An arson investigation is underway after a Bayer executive's New Jersey home catches fire
At least eight agencies are investigating a recent fire at a Bayer executive's New Jersey home as a possible arson, authorities said.
The fire happened around 7:30 a.m. March 4 'at an occupied residence on East Lane in Madison,' the Morris County Prosecutor's Office told CNN on Thursday.
'The fire was quickly extinguished by the Madison Fire Department. The structure sustained no significant damage and there were no reported injuries. The victim will not be identified.'
Bayer confirmed an incident happened 'at the private home of one of Bayer's U.S. executives,' the global pharmaceutical company said in a statement to CNN.
'The family is safe and unharmed. The safety and security of our employees are of utmost importance to Bayer. The incident is under active investigation. The company is cooperating fully with the investigation. We appreciate the quick response of local law enforcement.'
The prosecutor's office said the case is 'an active and ongoing arson investigation by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Arson/Environmental Crimes Unit, Madison Police, Morris County Sheriff's Office CSI Unit, New Jersey State Fire Marshals Office K-9 Unit, NJ Transit Police, MTA Police Department, NYPD, and FBI.'
The fire happened three months after United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down on his way to an investors' conference in Manhattan.
Since then, many companies have ramped up security for their executives.
Bayer, a biomedical and pharmaceutical behemoth, makes drugs such as aspirin, Claritin and Aleve.
In recent years, the company has come under heightened scrutiny after it acquired agrochemical giant Monsanto in 2018. Monsanto is the maker of Roundup, a popular herbicide used by homeowners and farmers alike.
Thousands of cancer patients or their estates have sued, saying Roundup gave them non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
In 2020, Bayer settled lawsuits from cancer patients in a $10 billion agreement. Bayer said the settlement agreements 'contain no admission of liability or wrongdoing.'
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The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Trump has rejected police reform. States and localities must take the lead.
Five years after a Minneapolis police officer brutally murdered a handcuffed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes, prompting worldwide protests against wrongful police killings of Black people, the Trump administration has taken a giant step back from police reform. The Justice Department announced in May that it is abandoning agreements reached with police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, Ky., mandating reforms designed to reduce killings, brutality and other police misconduct. The Justice Department is conducting a review to determine if it should drop similar agreements with about a dozen other police departments. On top of this, the Justice Department will end civil rights investigations of alleged criminal conduct by the Louisiana State Police and police departments in Memphis, Mount Vernon, N.Y., Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Trenton, N.J. Thankfully, Minneapolis officials announced that they will abide by their agreement, known as a consent decree, reached with the Justice Department in the closing days of the Biden presidency. But it is absurd to depend on police departments to police themselves. The federal government has a duty to protect people from police who engage in criminal conduct. The dangerous pullback by the Justice Department is likely to result in more wrongful deaths at the hands of police — particularly of Black people and members of other minority groups. A nationwide count by the Washington Post of deadly shootings by police from 2015 through 2024 found that Black people 'are killed by police at more than twice the rate' of white people in America. The number of non-Hispanic whites killed by police was 4,657, compared with 2,484 Black people. Because only 14 percent of the American population is Black, the number of people killed by police annually averaged 6.1 per million of the Black population, compared with 2.5 per million of the white population. There are, of course, times when police must use deadly force to prevent the killing of others. But this wasn't the case with Floyd and many others killed by police. Floyd, who was unarmed, was only suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. As a Black man like Floyd, I have experienced the unfair and harsh treatment some officers give to people who look like us. I've been stopped on the road and detained in front of my home by police several times when doing nothing wrong. I've been ordered out of my home and car to lay on the ground, had guns pointed at me, been handcuffed and been threatened with arrest. I don't think I would be treated this way were it not for the color of my skin. Most police officers never beat, shoot or kill anyone. They risk their lives to keep us safe and deserve our gratitude. But it is naive to believe that officers can do no wrong, that we live in a