SKOKIE, ILLINOIS — A semi-truck leaking sodium bisulfite shut down a portion of the northbound Edens Expressway in Skokie early Monday morning, triggering a Hazardous Materials Box Alarm and bringing in mutual aid from 11 neighboring fire departments as crews worked to offload the remaining chemical onto another truck.
The Skokie Fire Department responded at approximately 5:54 a.m. to the 8900 block of northbound I-94 after reports of a semi leaking hazardous material. Illinois State Police also responded just after 6 a.m. to the northbound I-94 ramp from Dempster Street. Upon arrival, crews found liquid leaking from the rear of the truck, identified as sodium bisulfite — an inorganic compound commonly used in food processing, photography, and other industrial applications. No injuries were reported. Skokie fire officials said there was no immediate hazard to individuals in the surrounding area.
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The incident was upgraded to a Hazardous Materials Box Alarm, bringing in mutual aid from Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Wilmette, and the MABAS Division 3 Hazardous Materials Response Team.
As of 10:30 a.m., the northbound Edens Expressway remained partially closed as crews continued offloading the remaining liquid onto a second semi-truck. Skokie Deputy Fire Chief Adam Pease said mitigation efforts were expected to continue into the early afternoon. The cause of the leak remains under investigation.
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MADISON COUNTY, ALABAMA — Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of Warren Siao, accused of fatally shooting tow truck driver Jayson Click during a vehicle repossession attempt at Siao’s Harvest home on December 13, 2023.
A judge denied a pretrial motion by Siao’s attorneys before proceedings got underway. A fire drill at the courthouse caused delays in the morning. The jury was seated after lunch, consisting of 10 men and four women, with two serving as alternates. Both sides delivered opening statements before the state began calling witnesses.
What the State Presented
The state’s first witness was Ann Click, Jayson Click’s wife and business partner at Huntsville-based ACE Towing LLC. She testified that Jayson Click was driving a spotter car equipped with cameras to identify vehicles with repossession orders, and that he would then call his towing partner when a vehicle was located.
The state then played four 911 calls — one from Bill Irwin, the tow truck driver on the scene that night, one from a neighbor, and two from Siao himself. In his first call, Siao told dispatchers he fired a couple of rounds to “scare them off,” claiming the men broke into his garage and took his car down the street. In his second call, Siao said he believed the men were still outside and asked how long until law enforcement would arrive. Irwin was then called as the next witness for the state.
Background
Click, 38, was co-owner of ACE Towing LLC and was on the job at the time of his death, according to his wife. Madison County Coroner Tyler Berryhill confirmed Click died from gunshot wounds. Siao was arrested at his Harvest home shortly after the shooting and posted a $60,000 bond. The trial is ongoing.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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PORT WENTWORTH, GEORGIA — The City of Port Wentworth is rolling out a public information campaign to prepare truck drivers, residents, and businesses for a downtown semi-truck ban on Coastal Highway that takes full effect July 1, 2026.
The ban will apply to the downtown portion of Coastal Highway, restricting semi-truck traffic from the corridor between Grange Road and Bonnybridge Road. City leaders say the effort is aimed at improving safety, reducing heavy truck congestion, and supporting downtown revitalization by making the corridor more walkable and business-friendly.
How It Came About
The ban became possible in April 2025 when the Georgia Department of Transportation approved Port Wentworth’s request to assume local jurisdiction over that stretch of State Route 25 through downtown. The move gave the city the authority to redirect through-truck traffic away from the city center — a key element of the 2024 Downtown Vision and Strategy Plan approved by residents and the City Council.
“Thank you for sharing the City of Port Wentworth’s downtown vision plan for a pedestrian friendly commercial corridor,” said GDOT Chief Engineer Meg B. Pirkle at the time. “GDOT appreciates the City of Port Wentworth’s partnership, and we look forward to working with you to help advance the City’s vision.”
The Timeline
The city is taking a phased approach to enforcement. From May 1 through May 30, the focus is on public education through flyer distribution, text alerts, signage installation, and community outreach. The city also plans to move forward with proposed ordinance and speed limit changes and may host public town hall meetings.
