(SAN DIEGO) — Border Patrol agents in San Diego rescued an injured cyclist who fell more than 50 feet from a cliff and into a remote canyon, authorities said.
On Saturday, San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents working in the vicinity of Otay Lakes County Park in California “heard cries for help originating from a canyon adjacent to the Sweetwater Dam,” according to a statement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday.
After hearing the calls for help, agents began investigating and hiked into the canyon where they encountered a man suffering from multiple serious injuries, officials said.
“The cyclist told agents he lost his footing while walking his bike along a trail on the canyon wall, falling more than 50 feet into the bottom of the canyon,” CBP said in their statement regarding the incident. “Unable to move for hours, he called for help until he was finally found by the Border Patrol agents.”
Additional agents, including a Border Patrol emergency medical technician, arrived on scene to assist with the rescue operation and stabilize the injured man, authorities said.
“There is no doubt in my mind that these agents saved this man’s life,” said San Diego Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey D. Stalnaker. “I am truly thankful the agents were in the right place at the right time to make a difference.”
The injured cyclist was airlifted by a San Diego Fire-Rescue helicopter and taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for his injuries. Officials did not give any details on the man’s medical condition.
Agents returned to the scene the next day to recover the bike and other personal belongings, ultimately delivering the items to the cyclist’s wife, authorities said.
Theme park guests enjoy a ride on Stardust Racers within Celestial Park at Universal Epic Universe. Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(ORLANDO, Fla.) — The family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, the man who died after riding a roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park in Florida last week, remembered the 32-year-old as a roller coaster enthusiast, as attorneys for the family said they are conducting an independent investigation into his death.
Zavala became unresponsive while riding the new Stardust Racers roller coaster at the Universal Orlando Resort park on Sept. 17, according to a statement from Universal Orlando Resort. He was transported to a hospital, where he was declared dead, park officials said.
He died from multiple blunt impact injuries, according to the local medical examiner, who determined the manner of death to be accidental.
Zavala’s family has since retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who said they are conducting an independent investigation to get to the “truth” and determine if anything could have prevented his death.
“We have to know what happened,” Crump said during a press briefing in Orlando on Wednesday. “We have to get answers.”
Zavala’s father, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz, said his son was born with a spinal cord atrophy. He used a wheelchair but was “not under any medical restrictions that would have prevented him” from riding the Stardust Racer, Crump said.
Zavala graduated with a bachelor’s degree in game design and loved to play video games, his father said. He worked as a job coach at the family’s business, which helped people with disabilities get job training and find employment, his father said.
“We are really proud of him,” his father said during the press briefing. “He was incredible.”
His mother, Ana Zavala, remembered him as a good son and friend who was an “angel.”
“I never put any limits on my son, regardless of what condition he had — he had no limits,” she said during the press briefing in remarks translated from Spanish. “He was raised like his siblings, no different. He was completely independent.”
She said he “loved theme parks” and roller coasters and was excited to go to Universal’s Epic Universe with his girlfriend, who got them the tickets and was with him on the ride that night.
“That last day, on the 17th, he was extremely happy all day,” she said.
His two siblings remembered Zavala as an amazing brother, as the family called for answers.
“I don’t want anybody else to feel like I feel right now,” his father said. “So please help me to get that done.”
Paul Grinke, an attorney with Crump’s firm, said they will be bringing together multiple experts, including in design, operations, manufacturing and construction, as part of their investigation. Crump also said they want to focus on restraints and will likely be advised by disability experts.
“We will find out what happened here, and we’ll try to make sure this never happens again, so that another grieving family is not standing in front of you,” Grinke said.
An officer who responded to the park around 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 17 for a “medical emergency” saw CPR in progress on Zavala “on the platform directly parallel to the ride tracks” for the roller coaster, according to an incident report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Zavala was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after 10 p.m. that day, according to the incident report.
Zavala had ridden roller coasters “many times before without incident,” Natalie Jackson, an attorney with Crump’s firm, said during the press briefing.