colorblind society or that there is no such thing as systemic racism. In the wake of the Trump administration's rejection of its duty to protect us all from police misconduct, the job of implementing needed reforms must go to state and local governments that oversee police agencies. Here are some actions they should take. Increase police funding to implement reforms: After Floyd's murder, some progressives adopted the slogan 'defund the police.' That was a mistake. Police departments need more federal, state and local government funding to better train and pay officers and to put more officers on the street to do police work the right way. More funding will make it less likely that police engage in the kind of unlawful violence that killed Floyd and too many others. Polling by CBS in 2022 found only 9 percent of Americans believed providing less funding for police would help prevent violent crime, while 49 percent said more funding for police would do so. A Gallup poll the same year found 89 percent of Americans believed minor or major changes were needed to improve policing — including 87 percent of whites, 90 percent of Hispanics and 95 percent of Blacks. Focus on preventing crime, not just crime response: Putting more cops on the street and having them get out of their patrol cars to build relationships with people and businesses helps officers gather intelligence about bad actors. The increased presence of officers in communities will prevent crime. This is an expensive but necessary step if we are serious about police reform. Independently investigate alleged misconduct: Rather than relying on police departments to police themselves and investigate officers accused of misconduct, states and localities should set up independent commissions to objectively conduct such investigations. Reward good cops and punish bad ones: Officers who report misconduct by colleagues should be rewarded financially and with promotions, while officers acting improperly should be disciplined, including with firing and prosecution when they commit crimes. A national database of fired officers should be established so bad cops can't get hired by departments in other localities. Increase police pay and education requirements: Raising police pay will make it easier to attract well-qualified job applicants. Departments should require every new hire to have at least two years of college and eventually a four-year degree. A 2017 national survey found that about 52 percent of officers had two-year college degrees, about 30 percent had four-year degrees and about 5 percent had graduate degrees. Governing Magazine reported in 2023 that 'research suggests that officers with college degrees generate fewer substantiated complaints and … are less likely to shoot or kill members of the public.' Increase screening of police recruits and veteran officers: Use psychological tests and in-depth interviews to identify those unsuitable for police work because they are too eager to use violence — especially if they feel threatened — or too prejudiced against certain groups. Increase officer training: Better training will make officers better able to do their jobs without resorting to deadly force. This should include training in psychology and mental health to assist officers in dealing with people experiencing a mental health crisis. Alternatively, set up a division of mental health police officers to address incidents where drugs or mental issues are the source of bad conduct. 'One in five fatal police shooting victims may have been experiencing a mental health crisis … at the time of their death,' a federal study of 633 deadly police shootings concluded. These recommendations are all common sense and promote justice and public safety. With the Trump administration abandoning its responsibility to investigate police misconduct and demand reforms, the job passes to state and local governments. Doing so would be a fitting tribute to George Floyd and the many others wrongfully killed by police. A. Scott Bolden is an attorney, former New York state prosecutor, NewsNation contributor and former chair of the Washington, D.C. Democratic Party.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bruises, Threats And Obama-Shaped MDMA: 7 Shocking Revelations From Diddy's Trial
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial is well underway, with witnesses painting a picture of a violent and controlling Combs. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have accused the media mogul of using his money and prestige to run a criminal enterprise since at least 2004. He was indicted on five federal charges: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs' apparent downfall comes after his ex, R&B singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura filed a damning lawsuit against him in November 2023. The lawsuit was settled quickly and quietly the following day, but additional accusers came forward alleging that Combs had abused and/or sexually violated them. Some of the accusers were minors at the time of the alleged events. He has denied the allegations against him and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He also rejected a plea deal shortly before