Sonya Massey murder trial: Sheriff deputy’s partner said he wants to ‘do right’ by her

Sonya Massey murder trial: Sheriff deputy’s partner said he wants to ‘do right’ by her
Sonya Massey murder trial: Sheriff deputy’s partner said he wants to ‘do right’ by her
Sean Grayson fatally shot Sonya Massey while responding to her 911 call for help. (Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office)

(PEORIA, Ill.) — The trial began on Wednesday of Sean Grayson, the former sheriff’s deputy, who was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the July 2024 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a possible intruder at her home in Springfield, Illinois.

Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Dawson Farley, who responded to Massey’s home along with Grayson, took to the witness stand on Wednesday afternoon and testified that Massey did not appear to be a “threat.”

“She never did anything that made me think she was a threat,” Dawson said. “It was essentially the defendants’ actions that raised my sense of awareness,” Farley said of Grayson.

During his testimony, Farley said that he wanted to “do right” by Massey by testifying for the prosecution in this case.

Grayson, a former Sangamon County deputy, was charged with a total of three counts in connection with Massey’s death — first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.

Grayson’s attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined to provide comment to ABC News ahead of the trial, but confirmed on Friday that his client has “pleaded not guilty to all charges.”

Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, who delivered opening arguments on Wednesday for the prosecution, walked the jury through key moments during the night that Massey died.

“Make no mistake, we are here in this courthouse today because of the actions of Sean Grayson,” Milhiser said. “On July 6, 2024, in her kitchen, without lawful justification, he shot and killed [Sonya Massey]. That’s why we are here.”

“You will see captured on video what happens when the defendant gets mad at a woman who is standing in her own kitchen calling for help,” he added.

Milhiser said that prosecutors will show the jury the body camera footage, which shows the incident from the point of view of Grayson’s partner, who also responded to the scene. The footage released by Illinois State Police shows the incident from the partner’s point of view because Grayson did not turn on his own body camera until after the shooting, according to court documents reviewed by ABC News.

“The defendant does not turn on his bodycam — Which is a pattern you’ll see throughout this trial,” Milhiser said.

Meanwhile, Grayson’s attorney Daniel Fultz, who delivered opening arguments for the defense on Wednesday, urged jurors not to make up their minds early about this case.

“Making your mind up early closes the possibility you will miss facts that will affect your decision,” Fultz said, arguing that Grayson “believed that he would suffer great bodily harm or death” during his encounter with Massey.

“Ms. Massey made the decision to lift the pot of boiling water above her head to attempt to throw that at Dept. Grayson. It was at that moment and only at that moment that Dept. Grayson discharged his weapon,” Fultz said.

“What happened [to] Ms. Massey was a tragedy. But it was not a crime,” he added.

Witness testimony also began on Wednesday in the trial, which is being held in Peoria, Illinois.

The trial began with jury selection on Monday, where a panel of 12 jurors was seated, according to ABC News’ affiliate in Springfield, WICS. The process took more than five hours and ended with a jury made up of nine white women, one Black man and two white men, as well as two white men and one white woman selected as alternate jurors.

The trial was moved from Sangamon County to Peoria County due to extensive media publicity.

What the video shows

Body camera footage of the incident released by Illinois State Police on July 22, 2024 shows Massey telling the two responding deputies, “Please, don’t hurt me,” once she answered their knocks on her door.

“I don’t want to hurt you; you called us,” Grayson responded.

Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points out a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”

Massey then appears to pour some of the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” video shows.

Grayson threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, and Grayson shoots her three times, the footage shows.

Massey died from a gunshot wound to her head, according to an autopsy report released in July 2024, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon confirmed to ABC News.

Prosecutors alleged that Grayson discouraged his partner from retrieving the medical kit to render aid to Massey after the shooting because he allegedly thought the injuries were too severe to revive her.

“No, headshot, dude. She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a headshot,” Grayson tells his partner after he says he is going to retrieve the medical kit, body camera video shows. “What else do we do? I’m not taking pot boiling water to the [expletive] face and it already reached us,” Grayson adds.

The judge in the case ruled during a pre-trial hearing last month against the defense’s request to exclude body camera footage that shows what happened after Massey was shot, according to WICS.

Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in August 2024.

“While on scene, I was in fear Dep. (redacted) and I were going to receive great bodily harm or death. Due to being in fear of our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in his field case report.

Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Massey’s family, said during a statement at the time that the autopsy confirmed that this was an “unnecessary, excessive use of force, completely unnecessary, certainly not justified.”

Crump said that Massey struggled with her mental health and body camera footage released in Sept. 2024 shows her interacting with officers on July 5 — 16 hours before she was fatally shot — after her mother called 911 to report that her daughter was having a mental health episode.

A review of the case by the Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. Garyson was fired in July 2024 by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office after he was indicted in this case.

ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Farmworkers hailed as heroes after rescuing 20 children from burning school bus in California

Farmworkers hailed as heroes after rescuing 20 children from burning school bus in California
Farmworkers hailed as heroes after rescuing 20 children from burning school bus in California
The bus was destroyed after the fire. Madera County Public Information Team

(MADERA COUNTY, Calif.) — Two farmworkers were honored Tuesday for rescuing 20 children from a burning school bus last month in California.

Carlos Perea Romero and Angel Zarco were honored by the Madera County Board of Supervisors in a ceremony after they courageously evacuated the flaming bus filled with students on the way to school on Sept. 4.

“All the students made it out safely without any injuries due to the immediate action taken by the farmworkers and the bus driver. The Board of Supervisors recognize the two men for their selfless courage and bravery, demonstrating the highest ideals of public service, compassion and community spirit,” a press release from the ceremony reads. 

The duo saw smoke rising from the vehicle near Avenue 8 and Road 23.5 in Madera when they jumped into action and began evacuating the students inside — fighting thick plumes of smoke to get to the back row.

“We were just making sure the kids were far away enough so that they wouldn’t get hurt,” Zarco told ABC News affiliate ABC 30.

“One more moment that would have lasted, I don’t now what would have happened,” Romero said in a post from Madera County.

Zarco added, “I’m just happy to help out the community. This is where I grew up, and I’m just glad to be able to keep somebody safe.”

Madera County sheriff Tyson Pogue told ABC that Romero and Zarco’s actions helped protect the local community.

“We are profoundly grateful to the two farmworkers whose heroic actions saved the lives of more than 20 children. Their quick thinking, bravery, and compassion in the face of danger exemplify the very best of Madera County. Without hesitation, they acted selflessly to protect others.  Our community is stronger because of individuals like them, and we are proud of their extraordinary heroism,” he said.

CAL FIRE Division Chief Larry Pendarvis also sang the praises of the heroes at the ceremony.

“I would like to recognize and thank both of you on behalf of Madera County Fire and CAL FIRE for your service above self. The situational awareness and fortitude you showed to help these young children in a time of need was extraordinary,” Pendarvis said.

“Buses can be replaced, humans can’t,” he added.

The bus was left severely damaged, according to a post from Madera County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire stemmed from a mechanical malfunction, the sheriff’s office said.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

NYC residents will see an ‘increase in ICE arrests’ after crackdown on Canal Street: ICE director

NYC residents will see an ‘increase in ICE arrests’ after crackdown on Canal Street: ICE director
NYC residents will see an ‘increase in ICE arrests’ after crackdown on Canal Street: ICE director
Federal agents are seen in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood, Oct. 21, 2025. WABC

(NEW YORK) — After federal agents carried out a joint Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood on Tuesday, a federal official said the city will see an “increase in ICE arrests” because there are “so many criminal illegal” immigrants.

“You will see us making those criminal arrests to make New York safe again. It’s definitely intelligence driven, it’s not random. We aren’t pulling people off the street. There was a specific reason based on criminal intelligence and criminal activity that we showed up on Canal Street,” acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Fox News on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, a large law enforcement presence was seen on Canal Street, a prominent hub for shopping in Lower Manhattan, with ICE and federal partners from multiple agencies conducting a “targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation” that was “focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit goods,” Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Tuesday.

Vendors were seen packing up their tables and attempting to flee the area, which is known for merchants selling designer knockoffs, New York ABC station WABC reported.

