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A massive fire engulfed a historic New York church Thursday with bright orange flames moving through the building as firefighters battled to extinguish the inferno.

The five-alarm blaze initially began at a residence attached to the First Reformed Church of Astoria in Queens around 6:45 p.m., the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) said.

Responding units spotted the fire in a vacant two-story rectory before it rapidly extended to the church, the FDNY said.

“While operating on the exterior, a portion of the roof started collapsing, walls collapsed, and some bricks hit one of our members in the helmet. He was treated by FDNY Rescue Medics, our FAST Unit and other EMS personnel and then taken to an area hospital,” Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods said.

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More than 270 fire and EMS personnel responded before it was fully under control at 10:30 p.m. Six firefighters were injured. Images of the fire showed flames ripping through the building as firefighters carried out an exterior attack to extinguish the blaze.

Kevin Harris, who said he was the last head deacon of the church, told local media the community is reeling over the extensive damage to the house of worship.

“It hurts; it hurts my whole family. My sister was just over there. My niece went to this church. My mother went to this church. We have elders from Astoria Projects that went to this church,” Harris said. “People got married, baptized. … This is our life.”

“We’ve been going here — I moved out here in ’67.”

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A nearby resident, who gave his name as Jack, said he arrived at the fire at the same time firefighters responded.

“They looked like they were trying to localize the fire, keep it down. Then it seemed to spread to the church,” he told FreedomNewsTV. “And it looks like they’ve just been trying to put it out in the church ever since. And it looks like it’s been a bit stubborn. It’s not going away,” he added.

The church, which opened sometime in the 1830s, was also damaged during a fire more than a century ago on Jan. 14, 1888. That blaze damaged the floor, some pews and the church organ, according to the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

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On Friday, state Assemblywoman Diana Moreno, whose district includes Astoria, praised the FDNY for its work to extinguish the blaze.

“Thank you to our first responders for protecting us,” she wrote on X. “My sincere wishes for a speedy recovery to the six firefighters who sustained non-life-threatening injuries.”

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One person is in custody in connection to two missing University of South Florida doctoral students, authorities said Friday.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said it closed down a Tampa neighborhood Friday afternoon and took into custody a barricaded person linked to the disappearance of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27, who were last seen separately on April 16.

“We are here today as our community has been shaken by the disappearance of two USF grad students. Nahida and Zamil,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Friday. 

“I am heartbroken to announce the discovery of human remains discovered on the Howard Franklin Bridge earlier this morning. Just now, those remains were positively identified to Zamil.”

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At about 9 a.m., deputies responded to a domestic violence call at the suspect’s home and removed family members from the residence safely.

Chronister said deputies repeatedly ordered the suspect to exit, but he refused for about 20 minutes. SWAT was activated and arrived at about 10:36 a.m., he said.

After SWAT ordered him to leave the residence, the suspect surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody.

The suspect, identified as Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, faces charges including domestic violence-simple battery, domestic violence-false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report death to the medical examiner’s office or law enforcement, unlawfully hold or move a human dead body in unapproved conditions.

Chronister said that the suspect was Limon’s roommate, and he was taken into custody at their shared home.

At about 11:15 a.m. Friday, the sheriff’s department said it had closed the entrance and exit of the Lake Forest Community “due to a police investigation related to the missing USF students.”

“The situation has been resolved. One individual is in custody,” it said.

Limon, a USF doctoral student pursuing a degree in geography and environmental science and policy, was last seen at his home around 9 a.m. April 16.

Bristy, a USF doctoral student studying chemical engineering, was last seen around 10 that morning on the USF Tampa campus at the NES Building. Bristy’s location remains unknown. 

HCSO Deputy Chief Joseph Mauer said detectives believe Abugharbieh acted alone.

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A family friend notified police April 17 at approximately 4:50 p.m. after concern grew over being unable to contact Limon and Bristy.

Anyone with information about this case or who may know Bristy’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.

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A 14-year-old boy has been charged with assault after video shows him allegedly body-slamming a teen girl onto a New York City sidewalk and stomping on her head.

The incident began after the girl refused to give her attacker her phone number, the New York Post reported, citing unidentified sources.

Footage of the violent encounter shows a masked 14-year-old confronting a 15-year-old girl on an East Harlem street in Upper Manhattan around 3:30 p.m. Monday, shortly after school let out.

While blocking her path in a crosswalk, the unnamed teen suspect threatens to “knock the s— outta” the girl.

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“Do it,” someone is heard saying off-camera, egging on the suspect.

“Nah, nah, you stand right here,” the teen says as the girl tries walking around him.

“Get the f— away from me,” she responds as he pushes her back, according to the video.

The girl then walks around a parked car in an attempt to get away from the aggressive teen. As she makes her onto the sidewalk, the masked teen is seen grabbing her from behind and lifting her into the air before slamming her onto the pavement.

The teen then stomped on her head as she lied on the ground in pain, before walking away.

The New York Police Department said officers responded to a 911 call for an assault in progress Monday and upon arrival, were informed that a 15-year-old had been assaulted by an unidentified individual.

“The individual threw the victim to the ground and kicked her in the head, causing minor injuries. EMS responded and transported the victim to NYC Health+Hospitals/Harlem in stable condition,” police told Fox News Digital.