He had been sitting at the front of the ride, according to Crump.
Based on witness reports, Jackson said they learned that Zavala “suffered repeated head injuries during the ride and was unconscious for the majority” of the ride. Crump said Zavala hit himself against metal on the ride.
An internal review found that the ride systems “functioned as intended,” the “equipment was intact” during the ride and park employees followed procedures, according to a memo sent in the wake of Zavala’s death from Universal Orlando Resort President Karen Irwin to staff.
A Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday that the department’s current findings’ “align with those shared by Universal after monitoring the same tests and reviewing the same information.”
The state’s investigation remains ongoing, the spokesperson said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is also conducting an investigation into the incident, and Universal is conducting a “comprehensive review process in cooperation with the ride manufacturer of record,” Irwin said.
“Safety is, and always will be, at the forefront of everything we do,” she said in the memo.
The ride, which opened in May along with the rest of the Epic Universe theme park, reaches speeds of up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet. It remains closed in the wake of Zavala’s death amid the investigations.
“We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones,” Universal Orlando Resort said in a statement last week. “We are fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation.”
Crump’s firm also represented the family of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who fell to his death while riding the since-dismantled Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park in 2022.
“It’s really shocking to me that two years after Tyre Sampson, that we’re here at another tragic death related to an amusement ride,” Crump said. “It is troubling. We have to get this right. We can’t have a third time. We just can’t.”
Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Washington D.C., June 8, 2017. Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Donald Trump’s handpicked U.S. Attorney in Virginia is planning to ask a grand jury in the coming days to indict former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly lying to Congress, despite prosecutors and investigators determining there was insufficient evidence to charge him, sources with direct knowledge of the probe told ABC News.
Earlier this week, prosecutors presented Lindsey Halligan — Trump’s former personal attorney whom he appointed to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia — with a detailed memo recommending that she decline to bring perjury and obstruction charges against Comey, the sources familiar with the memo said.
A monthslong investigation into Comey by DOJ prosecutors failed to establish probable cause of a crime — meaning that not only would they be unable to secure a conviction of Comey by proving the claims beyond a reasonable doubt, but that they couldn’t reach a significantly lower standard to secure an indictment, the sources said.
According to Justice Department guidelines, prosecutors are generally barred from bringing charges unless they can prove a defendant will “more likely than not be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by an unbiased trier of fact and that the conviction will be upheld on appeal.”
Despite their recommendations, Halligan — who has never prosecuted a criminal case in her career as an insurance lawyer — plans to present evidence to a grand jury before the statute of limitations for the alleged offense expires next week, the sources said.
Comey’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Halligan’s apparent plan to seek charges against Comey follows a clear directive from Trump, who over the weekend directly called for prosecutions against Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Texas Department of Transportation traffic camera shows heavy police presence by the Dallas ICE field office. (Texas Department of Transportation)
(DALLAS) — A sniper opened fire on the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Wednesday morning, killing one detainee and critically wounding two other detainees, the Department of Homeland Security said.
DHS previously said two detainees were killed and one was injured; the agency later issued a correction saying one died and two were shot but survived.
One of the wounded is a Mexican national, according to Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While no officers were injured, the Department of Homeland Security said the shooting was “an attack on ICE law enforcement.”
The shooter, who was on a nearby rooftop, “fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot,” DHS said in a statement. The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.
Vice President JD Vance said during remarks in North Carolina on Wednesday that evidence that has not yet been released shows the shooter was a “left-wing extremist” who was “politically motivated to go after people who are enforcing our border.”
The FBI said the shooting is being investigated “as an act of targeted violence.”
FBI special agent Joe Rothrock said it appeared that rounds “found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti-ICE in nature.”
FBI Director Kash Patel released images of recovered unspent shell casings, including one engraved with the phrase “ANTI-ICE,” and DHS released a photo that appears to show a gunshot in an American flag display.
