Latest news with #St.LouisFireDepartment
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Man who jumped into Mississippi River during pursuit now charged
Editor's note: Video is from a previous story ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Festus, Missouri, man has been charged after attempting a daring escape from authorities following a bi-state police pursuit. According to the St. Louis County Police Department's probable cause statement, the pursuit began around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, on eastbound Interstate 70 near the Blanchette Bridge in Earth City. Police said officers attempted to pull over Jack J. Roper (age not provided), who was driving a Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck bearing Audi license plates. Roper swerved toward a police vehicle during the pursuit, police said. Officers eventually spiked Roper's tires. The chase went over the Chain of Rocks Bridge into Illinois and came back over the bridge back toward Missouri. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Police said Roper stopped on the bridge, got out the truck, and threatened to jump from the bridge into the Mississippi River. Officers attempted to talk Roper into surrendering, but he grabbed a piece of lumber from the truck and tossed it into the river before jumping after it. Roper left behind two people in the truck. One of the individuals told police they did not want to be involved and told Roper to stop multiple times. Police said they located Roper at the water treatment plant in Riverview, thanks to the use of the St. Louis Fire Department's boats. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Roper with two counts of second-degree assault, one count of aggravated fleeing a stop or detention, and one count of second-degree kidnapping. Roper remains jailed on a $500,000 cash-only bond. Online records did not show when Roper is scheduled to appear in court. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Climate
- New York Post
St. Louis emergency management chief on leave after failing to sound sirens for deadly tornado: report
The city of St Louis placed its emergency management chief on leave after the staffer failed to activate the tornado sirens before a deadly twister tore through the Midwestern metropolis, according to reports. Five people were killed, dozens were injured and thousands more were impacted by the tornado last Friday that critics say was made dramatically worse by the failure of the city's emergency manager to sound the alarm after receiving a National Weather Service alert, according to CBS News. Sarah Russell, commissioner of the Missouri City Emergency Management Agency for St. Louis, was not at the relevant CEMA office station just before 2:30 p.m. local time when the warning was issued — but was instead at an off-site workshop, the outlet reported. Advertisement 3 Sarah Russell, commissioner of St. Louis' Emergency Management Agency, failed to sound tornado sirens ahead of a deadly storm last Friday. CBS News Russell was forced to call the St. Louis Fire Department, which is the only other location from which the tornado sirens can be turned on, CBS reported. St. Louis Fire Department officials said Russell gave 'ambiguous' orders and therefore they did not sound the 60 outdoor tornado sirens placed around the city, Mayor Cara Spencer revealed, according to the station. Advertisement 'The directive to activate the sirens was ambiguous, which cannot happen when a tornado is sweeping through our City and St. Louisans' safety depends on being alerted immediately,' Mayor Spencer said in a statement. However, fire officials revealed Tuesday that even if they had received the order clearly, SLFD could not have sounded the sirens because the emergency button in their offices was not working, CBS reported. 'I have been shocked and remain shocked, and frankly a bit horrified, by the issues in the system,' Spencer said at a press conference, according to St. Louis Magazine. Russell, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, is a longtime employee of the department, according to their LinkedIn page and began as commissioner in 2021. Advertisement 3 St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said she was 'shocked' at the poor planning and execution of the Midwestern city's tornado warning systems. CBS News The commissioner was called a social media expert and a 'consultant for several departments and organizations as they look to engage in using social media for local government or emergency response purpose,' according to a profile since scrubbed from the St. Louis government's website, The Blaze reported. Since the siren failure, Russell has been subjected to multiple online death threats, but none were deemed credible by St. Louis police, according to STL Today. Russell will remain on administrative leave pending the completion of an external investigation, the mayor said. Advertisement 3 Five people were killed, dozens were injured, and thousands were impacted by the powerful storm last week. CBS News St. Louis Fire Department Captain John Walk will serve as interim emergency management commissioner in the meantime. Republican Governor Mike Kehoe revealed Thursday that both President Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have pledged federal help for Missouri as it recovers from the storm. 'This could be the catalyst that really brings St. Louis back to that incredible city we all know it could be,' Gov. Kehoe said at a press conference Thursday. 'I don't want to discount the tragedy and the incredibly tough times people are going through, but I'm optimistic.' The National Weather Service reported that the tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, Missouri, on Friday — leaving a trail of decimation across the Gateway to the West.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man in custody after jumping into Mississippi River during overnight pursuit
