Author: Edward Campbell

A car caught fire Saturday evening after slamming into an Amtrak train near the Fort Lauderdale-Oakland Park border, sending flames and thick smoke into the air along the tracks. The crash happened around 7:30 p.m. near Powerline Road and Prospect Road, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. Emergency crews received several 911 calls reporting the collision, with callers saying a vehicle had caught fire near the tracks. Firefighters from both Fort Lauderdale and Oakland Park responded to find the car engulfed in flames right next to the stopped train. Crews moved quickly to put out the fire, then boarded the…

The family of 22-year-old Asia Bennett, who died after being shot by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officer on August 11, is pushing for the release of body camera footage before they lay her to rest. Officers were sent to a home on Westdale Drive around 10:45 p.m. that Tuesday after a report of a battery with injuries. According to JSO, the man at the home told the first responding officer that he had argued with Bennett, his girlfriend, and that she was inside holding a knife. JSO says Bennett then walked outside carrying several items, and when the officer ordered…

Two drivers picked the wrong spot on Interstate 295 to test their cars’ top speed — directly in front of an unmarked Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office vehicle. The incident unfolded on the night of Friday, Aug. 14, on the Buckman Bridge, a roughly 3-mile stretch of I-295 connecting Jacksonville’s Mandarin area to Orange Park. Officer Ernesto Valerio, a 22-year JSO veteran assigned to the Specialized Traffic Enforcement Unit, was driving an unmarked SUV when he noticed a red Chevrolet Corvette and a gray Dodge Challenger riding side by side, slowing down traffic behind them. Bodycam footage released by JSO on social…

A dramatic scene unfolded in Oakland Park on Saturday evening after a car collided with an Amtrak train and burst into flames, sending smoke and fire high into the air. The crash happened just before 7:30 p.m. near Powerline Road and Prospect Road. According to family members who spoke with reporters, the vehicle involved belonged to a woman who was a family friend — and her car had reportedly developed engine trouble right before it was struck. The car had apparently gotten stuck on the tracks after breaking down, and the driver managed to get out just before the train…

A contract worker at Miami International Airport is facing charges after investigators say he sold a passenger’s Cartier watch to a local jewelry store, weeks after the traveler left it behind on a flight. The passenger had flown into Miami from North Carolina on an American Airlines flight on June 8 and accidentally left a black leather crossbody bag behind after deplaning. The bag itself was worth around $260, but it held nearly $12,378 in valuables, including a Cartier Santos watch and a pair of AirPods. The passenger initially tried tracking down his AirPods using a location app and was…

A Miami-Dade woman is behind bars after investigators say her toddler son died earlier this year from ingesting fentanyl that had been left in an unlocked room of their home. Pearlandria Boujolly, 29, was taken into custody on Aug. 20 at her Miami-Dade residence by agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s South Florida State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (S.A.F.E.) Task Force, working alongside Miami police. She now faces one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child under 18. The case dates back to the early morning of Jan. 3, when Miami police officers and Miami Fire Rescue crews…

A search for a possible murder suspect stretched into Friday night after a routine traffic stop in northwest Miami-Dade escalated into a police manhunt. The incident began just before 6 p.m. near Northwest 88th Street and 12th Avenue, when an officer attempted to pull over a car carrying four people. Instead of stopping, the driver sped off. Three of the occupants eventually jumped out and tried to run on foot, but officers managed to catch them nearby. The fourth person got away and remains at large. Police say the vehicle was tied to an earlier reported case in the area,…

Palm Beach County is still stuck in a stretch of brutal heat this week, but if history repeats itself, the worst of it may finally be behind us. Weather records show that West Palm Beach typically hits its hottest streak between Aug. 8 and Aug. 11, when daytime highs average around 91 degrees. That data comes from a 15-year analysis by the National Centers for Environmental Information, covering 2006 through 2020. Right now, the National Weather Service in Miami has a heat advisory in place for the area, with highs pushing into the low 90s and heat index values climbing…

A familiar name is coming back to Lincoln Road — and it’s replacing the restaurant that once replaced it. Issabella’s, the Mediterranean restaurant that has occupied 1022 Lincoln Rd. for the past five years, is shutting its doors this month. Taking its place will be Balan’s, the same restaurant whose original Lincoln Road space Issabella’s took over back in 2021. Issabella’s was actually created by Jonathan and Keva Balan, the same couple behind the original Balan’s brand. Their final service at the Lincoln Road location is set for Aug. 30. The comeback marks nearly three decades since Balan’s first opened…

A 53-year-old Pompano Beach man is behind bars after deputies say he shot a gas station clerk following a dispute over a bottle of soda. The shooting happened shortly after 7:40 p.m. Thursday at the Marathon gas station located at 220 South Dixie Highway, right at the intersection with Southwest Third Street. When Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived, they found a man shot in the abdomen behind the store counter. According to the arrest report, the suspect, identified as Zalim Bacchus, was found inside the store carrying a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Deputies say he didn’t try to run or…