“The nine arrested, their rap sheets are long,” Lyons told Fox News. “Forgery, possession of drugs, drug trafficking, robbery, assault. These are criminal aliens that were being targeted. We do these based on criminal intelligence and that’s what we had.”

The targeted enforcement is in contrast to U.S. Border Patrol, which has been deployed in Chicago and Los Angeles and does conduct random enforcement actions.

Lyons said store owners had been complaining about the retail for some time.

“If you look at the video, everything was fine with the officers talking to those individuals and making arrests until violent protesters showed up,” Lyons said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the New York City Police Department said on X it had “no involvement in the federal operation that took place on Canal Street.”

A spokesperson for City Hall said in a statement it also had “no involvement in this matter.”

“Mayor Adams has been clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue the American Dream should not be the target of law enforcement, and resources should instead be focused on violent criminals,” the statement said.

If the circumstances escalate and an individual assaults or interferes with a legal law enforcement action, Mayor Eric Adams has instructed the NYPD to intervene, a source familiar with the situation told ABC News.

Crime rates are at record lows in New York City, according to the latest police data.

Over the first nine months of 2025, the NYPD reported citywide shooting incidents were down more than 20% (553 vs. 693) year-to-date, their lowest level ever.

Murders are also down citywide by more than 17.7% year-to-date and burglaries dropped 3.8% (9,410 vs. 9,783) for the year, the second-lowest level in recorded history. 

ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Federal charges for man accused of threatening to shoot up Atlanta airport

Federal charges for man accused of threatening to shoot up Atlanta airport
Federal charges for man accused of threatening to shoot up Atlanta airport
Police body camera footage of an arrest at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is shown during a press briefing, Oct. 20, 2025. Atlanta Police Department

(ATLANTA) — A man accused of going to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after making a threat to shoot it up now faces multiple federal charges, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.

Billy Joe Cagle, 49, was taken into custody in a terminal at the airport on Monday after a family member reported the alleged threat to police, authorities said. An AR-15-style firearm was located in his pickup truck, which was parked in a crosswalk in front of the terminal, according to the DOJ.

Cagle has now been charged via criminal complaint with attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats to injure the person of another and being a felon in possession of a firearm, the DOJ said Tuesday.

Cagle allegedly threatened to “shoot up the airport” in a FaceTime call, prosecutors said.

He allegedly told the individual on the FaceTime call, “I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,” then abruptly ended the call, the DOJ said in a press release.

In a prior call that morning with the same individual, Cagle allegedly said he had a gun and that he was “driving on Interstate 75 and was going to ‘shoot some cars,'” the federal complaint stated.

Following that call, the individual was en route to the Cartersville Police Department with Cagle’s wife to “report their concern that Cagle was unstable and was on his way to shoot up some cars,” when Cagle made the FaceTime call from the airport, according to the complaint.

The individual reported the alleged shooting threat on the airport, and officers alerted the Atlanta Police Department while providing images of Cagle and a description of his vehicle, the DOJ said.

After arriving at the airport at 9:29 a.m. on Monday, officers encountered him in the terminal at 9:54 a.m. and he was taken into custody unarmed, Atlanta police said.

“As alleged in this complaint, Cagle senselessly threatened to do heinous violence to innocent travelers, at the world’s busiest airport, with a high-powered weapon that he had no legal right to possess,” U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said in a statement. “Thanks to the vigilance of other citizens and the quick action of law enforcement, a horrible tragedy was averted.”

Cagle additionally faces state charges, including terroristic threats and firearm counts, Atlanta police said.

He remains in custody and was scheduled to make his first appearance on the state charges on Wednesday in Clayton County. Online court records did not list any attorney information for him.

In addition to the gun, 27 rounds of ammunition were found in his vehicle, police said.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said he believes Cagle was “scouting” the TSA screening area and was walking back to his truck with the intent to retrieve the weapon when officers, who had been canvassing the area for the suspect encountered him in the terminal.

“The tragedies that we’ve seen play out across our nation didn’t happen here yesterday,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Schierbaum said the incident serves as an example of the system working, where “we ask Americans, if you see something, say something, and we ask your police officers to stand in danger for each of us every day.”

