VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) -- Virginia Beach Police are asking residents to be aware of a growing trend of car break-ins and thefts.

According to officials, just between April 8-9, the city reported 34 incidents of destruction of property and 14 thefts from motor vehicles. This all occurred in the 3rd Precinct of the city near Bonney Road.

As a result, law enforcement are reminding the community to always lock your doors, keep valuables in your vehicle out of plain sight or to not leave valuables in your vehicle, at all. This will reduce your likelihood of becoming a victim. 

Police said that, while car break-ins typically involve individuals checking to see which vehicles are unlocked, the recent thefts have involved smashing car windows in order to get the items inside.

Other areas of the city have reported similar trends, however, not as prevalent as in the 3rd Precinct.

A resident living on one of the streets with multiple break ins said he has seen incidents like this before and knows how to avoid them.

“Coming from Orlando, Florida, it’s just the younger crowd breaking into cars and trying to get whatever they can get," one resident said. "The more excessive ones where they’re breaking the glass, using tools, usually there’s something in your car that they know or have heard of that they want, or they see something expensive through the windows. That’s why I avoid leaving anything expensive in my car.” 

The man explained his process to make sure his car isn’t broken into.

“Double lock it — sometimes I even do a little look back, make sure I didn’t leave anything in there," he said. "Like I said, if you’ve got something expensive sitting out on the front seat, it’s gonna catch someone eye.” 

Due to the rise in thefts, police are asking residents to keep valuables out of vehicles, or just out of sight. People are also asked to consider investing in car alarms or added lighting to your home or driveway. They're also asking neighbors in the Bonney Road area to help them ID suspects and review security camera footage to see if they've captured anything.

Individuals who may have captured video of thefts from security cameras are asked to contact the VBPD Detective Bureau at 757-385-4101 with the potential evidence. People can also register and integrate their security cameras with VBPD using the link here.

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools based on race is unconstitutional.

VB board adopts resolution to suspend DEI initiatives

Virginia Beach NAACP president Dr. Eric Majette, 62, remembers that era where the schools and the books used for instruction where in poor shape.

"They were in terrible condition, terrible conditions," Majette said. "You could see where kids had written notes in those books. So that was a period of life where there was very interesting stuff that you would never forget."

Sixty-nine years later, the high court ruled race-based college admissions were unconstitutional. Then, two years later, the high court backed the Trump Administration's order to freeze funds for school divisions that fail to drop diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in school division programs and curriculums.

That led to the action taken by the Virginia Beach School Board Tuesday to suspend its DEI initiatives, lest it risk losing more than $74 million in federal funding, making some in the community upset by the board's actions, and how they did it.

"I think it's a tremendous threat to the schools," Majette said. "I think is going to impact the school themselves, not only the schools, but also is definitely impacting the programs and impacting the kids, the students as well as the parents."

In a statement, the Virginia Beach NAACP said "the move to eliminate DEI policies — without identifying which programs, clubs or initiatives would be affected, and without allowing for public comment — represents a troubling disregard for the values of inclusion, equity and democratic process."

"Basically trying to hide it from public view, steamroll it even through other members of the board," said Elizabeth Schur, who is a former teacher for Virginia Beach Public Schools.

Del. Michael Feggans also condemned the board's vote. In a joint letter with State Sen. Aaron Rouse (Dist. 22), Del. Alex Askew (Dist. 95) and Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (Dist. 96), he called the board's adoption of the resolution "a deeply troubling step backward for students and families across the city."

"This decision is not about compliance — it's about capitulation," Feggans said. "It's an alarming move that disregards the lived experiences of Black and Brown students, LGBTQ+ youth and immigrant families. The message it sends is that their voices don't matter."

Feggans said the board's decision is a harmful precedent for school divisions statewide.

"Virginia Beach has long served as a leader in public education," Feggans said. "This reversal not only hurts our local students, but threatens decades of progress in creating inclusive and equitable learning environments."

He called for the board to reverse its decision and fully reinstate DEI initiatives.

10 On Your Side earlier this week reached out to the entire School Board; not one member responded to the email.

The Virginia Beach NAACP will host a town hall meeting at The Hive, located at 140 Independence Boulevard. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A two-vehicle crash caused major delays on Interstate 264 Tuesday morning.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, all east lanes were closed at one point on I-264 near Independence Boulevard due to the crash.

