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(NEW YORK) — Health officials in New York City said they are investigating a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease.

As of July 6, 23 cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been confirmed in two of Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhoods, according to the New York City Department of Health. So far, no deaths have been associated with the cluster.

In a notice to the two neighborhoods — Carnegie Hill and Yorkville — the department said it believes the likely source of the bacteria is a cooling tower in the area, which sprays a mist that contains the bacteria.

The health department said there is no issue with any building’s plumbing system and that residents in the affected areas can continue to drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook and use their air conditioners.

“All cooling towers in [the] area are being sampled and tested in the NYC Public Health Lab,” Mark Levine, the city’s comptroller, wrote in a post on X on Sunday evening. “It unfortunately takes several weeks for cultures to grow.”

Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or contaminated water accidentally going into the lungs.

The bacteria are found naturally in freshwater but amounts generally don’t lead to disease. The bacteria typically grow best in warm water and in warm to hot temperatures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The disease does not generally spread from person to person, but infections can occur if the bacteria get into a building’s water supply, including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters, cooling towers and other plumbing systems.

Legionnaires’ disease has increased in prevalence over the last decade, reaching a peak of 2.71 cases per 100,000 in 2018, the CDC said. Cases dropped during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and then rebounded in 2021.

Although most people recover from Legionnaires’ disease with antibiotics, certain patients — including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases — can develop complications that can be fatal.

About one out of every 10 people who develop Legionnaires’ disease will die due to complications, according to the CDC. Among those who develop Legionnaires’ disease during a stay in a healthcare facility, about one out of every four people will die, the federal health agency added.

The NYC health department said anyone who lives or works in the affected areas — or has visited since late June — and is experiencing flu-like symptoms should contact a healthcare provider immediately. The ZIP codes for the areas are 10028, 10128, and 10075.

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(OCEAN TOWNSHIP, N.J.) — The roof of a BJ’s Wholesale Club in New Jersey partially collapsed during heavy rain on Monday, temporarily entrapping two people who were able to safely escape, authorities said.

No injuries have been reported following the incident at the big-box store in Ocean Township, authorities said.

Video from the store’s security camera captured the collapse, showing a portion of the roof fall near the bakery section as a deluge of water flooded the interior. Local officials have confirmed they are looking at the video as part of an investigation into the incident.

Multiple agencies responded to the store around 11:16 a.m. ET following reports of the partial roof collapse, authorities said. There were 27 people inside the store at the time, including two who became partially entrapped but were able to free themselves and safely leave, according to local authorities.  

First responders conducted a “comprehensive search” of the building, and a drone and K-9 teams were also involved in the search effort to ensure no one remained inside, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Ocean Township Police Department said in a joint statement.

The collapse occurred as heavy rain pummeled the area, resulting in “extreme flooding,” the sheriff’s office said. Up to six inches of rain was reported in the area over the past 24 hours, with most of the rain falling since early Monday morning. 

“This incident is another reminder of how quickly severe weather can create dangerous and unpredictable conditions,” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said in a statement about the collapse. “We commend all first responders who worked with urgency under challenging circumstances. Despite the ongoing flooding and severe weather affecting our communities, all worked seamlessly together to ensure everyone was safely accounted for.”

ABC News has reached out to BJ’s Wholesale Club for comment.

Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners Director Thomas Arnone commended the “swift response” by agencies in the incident while urging residents to stay alert for updates regarding flash flooding and other storm-related damage in the area. 

The heavy rain that was occurring at the time of the roof collapse has since ended, though additional rounds of rain are possible through the evening hours.

A flood watch remains in effect until 8 p.m. ET Monday in Monmouth County, according to the National Weather Service.

ABC News’ Daniel Peck contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — More than 60 million people from Ohio to Massachusetts and Virginia are bracing for possible flash flooding on Monday following a deadly holiday weekend heat wave that left much of the East Coast sweltering in triple-digit temperatures.

New York City and Long Island appear to be in the center of the storm zone, with a level 3 out of 4 threat for flash flooding. Southern Connecticut, Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts are also expected to get heavy rain.

Up to 3 inches of rain per hour is possible in some parts of the Northeast, and some areas could receive up to 8 inches.