He added, “Yesterday is what played out exactly as we would like it to be.”

Atlanta police said federal authorities are investigating how Cagle obtained a firearm, which was manufactured outside the state of Georgia, according to the federal complaint.

Cartersville Police Capt. Greg Sparacio told reporters on Monday that the department is “familiar” with Cagle and he has a criminal history, including a prior drug possession arrest.

According to the federal complaint, Cagle was convicted in 2000 of felony possession of marijuana and was sentenced to two years in prison.

Officials said Cagle also has a history of mental health challenges.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Vermont college student missing for nearly a week: Police

Vermont college student missing for nearly a week: Police
Vermont college student missing for nearly a week: Police
Police in Middlebury, Vermont, released this photo of Lia Smith. Middlebury Police Department

(MIDDLEBURY, Vt.) — Police in Vermont said they are searching for a missing college student who hasn’t been seen for nearly a week.

Lia Smith, 21, a senior at Middlebury College, was reported missing on Sunday, according to police.

The California native was last seen in a building on campus on Friday at approximately 9 p.m., according to the Middlebury Police Department.

The search has involved the use of a drone, with investigators “working to identify additional potential search areas,” the police department said on Monday.

Middlebury College said its Department of Public Safety is also assisting the Middlebury Police Department in the search.

“We will do everything we can to find Lia,” Middlebury officials said in a statement to the school community on Monday. “She is a beloved member of our Middlebury family and there is nothing more important than the health, safety, and wellbeing of our students and of our entire community.” 

The school said it has been in touch with the student’s family and friends “to offer support and learn all we can about the student’s recent activities and whereabouts.” Counseling services are also being offered, it said.

When contacted on Wednesday for the latest on the missing student, a school spokesperson referred ABC News to its Monday update.

ABC News reached out to the Middlebury Police Department on Wednesday for updates on the search but has not yet received a response.

Smith is described by police as being 5 feet, 11 inches tall and approximately 160 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on her or her whereabouts is asked to contact the Middlebury Police Department at 802-388-3191. 

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Murder trial begins for former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson charged in fatal shooting of Sonya Massey

Sonya Massey murder trial: Sheriff deputy’s partner said he wants to ‘do right’ by her
Sonya Massey murder trial: Sheriff deputy’s partner said he wants to ‘do right’ by her
Sean Grayson fatally shot Sonya Massey while responding to her 911 call for help. (Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office)

(PEORIA, Ill.) — The trial began on Wednesday of Sean Grayson, the former sheriff’s deputy, who was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the July 2024 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a possible intruder at her home in Springfield, Illinois.

The Sangamon County deputy was charged with a total of three counts in connection with Massey’s death — first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.

Grayson’s attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined to provide comment to ABC News ahead of the trial, but confirmed on Friday that his client has “pleaded not guilty to all charges.”

Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, who delivered opening arguments on Wednesday for the prosecution, walked the jury through key moments during the night that Massey died.

“Make no mistake, we are here in this courthouse today because of the actions of Sean Grayson,” Milhiser said. “On July 6, 2024, in her kitchen, without lawful justification, he shot and killed [Sonya Massey]. That’s why we are here.”

“You will see captured on video what happens when the defendant gets mad at a woman who is standing in her own kitchen calling for help,” he added.

Milhiser said that prosecutors will show the jury the body camera footage, which shows the incident from the point of view of Grayson’s partner, who also responded to the scene. The footage released by Illinois State Police shows the incident from the partner’s point of view because Grayson did not turn on his own body camera until after the shooting, according to court documents reviewed by ABC News.

“The defendant does not turn on his bodycam — Which is a pattern you’ll see throughout this trial,” Milhiser said.

Meanwhile, Grayson’s attorney Daniel Fultz, who delivered opening arguments for the defense on Wednesday, urged jurors not to make up their minds early about this case.

“Making your mind up early closes the possibility you will miss facts that will affect your decision,” Fultz said, arguing that Grayson “believed that he would suffer great bodily harm or death” during his encounter with Massey.

