boyfriend should have never been killed because he was mentally ill.

“I showed Homestead Police his mental health papers when they had arrived,” she said.

On Friday, video posted on social media by Homestead Social shows Ledea Chong being surrounded by Homestead Police officers.

However, they decided to disengage because, investigators said, he was not a threat at the time.

But on Saturday, police said, they were forced to fire their weapons because they believed him to be a threat.

“An incident did occur with the officers where the officers were forced to fire their firearms,” said Homestead Police Capt. Fernando Morales.

His family said police first shot him outside the home and then they shot him again as he ran back inside. They said officers shot and killed him in his bedroom.

Police have not confirmed whether or not Ledea Chong was armed at the time of the incident.

But according to a GoFundMe set up by the family to cover funeral costs, Ledea Chong had a fanny pack filled with keys, a rehab brochure and a screwdriver.

It remains unclear whether or not Ledea Chong was holding the screwdriver in his hand at the time of the shooting, but Cabrera said the police were aware that he was ill.

“It was the same cops that came in the morning and at night,” she said.

Cabrera also said she had called a crisis health center to come help her ex-boyfriend.

“In the end, they had just sent police for this ending,” she said.

Officials with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said their investigation is active and ongoing, so they cannot do an interview with 7News.

K-9 deputy Lauren Donaldson and her four-legged partner Zeppelin have been working hand-in-paw every day for seven years in the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

But last week, Donaldson got quite a shock after finishing up an arrest on a causeway near Port Canaveral.

The two of them were walking back to the patrol car when Zeppelin tried to jump over the bridge, which is approximately 75 feet above the water’s surface. The unexpected move caught the deputy off guard.

Reacting quickly, the deputy managed to save Zeppelin and pull him to safety.

In the video, Donaldson kept her cool and rooted herself into the ground as she grabbed a tight hold of the dog’s leash and yanked the 75-pound pooch up and over back safely.

“I was able to reel him back in and save him,” said Donaldson.

Had it not been for Donaldson’s quick reaction, Zeppelin could have fallen 75 feet into the water below, a certain death.

It is unclear why the K-9 decided to jump over the bridge but, with their history of competing in different events and training with obstacle courses, Donaldson has a theory.

“I think that he thought the edge of the bridge was just something to jump onto. He has no idea of the concept of height, you know, ‘OK, we’re running, we’re running, let’s jump,’ so he jumped,” said Donaldson.

Donaldson’s feat of strength is even more impressive when people learn that she is reportedly 122 pounds.

The sheriff’s office praised Donaldson’s quick actions, saying they could not be more proud of her for both her work on the bridge and in the community at large.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey added that he’s “still mad at Zeppelin for giving us all a huge scare,” but grateful that he’s unharmed.

He also said that without a doubt, Donaldson was at the right place and the right time to save his life.

Donaldson and Zeppelin owe a lot of their bond to the competitions they’ve won in the past. That includes being two-time reigning champions in the “Hardest Hitting K-9” category of the Space Coast K-9 Competition.

The incident occurred Friday afternoon and resulted in the hours-long closure of all northbound lanes near Hollywood Boulevard.

“Now approaching Hollywood Boulevard, heading northbound on I-95,” a dispatcher is heard saying in radio transmissions.

7Skyforce hovered over the scene where several FHP vehicles were seen blocking lanes.

According to FHP, troopers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a BMW coupe on I-95 in Northwest Miami-Dade. They said the woman who was behind the wheel was driving recklessly on the northbound lanes near Northwest 103rd Street.

Investigators said the motorist was driving on the emergency shoulder and passing other vehicles on a high rate of speed. The car did not stop as FHP troopers trailed behind, and a short pursuit ensued.

“I-95 northbound approaching Ives Dairy Road,” a dispatcher said.

Troopers said they conducted a successful PIT manuever in the area of I-95 and Hollywood Boulevard, ending the pursuit.

The BMW crashed into a burgundy SUV before coming to a final stop.

The driver of the BMW, 34-year-old Jacqueline Marie Mason, was the only person inside the car. She was placed under arrest.

One person reported minor injuries, and they were taken to the hospital for treatment. Their condition is unknown.

7Skyforce showed heavy traffic in the area, as all northbound lanes were closed at Hollywood Boulevard, backing up traffic as far south as Ives Dairy Road. Northbound traffic was being diverted at Hollywood Boulevard while troopers investigated.

Drivers who were stuck in traffic describing to 7News how long they waited.

“Man, it sucked. I felt like I was in one of those movies,” said a driver.