ST. LOUIS – A man was taken into custody early Thursday morning after ending up in the Mississippi River following an overnight police chase in north St. Louis. According to the St. Louis County Police Department, the pursuit began around 1:30 a.m. on eastbound I-70 near the Blanchette Bridge in Earth City, involving a suspect in a Chevy S-10 pickup truck. The pursuit began after officers attempted to pull over the pickup truck, but the vehicle instead took off. According to police, the chase went over the Chain of Rocks Bridge into Illinois and came back over the bridge back to Missouri. Doctor sees a trend in young St. Louis cancer patients living near nuclear waste sites According to police, when the suspect came back around to the bridge after reentering Missouri, the suspect reportedly got out of the pickup truck and either fell or jumped off the bridge into the Mississippi River. There was a large police presence on the scene as authorities had completely shut down the Chain of Rocks Bridge while searching for the suspect. The St. Louis Fire Department used boats for the search, according to police, before authorities eventually located the suspect at a water treatment plant in Riverview. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to a nearby hospital, suffering from non-life-threatening injuries. According to police, no officers were injured during the pursuit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
St. Louis siren system upgrade underway after May 16 tornado
ST. LOUIS – On Tuesday afternoon, the City of St. Louis conducted a test of the emergency siren system, days after the sirens failed to go off in some areas before the May 16 tornado. The EF-3 tornado first struck in St. Louis County in Richmond Heights and Clayton before it made its way northeast through north St. Louis. Mayor Cara Spencer has moved control of the siren from the city's Office of Emergency Management to the St. Louis Fire Department. Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson met with the National Weather Service on Tuesday morning to implement a four-point redundancy protocol. 'There was a failure': Mayor Spencer gives update on tornado sirens 'We went through every piece of equipment,' he said. 'Anything that was marginal, we're having that replaced.' At a news conference on Tuesday, the mayor spoke with the media about responsibility for the faulty sirens. 'We have taken steps to rectify the procedures and policies as it is associated with the deployment of the siren system,' Spencer said. 'We are on the process of automating that system. Within a year, there will be an automated system. At the end of the day, the siren failure should never have happened, and it will never happen again.' The warning sirens are designated for people who are outdoors or in city parks, who might not have access to a phone or weather radio. Officials in St. Louis City and County recommend citizens have both. To stay up-to-date with the latest weather, download the FOX 2 STL+ app on your Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV or visit the FOX 2 Weather page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
St. Louis leaders share rescue and recovery effort after deadly storm
ST. LOUIS — Regional leaders held a press conference Saturday morning to address the devastating storm damage in the St. Louis area. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, U.S. Senator Eric Schmidt, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer, Police Chief Robert Tracy, and Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson shared an update on the ongoing recovery efforts. Strong winds swept through the St. Louis area Friday afternoon, leaving five people dead, over 30 injured, and more than 5,000 buildings damaged. There is widespread destruction and ongoing recovery efforts following the likely tornado, which struck Friday between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. 'The devastation is truly tremendous,' said St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer. 'As a city, we are grieving.' Police said four people were killed Friday in the heavily damaged areas of Clayton, Richmond Heights, University City, and parts of St. Louis. A fifth person died in their car near Carondelet Park. The city remains under a state of emergency, with crews working to clear debris, restore traffic signals, and address downed electrical lines. A citywide curfew is in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the hardest-hit areas. Police spokesman Mitch McCoy said that the curfew remains in effect for public safety. 'Our officers will be helping to enforce that curfew to protect property as well as to make sure that people are not preying on those who have been devastated,' said McCoy. The St. Louis Fire Department has searched more than 4,000 homes for survivors and to check on injuries. 'We have a lot of work left to do. We will make sure we do a clean sweep of all of these buildings,' said St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson. 'We will not leave any stone unturned.' Emergency response activity surged in the hours after the storm. Between 2:40 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Friday, St. Louis police received more than 334 calls for service. 'If you see something, say something. If you haven't heard from someone, call 911. Let us know so we can take the proper action,' said Police Chief Robert Tracy. Mayor Spencer said the city is organizing donation efforts and will release information soon about what supplies are needed and where to send them. Governor Mike Kehoe said FEMA is prepared to assist and that his staff is in communication with the White House. He noted that the region is still under a previous emergency declaration from March and that he is working to file a new one for this event. 'The message here is that we're united at the federal, state, and local level to make sure that the people who have been injured get the help that they need,' said U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt. 'I want to thank the first responders who are still out there doing some dangerous work with some buildings that have been damaged,' he added. Anyone needing help is urged to call 211 or visit City officials plan to give another update at a press conference scheduled for 5 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
