Crime & Arrests

A 19-year-old man in Staten Island, New York was hospitalized after he allegedly decapitated his mother's boyfriend, which kept him out of court.

Damien Hurstel is accused of bludgeoning to death his mother's boyfriend, then severing the dead man's head at home on Monday, according to the New York Post.

Sources alleged Hurstel was planning to get rid of the body by cutting it up and pounding it out with a hammer before liquefying the remains in a blender, starting with his brain, the Post reports. The victim's head was found in a bathtub with a spoon sticking out of an eye socket.

Hurstel's 16-year-old sister reportedly came home to the grisly scene, and called the siblings' mother ... the woman apparently had an emotional reaction to the discovery in the street in front of her family's home, according to The Independent.

Hurstel since been hit with several charges, including second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He reportedly has a history with mental health issues, including schizophrenia.

Hurstel was heading to court on Tuesday when he reportedly suffered a seizure, and the appearance was delayed until Wednesday, when he appeared in front of a judge by video ... he was placed on suicide watch.

Huge update in the investigation into the devastating Palisades Fire in California ... the feds say they've arrested a suspect who they say ignited the inferno.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli just announced the arrest of a 29-year-old man named Jonathan Rinderknecht ... charging him with maliciously starting what became January's Palisades Fire.

Essayli says the criminal complaint alleges Rinderknecht started a fire in the Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day ... which morphed into the devastating wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

11:09 AM PT -- Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show Julian Fleming is facing nine total charges ... including one count of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, one count of homicide by vehicle and one count of aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence.

Additionally, the docs note Fleming allegedly had a BAC of .118 shortly after the crash.

9:54 AM PT -- Julian Fleming's attorney, David Bahuriak, tells TMZ Sports ... one of the charges his client is facing is homicide by vehicle -- and he's convinced the prosecution's filing is "wrong."

"In my view," the lawyer said, "the prosecution here took a tragic and unavoidable accident and turned it into a crime when the facts don't support that. The facts don't support criminal homicide."

Bahuriak added Fleming "lost the love of his life" during the crash ... and "this prosecution does nothing to advance the interests of anyone."

Former Penn State wide receiver Julian Fleming is facing multiple criminal charges related to the tragic ATV accident that killed his girlfriend earlier this year.

Raja Jackson has been hit with multiple criminal charges -- including one felony -- over his violent attack on Syko Stu earlier this summer.

Court records TMZ Sports has obtained show Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's son was formally charged in Los Angeles County on Tuesday with one felony count of battery with great bodily injury and one misdemeanor count of battery on a person.

Raja -- who's facing up to seven years behind bars if convicted on the felony count and six additional months if convicted on the misdemeanor -- is due in court for arraignment later this week.

The knife Perry Tole claims he needed to protect himself from Mark Sanchez might actually have been in violation of a strict policy with his employer ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Restaurant Technologies -- the delivery company the 69-year-old was working for at the time of the alleged attack -- told us, like many companies, its rulebook "includes language restricting the possession of weapons while performing work duties or on company property."

Speaking to police, Tole stated he pulled out a knife on the former New York Jets quarterback after pepper spray wasn't effective -- stabbing him multiple times in the upper torso.

David "Heavy D" Sparks -- one of the two stars of "The Diesel Brothers" -- has been arrested following a bench warrant that was issued October 2 ... TMZ has learned.

This all stems from a failure to pay fees owed in connection with a Clean Air Act lawsuit from a plaintiff listed as Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.

The 40-year-old Sparks reportedly owes $843,602.23 in costs that they've allegedly failed to pay back in the course of over three years.

Word of the Mark Sanchez stabbing has made it all the way to the Oval Office ... with President Donald Trump sharing his two cents on the former NFL quarterback's arrest.

No. 45-47 addressed the wild story during his appearance on Greg Kelly Reports on Monday ... and while he claimed to not know all the details, he's certain "something bad happened."

"That was too bad," Trump said. "He's a nice guy, I don't know what happened. Something bad happened. Something a little crazy happened."

The alleged victim in the Mark Sanchez stabbing incident has been released from the hospital, the 69-year-old's lawyers tell TMZ Sports ... but with serious injuries that make it hard to even talk, he's got a long road to recovery.