“Ms. Massey made the decision to lift the pot of boiling water above her head to attempt to throw that at Dept. Grayson. It was at that moment and only at that moment that Dept. Grayson discharged his weapon,” Fultz said.

“What happened [to] Ms. Massey was a tragedy. But it was not a crime,” he added.

Witness testimony also began on Wednesday in the trial, which is being held in Peoria, Illinois.

The trial began with jury selection on Monday, where a panel of 12 jurors was seated, according to ABC News’ affiliate in Springfield, WICS. The process took more than five hours and ended with a jury made up of nine white women, one Black man and two white men, as well as two white men and one white woman selected as alternate jurors.

The trial was moved from Sangamon County to Peoria County due to extensive media publicity.

What the video shows

Body camera footage of the incident released by Illinois State Police on July 22, 2024 shows Massey telling the two responding deputies, “Please, don’t hurt me,” once she answered their knocks on her door.

“I don’t want to hurt you; you called us,” Grayson responded.

Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points out a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”

Massey then appears to pour some of the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” video shows.

Grayson threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, and Grayson shoots her three times, the footage shows.

Massey died from a gunshot wound to her head, according to an autopsy report released in July 2024, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon confirmed to ABC News.

Prosecutors alleged that Grayson discouraged his partner from retrieving the medical kit to render aid to Massey after the shooting because he allegedly thought the injuries were too severe to revive her.

“No, headshot, dude. She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a headshot,” Grayson tells his partner after he says he is going to retrieve the medical kit, body camera video shows. “What else do we do? I’m not taking pot boiling water to the [expletive] face and it already reached us,” Grayson adds.

The judge in the case ruled during a pre-trial hearing last month against the defense’s request to exclude body camera footage that shows what happened after Massey was shot, according to WICS.

Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in August 2024.

“While on scene, I was in fear Dep. (redacted) and I were going to receive great bodily harm or death. Due to being in fear of our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in his field case report.

Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Massey’s family, said during a statement at the time that the autopsy confirmed that this was an “unnecessary, excessive use of force, completely unnecessary, certainly not justified.”

Crump said that Massey struggled with her mental health and body camera footage released in Sept. 2024 shows her interacting with officers on July 5 — 16 hours before she was fatally shot — after her mother called 911 to report that her daughter was having a mental health episode.

A review of the case by the Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. Garyson was fired in July 2024 by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office after he was indicted in this case.

ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billion-dollar disaster data returns, but this time it’s not being run by the federal government

Billion-dollar disaster data returns, but this time it’s not being run by the federal government
Billion-dollar disaster data returns, but this time it’s not being run by the federal government
People inspect the area among the rubbles of burnt houses during Eaton wildfire in Altadena of Los Angeles County, California, United States, January 9, 2025. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — For decades, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s billion-dollar disaster dataset put a dollar figure on the cost of climate change and severe weather events. Understanding the scope and frequency of weather-related damage helped first responders, the insurance industry, and researchers with their planning, recovery operations, and assessments.

But in May, the Trump administration announced it was shutting down the website that hosted the dataset. That made it difficult for the public and experts to track the impact of major disasters, as the program used a combination of private and public data, some of which was not available to organizations outside the government.

However, Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization comprised of scientists and communicators, announced on Monday it brought the billion-dollar disaster dataset back to life. And, it’s being run by the very scientist, Adam Smith, who once managed it at NOAA and who is now Climate Central’s Senior Climate Impacts Scientist.

“The billion-dollar disaster analysis is vital in demonstrating the economic impact of extreme weather and climate events, which helps communities understand the real-world consequences of climate change and the increasing impact of these different events,” said Smith

“I would also say this dataset was simply too important to stop being updated,” Smith added. “We’ve seen a widespread demand for its revival from many aspects of society and industry, including the private sector, academia, local community decision makers, even Congress.”

Smith said Climate Central was able to replicate all the data sources and partnerships that supplied the original NOAA dataset.

In the months since the website was taken offline, Climate Central has recorded 14 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the United States. It estimates the total damage exceeds $101 billion.

Among those events, the Los Angeles wildfires in January were the costliest disaster of 2025 and the costliest wildfire on record, with more than $60 billion in damage, nearly double the previous record, according to Climate Central.