From June 1 through June 30, outreach continues and a formal warning period begins for truck traffic that has not transitioned to alternate routes. The city will coordinate with the Georgia Ports Authority, Jasper County, South Carolina, Garden City, and regional transportation groups to improve route awareness and directional signage on key approaches to downtown.
Full enforcement begins July 1.
What City Manager Steve Davis Said
“Reducing semi-truck traffic through this corridor has been a priority for our community. We recognize this shift will require coordination with our trucking and logistics partners, which is why we are taking a thoughtful, phased approach focused on communication and collaboration,” said City Manager Steve Davis.
Residents, business owners, and drivers are encouraged to follow posted signage and stay updated through the city’s website.
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CINCINNATI, OHIO — A semi-truck driver died Sunday evening after his truck crashed into a wall on Fort Washington Way near the Lytle Tunnel on Interstate 71, caught fire, and trapped him inside the cab. Bystanders and first responders both attempted to rescue him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash occurred at approximately 6:51 p.m. on northbound I-71 near the entrance to the Lytle Tunnel, not far from Heritage Bank Center. Cincinnati fire officials said the truck was heading toward I-71 when it struck a barrier wall and burst into flames. The driver became trapped inside. Cincinnati Fire Department crews took approximately six minutes to reach the scene — longer than typical due to the difficult location. By then, bystanders had already rushed in with fire extinguishers attempting to free the driver.
ODOT
One witness described the horrifying scene to local media. “As he’s trying to jump out, he gets stuck on the seat belt, and when he gets stuck on the seat belt, it was just like he caught on fire,” the witness said. “I’ve never seen nothing like that before. It was just traumatizing, because it was like we couldn’t help, and we wanted to help.” The witness said the entire situation unfolded within minutes.
The driver’s identity has not been publicly released. The crash remains under investigation by Cincinnati Police.
Smoke and flames were visible from miles away, stretching up toward the U.S. Route 50 overpass directly above the crash site. The fire burned under the overpass and a large amount of diesel fuel spilled onto the roadway. Fort Washington Way — the segment of I-71 running through downtown Cincinnati — closed indefinitely following the crash, along with U.S. Route 50 in both directions near the Lytle Tunnel and portions of Columbia Parkway. The closures lasted several hours overnight as Cincinnati Fire, Cincinnati Police, and ODOT crews investigated and cleaned up.
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No Structural Damage
Despite the size and intensity of the fire, ODOT officials determined there was no structural damage to the overpass or roadway. “There is some barrier wall that people can see that looks like it’s damaged. That will be debatable whether or not that’s going to be repaired, or simply taken out — we don’t necessarily need that,” said ODOT’s Kathleen Fuller. “That’s not a structural item, and again, you can see some damage to a barrier wall but that really has nothing to do with the travel lanes. So no repairs are going to be needed to the structure.”
I-71 and U.S. 50 have since reopened. I-71 took longer to reopen due to previously planned construction work in the area.
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — Warren Boardley of Baltimore was heading north on the New Jersey Turnpike on Sunday afternoon, singing to himself and placing his cellphone on the dashboard as he drove a Baker’s Express tractor-trailer loaded with bread products toward a depot near Newark Liberty International Airport. Then the roar of jet engines filled his cab — and everything changed in an instant.
A United Airlines Boeing 767 on final approach to Newark flew unusually low over the highway, clipped a light pole, and sent what appeared to be one of its landing gear tires crashing through Boardley’s windshield and driver’s side window. Dashcam footage from inside the truck captured the entire moment and circulated widely on social media. In the video, Boardley can be heard singing to himself, placing his phone on the left side of the dashboard, and glancing to his right twice in evident alarm before a loud screech and crash fills the frame — glass shards and debris abruptly filling the camera’s view.
Despite the violent strike, Boardley kept his composure. He was able to pull over safely and contact his employer. He suffered cuts to his arm and forearm from broken glass but did not suffer serious injuries. He was taken to a hospital and has since been released.
In a notable detail, the trailer itself was not damaged and the bread products inside were untouched. “The trailer is not damaged, and the bread product was not touched,” said Chuck Paterakis, vice president of transportation for Schmidt Bakery and owner of H&S Family of Bakeries in Baltimore, which operates Baker’s Express.