We spoke with attorneys Erik May and Eddie Reichert on Monday -- the men representing Perry Tole -- who was severely wounded after an altercation with the former NFL QB early Saturday morning in downtown Indianapolis.

"He's released from the hospital, recovering, and hopeful that he'll regain function to, you know, his ability to speak," May said.

Mark Sanchez's family is breaking its silence for the first time since Saturday morning's stabbing incident ... saying the former star quarterback continues to receive medical care, while also thanking fans for their support.

"This has been a deeply distressing time for everyone involved. Mark and our family are incredibly grateful for the concern, love, and support we’ve received over the past few days," Mark's brother, Nick, said in a statement to TMZ Sports.

"Mark remains under medical care for the serious injuries he sustained and is focused on his recovery as the legal process continues. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the first responders and medical staff."

Intense police body camera footage shows the moment cops in Michigan took out the gunman who shot up a Mormon church ... and there's a hail of bullets.

The Grand Blanc Township Police Department just released the dramatic footage, and you hear cops shouting at the gunman to drop his weapon.

Officers are heard yelling "shoot him," "get on the ground," and "drop the gun now" before gunshots ring out. Cops armed with assault rifles were making their way through the church parking lot when they neutralized the shooter.

Mark Sanchez appeared to be in a world of pain after Saturday's stabbing incident in Indianapolis ... with new surveillance footage showing the bloodied former quarterback holding his torso and struggling to walk right after his altercation with a delivery truck driver.

The 38-year-old ex-New York Jets star was captured on video around 12:30 AM ... right after his violent confrontation that resulted in his hospitalization with multiple stab wounds.

In the clip, obtained by the NY Post, Sanchez turns a corner to make his way down a sidewalk ... and it's clear he was struggling.

8:06 AM PT -- Maxwell's attorney David Markus tells TMZ ... “We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case. But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done.”

Ghislaine Maxwell just hit a legal brick wall ... the U.S. Supreme Court flat-out rejected her bid Monday to overturn her conviction for conspiring to sexually abuse minors.

The Supreme Court wasted no time on its first day back with the decision -- killing any shot at a retrial for Maxwell -- who was convicted back in 2021 ... all while the Trump administration continues to catch heat for keeping the Epstein Files still under wraps.

The justices didn’t explain why they turned away the appeal.

Kathryn Dennis will have to do some jail time in connection to her DUI arrest last year ... 'cause a judge sentenced her to serve 30 days.

According to online booking records, Dennis was taken into custody aropund 7 PM ET on Friday night in Berkeley County, South Carolina to begin her 30-day incarceration.

We broke the story ... Dennis was arrested last year after cops said she got into a three-car collision in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

We finally know how much time Diddy will spend behind bars after his transportation for prostitution convictions ... and a sex worker and exotic dancer involved with the case are weighing in on the conclusion.

As you know ... Judge Arun Subramanian ordered Diddy to serve a little over 4 years in a federal prison ... but he's already spent over a year in jail and will get credit for time served.

Sharay Hayes -- the exotic male dancer nicknamed "The Punisher" who testified during Diddy's trial, tells TMZ ... at first, he thought Diddy should've been freed today for time served -- but after hearing the judge's reasoning for several more years behind bars ... Sharay says he concurs.

Diddy's camp doesn't have a dry eye in the courtroom as his sentencing hearing plays out ... and even he needed a box of tissues after mostly keeping a poker face on throughout his criminal case.

The Bad Boy Records founder grabbed a tissue and dabbed his eye Friday as his defense played a nearly 12-minute-long video that presented him as a great father and pillar of the community.

The video followed tearful pleas from his six adult children who begged for their father to come home ... and when it was his daughters' turn to speak, Diddy broke down.

One of Sean "Diddy" Combs's defense attorneys just broke down in tears in court ... Nicole Westmoreland is getting emotional as she discusses why the mogul has been so important to his community.

Westmoreland says Diddy was a shining example for Black people with his business empire ... pointing to his record label, fashion line, TV network and liquor brand. She says he sent a message and inspired others.

Sniffling and sobbing as part of her emotional plea, Westmoreland said Diddy changed the culture, changed the industry and changed people's lives, "because what people recognized is that if Mr. Combs could do it, then they could do it too."