“This kind of helps deliver the fact that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of some types of extreme events leading to more damages,” Smith said.

The Climate Central announcement comes after the former team responsible for climate.gov, a popular climate information website that stopped publishing new content in July after the Trump administration fired its staff, relaunched the site as climate.us with the help of several nonprofits.

Among the content, climate.us is now hosting the Fifth National Climate Assessment, one of the most comprehensive reports on the impacts of climate change in the U.S. The Trump administration took down that report and its accompanying website in June.

Climate Central said its disaster dataset uses the same peer-reviewed methodologies as the NOAA version and that it intends to regularly update the information, even expanding upon what’s available in the future. And if previous years are any indication, the cost of climate change will keep growing.

“Over the last 10 years, a conservative view of this analysis, these billion-dollar disasters alone have contributed more than $1.5 trillion in total direct losses. And I’d say that’s even a conservative investment because we’re not able to quantify things like environmental degradation, mental and physical healthcare-related calls after a disaster, or the supply chain ripple effects after a disaster,” Smith said.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mega Millions jackpot reaches $680 million

Mega Millions jackpot reaches 0 million
Mega Millions jackpot reaches $680 million
In this photo illustration, Mega Millions lottery tickets are displayed on August 01, 2023 in San Anselmo, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — The Mega Million jackpot is now up to $680 million after no winners were selected in Tuesday night’s drawing.

The next drawing is Friday night at 11 p.m. 

While no one won the big prize, one person in Illinois did win $3 million for matching all of the white balls. The numbers drawn Saturday night were: 2, 18, 27, 34 and 59, plus the gold Mega Ball 18. 

There have been 33 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The last jackpot of $348 million was last won on June 27 in Virginia.

The current jackpot prize has a cash value of $318.2 million, which can be offered as a one-time lump sum payment or an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. 

The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336, according to Mega Millions.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $5 for one play.

The largest Mega Millions jackpot prize ever won was a $1.6 billion prize won on Aug. 8, 2023. The $680 million jackpot would the ninth-largest in Mega Millions history.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tropical Storm Melissa takes aim on Caribbean: Latest forecast

Tropical Storm Melissa takes aim on Caribbean: Latest forecast
Tropical Storm Melissa takes aim on Caribbean: Latest forecast
Tropical outlook, Caribbean Sea. (ABC News)

(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Melissa, which is taking aim on the Caribbean, may strengthen to a hurricane in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The storm will stay away from the mainland United States. Instead, Melissa poses the biggest threat to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica, where days of heavy rain and severe winds could lead to life-threatening landslides.

Here’s the latest forecast:

Melissa is moving over water temperatures 4 to 5 degrees above average for this time of year, which will help it strengthen from a tropical storm into a hurricane.

Melissa is expected to approach Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti later this week.

The storm is forecast to bring 5 to 10 inches of rain to the southern Dominican Republic, southern Haiti and eastern Jamaica through Saturday. Significant flash flooding and landslides are possible.

Across the northern Dominican Republic, northern Haiti and western Jamaica, 2 to 4 inches of rain are expected through Saturday.

Aruba and Puerto Rico could see less severe impacts from Melissa’s outer bands. One to 3 inches of rain is in the forecast and flooding is possible.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince, while a tropical storm watch has been issued in Jamaica.

The Atlantic hurricane season lasts until Nov. 30.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mom arrested after leaving newborn at Manhattan subway station: Police

Mom arrested after leaving newborn at Manhattan subway station: Police
Mom arrested after leaving newborn at Manhattan subway station: Police
A baby was found on a subway platform in Manhattan, New York, on Oct. 20, 2025. (WABC)

(NEW YORK) — The mother of a newborn baby found abandoned at a Midtown Manhattan subway station has been arrested, police said.

Assa Diawara, 30, was arrested early Wednesday in Queens on charges of abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the New York Police Department.

The baby girl was found wrapped in a blanket at the southbound 1 train platform at 34th Street-Penn Station during the Monday morning rush hour, police said.

The baby was taken to the hospital in stable condition, police said, with New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow calling it “the miracle on 34th Street.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.