the trial started. Combs' attorneys have attempted to downplay the case against him as an attempt to bring down a thriving Black man. In the months that followed, federal authorities raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami, and CNN released a video showing Combs attacking Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Combs, who was once celebrated as a beacon of Black male success, has been held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest in September. The trial, which is not being televised or recorded, is expected to last around two months. Jury selection began on May 5. Opening statements occurred the following Monday. Many of the witnesses who have taken the stand essentially described Combs as evil. Kid Cudi called him a 'marvel supervillain;' Ventura said his 'eyes [would] go black;' and Bryana Bongolan, a friend to Ventura, said he called himself the 'devil.' If convicted, Combs could spend the rest of his life in jail. Here's a look at some of the most explosive and jarring moments from the trial. 'There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury,' Judge Arun Subramanian told Combs' attorneys on June 5, according to NBC News. 'There should be no efforts to have any interactions with this jury.' The nodding the judge referred to came while Bongolan was on the stand. The judge said that Combs would be removed from the courtroom if he continued. Combs' lead attorney Marc Agnifilo told the judge that the interaction is 'not going to happen again.' 'This cannot happen again,' Subramanian reiterated. A pregnant Ventura took the stand for about a week at the beginning of the trial. At one point, she described what Combs called 'freak-offs.' 'It basically entails the hiring of an escort and setting up this experience so that I could perform for Sean,' Ventura said. The freak-offs allowed for Combs to 'watch me with the other person and actually direct us on what we were doing,' she added. 'Eventually it became a job for me, pretty much,' she claimed, adding that she had to personally reach out to the male escorts and had to participate in the freak-offs even if she was menstruating. She also claimed that he recorded the performances and used them as blackmail against her. Ventura described Combs during sexual encounters: 'His eyes go black. The version of him I was in love with was no longer there,' she said, according to The New York Times. Ventura also discussed being physically abused by Combs. Prosecutors showed the jury images of Ventura's injuries. Some of those images included bruises on her face, back and thigh, and a gash on her eyebrow, USA Today reported. Within two weeks of testifying, Ventura gave birth to her third child with her husband, Alex Fine. Kid Cudi, born Scott Mescudi, briefly dated Ventura in 2011. Mescudi testified on May 22 that Combs broke into his home when he was with Ventura and that he believes he set his luxury vehicle on fire with a Molotov cocktail. 'I'm going to be very candid,' Mescudi said while describing the break-in, according to Rolling Stone. 'I was like, 'Motherfucker, are you in my house?' And he said, 'I just want to talk to you.' I was like, 'I'm on my way over right now.' He was like, 'I'm here.'' But Mescudi did not find Combs when he arrived. He did, however, find that his dog was locked in a bathroom and that Christmas presents had been opened. He said Combs wanted to talk to him, but Mescudi said he responded by telling him, 'You broke into my house. You messed with my dog... Like, I don't want to talk to you.' Mescudi and Ventura stopped seeing each other in late December of 2011. 'The drama, it was just getting out of hand,' Mescudi testified. 'I kind of wanted to give her some space … for my safety, for her safety…' He also told the courtroom that he believed Ventura was 'playing' both him and Combs. Combs' former personal assistant from 2007 to 2009, David James, testified on May 19 that he personally acquired drugs for Combs before. James claimed that Combs used to take opiates during the day and ecstasy at night, according to CNN. Some of the ecstasy pills were shaped like former President Barack Obama, according to James. James also described Combs' drug use in more depth, including informing the jury of a 'medicine bag' that Combs brought around with him, according to Business Insider. 'There were probably 25 to 30 different pillboxes or pill bottles,' James said, according to BI. 'Some were like Advil, Tylenol. He had water pills to help him lose weight. He had Viagra in there. He had some pills that helped increase his sperm count, for example.' 'He did have ecstasy and Percocets in there, as well,' James added. Former member of the music groups Danity Kane and Diddy—Dirty Money, Dawn Richard, testified on May 16 that Combs compelled people in his orbit to stay quiet because 'where he comes from, people who say something can end up missing.' Richard described watching Combs beat Ventura when she took too long to cook his dinner, Business Insider reported. 