Latest news with #JoDonRomero
Irish Daily Mirror
12-08-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Horror as father shoots himself in head live on TV as children watch
A mum from Arizona in the US and her children were compelled to watch in horror as her partner and their dad took his own life live on television. JoDon Romero, 33, had been engaged in a lengthy police pursuit back in September, 2013, which was being broadcast as it happened live on Fox News. As coppers surrounded Romero he made the tragic choice to end his own life. Angela Rodriguez, the mother of JoDon Romero's youngsters, was viewing at home with their children, aged nine, 13 and 15. After seeing the distressing footage she launched a lawsuit claiming the children endured severe emotional and psychological trauma from witnessing the horrific death. The mother of three alleged infliction of emotional distress, according to the BBC, reports the Express. Fox News was covering the pursuit with a live helicopter feed and transmitted the shooting. After a commercial break the news presenter apologised saying: "We really messed up, and we're all very sorry." Fox News has apologised for the broadcast, putting it down to 'human error' (Image: Fox News) Later, a Fox News executive also apologised and attributed the broadcast to "severe human error" after showing the slightly delayed live suicide. The broadcaster has apologised for the "severe human error" that resulted in the death's transmission. On September 28, 2013, Romero shot himself in the head at the conclusion of an hour-long police pursuit after nicking a car at gunpoint, as a news helicopter hovered overhead. Police officials said he had an extensive criminal record and was sought for parole breaches. Rodriquez has filed a lawsuit against Fox News Channel and its parent company, News Corp, alleging that on the day in question, Romero's children heard whispers at school about a suicide broadcast live on television. They returned home and sought out the footage on YouTube, only to discover it was their father they were watching. Rodriguez claims her children "have been, and continue to be, severely traumatised" by the footage, exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including flashbacks and sleep disturbances. Phoenix police reported that the man who seemingly shot himself on live TV was being pursued by officers following a carjacking of a 2008 Dodge Caliber. Officers stated the man commandeered the car at gunpoint in west Phoenix around 11:00am local time and was trailed through city streets and a state highway. The man fired shots at officers and a police helicopter at one stage during the chase, but no other injuries were reported, according to Police spokesperson Sergeant Tommy Thompson. He confirmed the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after abandoning the car on a dirt road. American Fox News stated: "We took every precaution to avoid any such live incident by putting the helicopter pictures on a five-second delay. "Unfortunately, this mistake was the result of a severe human error and we apologise for what viewers ultimately saw on the screen." The Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you require an immediate response, it's advisable to ring them directly. You can get in touch by dialling 116 123, sending an email to jo@ uk or visiting their website at
Daily Record
12-08-2025
- Daily Record
Children watch in horror as dad takes own life in live TV police chase
Children watch in horror as dad takes own life in live TV police chase WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT: JoDon Romero, 33, took his own life after leading police on a chase live on TV, the man's partner and children saw the suicide The chase ended tragically (Image: Getty) A mother and her children were subjected to the traumatic experience of watching her partner and their father take his own life on live television. JoDon Romero, 33, from Arizona in the US, was involved in a lengthy police pursuit in September 2013, which was broadcast live by Fox News. As law enforcement closed in, Romero tragically decided to end his life. Angela Rodriguez, JoDon Romero's partner and the mother of their children, watched the distressing scene at home with their three kids, aged nine, 13, and 15. Following the shocking broadcast, she filed a lawsuit claiming the children suffered severe emotional and psychological trauma from witnessing their father's death. The mother of three alleged infliction of emotional distress, as reported by the BBC, reports the Express. Fox News had been covering the chase with a live helicopter feed and inadvertently showed the suicide. After returning from a commercial break, the news anchor issued an apology, stating: "We really messed up, and we're all very sorry." A Fox News executive also expressed regret for the incident, attributing it to "severe human error" after the slightly delayed live suicide was aired. Fox News has apologised for the broadcast, putting it down to 'human error' (Image: Fox News) The network has since apologised for the "severe human error" that resulted in the airing of the fatal incident. On September 28, 2013, Romero fatally shot himself in the head after an hour-long car chase, which began with him stealing a vehicle at gunpoint, while