A flood watch is in effect for the entire New York City metropolitan area through Monday night.

A flash-flood warning has been issued for more than 2.5 million people in the Philadelphia area, where flooding was already reported Monday, including in the Lemon Hill Park neighborhood in North Philadelphia.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released an online video statement on Sunday, advising New Yorkers to take precautions.

“We ask New Yorkers in this time to stay safe, stay prepared, and to keep an eye out for one another,” said Mamdani, adding that city workers were out over the weekend clearing catch basins and preparing neighborhoods that are historically flood-prone for the impending storm.

The mayor asked New Yorkers who live in basement apartments to plan to evacuate.

“If you see water rising around you, move to higher ground,” Mamdani said.

The storms expected on Monday follow a multi-day heat wave. Parts of the mid-Atlantic and South saw heavy rain on Sunday night.

At one point, more than 800,000 utility customers from Oklahoma to Connecticut lost electricity on Sunday, including 85,000 in New York, according to the website PowerOutage.com.

In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said that thunderstorms on Friday night and over the weekend knocked out power to nearly 300,000 utility customers and that wind gusts of up to 80 mph toppled trees and power lines.

At least 25 people are suspected to have died in New Jersey from the sweltering heat wave that had enveloped a large portion of the country, officials said.

At least 60,424 utility customers in New Jersey, 43,664 in New York, more than 95,000 across Pennsylvania and at least 100,000 in Michigan remained without power on Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.com.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Raynard Washington told reporters at the news conference on Saturday that many of the people who perished in the heat in New Jersey were found in homes without air conditioning.

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(CHINO, Calif.) –A man has been arrested for involuntary manslaughter after a woman died and three people were injured from a fireworks explosion in Southern California over the weekend, authorities said.

Investigators believe a large quantity of fireworks ignited, prompting an explosion during 4th of July celebrations Saturday night in Chino, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, Chino police said. The blast also engulfed a car in flames, police said.

Derion Tradon James Jr., 28, was detained at the scene and later booked on an involuntary manslaughter charge, police said.

“There was a humongous explosion. The explosion was so loud, it’s what I would assume a gas line in a house blew up,” witness Gabriel Gilmore told ABC Los Angeles station KABC. “… The plume of smoke that rose from the floor was equivalent to the size of the house.”

One victim, a woman in her 20s, was taken to a hospital where she died from her injuries, police said on Sunday.

Two other adults suffered serious injuries but are expected to survive, according to police, who said a child was also injured and has since been released from the hospital.

A spokesperson for the Chino police department told ABC News that the investigation into the incident is “active and ongoing,” and that “detectives are continuing to work closely with the Ontario [California] Fire Department’s bomb squad to determine exactly what occurred.”

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(PROVO, Utah) — A crucial court hearing is expected to get underway on Monday to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to warrant a murder trial for the alleged assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Utah prosecutors have said they have a mountain of evidence against the suspect, 23-year-old Tyler James Robinson, and plan to seek the death penalty.

The state is expected to begin presenting its evidence on Monday at a preliminary hearing in the 4th District Court in Provo, Utah. The hearing is expected to last up to five days.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and his parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, are expected to attend the suspect’s preliminary hearing, according to The Associated Press.

The Kirk family released a statement Monday morning, saying, “Charlie was a beloved husband, son, brother, friend, and father.”

“Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children,” the family said. “We remain deeply grateful for the support, prayers, and kindness we have received. This outpouring has sustained us during the darkest days of our lives.”

The family said it will not be commenting further on the case: “We ask for continued privacy as we navigate this process and immense grief.”

District Judge Tony Graf will weigh the evidence presented by prosecutors and decide if there is enough to hold Robinson over for trial and whether prosecutors can proceed in seeking the death penalty.

Prosecutors need only to demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to warrant a trial for Robinson. If Graf orders Robinson to proceed to trial, prosecutors must then prove beyond a reasonable doubt at a trial that the defendant is guilty of killing the 31-year-old Kirk.

Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

Robinson has yet to enter a plea to the charges, and his attorneys have not issued any statements on his guilt or innocence.