Paterakis described what happened to Boardley in the cab. “The driver experienced a commercial plane’s tires landing on the tractor or brushing the top of the tractor,” he said. Boardley had departed Baltimore and was making his way to the company’s depot just off the Turnpike near the airport — a routine delivery run.
“Everybody — the driver and everybody on the plane — should be very fortunate,” Paterakis said. “Because it could have been the opposite of what happened, and a little help from God went a long way tonight for everybody on the plane, and including the driver.”
What Happened
United Flight 169 had arrived from Venice, Italy, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members. Due to windy conditions, the flight was directed to Runway 29 — Newark’s shortest runway at 6,725 feet, which starts less than 400 feet from the edge of the New Jersey Turnpike. Planes landing on that runway regularly pass at low altitudes over multiple congested lanes of I-95 traffic.
New Jersey State Police said a preliminary investigation found that a tire from the plane’s landing gear and the underside of the aircraft struck both the light pole and Boardley’s truck. The pole then fell and struck a Jeep also traveling on the Turnpike. The plane continued on, landed safely, and taxied to the gate normally. No passengers or crew were injured. Pilots and air traffic control did not appear to be aware the plane had struck the pole during landing.
The Port Authority Police Department and New Jersey State Police responded to the scene. Airport staff inspected the runway for debris and normal operations quickly resumed. The Port Authority confirmed only minor damage to the aircraft was observed.
United Airlines said: “Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft and we will investigate how this occurred. We will conduct a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident and our crew has been removed from service as part of the process.”
The FAA and NTSB are both investigating. The NTSB directed United to turn over the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. FAA and New Jersey Turnpike Authority officials were on site Sunday evening conducting inspections and gathering evidence. An NTSB investigator arrived in Newark on Monday.
Aviation expert Kyle Bailey said investigators will likely focus on how the plane’s clearance was misjudged. “My gut feeling is they probably just misjudged that undercarriage, how far below the airplane it actually sits,” Bailey said, adding that crew fatigue after a long international flight could also be a factor.
Interviews courtesy of local media.
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LEWIS COUNTY, WASHINGTON — All northbound lanes of Interstate 5 remain closed Monday morning near Milepost 60 in Winlock after three semi-trucks collided, with one truck leaking diesel fuel and crews working an involved cleanup with no estimated reopening time.
WSDOT
The Washington State Department of Transportation said the crash will require a significant cleanup effort. WSDOT crews have 20 bags of absorbent materials en route to address the diesel spill. Northbound traffic is being detoured at Exit 60 using the off- and on-ramps. Travelers are urged to use alternate routes or expect significant delays.
WSDOT
No information on injuries has been released. Updates will be provided as the situation develops.
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EAST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA — A 75-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon after a tractor-trailer struck him in the parking lot of a Sheetz gas station on Old Philadelphia Pike in East Lampeter Township.
The crash occurred at approximately 1:02 p.m. at the Sheetz on the 2400 block of Old Philadelphia Pike. Daniel Sweeney, of Gordonville, was walking from the gas pumps toward the front of the store when he was struck. According to East Lampeter Township Police, a 30-year-old man from Enola was driving the tractor-trailer eastbound through the parking lot when he stopped for other traffic. After traffic cleared, he moved forward and struck Sweeney, who was walking in front of the truck.
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Sweeney was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office. First responders described the incident as a working traumatic arrest — meaning the patient’s heart stopped as a result of severe physical injuries rather than a medical condition.
No charges have been announced. The crash remains under investigation by East Lampeter Township Police.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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NEW JERSEY — Runnemede Fire Department and Mount Laurel Fire Department responded to a tractor-trailer fire on the New Jersey Turnpike carrying Amazon freight. No injuries were reported.
Crews from both departments worked together to extinguish the blaze. No further details about the cause of the fire or the extent of damage to the cargo were immediately available.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two Republican House members introduced legislation on May 1, 2026, that would close what they describe as a loophole allowing people in the country illegally to obtain commercial driver’s licenses by requiring federal immigration status verification for all non-domiciled CDL applicants.
Reps. Dave Taylor (OH-02) and Jefferson Shreve (IN-06) introduced H.R. 8640, the Non-Domiciled CDL Reporting Act. Under current law, states are not required to report non-domiciled CDL issuances to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, leaving no federal mechanism to verify whether applicants are lawfully present in the United States.
