Current Events

The self-described best friend of Nolan Wells says Nolan seemed "completely fine" while they were hanging out on Horn Island ... with nothing appearing out of the ordinary.

Warren Hudson sat down with YouTuber Brandon Tatum on the "Officer Tatum Show" and gave his account of what happened on Horn Island in Mississippi on the Fourth of July.

Warren said he was hanging out on the island with friends from high school and college, including Nolan. He said most folks in the group were regular visitors on the island.

In his conversations and interactions with Nolan, Warren said Nolan seemed fine and was laughing, joking and generally having a good time.

A key person who was among the last to see Nolan Wells alive has broken his silence ... and he's gutted by the entire situation, including the blame.

Warren Hudson, Wells’ self-described “best friend,” who was among those on the fateful Fourth of July boat trip before the teen went missing ... says the rumors he was involved with Wells' death are crushing.

“It’s a sick world we’re living in,” he told the New York Post. “It’s terrible. Nolan was my best friend."

Nolan Wells' mom is laying the legal groundwork to potentially sue over her son's mysterious death ... asking a Mississippi court to put her in charge of his estate.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Christine Wonsley filed a petition Monday to open Nolan's estate and appoint her as its administrator ... saying the estate's assets would consist "solely of claims for damages resulting from the circumstances surrounding his death."

Put simply ... the appointment would give Christine the authority to file a lawsuit on behalf of Nolan's estate if anyone is ultimately found legally responsible for his death.

Nancy Grace is diving into the Nolan Wells death investigation ... and she's not convinced this is a drowning ... raising concerns about some suspicious allegations involving his cell phone.

Nancy had her first segment on Nolan on her 'Crime Stories' show ... and she was particularly focused on his mother, Christine Wonsley, going on national TV and claiming his messages were deleted.

Nancy and her guest -- New York Post correspondent Caitlyn Becker -- said the alleged phone tampering was strange.

Brian Trascher helped search for Nolan Wells by air before the 18-year-old's body was found along Horn Island's shoreline ... and he believes dangerous water conditions may explain how Nolan ended up surprisingly close to where he was last seen alive.

The United Cajun Navy vice president tells "TMZ In The Know" ... weather conditions forced his team to switch tactics as the search stretched into its second day -- ultimately taking to the sky to cover more ground.

Brian says he and the pilot had been searching for about two hours on July 6 when they noticed several law enforcement boats converging on the northwest tip of Horn Island ... and they swung in close and saw a body floating face down in the water near shore.

Nolan Wells' loved ones gathered to say their final goodbyes Monday ... honoring the 18-year-old whose life ended far too soon.

The funeral service happened at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, where Rev. Al Sharpton officiated and family attorney Ben Crump delivered a call for justice.

Sharpton announced during his remarks that he'll be offering a $50,000 reward to anyone who comes forward with information about Nolan's death ... and he said Tyler Perry will match that amount.

As we reported ... Nolan disappeared after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island for a Fourth of July gathering. His friends returned to the mainland without him, and his body was found two days later on Horn Island.

Nolan Wells' loved ones are gathering to celebrate the 18-year-old's life ... as questions surrounding his death continue to haunt his Mississippi community ... and some very familiar faces will be on hand to pay their respects.

Family, friends, and civil rights leaders will remember Nolan this morning in his Ocean Springs hometown ... with Rev. Al Sharpton officiating the funeral and family attorney Ben Crump delivering a call for justice ... TMZ has learned.

Nolan traveled by boat with high school friends to Horn Island for a Fourth of July gathering, but the group returned without him. Two days later, Nolan's body was found along the island's shore.

Nolan Wells' family may not be convinced he drowned off the coast of Horn Island ... but some of the area locals say they wouldn't be surprised -- because the waters have claimed other lives.

Here's the deal ... NBC News spoke to several people who regularly visit the area -- all anonymously due to the media scrutiny around the mysterious case -- including a boat operator who gave a rundown on the area's current.