The fatal shooting of Kirk, who was the founder of the conservative youth movement Turning Point USA and a strong ally of President Donald Trump, occurred in September 2025 at an outdoor rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

On Sept. 10, 2025, Kirk was holding the first stop of his “The American Comeback Tour,” which invited students on college campuses to debate hot-button issues. He was at an amphitheater on the campus of Utah Valley University taking a question about gun violence in America when a single shot rang out from a distance away, hitting him in the left side of his neck.

Kirk’s security team immediately carried him to a vehicle and rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police investigators have said the shot that killed Kirk was fired from the rooftop of a building about 200 feet from where Kirk was speaking.

Robinson allegedly fled the scene on foot, prompting a massive manhunt. He surrendered to authorities on the night of Sept. 11, 2025, after his father contacted law enforcement officials and told them he recognized his son in photographs of the suspect released by authorities, officials said.

According to court documents, Robinson allegedly confessed in a note left for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

On the day of the shooting, Robinson allegedly sent his boyfriend a text message that said, “Drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,” Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said at a news conference following Robinson’s arrest.

Robinson’s boyfriend told police that he found a handwritten letter under the keyboard, according to Gray, who said the note read in part, “If you are reading this per my text, then I am so sorry. I left the house this morning on a mission, and set an auto text.”

Gray said Robinson allegedly sent another message to his boyfriend, in which he allegedly said of Kirk, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

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(VINTON COUNTY, Ohio) — Four people have been charged with child endangerment after 16 children were removed from a home in Ohio where officials say they were living in “deplorable conditions.”

Authorities executed a search warrant at the home in Hamden in Vinton County on Tuesday, where they say they found the children and four suspects inside.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the evidence in the case is “beyond comprehension.”

“I think if they would have waited another 24 hours, that there was a very high probability that we’d be dealing with a death or multiple deaths of these children,” he said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said this is not a case of human trafficking, but an “intra-family situation.”

He described the suspects as being the “grandma, grandpa, father and mother” during Wednesday’s press briefing.

The four suspects — Gary Siders Sr., 73; Christina Siders, 67; Gary Siders II, 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33 — have each been charged with 16 counts of endangering children, a second-degree felony, according to officials. They pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Wednesday morning and their bond was set at $300,000 each. They will likely request court-appointed counsel, officials said.

The charges allege the four suspects abused the children, resulting in “serious physical harm.”  

The children range in age from 1 ½ to 18, according to Wilson. He did not go into the nature of the injuries but said seven of the children were transported to the hospital on Tuesday, including two who were airlifted there. One of the children was in critical condition, Wilson said.

Archer said the children are safe and officials are working to have them placed in temporary custody.

“They are currently in a good situation and are being protected,” he said.

Wilson said the investigation has been ongoing for some time, and that a separate but “parallel” investigation led law enforcement to execute the search warrant on Tuesday.

The family had lived in Vinton County for the past four years and were “clearly bouncing around,” according to Wilson.

“They were pretty adept at keeping these kids out of sight and out of investigative eyes,” he said.

The children were not enrolled in school, according to Wilson. The eldest child is included among the charges because the 18-year-old is believed to developmentally still be a minor, officials said.

“Some of these children couldn’t even speak,” Wilson said. “It was terrible.”

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described the condition of the house as “disgusting,” including the presence of human feces, and said the children were largely confined to a small area.

“Most of our livestock is kept in better condition than the children,” Cain said during Wednesday’s briefing.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called the situation “tragic.”

“It is heartbreaking to learn the conditions that these children were living in, and to learn of their medical conditions,” DeWine said in a statement, which also thanked those helping them.

An attorney for one of the suspects said that the case is in an “extremely preliminary stage.”

Gary Siders Sr. is “entitled to the same presumption of innocence that every person charged in this county should and does enjoy,” his attorney, Dorian Keith Baum, said in a statement on Thursday, in part.

“So while there is little ability to stop all speculation, conjecture, or uncorroborated guess-work from taking place, I would ask that we all let the process play out, irrespective of the sensationalist underpinnings of the allegations against Mr. Siders, so that we as his defense counsel can be provided with whatever evidence the State allegedly has in order to give it a thorough review and determine if the State can meet their burden of proof; or, alternatively, if Mr. Siders is actually not guilty of what is being alleged,” the statement continued.

ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

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(KATY, Texas) — A Texas man has been arrested on a manslaughter charge after his Tesla crashed into a home last month while he claimed it was in self-driving mode, killing a woman inside the residence, authorities said.

The driver, Michael Butler, was arrested on Wednesday and booked at the Harris County Jail, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Butler is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on July 6, according to online jail records. He remained in custody on Thursday morning, according to jail records.

The fatal crash allegedly involving Butler unfolded on June 19 in the Houston suburb of Katy, Texas, according to the sheriff’s office.

Butler was traveling in his Tesla Model 3 around 8 p.m. local time and claimed the vehicle was operating “with an automated driving assistance system,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Butler allegedly failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway and crashed through the front of a two-story brick residence, according to the sheriff’s office.

Butler’s car allegedly drove into the front room of the home, pinning 76-year-old Martha Avila, the sheriff’s office said.

Avila was airlifted to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.

Avila’s family filed a $1 million wrongful death lawsuit last month in Harris County District Court, alleging Tesla and Butler were negligent.

“So, what we have is a horrific and what we believe will be proven to show preventable crash amidst a rising number of autonomous vehicle crashes, particularly including Tesla. And in this particular situation, a 76-year-old grandmother who was tragically, preventively and needlessly killed while in her own residence,” Ryan Zehl, an attorney for Avila’s family, told ABC News in an interview last month.

Investigators said Butler, who was injured, showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperating with investigators.

It was unclear on Thursday if Butler had hired an attorney.

Investigators said Butler claimed his car was in self-driving mode, but Tesla disputed that and alleged he overrode the feature.

Following the crash, Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla, posted a response on social media, saying Butler’s account of the crash “makes no sense.”

“FSD [full self-driving] drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high-speed crash!” Musk said in his post.

In a separate online post, Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of artificial intelligence, responded to Musk, alleging that the self-driving mode on Butler’s vehicle was manually overridden.

“Yup. In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area,” Eluswamy claimed in his post. “They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash.”

Zehl said that Tesla has a system called a collision snapshot that sends data to its servers during significant crashes.

“So they clearly have the data because they’re talking about accelerator data. We would like to see it. We don’t have it. We will request it,” Zehl said.

The crash is being investigated by local authorities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board.

ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — A daredevil couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday appeared to have broken through a door to get to the antenna, investigators revealed Thursday before the pair was given a supervised release.

Officers could not go up to the couple during their stunt, which ended with one of the climbers proposing to the other, because they had to power the antenna down for safety, investigators said.

Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, both Russians with a current address in East Orange, New Jersey, were charged with multiple felonies in Manhattan Criminal Court including reckless endangerment, burglary and other charges. They did not enter a plea.

“We will do supervised release. We will do it at a low level,” a judge said Thursday.

Still despite the serious charges and dangerous aspects of their stunt, the two were all smiles and kissed for cameras on Thursday as the newly engaged pair left court.

“We love New York,” Kuznetsov said after the court appearance.

Kuznetsov told detectives he had to “do something special for his engagement,” according to the complaint.

Jason Krinsky, an attorney who is representing the couple, said the district attorney’s office “overcharged” the case.

“They are trying to send a message,” Krinsky said after the court appearance about the prosecutors’ charges. 

“As far as what I’ve seen, and I’m sure you have all seen, It was a message of love. You know, that’s a nice thing.”

The couple appeared in court wearing the same black outfits they had during their stunt. Their next court appearance is August 24.

They held hands and smiled after they left court and barely spoke to reporters who asked questions about the stunt and their wedding plans.

Just before the couple entered a subway, they posed for cameras with a long kiss.

The DA’s criminal complaint provided more details on how the couple allegedly climbed their way to the 1,454 foot peak of the building.

The complaint alleges that a lock on the security door to the Empire State Building’s 104th floor, which provides access to the building’s broadcast antenna, was broken.

An officer told prosecutors that there was an additional safety risk for the couple and first responders as the antenna “emits high-frequency radio signals that are powerful enough to cause harm to the human body,” the criminal complaint said.

“As a result, the antenna was powered down before members of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit could approach the two individuals on and around the broadcast antenna,” the criminal complaint said.