Traffic cameras showed heavy backups in the area and emergency vehicles blocking the road, as well as an overturned vehicle. The crash occurred just before 8 a.m., police said.

Courtesy: VDOT

Virginia State Police said no injuries were reported during the crash.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) -- From the Virginia Beach Oceanfront south to Sandbridge and to a creek near Linkhorn Bay, dead speckled trout are leaving reminders of the winter that's speckled with wild temperature swings.

Charter boat captain David Wright said the results are unfortunate, but not unpredictable.

"What we're seeing around here is not something that's never happened, OK? It does happen," Wright said. "It's unfortunate when fish are all comfortable and then, [we get] slowly changing temperature, to wham, a shock, a freeze, OK. And a lot of them do not make it through that."

All you have to do is follow the flock and they will lead you right to speckled trout and their running buddies.

"Well, now there ... puppy drum that kind of dwell together a lot of times," Wright said.

Much like what happened to humans at the polar plunge Saturday at the Oceanfront, some speckled trout can escape the frigid waters, but when they reach the surface, they look a little disoriented.

"And on a sunny day, you can walk along afterwards and see the survivors," Wright said. "Not every single fish ever goes away, but you can see the survivors along the banks where the water is kind of shallow and it's sunny, and they're very lethargic, but they're alive. And most of them do survive. It's just sad for people to see that."

From the sea to the air, there is concern about birds that may have been exposed to the deadly avian flu. The virus is suspected in the deaths of birds on the Eastern Shore.

Wildlife officials in Virginia say that if you see an unusual number of dead birds, report this to the Department of Wildlife Resources.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A movie based on the Atlantis Apartment neighborhood Pharrell Williams grew up in turned out not to be so "Golden."

Variety magazine reported Friday that the movie, which was to be released May 5 from Universal Pictures, was scrapped.

It's the second time in about a week-and-a-half that something with Pharrell's imprint has been canceled, following the news that the city of Virginia Beach was pulling the plug on the Something in the Water festival slated for April after a series of missed deadlines to announce performers and ticket sales.

Virginia Beach City cancels Something in the Water

Variety reported that the movie, which was originally titled, "Atlantis," based on the Virginia Beach neighborhood Pharrell grew up in, was set to be released May 5 from Universal Pictures. Among those who were to be a part of the movie, retitled, "Golden," was Portsmouth's Missy Elliott.

In a joint statement to Variety, Pharrell and movie director Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") said that "there wasn't a path forward to tell the version of this story that we originally envisioned."

"While we're disappointed we can't deliver this film, we have incredible partners at Universal and will collaborate in a different capacity again soon."

The movie was to be a coming-of-age story loosely based on Williams' childhood at the Atlantis Apartments near the Oceanfront.

Previously: Pharrell’s VB-inspired, star-studded ‘Atlantis’ movie gets May 2025 release date

The film's release was to coincide with the expected opening of the $350 million Atlantic Park.

Universal will absorb the $20 million for the cost of the movie, which had been in early postproduction, which meant that the movie will not ever be finished, but all parties involved have been paid, Variety reported.

Another Williams' movie, the Lego-form movie, "Piece by Piece," came out in October, back when Something in the Water was scheduled before Pharrell pulled the plug less than a month before the festival was scheduled. It featured everyone from Super Bowl LIX halftime performer Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani and Timbaland.

He explained what "Piece by Piece" was about in a Today Show interview, which also featured a performance from the marching band of Princess Anne High School, where Pharrell went to high school. The band is featured in part of a song in the movie.

At the time, he told Variety that "Piece by Piece" "is about my life and how God is continuing to give me the pieces that put it together — piece by piece — and have really amazing people along the journey in my constellation. To all the stars, musically, and all my teachers and everybody who has contributed to this constellation."

Previously: Lego movie about Pharrell Williams’ life coming out in October

The canceling of the Something in the Water festival last October blindsided city officials and prompted the city of Virginia Beach to impose conditions on its future financial support of the festival.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A 21-year-old charged with second-degree murder for the drowning of her 5-month-old son had her bond temporarily denied Friday.

