Latest news with #JamesFuqua
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Incidents of cars into buildings seems to be climbing in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Within the last month alone, NBC4 has reported on several cars crashing into buildings in Columbus, sparking a big discussion on social media. Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua shared statistics from the last three years. So far in 2025, 67 cars have crashed into buildings in Columbus. Last year, there were 226 of these incidents. In 2023, there were 161 cars into buildings, and in 2022, there were 166. 'We're putting people in situations where they should never be, and you should never worry about sitting in a restaurant or in a business and having a car come through that restaurant and possibly through your table,' Fuqua said. Funeral services held for Morrow County deputy fatally shot on Memorial Day Fuqua said there's no rhyme, reason, or consistency when it comes to these incidents. 'When we did a deep dive into these numbers, it really doesn't matter geographically where this happens,' Fuqua said. 'It happens all over the city. It happens with young people. It happens with old people. It happens in the daytime as well as in the evening.' Fuqua said he's been to scenes where people were within inches of losing their lives due to cars going into structures. He said it's difficult to address the situation because it's so unique, but in the summer, Columbus police do step up patrols. 'We do start looking for more distracted driving throughout the summer just because windows are down,' Fuqua said. 'If people have convertibles, there's just so many more distractions just by the nature of how many more people are out and enjoying the nice weather.' Indoor park with waterless slides opens first Ohio location in Columbus The main thing Fuqua wants to stress to drivers is to not drive distracted. 'We know that people are addicted to their phones, whether it's a text message or answering a call,' Fuqua said. 'In some cases, we've caught people watching video while they're driving their actual car and these are some of the contributing factors that we know that can be prevented from this happening outside of, you know, other factors.' Fuqua said it's also important to make sure your car is in good mechanical working condition. 'Unfortunately, there are times when looking at these reports that people's brakes have legitimately went out or some other factor to their vehicle that was faulty at the time that caused them not to be able to correct themselves before they went into a building,' Fuqua said. Fuqua said we also can't ignore the large number of car break-ins in the city. Intel executive explains why Ohio plant will need to fight for Intel's business 'Because, unfortunately, some of these cars into buildings are a result of typically young people who are driving in stolen cars and joyriding and don't even have a valid driver's license and recklessly crashing, not necessarily intentionally, but because they don't have a license and they shouldn't be driving,' Fuqua said. Ultimately, though, Fuqua said it's still too early to tell how the numbers will shake out this year compared to years past. 'I would love to say that I hope that we do not surpass those numbers, but it is getting warmer, and traffic does increase as the season goes on and the warmer months are out there, meaning people are traveling in their cars more,' Fuqua said. Fortunately, Fuqua said most of these incidents tend to be fairly minor with very few fatalities. He attributes a lot of this to the technology in cars nowadays and the safety measures they have in place. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbus police, Chase teach seniors to spot scams
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Columbus Division of Police and Chase Bank teamed up to help protect seniors from scams. The two joined forces Wednesday to host a workshop teaching seniors about common scams and how to prevent them. The Federal Trade Commission said that last year, Ohioans lost more than $54 million to fraud and scams. Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua said seniors are one of the communities most at risk for being defrauded. 'Because a lot of seniors may not have people to lean on or advice being given to them, it's super important that we play our part in assisting them in gathering this information and educating them on how to safeguard their accounts,' he said. Fuqua said it's important to remember that scams are constantly evolving. He urges everyone to check in with their older loved ones and make sure their accounts are in order. For seniors, he said they should be checking their accounts every day to ensure nothing is amiss. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Yahoo
WATCH: Bodycam shows moment officer shoots father charged in teen daughter's death
