(NEW YORK) — Forest rangers in New York rescued a man last week who had been stuck in a crevice in a cave for six hours, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The unidentified Brooklyn man was hiking with friends at Merlin’s Cave in the town of Canaan on May 17 when he became stuck in the crevice, the department wrote in the caption of a Facebook post Friday.

Forest Ranger Lt. John Gullen, who helped safely pull the man out, said in a video posted on the department’s social media page that the man “was really jammed in there more than I had expected.”

“It was like his full body was stuck in a crevice that was basically designed the exact shape of him,” Gullen said.

The man slipped into the crevice about 400 feet from the cave entrance, according to department officials, and had become completely immobilized.

Gullen said three of the man’s friends were still with him when rescuers arrived and had attempted to get him out themselves, but all of them had become hypothermic.

“With any cave rescue, hypothermia is a guarantee,” Gullen said. “It’s about 50 degrees [Fahrenheit] in the cave, and it’s almost 100% humidity, and that gets you cold quick, especially when you’re not moving.”

Gullen said the man maintained a positive attitude throughout the ordeal, as rescuers worked to free him.

“For most people, that’s like their worst nightmare. So he did such a great job keeping a positive attitude. He was giving me thumbs up … we were telling jokes,” he recalled.

The rescue crew were able to use a rock drill to carefully remove parts of the surrounding stone “inches from the subject’s head and back” until he was finally able to wiggle himself free, officials said.

“Once we were able to get to a point where we could high-five, we were high-fiving,” Gullen said. “It’s a feeling that I wish everyone could experience, because there’s nothing like it.”

The man was ultimately able to walk out of the cave on his own after being warmed up, according to officials.

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(ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C.) –At least 19 people were injured early Sunday in a crowd stampede at an annual motorcycle festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, authorities said.

The incident at the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival occurred just after 1 a.m. local time near a stage at the event. Police suspect it was started by an individual who suddenly began running through the crowd, officials said.

“At no time were there any confirmed fights, weapons, or direct threats to public safety. The situation appears to have been triggered when an individual began running, causing a brief chain reaction within the crowd that lasted only seconds,” Atlantic Beach Interim Town Manager Titus Leaks said in a statement.

Leaks said that police officers assigned to crowd control at the event in Atlantic Beach, about 17 miles north of Myrtle Beach, quickly calmed the panicked crowd and restored order.

In an earlier online statement, Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR) referred to the stampede as a “mass casualty incident.”

HCFR reported that 19 people were evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries and three people were hospitalized.

Leaks said that once the situation was stabilized, the event resumed normal operations.

“First and foremost, we want to express our sincere concern for anyone who was injured or impacted,” Leaks said. “Any situation where individuals are harmed is taken seriously, and our thoughts are with those affected as they recover. The safety and well-being of our residents and visitors remains our highest priority.”

The Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival has been held every Memorial Day weekend for the past 40 years, attracting visitors and motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country, officials said.

Last year’s event was marred by several high-profile incidents, including a party boat shooting in Little River and multiple fights that sent several people to the hospital, according to ABC affiliate station WCIV in Charleston, South Carolina.

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(NEW YORK) –A soggy weather pattern will continue to plague the eastern half of the nation on Sunday with wet and cool conditions, but some improvement is in store for the Northeast and Midwest leading into Memorial Day.

Flood watches have been issued for the eastern Texas coast and into southern Louisiana and Mississippi, including the cities of Beaumont, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, for heavy rain through Memorial Day.

A widespread one to two inches of additional rain is likely from southern Louisiana up to the Carolinas, with pockets of two to four-plus inches possible with the heaviest downpours.

Some of these storms could also be strong enough to produce gusty winds as well as some small hail.

The rainy weather is causing some flight delays on Sunday at airports, including O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago Sunday morning due to thunderstorms. Arriving flights at O’Hare were experiencing average delays of 44 minutes, according to the FAA. Flights scheduled to depart from O’Hare were experiencing delays of up to one hour and 45 minutes, according to the FAA.

Thunderstorms forecast for central Indiana on Sunday afternoon could interrupt the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. ET, but the National Weather Service office in Indianapolis is forecasting a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms that could affect the race.  

Memorial Day forecast
Scattered rain and thunderstorms continue to linger in the South for Memorial Day.

