Latest news with #Miami-DadeFireRescue
Miami Herald
10-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Miami man arrested in fatal hit-and-run where 82-year-old man thrown 150 feet
Miami-Dade traffic homicide detectives on Wednesday arrested a man they say struck and killed a man with his car last month before running away from the scene. The sheriff's office said 36-year-old Isaleb Anofils was driving his 2020 Nissan Maxima recklessly and at a high rate of speed heading south on Northwest Seventh Avenue approaching Northwest 115th Street around 3:40 a.m. on Sunday, June 29. He struck 82-year-old Austin Noel, who was crossing the street. The impact caused Noel to be thrown about 150 feet away on the road, according to Anofils' arrest report. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Anofils then lost control of his car, striking a raised center median before coming to a stop in the intersection of Northwest Seventh Avenue and 112th Street, the report states. Without calling 911, Anofils ran away, police say. Detectives arrested Anofils Wednesday at 411 N. Miami Ave., his arrest report said. Anofils was booked at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of leaving the scene of an accident that caused death and vehicular homicide. A judge set his bond at $27,500, according to court records. Anofils was sentenced to four years in federal prison in 2021 after he and another man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to court documents. He is serving a five-year supervised release sentence from that conviction. According to a U.S. Attorney's Office press release, Anofils and a man named Donyell Garland conspired to defraud several federally insured banks from Jan. 1, 2018, to April 9, 2018. They used a combination of cell phone spoofing apps and websites to obtain personally identifiable information of their victims, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. They used the information to conduct 287 fraudulent ATM transactions at Tallahassee-area banks, stealing or attempting to steal more than $151,000 from 47 different bank customers, the feds said.
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Pediatrician accused of staging child's death in Miami waives extradition rights
The Oklahoma pediatrician accused of killing her daughter — and staging her accidental drowning at an El Portal vacation home last month — will be extradited to Florida. Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, waived extradition before a judge in Oklahoma on Thursday, court records show. By not challenging extradition, Gupta agreed to be quickly returned to face trial in Miami. Oklahoma jail records list Gupta as an inmate as of Monday afternoon. She was arrested in her home state on July 1 and is being held without bond for a flight to avoid charge. READ MORE: Doctor staged drowning to cover up daughter's murder during Miami vacation: MDSO On June 27, El Portal police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to an early-morning 911 call from Gupta saying she'd found her 4-year-old daughter, Aria Talathi, unresponsive in a swimming pool . The pair had traveled nearly 1,300 miles from their Oklahoma home for a beach getaway and arrived at the short-term Airbnb rental two days earlier. Hours before the incident, Gupta said, they'd ridden Jet Skis and lounged on the shore before having dinner around 9 p.m. After attempting CPR, rescue crews rushed her to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she died around 4:30 a.m. Gupta's lawyers have been quick to call the incident a tragic accident, but an autopsy report released Sunday revealed more sinister allegations. No water was found in Aria's lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning, confirmed Dr. Tuyet Tran of the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office. Neither was any food found in her stomach, calling into question the meal they'd shared before her death. Instead, bruising inside Aria's cheeks and cuts in her mouth consistent with being smothered to death were discovered, said Dr. Tran. As the autopsy's result emerged, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office investigators closed in on Gupta staging the murder as an accidental drowning and issued a warrant for her arrest. She was apprehend in Oklahoma City, where she had returned after the incident, by Oklahoma City Police Department's Homicide Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service and faces a first-degree murder charge. Specifics on the date and location of Gupta's extradition, as well as how she'll be transported back, remain unclear. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office is coordinating with the U.S. Marshal's Service to return Gupta to Florida, but the department did not provide additional details. Authorities still haven't released a motive, but Gupta's contentious, two-year-long divorce from Aria's father, Saurabh Talathi, may raise a red flag for investigators. In 2024, judges denied the mother's request to pursue sole custody and ordered her to pay her ex-husband over $79,000 in attorney fees. Gupta has since lost her job as a pediatrician at Oklahoma Children's Hospital. Her divorce attorney, Chris Smith, maintains that she's innocent despite the murder charge. 'Neha Gupta is a caring and attentive mother, fully dedicated to her child...,' Smith said. 'The idea that she could have harmed her child is completely inconsistent with her character and the life she has led. This is a grieving mother facing unimaginable loss, not a criminal. We are confident the truth will emerge, and when it does, it will show that Neha Gupta is innocent.'
