Suspicious Items Found on US Bound Planes

Watching breaking news on CNN where authorities are responding to reports of suspicious items on cargo flights that landed this morning in London, Newark, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All of the planes appear to have originated from Yemen.

So far, there is no confirmation that there is any cause for alarm, but authorities are checking things closely. I heard that the cause of the suspicion was a “manipulated toner cartridge” that was found on one of the UPS planes.

From CNN:

Planes “were moved to a remote location … out of an abundance of caution,” the Transportation Security Administration said.

In Philadelphia, the fire department’s hazardous material units were responding to an incident involving two aircraft — a UPS plane and a 757 jet with no one aboard, officials said.

Three people aboard one of the planes were scanned with negative results, the Philadelphia Fire Department said.

Larry King to Step Aside…

Larry King has announced that he will step aside from hosting of his prime time CNN show later this year.

A true legend, it will be hard to step into his shoes!

From CNN:

King, 76, made the announcement with a short posting to his Twitter account, citing his desire to spend more time with his wife and young children.

“I want to share some personal news with you. 25 years ago, I sat across this table from New York Governor Mario Cuomo for the first broadcast of Larry King Live. Now, decades later, I talked to the guys here at CNN and I told them I would like to end Larry King Live, the nightly show, this fall and CNN has graciously accepted, giving me more time for my wife and I to get to the kids’ little league games,” King wrote.

“I’m incredibly proud that we recently made the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest running show with the same host in the same time slot. With this chapter closing I’m looking forward to the future and what my next chapter will bring, but for now it’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders.”

“He will end his run with Larry King Live on his own terms, sometime this fall,” said Jon Klein, president of CNNUS. “Larry is a beloved member of the CNN family and will continue to contribute to our air with periodic specials.”

Man Tries to Cut Off Own Arm

A man who was trapped in his basement by a broken furnace for three days, tried to cut off his own arm, in hopes of survival.

From CNN:

Jonathan Metz had been trapped in his basement for two days when he smelled rotting flesh and realized his only hope to stay alive was to amputate his left arm, which was trapped by a furnace. So he made a tourniquet just below his shoulder and sawed through 90 percent of his arm before he passed out.

Luckily, neighbors realized they had not seen Metz for a few days and called police, who were able to rescue him with the aid of firefighters.

Family Dies After Sinkhole Engulfs Home

The bodies of a Canadian couple and their two daughters were found late Tuesday in the basement of their home that sank in a massive sinkhole.

From CNN:

“They were found very close to one another, some of them lying on the couch in the family room in the basement, where we were told that they’d be,” said Michel C. Doré, Quebec’s associate deputy public security minister, who was on the scene, told CNN affiliate CBC.

Yvon Desrochers, uncle of homeowner Richard Préfontaine, told the CBC on Tuesday feared his nephew and his family were in the basement watching the Montreal Canadiens-Pittsburgh Penguins hockey playoff game Monday night when the ground gave way beneath the home, about 40 miles northeast of Montreal.

Besides Préfontaine, those in the home were his wife, Lyne Charbonneau, and their two daughters, Amélie, 12, and Anaïs, 9.

Car Bomb Found in Times Square

Police have discovered a car bomb in a Nissan Pathfinder in the heart of New York City this evening. The discovery soon led to the evacuation of Times Square.

At this time, not much else is known but all of the top news stations in the country have gone to breaking news coverage. Conflicting reports of a man who was possibly seen fleeing the scene. Seems those reports are false.

I’m sure there’s more to come, including a press conference with Mayor Bloomberg. Stay tuned!

From the Associated Press:

Police evacuated buildings and cleared streets of thousands of tourists around New York City’s Times Square after finding an apparent car bomb in a parked SUV.

New York City police say a mounted police officer noticed smoke coming from the SUV at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that bomb investigators found propane tanks, powder and an apparent timing device inside the vehicle. The official wasn’t authorized to release the information and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Police evacuated several residential and commercial buildings and cleared several streets of thousands of tourists milling around on a warm Saturday night.

From CNN:

Several blocks around New York’s Times Square were closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic Saturday night after a police officer saw smoke emanating from a box inside a parked car, according to authorities.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne told CNN that the shutdown began after a foot patrol officer passed by a Nissan Pathfinder with Connecticut plates on 45th Street between and 7th and 8th Avenues. Browne said the officer noticed a box inside the car with smoke coming out.

Browne said officials at the scene were using a robot to search inside the car. The police department’s public information office said the box and other items found in the search are not confirmed at this time to be a bomb.

From ABC News:

The incident began around 6:35 p.m., when the Fire Department of New York responded to a car fire in the vicinity of 45th Street and 7th Avenue, and because of suspicious characteristics of the vehicle, the police department ESU was notified.

The car was identified as a Nissan Pathfinder with a Connecticut or unmatched license plate.

Bomb techs from the FBI’s New York office were on scene with the NYPD Bomb Squad to aid in the investigation.

Inside the SUV, investigators found three propane cylinders, two five-gallon jerry cans of gasoline, a canister of powder, electrical components and an alarm clock.

From the New York Times:

“It appears to be a car bomb left in a Pathfinder between Seventh and Eighth” Avenues on 45th Street, said Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman.

The device, he said, contained “explosive elements” that included “propane tanks, some kind of powder, gasoline and a timing device.”

“This is very much an active investigation,” he said.

The police would not say whether they had any suspects, and did not say if they had determined what might have been behind the event.

Man Attempts to Sell Kids on Craigslist

Police in New York have arrested a man accused of posting his children for sale on Craigslist.

From CNN:

Joshua Stagnitto told police it was a joke, said Investigator Bryan R. Blum of New York State Police in Rochester. Stagnitto turned himself in when he got transportation to come to the police station, Blum said.

Stagnitto, 24, of Brockport, is charged with one count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree.

Blum told CNN the charge against Stagnitto stems from the fact “that he indicated a baseless allegation of a crime which caused public alarm” and triggered an investigation.