The Northeast will see some rain move through early Monday morning but it will gradually begin to clear out, making way for a drier and mild afternoon and evening. Most of the region warms back up to average temperatures for Memorial Day.

The Midwest may see an isolated shower or two but will mostly be dry, with warm temperatures.

Much of the West remains warm and dry, except for the Pacific Northwest, where some clouds and showers will begin moving in, causing cooler temperatures.

Post-holiday forecast
For folks going back to work or school or making their way back home from the holiday weekend, the South will continue to see scattered rain and thunderstorms into the new work week. This may cause some minor travel hiccups for those traveling by plane and some slippery conditions for drivers.

The Northwest will see some clouds and showers move into the region and begin to spread into the intermountain areas of the West later on in the week, but it won’t be a complete soaker. 

This will also usher in noticeably cooler temperatures for much of the West for Tuesday into Wednesday, with highs going from the 70s and 80s for most of Monday down into the 60s and barely reaching the 70s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Secret Service said officers shot and killed an armed man who opened fire at a White House checkpoint Saturday evening.

A bystander was also struck by gunfire in the incident, but it was not immediately clear how, the Secret Service said.

The man, who has not yet been named by authorities, allegedly walked up to the checkpoint in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW around 6 p.m., removed a weapon from a bag and began firing at the officers posted there, the Secret Service said.

“Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died,” the Secret Service said in a statement.

Regarding the bystander who was struck, the Secret Service said: “It remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire.”

There was no immediate word on the bystander’s condition.

No Secret Service members were hurt during the incident, which is still under investigation.

President Donald Trump praised law enforcement for their response, writing on social media, “Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.”

Trump added, “The gunman is dead after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service Agents near the White House gates. This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C. The National Security of our Country demands it!”

What we know about the alleged suspect
The alleged suspect was a 21-year-old who was known to the Secret Service, multiple officials told ABC News. 

Courts records indicate that the same alleged suspect had a stay-away order from the White House put in place on July 11, 2025.

He had been arrested the day before after attempting to get into the White House and get past a security checkpoint, according to a court record. He told officers he was “Jesus Christ” and allegedly told officers he wanted to get arrested.

In a separate incident on June 26, he was involuntary committed, according to the same court record.

Reporters told to run for cover
At the time of the shooting, Trump was in the Oval Office working with aides Steven Cheung, Natalie Harp, Margo Martin and others, according to a White House Official.

ABC News’ Selina Wang was filming a piece for social media platforms at the White House when the apparent gun shots sounded. She and crew members quickly ducked for cover.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in an X post that the agency was on scene and assisting the Secret Service.

“We will update the public as we’re able,” Patel said. 

When the gunshots sounded, reporters were told to sprint into the White House Press Briefing Room.

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(CALIFORNIA) — An “emergency hazmat incident” in California has prompted evacuations, with officials warning that a chemical tank at an aerospace facility is in “crisis” and will either fail or explode.

Firefighters initially responded to a leak at an aerospace manufacturing company in Garden Grove on Thursday, for vapor releasing from a 34,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. 

Officials updated Friday that there is no active gas leak or plume, but that the tank is “actively in crisis” and unable to be secured. Damage to a valve on the tank has “created additional operational challenges,” city officials said.

“There are literally two options left remaining: one, the tank fails and spills a total of about 6- to 7,000 gallons of very bad chemicals into the parking lot in that area. Or two, the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up, affecting the tanks that are around them that have fuel or the chemicals in them as well,” Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said in a video update Friday.

“Most importantly, right now, there is no active gas leak, no plume in the area. We are setting up these evacuations in preparation for these two options — it fails or it blows up,” he said.

Authorities have issued evacuation orders for the surrounding area. Over a dozen schools have temporarily closed, and those adjacent to the evacuation area are canceling outdoor activities “out of an abundance of caution,” the Garden Grove Unified School District said.

Methyl methacrylate is an industrial chemical used in plastics and manufacturing.

ABC News has reached out to the aerospace manufacturing company, GKN Aerospace, for comment.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the incident, his office said.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said it is “closely monitoring the incident in Garden Grove and has deployed personnel to work alongside local partners.”

“Please heed all orders from local authorities — evacuation orders have expanded,” it said Friday.

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