The boat operator said, "I know people that have grown up out there that have died out there. It’ll humble you very quick. I don’t care what kind of shape you’re in. Those currents can get you, and before you even realize you’re in trouble, you’re gone.”

A DoorDash driver whose delivery took a terrifying turn says one customer's generosity has helped ease the pain ... after a video of her being struck by a vehicle went viral across social media.

The Houston driver -- Miracle Herron -- told us she was in the middle of completing her first delivery of the day when she was hit by a car involved in a police pursuit. The footage quickly went viral, drawing concern from viewers who were stunned she managed to get back up and complete the delivery after impact.

In the aftermath, Miracle tells us the customer who received the order reached out in a big way ... sending her a hefty tip after seeing the viral clip and realizing it was from their order.

There are more peculiar details of Nolan Wells' last day alive ... and in newly released audio, the friends that were with him on Horn Island were heard calling for help when their boat malfunctioned.

According to audio from the day Nolan went missing -- obtained by NBC News -- the boat Nolan's friends took to Horn Island experienced difficulty before making the journey back to the Mississippi mainland.

It sounds like there were about 7 people on the vessel ... and the call for help was made around 4 PM when the boat's operator said, "Hey, we're at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We're going. We're sinking."

4:30 AM PST -- The person who died Wednesday evening after jumping from the Los Angeles City Hall is 19-year-old Avery Truesdale.

A person is dead after jumping from several stories up at Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday evening … and TMZ has learned cops are investigating it as an apparent suicide.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the man jumped just after 4 PM from the Spring Street side of City Hall -- and landed onto the front steps of the iconic Downtown landmark.

The person -- who it's believed jumped from the 25th floor or 26th floor -- was pronounced dead at the scene. We're told the person was NOT a city employee.

A Kansas City man found himself in one seriously crappy situation ... trapped beneath the seat of a porta-potty ... he needed firefighters to saw a hole and free him ... and it's all on video.

Take a look at the wild rescue ... members of the Kansas City Fire Department crowd around the portable toilet and use an electric saw to slice through the plastic as they work to free the man from underneath the bowl.

It's unclear how he ended up in no-man's land ... but firefighters appear to take their time carefully cutting apart the porta-potty while the man remains stuck inside.

A four-year-old boy in Florida shot and killed his two-year-old cousin with a handgun cops say wasn't properly secured.

According to reports ... officers were called to a home in Kissimmee, Florida on Sunday where they found the two-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound.

The boy -- Brayden Tennyson -- was taken to the hospital ... where he was pronounced dead ... just days before what would have been his third birthday.

Nolan Wells will be laid to rest next week in Mississippi ... and his parents say the family also intends to do something fun to celebrate their son.

Christine Wonsley says her son's visitation will be held at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs on Monday July 20 from 9 to 11 a.m. ... with the funeral to follow.

She also explained the family plans to have a party for Nolan, saying ... "We want to celebrate Nolan, he would not want us to be sitting around crying and eating."

An Ohio woman says she became "deathly ill" with "violent diarrhea" just hours after having a bite of a salad at a local restaurant ... as the nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak continues to send people to the porcelain throne.

The woman, a Toledo resident, told 13 Action News she ordered a salad on June 24 ... and she sent it back because some leaves were brown ... but not before taking a small bite that was enough to do her dirty. She says within hours of trying the salad she was suffering from debilitating diarrhea.

Her symptoms became manageable enough for her to get through work, but the diarrhea came back with a vengeance ... she had "severe abdominal cramping" and couldn't hold any solid food down. She said she went over a week without eating solid food and finally went to the emergency room after 10 days of illness, where she discovered she had cyclosporiasis.

A terrifying boat disaster unfolded in San Francisco Bay Tuesday afternoon ... leaving one person dead, two others missing and sparking a massive rescue operation near Alcatraz Island.

Officials say a pontoon style pleasure boat caught fire shortly after 3:30 PM while cruising between Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. The vessel ultimately sank, sending everyone on board into the bay.

According to the San Francisco Fire Department, 19 people were aboard the boat. The officials said 16 people were rescued, while one person was killed and two others remain missing.