Mayra, a migrant who left Nicaragua four years ago, told ABC News she was with her husband at the ICE facility waiting for her immigration status check-in appointment when they heard gunshots outside.
She said security officers inside screamed at them to get down and the building immediately went on lockdown.
Mayra said her daughter, who was outside the facility at the time in case she got detained, screamed and ran for cover.
Mayra said she plans to return to the facility on Thursday for her new appointment.
The shooting comes as ICE has been ramping up deportation efforts throughout the country and DHS says ICE officers are facing a more than a 1,000% increase in assaults against them.
In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, federal officials are stressing that attacks on ICE and law enforcement must end.
“Our prayers are with the families of those killed and our ICE law enforcement. This vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “For months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed. This shooting must serve as a wake-up call.”
President Donald Trump wrote on social media, “This is despicable! The Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs, and remove the ‘WORST of the WORST’ Criminals out of our Country, but they are facing an unprecedented increase in threats, violence, and attacks by Deranged Radical Leftists.”
“This needs to stop,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at a news conference. “Violence is wrong, politically motivated violence is wrong.”
Vance said, “We’re praying both for our ICE agents, but also for everybody who’s affected by this terrible attack.”
House Democratic leaders in a statement thanked the first responders and offered their condolences to the victims’ families.
“No one in America should be violently targeted, including our men and women in law enforcement who protect and serve our neighborhoods, and the immigrants who are too often the victims of dehumanizing rhetoric,” the Democrats’ statement continued. “The political and ideologically-motivated violence in America has reached a breaking point this year. We need leaders who bring the country together in moments of crisis.”
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said he would put all ICE facilities on a higher alert to protect agents and civilians carrying out the agency’s mission.
ABC News’ Mireya Villarreal and Jim Scholz contributed to this report.
Wreckage from American Airlines flight 5342 is pulled from the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport, Feb. 3, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Family members of one of those killed on American Airlines Flight 5342 announced the first federal lawsuit filed Wednesday over the January midair collision between a regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington Reagan National Airport.
The lawsuit filed in federal district court in Washington alleges “wrongful death and survival claims, jointly and severally” against American Airlines and PSA Airlines — a regional carrier operating the flight for American — as well as the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army for what the suit calls their acts and omissions.
“The crash of American Eagle 5342 was predictable, it was preventable and caused the needless loss of 67 lives on that fateful evening,” Bob Clifford, one of the attorneys representing the families, said at a news conference.
All 67 people on board Flight 5342 and the helicopter were killed when they collided as the jet approached Reagan National, marking the nation’s first major commercial airline crash since 2009.
The lawsuit states that the crash could have been prevented if the Army and FAA had done what they were supposed to and had the FAA not created an environment which allowed certain conditions to exist in the Reagan National airspace.
“Knowing that there was massive congestion and these number of near-misses, we turned to the FAA and their responsibility to properly provide air traffic control that was not fully provided and properly provided on that evening,” Clifford said.
The lawsuit was also filed against American as the plaintiffs believe that despite having knowledge of the near-misses, the airline exposed its customers to the dangers and continued to seek more gates at the airport.
“Operators of a motor vehicle can’t run through a red light. Operators of a commercial aircraft cannot run through yellow lights, and they ran blatantly for years, many red lights here by allowing these planes to operate in the navigable space at DCA, knowing that there was massive congestion, that there was a massive intersection between military traffic regarding runways that were unique and required special training that they failed to provide to their pilots, the complaint against American is set out in a way that emphasizes their responsibility,” Clifford said.
Rachel Crafton, whose husband Casey was killed in the collision, said in a statement: “Because of systematic failures and reckless disregard for safety, his life, along with 66 others, was taken. Casey was betrayed by this system he trusted — we all were. As his wife, I cannot stand by and allow his life to be lost in vain.”
Crafton’s lawsuit is requesting a trial by jury and monetary damages from the airline and the U.S. government, with the compensation will be determined by a judge. The average time of a lawsuit of this nature is between two and three years, according to the lawyers.