“An hour and a half, two hours,” said another driver.

“About an hour and a half,” said a third driver.

“Three hours,” said a fourth driver.

Photos and videos posted on social media show drivers stuck in the traffic tie-up, which stretched for miles. The photos showed that if the drivers wanted to get home on Friday night, it was going to be a long wait.

“I’m on the 95 trying to get back home from Miami. As you can see, o,h look at that, I am driving two miles an hour. Yippee,” said a driver in a video posted to social media.

Mason was later taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade.

According to detectives, a collaborative investigation between the Miami-Dade, Key Biscayne and Hallandale Beach police departments revealed that since August 2019, John Louis McQueen defrauded numerous people by offering to build new roofs without a license, as required by Florida law.

“This investigation was initiated in August of 2020,” said Miami-Dade Police Department Detective Geordi Estepan.

Police said McQueen, 64, fraudulently utilized the credentials of legitimate contractors on fake receipts and contracts across the county.

After a thorough investigation, and with the assistance of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, an arrest warrant was issued for McQueen, who was located in Hallandale Beach and arrested on Wednesday.

He faces various charges, including grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and contracting without a license.

During the investigation, a total of 13 victims were identified. Detectives said they suffered a total loss of approximately $103,000.

One of those victims is a Miami Gardens couple who met McQueen after Hurricane Irma damaged their roof.

“I am so hurt because I trust people,” said Victoria Jackson.

Jackson said that she trusted McQueen after he told her he was a contractor.

“I gave him $7,795,” said Victoria Jackson.

She signed the paperwork he gave her, saying that he had the right permits and would begin work on fixing her roof.

“No work was done. I gave him the check, he cashed it the same day,” said Jackson.

Jackson said McQueen betrayed her trust and took her hard-earned money.

“And on the day that he was scheduled to come out to do the work, nobody showed up,” Jackson said. “I called him, I called him, he didn’t answer, he didn’t answer.”

McQueen appeared in bond court on Thursday.

“Count one, organized scheme to defraud, it’s a $50,000 bond. I’m setting the amounts on the warrant,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer.

Detectives are looking for additional victims who may have been affected by McQueen’s tactics.

There is no indication as to whether any of the victims will ever get their money back.

Hip-deep in the swampy waters was not exactly the way these visitors wanted to experience the river of grass, Friday afternoon.

Cellphone video captured the passengers wading through the water.

“Do you guys see a phone, by any chance?” a woman said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units arrived at The Original Airboat Tour, located in the area of 22700 SW 8th St., in the Coopertown area, just after 2 p.m.

Investigators said the boat’s operator and nine passengers were on board when it turned suddenly, causing everyone to fall into the water.

One of the passengers, Jose Maldonado, told 7News he had been taking some friends and family members visiting from out of town, some from Puerto Rico, out on the boat to look for alligators.

At some point, Maldonado said, the person operating the airboat made a “hard turn.”

“All of a sudden, the captain wanted to make a U-turn, sort of on the water, so we could get a better picture of the crocodile, and the boat just flipped on its side,” he said, “and we were all in the water, and we were all screaming because the alligator was right there.”

After the boat flipped, someone could be heard on a cellphone video recording saying, “I’m sorry about that. I was kind of turning. Water started getting in the back, so I gassed it.”

Juan Carlos Negro, who is visiting from Puerto Rico, said he was left with scratches.

Speaking through a translator, Negro said that when the boat tipped over, he was afraid the alligators were going to come.

When asked whether or not the alligator swam away, Maldonado replied, “I think so. I think he was probably more scared of us than we were of him.”

Passengers tried to flip the boat over, but it was too heavy. Fortunately, they said, they weren’t in the water too long, 10 to 15 minutes.

Good Samaritan David Gonzalez happened to come by with his airboat and picked them up.

“We had room, because it was a private tour, so we had a lot of space,” said Gonzalez.

“We’ve been here before, these guys are good, they’re professional. This doesn’t happen often,” said Maldonado. “We said, ‘Let’s do this,’ took a day off from work. Maybe we should have stayed at work.”

Hours later, cameras captured officials with FWC taking the boat’s operator into custody.

Officials said the operator, an employee of Coopertown Airboat Rides, was arrested and taken to jail for having neither proof of completion of a boating safety course nor a captain’s license issued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The business shut down for the rest of the day so employees could focus on towing the water-logged boat back to the dock.

Fire rescue crews rendered aid to one person on land. That person was not transported to the hospital.

As of late Friday night, authorities have not released the name of the boat’s operator, as they continue to investigate.