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Man arrested 5 years after fatal hit-and-run crash in Miami Gardens, deputies say
Renee Symonette's death was abrupt and violent. An evening drive down a Miami neighborhood five years ago was cut short when a 19-year-old rammed into her at breakneck speed, killing her. Now, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies say they've tracked down and arrested the man responsible — and this wasn't his first homicide. On the night of Oct. 7, 2020, Symonette was driving a white 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250 along Northwest 37th Avenue in Miami Gardens, an arrest warrant read. Unbeknownst to her, Malcolm Antonio Lumpkin, now 24, was racing toward Symonette in the opposite direction at an 'extremely high rate of speed,' changing lanes erratically. Symonette began to 'safely' make a left turn after waiting for traffic to clear at the intersection of Northwest 179th Street, authorities said. But as she drove into opposite lanes of traffic, Lumpkin slammed into her car, head-on, at 89 mph in his black 2016 Nissan Maxima. The Maxima spun and crashed into a chain link fence, as the Mercedes-Benz rotated and stopped in the street. Lumpkin and his passenger jumped out of the car as it became engulfed in flames, the warrant read. Symonette was pronounced dead by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, while her front seat passenger was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center with a non-life-threatening hip injury. The ensuing investigation revealed that while Lumpkin did have a valid learner's license, there was no licensed driver over 21 in the passenger seat, which is required by law. Detectives also found Lumpkin had run a red light just before the fatal crash four blocks away and nearly struck two cars. It's not clear what investigative steps were taken over the next five years, but Lumpkin still found himself in handcuffs Monday in an unrelated brush with law enforcement. An MDSO deputy working with the Robbery Intervention Detail spotted Lumpkin driving a 2019 black Nissan Maxima with a tag cover, which is against Florida law. After trying to pull over Lumpkin, he sped off from the deputy but was caught after crashing the car. When police conducted a records check on him, it unearthed an active arrest warrant for the fatal 2020 crash, signed months earlier. He was charged with vehicular homicide for the hit-and-run and a litany of other charges, including reckless driving, fleeing and eluding a police officer and leaving the scene of an accident. And Monday's arrest wasn't the first time Lumpkin has run into trouble with the law in recent years. At 14 years old, he was charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jakyri Fleurimar. It's unclear how that juvenile case ended. As of Tuesday, he remained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Miami Herald
07-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Man slams 5-year-old against wall, surrenders after hours of barricading himself
Miami-Dade deputies spent almost four hours trying to talk a man of his barricaded apartment after he allegedly slammed his son against a wall Saturday afternoon, injuring the 5-year-old, authorities say. Around 2 p.m., Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies were alerted to the scene at an apartment complex near Tamiami Park. The young boy suffered a 'laceration' at the home, 2055 SW 122nd Ave. The child was taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. There were two other children in the home at the time, according to the Sheriff's office. The man, who has not been identified, barricaded himself inside the apartment and spent hours refusing to listen to the deputies commands to come out. He surrendered around 5:40 p.m. At the scene, the crackle of a negotiator's voice over a megaphone could be heard amid sharp pops of smoke and gas grenades. SWAT teams were positioned around the apartment complex, many aiming high-powered rifles at the building. A video posted to the OnlyinDade social media platform captured the chaotic scene before the surrender, showing heavily armed law enforcement officers surrounding the area. 'Come out with your hands up,' a negotiator called out in both English and Spanish. 'Let us help you,' they pleaded with him. Miami Herald staff writer Milena Malaver contributed to this report. This is a developing story.
Miami Herald
09-05-2025
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Planning a trip to the Keys? Here's what you should know as fire rages on
As firefighters continue battling a brush fire in southern Miami-Dade County, travelers and commuters going in or out of the Florida Keys should expect intermittent delays, shifting conditions and lingering smoke that could affect visibility and safety for at least the next few days. The fire, dubbed the '167 West Fire' has scorched 350 acres and is currently at 25% containment, according to the Florida Forest Service. As of the latest update, Card Sound Road has reopened in both directions, though northbound traffic remains blocked on an 18-mile stretch of U.S. 1. Southbound lanes on the stretch have reopened, providing limited access for travelers heading toward the Keys. Still, officials warn that the situation remains fluid. 'Residents should be monitoring road closures,' Michelle Danielson, spokesperson for the Florida Forest Service said. Danielson recommended that drivers check Florida traffic cameras for possible road closures. She said that intermittent road closures could happen due to firefighting activity or sudden changes in fire behavior. As for when the blaze might be brought fully under control, Danielson said there's no firm timeline yet. 'They [firefighters] are working as aggressively and safely as possible,' Danielson said. There are 20 firefighters on the ground using heavy equipment, along with two helicopters that continue to conduct water drops, Danielson added. READ MORE: Brush fire closes both roads in and out of Florida Keys, officials say. Expect delays Residents and drivers in the area are also being urged to take extra precautions. Smoke may reduce visibility on roadways, and fire crews are working nearby. Those who don't need to be in the area are encouraged to stay off the roads. In mid-March, a 26,000-acre brush fire prompted the Florida Forest Service, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and Monroe County Fire Rescue to spend over a week fighting the blaze, which led to full road closures in the Florida Keys and filled the air with smoke. Will rain help? Maybe According to National Weather Service meteorologist Chuck Caracozza, dry conditions are likely to continue through the first part of Saturday, with winds coming from the south-southeast. This wind pattern will direct smoke away from densely populated metro areas and instead push it northwest toward the Everglades Caracozza explained that while Saturday and most of Sunday will remain dry near the fire zone, increasing chances of rain and storms could arrive by Sunday afternoon and into next week — potentially aiding firefighting efforts. The benefit, however, will depend heavily on where the rain actually falls, said Caracozza.