VBPD charges woman with murder, child neglect in infant’s death

While in court Friday morning, Circuit Court Judge James Lewis said he believes Brianna Candelaria, 21, is entitled to bond, but temporarily denied it due to a volatile home situation.

A lot of the testimony centered around the volatile homelife she would return to if bond was granted. As Candelaria entered the courtroom, she looked to her right and saw her mother and two sisters in the back row. They were emotional as she entered the courtroom.   

Back in January, 10 On Your Side interviewed Candelaria's friend, Tyajah Burnette, who outlined what happened when police showed up July 29.  

"She told me that she was giving the baby a bath," Burnette said. "She stepped out of the bathroom to get a towel, and when she came back, the baby was underneath the water and a rag was stuck in the drain. She ended up telling me that she forgot the baby was in the tub."  

 Burnette also told us what happened when police showed up.

"They questioned her, but they never charged her with anything, and she was free to go," Burnette said.   

Candelaria did not take the stand, but her mother did.

Candelaria's mother, Lena Guralnik, testified on her daughter's behalf Friday, saying that if Brianna is given bond, she would be able to stay with her.

The issue with this proposal, according to Lewis, is that Candelaria is said to have an unstable relation with her sister, Victoria. Guralnik, however, told Lewis that Victoria would not be staying at the house.

According to officials, after the death of her son, police were called to the house after claims that Candelaria was chasing Victoria with a butcher knife. While she was not charged for this incident, Candelaria currently is facing misdemeanor charges in New York City in connection with strangling Victoria in front of a child.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jonathan Gallo argued that Candelaria should be denied bond due to her volatility, claiming that she is a flight risk. Her public defender, however, told the court her 5½ month old son, Valentino Lopez, died of accidental drowning. 

Lewis said he would grant Candelaria bond only when the home situation improves. He also said he wanted her to find a residential program to attend if she is granted bond.

The trial is set for March 17.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Trees are on the move near Shore Drive in Virginia Beach as part of a transformation of land near Pleasure House Creek from woods to wetlands. Various environmental groups were taking part in the project Friday to relocate hundreds of trees.

By creating wetlands here, the city gets credits with the Army Corps of Engineers, and those credits offset disturbance to wetlands elsewhere in the city, especially flood mitigation projects.

The larger stately live oaks are not going anywhere, including one that greets you next to Marlin Bay Drive with its expansive branches.

Clay Bernick is quick to point out "the live oak tree is Virginia Beach's official tree and has been since 2004," and well he should, as director of the organization Friends of Live Oaks.

Cristin Pullman of Lynnhaven River Now coordinated dozens of volunteers.

"It's been about 500 trees, so it's a lot of trees moving around," she said. "We're focused on the grasses today for the shoreline projects, and then looking at what other natives are left. There's still a lot of Yaupon Hollies, Red Cedars."

The relocation will move only trees two inches or less in diameter to sites in Pungo and Virginia Tech's Agricultural Research and Extension Center on Diamond Springs Road.

The area used to be wetlands a long time ago before dredging began in Lynnhaven Inlet.

"A lot of sand was placed here," said Christy Everett, Hampton Roads Director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. "That was for dredging Lynnhaven Inlet and other dredging needs. And so it filled the land."

"Some wetlands areas on Pleasure House Point are very degraded from past disposal activity and they're really in poor condition as marsh," Bernick said. "So improving those will be helpful."

The wetlands credits the city gains enable it to complete flood mitigation work such as Windsor Woods, Bow Creek and Shore Drive.

Construction crews will create a creek system around this land so that it becomes wetlands and that means big trucks.

"They'll be removing trees, removing sediment," Everett said.

Just this week the city agreed to modify the construction entrance to avoid impacting significant trees designated for protection.

Students from Virginia Beach City Public Schools also played an important part in this project. 10 On Your Side will have more on that part of the story next week.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — When you see fire trucks, you assume help is on the way, but in this case, they were part of the problem for some Virginia Beach residents.

Off Birdneck Road at the Birdneck Village Apartments, some residents park their cars on the side of the streets and in the parking spots. The Virginia Beach Fire Department was responding to a call, and when the crew was leaving, the engine was going through a parking lot. After going over multiple speed bumps, the 1-and-three-fourths inch hose bundle at the back of the firetruck detached from the rear. VBFD said the hose bed netting was secured. 