The suspect, a 14-year-old boy, was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault, police said.

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“This is not even bullying, this is outright assault — and he could have killed her,” the victim’s mother Lucinda Arroyo said, according to the Post. “She was very angry at why he escalated so quickly from one thing to another. And you can tell [in the video] she just wanted to walk away from him because he’s bad news. She’s known him as someone who’s bad news for a while.”

The attack caused a concussion, bleeding, a possible brain injury, splitting headaches, and a twisted neck, injuries that will necessitate ongoing physical therapy, the mother said, according to the outlet.

“The video was passed around like entertainment, and that pissed me off the most. She’s ignoring him, so he basically forced her to pay attention to him. And his friends are laughing after that. It’s not just one bully, but community bullying,” the mother noted, according to the outlet.

“She’s not going back to that school… that school can’t keep her safe,” she said.

But the suspect’s mom, Selma Allen, described her son as a “humble” Christian and claimed that the girl had bullied him at school, the outlet reported.

“She was being a bully to him, that’s it,” she told the outlet. “He’s been complaining about her. I bring it to the principal’s attention, but he don’t address it. The way my son is being bullied, he doesn’t want to go to school.”

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The suspect’s mother denied that her son was attempting to obtain the girl’s number, saying that they were friends who regularly exchanged messages on Instagram and WhatsApp, the Post reported.

“It’s retaliation because she pushed him first,” Allen said, failing to supply video she claimed she had of the girl shoving the boy, the outlet noted. “He don’t provoke nobody. But if you provoke him, he will lash out.”

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A wild police chase through San Francisco took a jaw-dropping turn when a suspected car thief ditched his vehicle on the Bay Bridge and climbed underneath the span, at times dangling from crossbeams high above the water in a desperate attempt to avoid arrest.

The April 1 incident began after the San Francisco Police Department received a report of a stolen vehicle near 8th and Market streets. Officers quickly confirmed the car was stolen, and a police drone located it within minutes.

When officers attempted to pull the driver over, he refused to stop — triggering a pursuit through city streets and onto the freeway.

Authorities deployed spike strips, but the suspect maneuvered around them and kept going, leading police on a chase that lasted nearly 30 minutes before heading onto the Bay Bridge. California Highway Patrol units then took over as the pursuit moved onto the span.

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The suspect eventually stopped near Treasure Island, but instead of surrendering, he got out and climbed over the edge of the bridge.

“He’s on the crossbeams, under the bridge,” an officer could be heard saying on body camera video, as a drone tracked the suspect below.

Video shows the man straddling narrow beams under the bridge, suspended above the water and at one point, even dangling from the structure as he moved along the span.

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Officers noted he appeared to be heading eastbound toward one of the bridge towers while clinging to the beams.

Multiple agencies rushed to the scene, including marine units, a fire boat, a CHP helicopter and additional drones, all working to keep sight of the suspect. Crews began preparing for a possible rescue operation as the suspect continued moving beneath the bridge.

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Crisis Intervention and hostage negotiation teams were also called in, working to communicate with the suspect as he briefly hid inside a hollow support beam.

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After several tense minutes, the suspect climbed back onto the roadway and was taken into custody without incident.

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SFPD Officer Robert Rueca told KTVU that the suspect ultimately gave himself up and credited drone technology with helping officers track him safely throughout the ordeal.

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“The voters of San Francisco have allowed us to use this technology to make the streets as safe as we can,” Rueca told the outlet.

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Police have not released the suspect’s identity.

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A chef at the University of Massachusetts Amherst allegedly killed his wife in a room at a hotel on campus, according to police.

Jeffrey C. MacDonald, 36, was charged with murdering his wife, 31-year-old Emma MacDonald, while they were in a room at Hotel UMass on Wednesday, the Boston Globe reported, citing a police report filed with the Eastern Hampshire District Court.

After police arrived to the hotel following a 911 call, MacDonald was read his Miranda rights and admitted that he “had intentionally beaten his wife to death, using his hands, feet, as well as a variety of other objects, and that it was his intent to kill her in doing so,” officers wrote in the police report.

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Emma MacDonald’s injuries were considered “significant” and “it seemed apparent to investigators that her injuries had resulted from a violent assault,” officials said.

MacDonald pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder as well as assault and battery during a court appearance on Thursday.

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The 911 call was received at 7:42 p.m. on Wednesday, which alerted campus police to the incident which took place at room 414 at Hotel UMass.

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Campus police as well as nearby Hadley police responded to the room, where a “violent struggle took place” between MacDonald and the officers, with the man accused of throwing objects at the officers, according to the police report, which added that the murder suspect repeatedly struck an officer in the face.

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Less than nine months ago, MacDonald was named Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation.

“This distinguished honor is a testament to MacDonald’s talent, leadership, and commitment to advancing the culinary profession,” the university wrote in announcing the award on Aug. 8, 2025.

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UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes released a statement on the alleged murder on Thursday.

“I want to acknowledge that this is heartbreaking and deeply unsettling news for our campus. Our thoughts are with those affected, including the families, friends, and colleagues of the individuals involved. I also recognize that the lack of complete information may add to the distress many are feeling, but this is necessary to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation,” Reyes said.

Fox News Digital reached out to MacDonald’s attorney.