a news helicopter captured the event. Police stated he had an extensive criminal record and was sought for parole violations. Rodriquez's lawsuit against Fox News Channel and its parent company, News Corp, alleges that on the day in question, Romero's children heard school rumours about a suicide broadcast live on television. They returned home and searched for the footage on YouTube, only to discover it was their father while viewing. Rodriguez claims her children "have been, and continue to be, severely traumatised" by the footage, exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including flashbacks and sleep disturbances. Phoenix police reported the man who appeared to shoot himself on live TV was being pursued by officers following a carjacking of a 2008 Dodge Caliber. Officers stated that the man had taken the car at gunpoint in west Phoenix around 11:00am local time and was tracked through city streets and a state highway. The man fired at officers and a police helicopter at one point during the chase, but no other injuries were reported, according to Police spokesman Sergeant Tommy Thompson. He confirmed that the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after abandoning the car on a dirt road. American Fox News said: "We took every precaution to avoid any such live incident by putting the helicopter pictures on a five-second delay. "Unfortunately, this mistake was the result of a severe human error and we apologise for what viewers ultimately saw on the screen." Article continues below The Samaritans can be contacted at any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you require an immediate response, it's recommended to phone them directly. They can be contacted by dialling 116 123, sending an email to jo@ uk or visiting
Daily Mirror
12-08-2025
- Daily Mirror
Children watch in horror as their father kills himself on live TV
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT JoDon Romero, 33, committed suicide on live television after a police pursuit in the US state of Arizona - his partner and children were watching at home A mother and her children were subjected to the traumatic experience of witnessing her partner and their father take his own life on live television. JoDon Romero, 33, was embroiled in a lengthy police pursuit in September 2013, in Arizona in the US, which Fox News broadcast live as it happened. As law enforcement closed in, Romero tragically chose to end his life. Back in 2022, another father from Bolton in Greater Manchester, Paul David Hilton, also ended his life by suicide and live-streamed it on Facebook. Angela Rodriguez, JoDon Romero's partner and mother to their children, aged nine, 13, and 15, was watching at home with the youngsters when the distressing scene aired. She subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming that the children endured severe emotional and psychological trauma from witnessing their father's shocking death. The BBC reported the mother of three alleged infliction of emotional distress, reports the Express. Fox News had been tracking the chase with a live helicopter feed and inadvertently showed the suicide on air. After returning from a commercial break, the news anchor issued an apology, saying: "We really messed up, and we're all very sorry." A Fox News executive later expressed regret for the incident, attributing it to "severe human error" after broadcasting the slightly delayed live footage of the suicide. The network has since apologised for the "severe human error" that resulted in broadcasting the fatal incident. On September 28, 2013, Romero died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head following an hour-long car chase, which began with him carjacking a vehicle at gunpoint, while a news helicopter captured the event from above. Police stated that he had an extensive criminal record and was sought for parole violations. Rodriquez's lawsuit against Fox News Channel and its parent company News Corp claims on the day in question, Romero's children heard schoolyard whispers about a live televised suicide. They returned home and sought out the footage on YouTube, only to discover it was their father they were watching. Rodriguez says her children "have been, and continue to be, severely traumatised" by the video and have exhibited signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as flashbacks and disrupted sleep. Phoenix police reported the man who seemingly shot himself on live TV was being pursued by officers following a carjacking of a 2008 Dodge Caliber. Officers recounted that the man had stolen the car at gunpoint in west Phoenix around 11:00am local time and was trailed through city streets and a state highway. The man fired shots at officers and a police helicopter during the chase, but no other injuries were reported, according to Police spokesman Sergeant Tommy Thompson. He confirmed the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after ditching the car on a dirt road. American Fox News said: "We took every precaution to avoid any such live incident by putting the helicopter pictures on a five-second delay. "Unfortunately, this mistake was the result of a severe human error and we apologise for what viewers ultimately saw on the screen." The Samaritans are available 24/7, 365 days a year.