Brian Alexander, a partner with the law firm of Kreindler and Kreindler which is also representing the families, said the lawsuit is also against the air traffic controllers who failed to issue a safety alert to the passenger jet, advising it to change course and avoid the collision.
“The primary duty of an air traffic controller is to separate traffic and to avoid midair collisions. In this particular case, they completely failed to meet that responsibility,” Alexander said.
In response to the lawsuit, American told ABC that the airline “has a strong track record of putting the safety of our customers and team members above everything else. We continue to support the ongoing NTSB investigation and will defend American and PSA Airlines against any legal action claiming the airline caused or contributed to this accident.”
The FAA said in a statement “Our hearts go out to the families who lost loved ones on that tragic January evening. Since the accident, [Transportation] Secretary [Sean] Duffy and the FAA have acted decisively to make the skies over our nation’s capital safer. We will continue to work closely with the NTSB to ensure no family has to suffer this pain again.”
The Army did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the suit.
President Donald Trump listens to a reporter’s question during a bilateral meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters on September 23, 2025 in New York City. World leaders convened for the 80th Session of UNGA, with this year’s theme for the annual global meeting being “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.” (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is once again making decorative changes to the White House — disparaging former President Joe Biden in the process.
The White House has installed a new presidential portrait gallery along the West Wing Colonnade, unveiling the wall of photos on Wednesday. While the new “Presidential Walk of Fame” features portraits of all the presidents in gilded frames, Biden’s portrait is replaced with a picture of an autopen.
Trump has long criticized Biden’s use of the autopen, a routine method of executing official documents when signatories are unable to sign them. The use of autopen is commonplace on Capitol Hill and in the White House and has been used by former presidents on both sides of the aisle.
Trump has pushed unfounded claims that Biden didn’t understand what was going on during his presidency because of his use of an autopen to sign legislation and pardons. Trump has suggested that the pardons Biden signed using the technology should be considered null and void.
Biden has pushed back on Trump’s claims.
“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false,” Biden said in his statement.
Trump has teased in recent weeks that he would make good on this extraordinary move as he continues to disparage Biden’s legacy.
The colonnade has served as an iconic part of the White House since it was built during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. The open-air walkway has been used by presidents and their staffers to travel quickly between the West Wing and the Executive Residence.
The gallery is part of Trump’s larger changes to the White House grounds which include paving over the grass and adding tables with umbrellas where he has since hosted dinners at the so-called “Rose Garden Club.”
This also isn’t the first time Trump has attempted to use his power to erase symbols of those he has disagreed with from being featured inside the White House.
In June, the Trump White House removed a portrait of Hillary Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of state as well as Trump challenger in the 2016 election. Clinton’s portrait was replaced it with a red, white and blue painting of Trump. Then in August, Trump moved portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush from the entryway of the White House to have a less-prominent position.
Interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin speaks during a press conference, May 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Ed Martin, a top DOJ official and director of the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group, on Wednesday withdrew his request to an attorney for a retired FBI agent who was among the first to respond to the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that suggested the agent could be under criminal investigation for testifying at the defamation trial of conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones.
Martin’s decision to retract his letter came after an admonishment from the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a person familiar with the matter told ABC News. Blanche ordered Martin to rescind his letter to Mattei on Wednesday following growing backlash after Jones made it public on his X account Tuesday.
“Dear Sir,” Martin said in the letter Wednesday to Christopher Mattei, the attorney for retired FBI agent William Aldenberg. “At this time, I write to inform you that there is no investigation of you or your client. Because of this, I hereby withdraw my request for information from you or your former client.”
The reversal came a day after Jones posted a copy of the letter Martin had sent to Mattei requesting a series of responses about Aldenberg’s involvement in the lawsuit that resulted in a $1.4 billion judgment against Jones.
“I am writing to request information from you regarding your client FBI Special Agent William Aldenberg and his role in certain litigation that may benefit him personally and that may impact our citizens and our legal system,” Martin wrote in the initial letter. “As you may know, there are criminal laws protecting the citizens from actions by government employees who may be acting for personal benefit. I encourage you to review those.”
