INDIAN AMERICAN has died after being swept away by strong floodwaters resulting from Hurricane Ida in Edison, New Jersey.
The body of Dhanush Reddy, 31, was recovered Thursday (2) morning, reported NJ.com.
According to the report, Police in South Plainfield heard a woman crying out for help about (Reddy) being swept into a 36-inch storm sewer pipe while they were helping drivers in the flooded area of Hadley Road and Stelton Road on Wednesday (1) night.
"Officers, with help from the Middlesex County Water Rescue Team and police units from Piscataway, determined that Reddy and another man were being swept into the pipe — which travels under Stelton Road from South Plainfield to Piscataway," the NJ.com report said.
Reddy was found the next morning in a wooded area behind the 1300 block of Centennial Ave. in Piscataway, police said. Emergency units could rescue the other man.
A spokesperson said rescue personnel would not have known about the additional man in peril if it was not for Reddy’s friend calling out for help.
“We are heart broken by this tragic loss of life and pray for Mr. Reddy and his family and friends and all those impacted by last night’s devastating storm,” South Plainfield Mayor Matthew Anesh was quoted as saying by the website.
According to reports, at least nine people have died as a result of Wednesday night’s fierce storm.
The storm prompted dozens of water rescues across New Jersey and triggered a state of emergency in all 21 counties. Dozens of people throughout the state were also trapped inside their vehicles as a result of flooding.
The NJ.com report added that the storm led to historic rainfall totals, power outages, evacuations, severe damage and massive flooding.
Hurricane Ida, a category four storm, delivered huge floods and wind damage in the south, hitting one of the epicenters of the US oil industry, as well as pounding historic New Orleans.
Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi took hits before remnants of the storm rolled north to New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, inundating the New York City subway and flooding streets across the US financial capital.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)