The bill would address that gap by directing USCIS to grant FMCSA access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program — a USCIS online database that provides real-time immigration status and citizenship information to federal, state, and local agencies. States would be required to transmit non-domiciled CDL applicant data to FMCSA, which would then run each applicant through the SAVE system. If any non-domiciled CDL holder is found to have unlawful presence in the United States, FMCSA would be required to report that information to USCIS. The bill also requires a report to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee detailing how many holders were flagged and in which states their licenses were issued.
“For too long, Democrat-run states have handed out non-domiciled CDLs to illegal aliens, demonstrating a complete disregard for the safety of American families on our roads,” Taylor said. “I’m proud to introduce this bill with Congressman Shreve to close the gaps in our reporting systems and identify illegal aliens who hold CDLs so law enforcement can get these dangerous drivers off our roads.”
Shreve said the bill is about basic accountability. “If someone is being issued a commercial driver’s license in the United States, we should know they are lawfully eligible to receive it. Closing this gap strengthens oversight, enforces the law, and helps keep our roads safe,” Shreve said.
The bill comes as multiple states — including New York, which recently lost $73.5 million in federal funding — have faced FMCSA enforcement actions following a nationwide audit that found they improperly issued non-domiciled CDLs.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a public service announcement on April 30, 2026, warning the transportation and logistics industry of a significant and growing threat: sophisticated cyber-enabled cargo theft schemes that use hacked broker and carrier accounts, fake load board postings, and phishing attacks to hijack freight and steal high-value shipments.
Estimated cargo theft losses in the United States and Canada surged to nearly $725 million in 2025 — a 60% increase over 2024. Confirmed cargo theft incidents rose 18%, and the average value per theft climbed 36% to $273,990, driven by more selective targeting of high-value loads.
How the Scheme Works
The FBI outlined a multi-step process used by cyber-enabled cargo thieves.
First, threat actors compromise broker and carrier accounts by sending spoofed emails that appear to come from legitimate companies. The emails typically contain links to review a carrier broker agreement or resolve a negative service rating. Those links lead to phishing websites that download remote monitoring and management software, giving thieves complete, undetected access to the victim’s computer systems.
Second, using compromised accounts, criminals post fraudulent load listings on trucking load boards — sometimes in the tens of thousands. Legitimate carriers bid on the fake loads and are sent additional malicious links that compromise their own systems.
Third, posing as the compromised carrier, the criminals accept real shipments. They provide manipulated bills of lading, change delivery destinations, and even update the legitimate carrier’s contact information with FMCSA and alter insurance records to expand what loads they can accept. The actual carrier often does not realize anything is wrong until brokers contact them about missing loads booked under their authority without their knowledge.
Fourth, the stolen loads are cross-docked or transloaded to complicit drivers — sometimes on the side of a road — who redirect the cargo and sell it for profit. In some cases, the criminals then contact the broker demanding a ransom for the location of the missing freight.
Warning Signs to Watch For
The FBI said companies should be on alert for the following red flags: contact from brokers or carriers about shipments made in a company’s name that were never authorized; emails using free providers to spoof legitimate company domains; requests to download documents from shortened or unfamiliar URLs; emails claiming negative service reviews with links to resolve them; unauthorized mailbox rules such as forwarding to external addresses or auto-deletion; and email domains that mimic legitimate ones through extra punctuation, misspellings, different top-level domains, or added prefixes or suffixes. Phone numbers used by criminals are often VOIP numbers, app-based numbers, or numbers used for short periods of time, with some observed making contact with overseas numbers.
How to Protect Your Business
The FBI recommends independently verifying all shipment requests and pickups through secondary methods before releasing any loads. Companies should implement multi-channel verification for all transactions. Familiar names and email addresses alone should never be considered sufficient confirmation of authenticity — validate unexpected communications through a two-factor authentication process. Maintain thorough documentation of all parties involved in every transaction, including photos of drivers, licenses, vehicles, license plates, cab numbers, truck numbers, DOT and Motor Carrier numbers, and all contact details.
How to Report It
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of a cyber-enabled cargo theft scheme should file a police report with local law enforcement and submit a complaint to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, or contact their local FBI field office.
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