First responders had to wait 30 minutes while the antenna powered down before they could approach the couple, according to the complaint.

Nikolau and Kuznetsov, who have gained an online following for their death-defying skyscraper climbs around the world, stayed on top of the structure for several minutes as cameras rolled on the action before they came down the spire, the New York Police Department said.

They unfurled a black banner with an apparent reference to a Jimi Hendrix quote and said in white letters, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”

Kuznetsov, who is also known as Ivan Beerkus, appeared to propose to his longtime girlfriend before they were taken into custody.

They posted close up photos of the proposal and the ring on social media before they were taken into custody.

Security was supposed to have been strengthened following previous attempts by trespassers to take selfies near the spire.

Officials said they believe the two may have observed building employees and used a worker entrance to get around the screening.

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(NEW YORK) –A daredevil couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday were given supervised release following a brief court appearance Thursday as investigators revealed new details on how they ascended to the top of the spire.

Angelina Nikolau, 33, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, both Russians with a current address in East Orange, New Jersey, were held overnight at 100 Centre Street, where Manhattan Criminal Court is located.

The couple was charged with reckless endangerment, burglary and other charges. They did not enter a plea.

“We will do supervised release. We will do it at a low level,” the judge said.

Jason Krinsky, an attorney who is representing the couple, said the district attorney’s office “overcharged” the case.

The couple appeared in court wearing the same black outfits they had during their stunt. Their next court appearance is August 24.

The DA’s criminal complaint provided more details on how the couple allegedly climbed their way to the 1,454 foot peak of the building.

The complaint alleges that a lock on the security door to the Empire State Building’s 104th floor, which provides access to the building’s broadcast antenna, was broken.

An officer told prosecutors that there was an additional safety risk for the couple and first responders as the antenna “emits high-frequency radio signals that are powerful enough to cause harm to the human body,” the criminal complaint said.

“As a result, the antenna was powered down before members of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit could approach the two individuals on and around the broadcast antenna,” the criminal complaint said.

First responders had to wait 30 minutes while the antenna powered down before they could approach the couple, according to the complaint.

Nikolau and Kuznetsov, who have gained an online following for their death-defying skyscraper climbs around the world, stayed on top of the structure for several minutes as cameras rolled on the action before they came down the spire, the New York Police Department said.

Kuznetsov, who is also known as Ivan Beerkus, appeared to propose to his longtime girlfriend before they were taken into custody.

Both face multiple charges — including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, violation of a local law, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct and possession of burglar’s tools — according to police.

Security was supposed to have been strengthened following previous attempts by trespassers to take selfies near the spire.

Officials said they believe the two may have observed building employees and used a worker entrance to get around the screening.

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(NEW YORK) — A dangerous heat wave is bringing prolonged extreme heat to more than two dozen states across the Midwest, the South and the East Coast.

The heat wave began in the Midwest on Monday and has since spread east, where it’s set to last into the Fourth of July weekend.

With holiday travel in full effect, Amtrak canceled over a dozen trains in the Northeast Thursday due to the heat.

On Thursday, the heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — is expected to hit a scorching 111 degrees in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., 106 in Boston, 102 in Chicago, 108 in Detroit, and 110 in Nashville, Tennessee.

New York City’s heat index is forecast to reach 110 degrees, which has only happened three times in the last 80 years.

The city has activated its heat emergency plan and is opening hundreds of cooling centers.

“I’m also asking every employer to plan ahead with their teams, build in flexibility, and make sure that no one is put at risk during their jobs this week,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

On Friday, the heat index is forecast to hit 108 degrees in New York, 105 in Boston, 112 in Washington, D.C., and 111 in Memphis, Tennessee.

There will be minimal relief overnight, which makes the heat even more dangerous.

On the Fourth of July on Saturday, the heat will improve slightly for the Northeast, but will still feel like the triple digits, with the heat index expected to reach 103 degrees in New York and 107 in D.C.

By Sunday and Monday, the strongest heat and humidity will settle over the Southeast. Raleigh, North Carolina, is expected to feel like 107 degrees and Savannah, Georgia, will feel like 105 degrees.

Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S. At least 13,000 Americans have died from the heat since 2018, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Click here for tips on how to stay safe.

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