The loose hose got stuck under a parked car's front tire, and the remaining 400 feet of the hose unraveled, according to VBFD.

“As it fully deployed, it tightened, resulting in the movement of several parked vehicles along the street," the Virginia Beach Fire Department said. "The hose eventually split at a coupling, causing a recoil effect both toward the engine and back toward the 24th Street turn.”

In photos sent to 10 On Your Side from Chris Fagan, you can see the yellow hose on the ground beneath multiple cars in the parking lot. 

Courtesy: Chris Fagan

Courtesy: Chris Fagan

Courtesy: Chris Fagan

Courtesy: Chris Fagan

Courtesy: Chris Fagan

Once it split, it hit multiple cars in the parking lot and on the side of the street. 

Julia DeMoss’ car was parked on the side of the street, and when she came out, she was shocked by the damage. 

“I realized it was totally smashed,” DeMoss said. 

VBFD said all its crew were wearing headsets, and the truck windows were rolled up, preventing them from hearing the incident, and no one was aware the hose had deployed because it was dark. 

DeMoss said her car is totaled. 

“I initially thought that it was just the windshield," she said. There had been some cosmetic scrappage on the hood of my car and some on the roof. But what happened was, because the fire hose hit so hard in the windshield, it turned the glass into a fine powder that leaked into the vents of my car,” said DeMoss.

DeMoss said her car is filled with micro-shards of glass. Her car was paid off, and she said the city has not been helpful. 

“I had to pay out of my pocket and use my insurance to be able to protect myself,” DeMoss said.

10 On Your Side reached out, and the city’s finance Risk Management Division is working to address the damages. 

But it’s been more than a week, and DeMoss has not seen any help. 

“The city operates as its own insurance company, from what I understood, and so they weren't able to put in writing that I would be guaranteed reimbursement on a rental car," she said. "They sent it verbally, but wouldn't put it in writing. And so, I just didn't feel comfortable with how the process worked. I felt that as somebody who was sort of a victim in the situation, I didn't have the support that I thought."

10 On Your Side reached out to Virginia Beach for clarification on its insurance coverage, but we have not heard back. 

There were no injuries reported, and the Virginia Beach Fire Department said the incident resulted only in property damages. 

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Hunt Club Farm is a well-traveled local hot spot for birthday parties, Easter egg hunts and fall festivals, but it is currently feeling the impacts of the bird flu.

Joining their array of animals, like goats and horses, they usually keep hundreds of chickens. But as bird flu started making the rounds earlier this year, two of the birds died Jan. 23. In the coming days, it kept getting worse.

"And so then the next day, we had two birds die, and then we had zero the next day," said Randi Vogel, Hunt Club Farm co-owner. "And then on the 26th, we had five birds die. It was really alarming to me because we had a goose die, and our geese typically don't die."

Vogel said it was unusual amount of deaths. Workers with the Department of Agriculture took the four-hour trip down and tested the flock. Some were positive for bird flu, so all of them had to all be euthanized Friday.

"I would say that our chickens are the number one attraction at the club," Vogel said. "So we do a lot of different educational programs throughout the year, and we do a summer camp program and we're our petting farm, so we're open to the general public, but not right now."

This has their petting farm temporarily closed, and they do not yet know when it will reopen.

The state Department of Health told them they cannot buy more birds for another 120 days, meaning it will be months before they recoup the coop. However, they will still be able to host birthday parties throughout other parts of Hunt Club Farm and host some of their other programs.

Their advice to other chicken owners: closely monitor the health of the animals and keep their habitat as sanitary as possible.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Hunt Club Farm, a popular attraction in Virginia Beach, announced Friday afternoon that it will be closed all weekend because of several confirmed bird flu cases.

The facility said recent testing detected avian influenza in several of their birds, believed to have been brought to the farm by waterfowl.

Hunt Club Farm said all affected areas were immediately quarantined and disinfected, and they are doing humane depopulation to prevent further spread.

As a precautionary measure, the BirdWalk aviary will be closed for 30 days.

Since this is primarily a farm, the facility noted that bird flu does not pose a risk to farm animals, such as goats, sheep, llamas, horses and others.

