* Car containing pressurized cylinders, lithium ion batteries explodes in New York City (https://www.newsbreak.com/the-washington-times-1720242/3668580354156-car-containing-pressurized-cylinders-lithium-ion-batteries-explodes-in-new-york-city)* A car explosion occurred in the New York City borough of Queens on a Friday morning due to a pressurized cylinder stored inside the vehicle that failed, causing a fire and subsequent blast. The explosion happened at approximately 6:47 a.m., as reported by the New York City Fire Department on Facebook. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported, but the explosion did cause damage to five nearby cars and five houses.* The car, an Infiniti QX56, belonged to Dinell Harricharan, who was on Long Island at the time of the incident. He had parked the vehicle outside his younger brother's house overnight. The car was used for their plumbing business, and equipment used for work, including an acetylene tank, was accidentally left inside, which led to the explosion. Normally, the acetylene tank is removed and stored safely in a garage each evening, but it was not removed on this occasion.* Lithium-ion batteries stored in the car were not compromised, and the FDNY hazmat unit took precautions by packing them away. The explosion occurred just minutes before Dinell's brother, Jeremy Harricharam, was planning to use the car to take his wife, mother, and child out before starting his workday. Jeremy expressed shock at the timing of the incident.Fire officials suspect that gas from a ruptured canister inside the car ignited when Jeremy remotely started the vehicle using his key fob from inside the house. Unfortunately, the damage to the car is not covered by insurance, leaving Dinell Harricharan to start over financially. He expressed the importance of the car to their business and the need to rebuild and finance a new vehicle.* Monkeys escape from Alpha Genesis research facility in South Carolina (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/monkeys-escape-alpha-genesis-research-facility-south-carolina-rcna179077)* A police search is currently underway in Yemassee, Beaufort County, South Carolina, after 43 Rhesus macaque monkeys escaped from a research facility on Wednesday night. The facility, Alpha Genesis, specializes in providing nonhuman primate products and bio-research services. According to the company's website, the escaped monkeys are a group of very young females that have never been used for testing and are too young to carry diseases.* Alpha Genesis is actively working to recapture the monkeys by enticing them with food, and police have set up traps and are using thermal imaging cameras to locate the animals. The Yemassee Sheriff’s Department has advised residents to keep their doors and windows secured to prevent the monkeys from entering homes. Residents are also instructed to call 911 if they encounter any of the monkeys and not to interact with them.* Alpha Genesis is known for conducting clinical trials on monkeys, including treatments for brain disease disorders, and operates one of the largest nonhuman primate facilities in the United States. The company also manages a colony of 3,500 monkeys on Morgan Island, also known as Monkey Island, off the coast of South Carolina.* This is not the first time primate escapes have occurred in the area. Previous incidents include an escape in May of this year and another in 2016 when 19 monkeys evaded security at Alpha Genesis but were recaptured six hours later. Additionally, in 2022, three monkeys escaped following a traffic accident in rural Pennsylvania.The company has not yet responded to requests for comment from NBC News. The report was compiled by Patrick Smith, a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.*