Authorities have released body camera video that shows the moments a Columbus Division of Police SWAT officer shot a man wanted for the murder of his teen daughter. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The shooting took place in the Victorian Village area on Tuesday morning, according to our media partners, WBNS-10 TV. Columbus Division of Police Sgt. James Fuqua said they got information that Darnell Jones, described as a wanted felon, was in the area. TRENDING STORIES: Bill to create criminal offense for harassing first responders introduced 2 winning Powerball tickets sold in Ohio; $551M jackpot won 1 seriously injured in crash involving 14-year-old driver The SWAT team approached Jones in the area of Dennison and West 2nd avenues around 10 a.m. The body camera video shows a SWAT officer walk up to Jones, who is wearing dark clothes, and ask him to 'come here.' >>RELATED: Father charged with murder of 13-year-old daughter in Toledo shot by SWAT officer in Columbus The officer then pulls out a gun and points it at Jones. They are heard asking Jones to show his hands several times. Jones is heard repeatedly saying, 'Just kill me.' Police said the SWAT officer shot at Jones after he fired a weapon that was hidden in his clothes, according to WBNS-10 TV. Body camera video captures the voice of another officer yelling 'Shots fired, shots fired' over the radio. A handful of officers surround Jones, who was lying on the sidewalk. One officer who approached Jones said he had a gun and a walkie-talkie in his hand. 'Don't you move or you're going to get shot, okay?' one officer said. Jones sustained a gunshot wound to his side and arm, according to WBNS-10. Body camera video shows that there were about eight seconds between the officer approaching Jones and the shots being fired. No officers were injured in this shooting, and the Ohio BCI is investigating. WBNS-10 reported that Jones was charged with felonious assault in this shooting. Jones was wanted by the Toledo Police Department for the murder and abduction of his 13-year-old daughter, Kei-Mani Latigue. As News Center 7 reported, Latigue was reported missing on March 18 and police found her body in an abandoned building on March 24. The Lucas County Coroner's Office said her cause of death was multiple deep cuts to her neck, according to our CBS affiliate in Toledo, WTOL-11. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
7-year-old Ohio boy dead after falling out of moving vehicle
A 7-year-old died after he fell out of and was hit by a moving vehicle in Columbus Sunday afternoon. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Around 3:20 p.m. Sunday, a Ford Explorer was driving on East 5th Ave and was turning right when the passenger door opened and a 7-year-old boy fell out of the backseat, our news partners WBNS-10 TV reported. TRENDING STORIES: School district announces superintendent's retirement, next person to fill role Coroner called to scene after reported shooting in Dayton Part of busy road remains closed days after strong winds cause partial collapse of Dayton building After falling out, the boy was run over by the same vehicle. He was taken to the Nationwide Children's Hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead just before 4 p.m. The circumstances surrounding the boy's fall from the vehicle are still under investigation, according to Columbus Division of Police Sgt. James Fuqua. At this time, it is unclear if any charges will be filed against the driver for the incident, WBNS-10 TV reported. The driver was arrested on charges unrelated to the boy's death, according to Fuqua. 'This is just a tragic thing and just a simple reminder for everyone who has young kids to always make sure that they're strapped in seatbelts and if you have child safety locks to utilize them,' Fuqua said. The incident remains under investigation by the Columbus Division of Police. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
T.J. Maxx employee arrested after allegedly taking video of woman in fitting room
An employee at an Ohio T.J. Maxx location was arrested this week after being accused of taking a video of a woman trying to change clothes in a fitting room. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] This happened Monday at a T.J. Maxx store on Graceland Boulevard in Columbus, according to our news partners at WBNS. TRENDING STORIES: Mother accused of causing death of infant, torturing 2-year-old Man named person of interest in missing university student's case, sheriff's office says Alcohol suspected in crash that ejected woman; 4 injured, deputies say The suspect, who hasn't been identified, was charged with a misdemeanor charge of voyeurism. Police told WBNS that as soon as the woman saw the cell phone, she began to scream and went to the store managers. Columbus Division of Police Sergeant James Fuqua said they were able to determine the suspect was recording the victim by speaking with other people who had surveillance in the store. The suspect initially denied recording the woman but later changed his story, WBNS reported. 'This young man admitted to multiple other occasions where he did this. Because of her brave actions in something that can be embarrassing or hurtful to her mentally, we are so thankful that she came forward to prevent this from happening in the future,' Fuqua said. The store manager declined WBNS' request for comment and would not confirm if the suspect is still employed at the store. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