'He took the skillet with the eggs in it and tried to hit her in the head, and she fell to the ground,' Richard testified. The next day, Combs told Richard and Ventura that 'what we saw was passion, and it was what lovers in a relationship do.' He also told them 'he was trying to take us to the top, and that, where he comes from, people go missing if they say things like that, like, if people talk. And then he gave us flowers,' according to Business Insider's report. Richard filed her own lawsuit against Combs in September 2024. She accused him of sexual assault, retaliation, threatening to end her life and refusing to pay her. Capricorn Clark had an on-and-off working relationship with Combs between 2004 and 2018, at one point working as his former assistant and as the marketing head for Sean Jean at another. She testified on May 27 that Combs kidnapped her at gunpoint in 2011 to kill Mescudi when he learned that Ventura was dating him. According to Clark, Combs came to her home in the early morning with a gun out, told her to get dressed, and said, 'We're going to go kill [Mescudi],' according to NPR. They went inside of Mescudi's house while he was not home, which Mescudi described in his own testimony. Clark claimed that Combs threatened to kill her if she informed the authorities. In a separate instance, Clark said Combs locked her in a building in Manhattan and subjected her to numerous lie detector tests when some of his jewelry went missing, NPR also reported. She said the man testing her told her that she would be 'thrown into the East River' if she failed. 'I was petrified,' Clark said. Mia, the pseudonym for a former assistant for Combs who he tasked with keeping an eye on Ventura, while taking the stand on May 29, described an instance in which Combs attacked Ventura at Prince's house in 2011 or 2012, according to The New York Times. 'Cass and I debated like little kids if we should sneak out of the house,' Mia reportedly said. But Combs showed up at the party. 'Oh, crap,' Mia recalled thinking when she saw her then-boss. 'Me and Cass just booked it.' When Combs caught them, he beat Cassie until a security guard for Prince interfered, according to USA Today. Mia claimed she was fired the next day for 'being insubordinate.' While on the stand, she also testified that Combs sexually assaulted her on more than one occasion. 'I couldn't tell him no about a sandwich — I couldn't tell him no about anything,' she said, according to the Times. 'There was no way I could tell him no, because then he would know that I thought what he was doing was wrong and then I would be a target.' Need help? Visit RAINN's National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's website. Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Trump Weighs In On Possible Sean 'Diddy' Combs Pardon: 'He Used To Really Like Me' Cassie's Lawsuit Against Diddy Started A Movement Many Didn't See Coming 'Marvel Supervillain': Kid Cudi Describes Meeting With Diddy After Molotov Cocktail Hit His Porsche
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
How Did Richard Ramirez Die? Here's Why the Night Stalker's Demise Didn't Happen on Death Row 12 Years Ago
Serial killer Richard Ramirez — known as the "Night Stalker" — murdered at least 13 people in the Los Angeles area from 1984 to 1985 He was sentenced to death in 1989 He died in in 2013 at 53 years oldRichard Ramirez — a.k.a. the Night Stalker — terrorized Los Angeles with his twisted crimes in the 1980s. From April 1984 to August 1985, Ramirez killed at least 13 people, sneaking into their homes in the middle of the night through open windows and unlocked doors, per CBS News. But his trail of terror didn't stop there: Ramirez also robbed, raped and beat many others, using a wide variety of weapons (including handguns, knives and even a tire iron) to inflict his brutality, according to CBS. The randomness of his attacks and methods left authorities perplexed — and allowed Ramirez to escape capture for more than a year. However, the Texas-born murderer was eventually caught on Aug. 31, 1985, as he attempted to steal a car in East L.A. An angry mob of citizens — who recognized him from media coverage as the Night Stalker — surrounded him, beating him with a steel rod until police arrived. It would take another four years for Ramirez to be brought to trial for his crimes. But on Sept. 20, 1989, the man known as the Night Stalker was found guilty of all 43 counts — including 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries. Ramirez was given a total of 13 death sentences, and was sentenced to be executed by gas chamber, The New York Times reported. Ramirez died in June 2013 at 53 years old, according to the Los Angeles Times. 'He never showed any remorse for what he had done,' Frank Salerno, one of the detectives who helped capture Ramirez, said in the 2017 Reelz docuseries Murder Made Me Famous. 