In response, we immediately notified local, state and federal, human & animal health officials, including the Virginia Department of Health & Agriculture and the USDA and other local and state agencies. We have activated our Emergency Response Plan and are working closely and daily with local, state, and federal agencies to implement all necessary measures to contain and mitigate the situation.

Excerpt from Hunt Club Farm post

"The virus is is definitely on the landscape right now, at least in the in eastern Virginia," said John Tracey, Wildlife Veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Tracey said those Canada geese and ducks you see all around retention ponds in neighborhoods across Hampton Roads could absolutely be current carriers.

"We definitely would not condone a feeding of wildlife, especially in the scenario that we have right now where this this virus, we know it to be density dependent, meaning the more that we concentrate individuals onto the landscape, the more viral transmission we have," Tracey said.

Virginia DWR warns of increase in bird flu cases on Eastern Shore

Friday's Hunt Club Farm bird flu announcement comes after several other bird flu cases recently confirmed on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Tracey said it takes a community effort to stop the spread. He recommended if you see five or more dead vultures, waterfowl shorebirds in the same area within a period of five days, call the Department of Wildlife Resources Hotline at 1-855-571-9003.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - An inmate at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center is facing additional charges after deputies said he committed fraud behind bars.

According to officials, Kareem Walter Ryer — who was booked on Nov. 12, 2024, for five counts of forgery, five counts of identity fraud-financial loss, four counts of obtaining money by false pretenses and one count of conspiring to commit fraud — is accused of stealing credit card information from the internet in order to place orders from the canteen, or prison commissary.

Deputies said the total amount stolen was valued at more than $1,000.

A report from the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office's Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) states that Ryer, along with an accomplice, Khalil Brown, who assisted in placing orders in the names of other inmates, would specifically target inmates who do not typically receive Canteen to ensure his account wouldn't get flagged.

Ryer would then resell some of the ordered items for a higher price using CashApp, the report said. Ryer was also heard on a monitored phone conversation that he wanted to use the money to post his $100,000 bond.

"Just because an inmate is locked up on other charges doesn't mean they can't find a way to keep committing crimes behind bars," Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb said. "This case highlights that sometimes criminals aren't turning over a new leaf in our jail and that they continue to victimize and pull scams from the jail housing units. It also highlights the vigilance of the sworn deputies of the Criminal Intelligence Unit to investigate and shut this type of illegal activity down."

A release states that various tactics were used to investigate the case, including voice recognition, internet address searches, jailhouse interviews and reverse-telephone number software.

"Following an extensive investigation, it was determined that an inmate in Virginia Beach Correctional Center collaborated with an out-of-state civilian to commit fraud using stolen credit information obtained from the dark web," Sgt. J. Cameron said. "The Criminal Intelligence Unit successfully secured 16 felony warrants in connection with this incident."

As a result of the investigation, Ryer was charged with six counts of felony conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, two counts of felony identity theft and one count of inmate violation.

In addition, Khalil Brown, of Bronx, New York, was also charged with six counts of felony conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and two counts of felony identity theft.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — One person was injured in a nine-vehicle crash on Interstate 64 eastbound at Indian River Road in Virginia Beach Wednesday evening, Virginia State Police said.

The crash happened around 8:35 p.m. when an unknown driver's vehicle became disabled in the traffic lane, State Police said. The disabled vehicle was topped in the traffic lane, which caused vehicles to stop abruptly and crashing into one another. The unknown disabled vehicle that had been stopped left the scene.

One person was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Eight people were injured as the result of a nine-vehicle crash at the intersection of Princess Anne Road and Lynnhaven Parkway Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital received eight patients from the crash, with four listed as trauma patients. Sentara, in a statement, said care is ongoing and "most are expected to be treated and released from the emergency department."

Princess Anne Rd multi-vehicle crash (WAVY photo)

The multi-vehicle crash, which happened just before 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Princess Anne Road and Lynnhaven Parkway, caused parts of Princess Anne Road to close Wednesday afternoon, with a 10 On Your Side crew at the scene reporting nine cars to be involved, with eight taken to the hospital.

According to officials, all lanes of Princess Anne Road from Salem Road to South Independence Boulevard were closed due to the crash. Ferrell Parkway from Pleasant Valley Road to Salem Road was also shut down.

The crash remains under investigation.