Jones had previously posted a picture on Sep. 12 of him standing next to Martin, three days before Martin’s letter was sent to Mattei.
In a statement to ABC News Tuesday, Mattei blasted Martin over the letter describing it as the latest step in Jones’ campaign of harassment targeting Aldenberg and the Sandy Hook families.
“Thanks to the courage of the Sandy Hook families, Infowars will soon be finished,” Mattei said. “In his last gasps, Jones is once again harassing them, only now with the corrupt complicity of at least one DOJ official. It’s as disgusting as it is pathetic, and we will not stand for it.”
Jones was previously ordered to pay Aldenberg $90 million stemming from the defamation suit he and families of the Sandy Hook victims brought against Jones for harassment and threats they suffered in the wake of the tragedy as a result of conspiracy theories stoked by Jones.
At trial, Aldenberg broke into tears as he described being one of the first to arrive at the scene and entering the classrooms where 20 children had been killed.
Aldenberg later testified about years of threats and harassment he was forced to endure from people who bought into Jones’ theories about the shooting being a staged event to strip people of their 2nd Amendment rights.
Among the questions posed by Martin to Aldenberg’s attorneys was whether Aldenberg revealed “any financial benefit that might accrue to him as he led litigation and recruited other plaintiffs?” He further asked whether Aldenberg made clear that his testimony at Jones’ trial was “in his personal capacity” if he recused himself from any “matters in his work to protect himself and others from conflict.”
Martin had requested Mattei issue a formal response by Sept. 29.
During his previous tenure as the Interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., before his nomination had to be pulled due to lack of Republican support, Martin sent a series of similar letters to high-profile Democrats and other opponents of the president suggesting he had launched similar investigations into them.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not respond to questions regarding whether Attorney General Pam Bondi or other department leadership were aware of Martin’s inquiry to Mattei and if they had ordered him to rescind his letter.
(CHELAN COUNTY, Wash.) — The U.S. Marshals Service has declared Travis Decker, the 32-year-old father accused of allegedly killing his three daughters this summer, to be dead, according to a court filing obtained by ABC News.
“The United States Marshals Service has advised the Defendant TRAVIS CALEB DECKER is deceased,” according to the document, which was filed to dismiss the case and quash the arrest warrant for Decker.
Decker, an Army veteran, was previously wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping.
His daughters — Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5 — had left home for a planned visitation with him on May 30, and never returned, officials said. Three days later, the girls were found dead near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, following a search, police said.
Decker had been on the run since, sparking a multi-agency manhunt.
The declaration of Decker to be dead comes after the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced on Sept. 18 that remains located in a remote wooded area were believed to be the fugitive father.
While officials are still waiting on DNA testing to confirm whether the remains are Decker’s, the sheriff’s office said last week “preliminary findings suggest the remains belong to Travis Decker.”
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison told ABC News on Wednesday that they are not dropping their charges on Decker and will wait until DNA confirms the remains found belong to the father.
Morrison said he will make an announcement when they receive confirmation from the DNA results.
The remains were found on Sept. 18 in Leavenworth, Washington, when a drone carrying out a search found an “anomaly,” which was later discovered to be a shirt, consistent with what Decker had been wearing around the time of the killings.
Authorities also found U.S. Ranger shorts, chewing tobacco and a bracelet.
Morrison told reporters last week all indications are that Decker died in that location a while ago.
“We are praying that the remains found are confirmed to be Travis’s. We continue to be grateful for law enforcement’s efforts in this case and are forever appreciative of the entire world’s love, compassion, and support for Whitney,” Arianna Cozart, the attorney for Whitney Decker — Decker’s ex-wife and mother of the three girls killed — said in a statement last week.
Decker’s daughters were each found with plastic bags over their heads and their wrists were zip-tied, according to court documents previously obtained by ABC News.