'He was pure evil.' So how did Richard Ramirez die? From the Night Stalker's final days to his continued notoriety, here's everything to know about his death behind bars. Ramirez died while awaiting execution for the string of horrific crimes he committed in California between 1984 and 1985. Initially, California corrections officials stated that Ramirez died of natural causes, per the Los Angeles Times. However, a coroner's report released 10 days after his death revealed that he had died due to complications from blood cancer. According to the Marin County coroner's office, Ramirez had B-cell lymphoma — a common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It was not clear when Ramirez had been diagnosed with cancer or whether he had been receiving treatment for it. Additionally, Ramirez had other significant conditions at the time of his death, including 'chronic substance abuse and chronic hepatitis C viral infection.' The drug abuse occurred prior to Ramirez's imprisonment (more than two decades earlier) and was likely the cause of his hepatitis C infection, the Marin County assistant chief deputy coroner told USA Today. 'It's likely something that he has been dealing with for years,' the coroner said about Ramirez's hepatitis C infection, per USA Today. 'It's killing your liver.' Shortly after his capture and arrest, a friend of Ramirez's named Donna Myers confirmed that Ramirez had started to use cocaine the year prior, dissolving it in water and shooting it up. (Hepatitis C is often spread by the use of intravenous drugs, per USA Today.) 'He had cut marks, you know, tracks, running across his left arm,' Myers told PEOPLE about Ramirez's extensive drug abuse. 'He broke off a needle in his arm one day... he got so hooked on cocaine he just got wigged out.' Ramirez died at 9:10 a.m. on June 7, 2013, according to the Los Angeles Times. Ramirez died at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, Calif., according to the Los Angeles Times. He had been admitted to the hospital earlier in the week from San Quentin State Prison, where he had been on death row since receiving his sentence in 1989. Ramirez, who was born on Feb. 29, 1960, was 53 years old when he died. While Ramirez's final words before his death are unknown, his statements at his sentencing made it clear that he did not fear dying. When the jury recommended the death penalty on 19 different counts at his October 1989 trial, Ramirez appeared unbothered. 'Big deal,' he told reporters, per the Los Angeles Times. 'Death comes with the territory. See you in Disneyland.' At his sentencing one month later, in November 1989, Ramirez delivered a chilling monologue to the packed courtroom — which included members of his family, victims who survived his attacks and relatives of those he killed. 'You don't understand me. You are not expected to. You are not capable of it. I am beyond your experience,' Ramirez said, according to the Los Angeles Times. He continued, 'I am beyond good and evil. I will be avenged. Lucifer dwells in us all. That's it.' Emotions surrounding Ramirez's death were mixed. Some expressed relief over the end of the serial killer's life, while others felt disappointed that he did not face the execution by gas chamber that he was sentenced to. Law enforcement officials viewed the death of the notorious serial killer as the closing of 'a dark chapter in the history of Los Angeles,' NBC Los Angeles reported. Though Ramirez was never executed, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Alan Yochelson expressed to the Los Angeles Times that 'some measure of justice has been achieved,' since the notorious killer lived out the last two-plus decades of his life behind bars. Many of Ramirez's surviving victims and relatives of those he killed, however, felt that the killer known as the Night Stalker did not deserve to live as long as he did. 'It's about time,' Bill Carns, one of the last people attacked by Ramirez, told the Los Angeles Times. 'He should have been put to death an awful long time ago.' Reyna Pinon, the wife of one of the men who helped capture Ramirez, echoed a similar sentiment: 'To me, he had a better death than all those people whose lives he took,' she said. Doreen Lioy, a freelance magazine editor who Ramirez married in 1996 while in prison, declined to comment to reporters following Ramirez's death. However, Ramirez's relatives in El Paso, Texas, released a statement asking for privacy. 'We are mourning the loss of our son and brother, Richard Ramirez,' the family told the El Paso Times. 'The world judged him, whether fairly or unfairly, it no longer matters. He is now before the true judge, the judge that sees and knows all things. We ask that you respect our sorrow and grief.' Ramirez's reputation as one of the most notorious serial killers in history has lived on since his 2013 death — particularly in the L.A. area. Signs of the terror the Night Stalker inflicted on southern Californians in the 1980s still remain intact today. 'Everybody kept their windows open and he was crawling in windows,' Tiller Russell, who directed the 2021 Netflix docuseries Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, told PEOPLE. 'So to this day in L.A., when you drive around, that's why there are bars on the windows.' The haunting memory of Ramirez has also been kept alive through pop culture references, with his life and crimes inspiring songs, television shows, films and documentaries. Since Ramirez's death, the 2016 film The Night Stalker, the 2024 film MaXXXine, episodes of American Horror Story and multiple documentaries and docuseries have all told his sadistic story. Read the original article on People