Speaking with 7News on Thursday, Frances Quintanilla said the ring went missing on Tuesday as she went on her typical run with her husband.

During their run, Quintanilla said, she began taking off her wedding ring.

“And I could feel my finger swelling up because of my ring, so I stopped halfway and go to try to take it off,” she said.

But then the unexpected happened. As she took it off, the ring flew into the grassy area near Pembroke Road and 136th Avenue.

“When I really went to really pull it off, it flew into the grass,” said Quintanilla.

That is when the routine run turned into a scavenger hunt, as Quintanilla and her husband spent hours looking for the ring.

“It was a whole search and rescue for the wedding ring,” she said.

But they couldn’t find the ring, she said, Quintanilla began losing hope.

“Because it was just like looking through grass and grass. I literally raked for hours, and I couldn’t find it,” said Quintanilla. “It was like a needle in a haystack.”

But Quintanilla said she wasn’t going to give up in the search for the ring, so she decided to go home and return to the area two days later.

Upon her return, she ran into Miramar Fire Rescue Lt. Rafael Perez, who she thanks for saving her life.

“I kept looking through the grass. That’s when Lt. Perez saw me,” said Quintanilla.

Perez learned of Quintanilla’s trouble and immediately called his backup team.

“I looked everywhere,” said Perez.

“We would just rake, and if he got a ding on the metal detector, we’d actually go there and check,” said Miramar Fire Life Safety Department Inspector Reuben Gonzalez.

The two-hour search operation was a roller coaster ride of emotions for Quintanilla.

“I got nervous that it was pretty much buried at that point,” she said.

Within two hours of searching, Perez said, he located the elusive ring.

“I saw my shoes, and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I found it,'” said Perez.

“He screamed,” said Miramar Fire Rescue Lt. Inspector Anthony Silvio.

“He goes ‘I found it,'” said Gonzalez.

Quintanilla was overjoyed when the fire crew returned her lost ring.

“Well, first, I hugged Lt. Perez so hard because I was just so happy, because I was just in shock,” said Quintanilla.

This wifey is forever grateful that the teamwork resulted in the ring being back on her finger.

“I’m just going to leave it on forever,” she said.

The firefighters said they are happy to always help.

7News cameras on Thursday captured three agents of the state regulations department entering 77-year-old Josephine Gurri’s home and exiting as they continued their investigation of the incident.

According to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, The Good Family Home Inc. assisted living facility surrendered their license to the agency on Thursday.

All residents living at the facility have been removed, and the families are working with the agency to relocate them.

7News cameras captured family members moving their loved ones out of the home, Thursday afternoon.

South Miami Police confirmed families have removed their loved ones from the home following news of the incident.

Gurri was arrested on Tuesday after, police said, the victim’s granddaughter told them her 84-year-old grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s, was “abused and physically beaten by the suspect.

The granddaughter told police that a video, recorded by a previous caretaker earlier this month and sent to her, shows Gurri “striking (the victim) in the buttocks and lower back area.”

“What I saw, what I witnessed was rough,” said the granddaughter.

In the cellphone video, obtained by 7News, the screams of the 84-year-old are heard while she is in the restroom with Gurri. Then the sound of a slap is heard.

“She grabs her like a – and she smacks her purposely, like hard,” said the granddaughter.

The granddaughter shared photos of the bruises on her grandmother’s face and legs.

Gurri appeared in bond court on Wednesday.

“All right, ma’am, you need to get yourself a lawyer if you can afford one,” said Miami-Dade Dade Circuit Judge Leon M. Firtel.

In addition to running the living facility for 20 years, Gurri was also listed as a staff member with the job title of nursery caregiver at Riviera Presbyterian Church. She has since been removed from the church’s website.

South Miami Police are now focused on finding out whether Gurri’s behavior caught on camera was a common occurrence at the facility.

“It’s stomach-turning to see that video,” said South Miami Police Sgt. Fernando Bosch. “Our concern is that there are other victims that haven’t come forward yet.”

Bosch said the actions on the video have no place in society, especially at an assisted living facility.

“This shouldn’t be happening at an assisted living facility where you expect your family members to be taken care of. This shouldn’t be happening,” said Bosch.

The grandmother victim has been moved in with family members.

Gurri bonded out overnight after a bond court judge set her bond at $1,000. She was also ordered to stay away from the victim.

7News cameras captured Gurri opening the door to investigators and exiting her home. 7News reporters knocked on her door to see if she would like to make an on-camera statement, but Gurri wasn’t interested in talking.