An autopsy determined the girls’ cause of death to be suffocation and the manner of death was homicide, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said on June 9.
Decker’s truck was recovered at the scene but he was not found
The U.S. Marshals Service was previously offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Decker’s arrest.
(SAN RAMON, Calif.) — A group of nearly 25 people ransacked a jewelry store in San Ramon, California, this week, stealing an estimated $1 million worth of merchandise, police confirmed to ABC News.
Seven suspects have been detained, so far, and some of the jewelry has been recovered, the San Ramon Police Department said.
The group looted Heller Jewelers, located at the City Center Bishop Ranch shopping mall, on Monday afternoon and was armed with at least three guns, according to police. Video obtained by ABC News’ San Francisco station ABC7 shows the masked mob storming the store and smashing displays with crowbars and pickaxes before being locked inside by automatic closing doors.
This is the second time in two years Heller Jewelers has been targeted in a massive heist, when a group of seven masked men similarly broke into the store on St. Patrick’s Day in 2023 and took $1.1 million worth of jewels. The suspects were later apprehended due to a GPS tracking device hidden inside a stolen Rolex, according to local reports at the time.
On Monday, a member of the group fired upon the door to escape before the thieves fled into six getaway vehicles in the valet area of the shopping mall — several of which were reportedly stolen, police said.
A representative of the City Center Bishop Ranch shopping mall declined to comment on the robbery to ABC News.
“When they went in, they basically took over the store,” San Ramon Police Department Lt. Mike Pistello told ABC7. “Taking whatever jewelry was available.”
Officers pursued the six getaway vehicles, but eventually ended the chase for public safety after the thieves exceeded 100 mph, Pistello said.
Since Monday, local police have arrested seven of the alleged culprits, including one juvenile. The suspects’ ages range from 17 to 31, and all are believed to live around Oakland, according to police, who say they believe the suspects are likely connected to other similar acts of robbery across the San Francisco Bay Area.
“This is not their first time doing something like this,” Pistello claimed.
Some of the jewelry and two of the firearms used in the crime have been recovered post hoc, according to authorities.
Authorities did not provide additional details about the suspects, but anyone with information is encouraged to call 925-733-7316.
(NEW YORK) — After President Donald Trump complained about having to deal with a stopped escalator during his visit to the United Nations, White House officials are demanding an investigation.
As first lady Melania Trump and the president stepped onto the escalator ahead of his speech on Tuesday morning, it stopped moving, prompting both of them to stop in their tracks.
The first couple then proceeded to walk up the escalator.
The U.N. has said that there appears to have been no foul play.
But that explanation hasn’t satisfied White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt who vowed to get to the bottom of Tuesday’s incident.
“If someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately,” she said in an X post.
Leavitt repeated her warnings on Fox News Tuesday night, but didn’t provide any evidence that what happened what deliberate.
“I know that we have people, including United States Secret Service, who are looking into this to try to get to the bottom of it,” she said.
At the start of the president’s address, his teleprompter also malfunctioned, which he complained about at the time and then again later in the day.
“The teleprompter was broken and the escalator came to a sudden halt as we were riding up to the podium, but both of those events probably made the speech more interesting than it would have been otherwise. It is always an honor to speak at the United Nations, even if, their equipment is somewhat faulty,” Trump posted on his social media platform.
The United Nations issued a statement about the incident, saying that the escalator stopping might have been triggered by a safety feature as a videographer was standing backward on the escalator, ahead of the president, while trying to film him.
“The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing. The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function described above,” the U.N. statement said.
“Our technician, who was at the location, reset the escalator as soon as the delegation had climbed up to the second floor. A subsequent investigation, including a readout of the machine’s central processing unit, indicated that the escalator had stopped after a built-in safety mechanism on the comb step was triggered at the top of the escalator,” the U.N. statement continued. “The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing. The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function described above.”
The U.N. has not immediately provided details about the teleprompter malfunction.
The White House has no additional comment on Wednesday.
