NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, May 24, 2025

Episode Date: May 24, 2025

Charges accuse suspect of torturing Italian citizen for weeks in N.Y.C. townhouse; Severe weather threatens record holiday travel rush; Escaped inmate recaptured as search for New Orleans inmates ramps up ; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz-Balart. Good evening. We begin with a shocking and disturbing case out of New York City. This is 37-year-old John Woltz, a crypto investor from Kentucky, accused of kidnapping and torturing his Italian business partner. The allegations are jaw-dropping. The victim telling police he was held captive inside his home for more than two weeks. He says Waltz beat him and threatened to kill him and his family. According to a criminal complaint, the business relationship went downhill, at least in part because of

a dispute over crypto. Armaia Eaglin leads us off tonight. John, did you kidnap that tourist tonight? 37 year old John Woltz, a crypto investor from Kentucky, stands accused of kidnapping and for more than two weeks torturing an Italian business partner. What happened those two weeks?

Woltz arrested by NYPD officers Friday, allegedly detained the 28 year old Italian citizen in this high priced home in downtown Manhattan. Law enforcement sources close to the investigation say the men and a third partner had been in business together for years and that there had been violent incidents in the past. But this time went further. Sources tell NBC News that the men met in New York on May 6, that Woltz took his Italian partner's passport, tied him up, tortured and photographed him until the man managed to escape and alert authorities.

Police then went to the townhouse on print street. I was so amazed. There was so much commotion on this block. It's always been quiet. And then I saw the police officers. Waltz was arrested barefoot and in a bathrobe. They walked out with the guy in the white bathrobe, no shoes, like frisking him, and then I did see them put him in the car. Arraigned in court today, Woltz is charged with kidnapping, assault,

and criminal possession of a firearm. I've been involved in the crypto space for about seven years now. Seen speaking here at a security conference in 2019, Woltz, along with a co-conspirator now wanted by police, tried to obtain the victim's password so they could take his Bitcoin, according to a criminal complaint. The complaint against Waltz says that when the victim refused to provide his password,

he told police Waltz and his accomplice subjected him to beatings with electric wires, hit him on the head with a firearm and hung him over the ledge of a flight of stairs. He also says waltz threatened to kill him and his family. My egg joins us now from outside the townhouse in Manhattan. My what else are we learning to. As a police say waltz was renting this home for between 30 and $40,000 a month. And that inside, they found a gun and multiple torture devices.

Woltz's next court appearance is set for Wednesday. Jose. Maya Eaglin in New York City, thank you very much. The record-setting holiday travel rush is in full swing tonight, but severe weather in parts of the country is already threatening the holiday weekend getaway. Ryan Chandler reports. Severe weather slamming parts of the South. Damaging storms over Oklahoma marking a dangerous start to the holiday weekend.

Heavy wind, rain, even hail seen as far south as Florida. It was scary. I mean, I've been through hurricanes. Nothing like this. Through the storms, millions of Americans braving hectic highways and skies. This Memorial Day could set a record for holiday travel, with AAA predicting 45 million people will be on the move.

Look at this line here in Dallas, Fort Worth, where they expect to see 1.4 million people just this weekend, a fraction of the 18 million TSA expects to process. What's your reaction to seeing this? This is ridiculous. It really is. You chose quite the weekend to travel. Yeah, I didn't think it would be this bad at all. TSA says Friday was its third busiest day on record with more than 3 million passengers. This weekend the first major test of the new Real ID requirements. Though TSA says nearly everyone is coming prepared.

Most of the rush is on the roads. Nearly 90% of travelers opting to drive this year according to AAA. Some good news, gas is down to its lowest in four memorial days, averaging 3.19 a gallon. And Ryan joins us now. Ryan, if people are driving tomorrow, when's the best time to hit the roads? Well, Jose, if you're heading out tomorrow, best to leave early. AAA says the best time to hit the road will be before 1 p.m., the worst time between 1 and 5.

Jose? Ryan Chandler, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, thank you. To New Orleans, where the hunt for five escaped inmates on the run for more than a week now is growing more urgent. It comes as a separate prisoner manhunt just ended with an arrest. Priscilla Thompson has the latest. Accused murderer Trayvon Johnson back in custody captured Friday night after this audacious escape from a Louisiana jail Thursday. Authorities say this video shows Johnson scaling a fence

with help from another inmate before bolting across an open field. His second jailbreak in the past year, ending in about a day. A far cry from the scene playing out in New Orleans. Police there releasing this new video, showing teams executing a warrant in tactical gear with rifles in pursuit of five inmates still on the lam more than a week after this brazen escape. The pressure is on, and when the pressure is on, that's when people make mistakes. Rob D'Amico is a former FBI agent

who's worked dozens of fugitive cases. It can take a while. I've seen actually fugitives in the FBI, I've rested on them 10, 20 years later. Officials say the escapees may be reaching out to family and friends for help, as the net of alleged accomplices expands. Now, up to seven people arrested and charged with either assisting in the initial escape

or helping the inmates once out. How big of a factor do you think the family, the friends, the people in the neighborhood will be in this? It's huge. It may not be a friend, but then a friend of a friend, they saw him or that this person was doing stuff getting food that didn't make sense. Police are going through all of that. The public now potentially law enforcement's most valuable tool with time ticking. Priscilla, how long can authorities keep

up this level of manhunt? Well Jose, experts say that budgets could become a factor here, specifically how long local law enforcement can afford to pay the overtime required to keep this search up. Jose? Priscilla Thompson, thank you. President Trump delivered the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point today and touted his administration's plans for the military in the future. Yamiche Alcindor is traveling with the president.

Hold on to your culture and your traditions. President Trump in West Point, New York, delivering the commencement address at the United States Military Academy. You have to do what you love. If you don't love it, you'll never be successful at it. Saying this is a defining moment in the Army's history. For at least two decades, political leaders from both parties have dragged our military into missions.

They sent our warriors on nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us. All of that's ended. The president also talking about other military plans. We're the only ones with the great technology. We're building the Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield to protect our homeland and to protect West Point from attack. And bringing some cadets on stage, including the school's star football quarterback. Go Army football. The speech also delving into campaign-style rhetoric.

There will be no more critical race theory or transgender for everybody forced onto our brave men and women in uniform. Near campus and across the Hudson River, dozens of people gathering to protest the president's address. Meanwhile, three sources told NBC News late Friday that they believe at least half of the National Security Council staff has been fired or sent away. We've reached out to the White House about this and haven't heard back yet. One source says that by Tuesday, the plans to drastically reorganize the NSC will be

fully in motion. Yamiche Alcindor, NBC News. And now to the Middle East, where desperately needed aid has finally arrived in the Gaza Strip after weeks of blockades and hunger. But now there are growing concerns that it could be too late. Matt Bradley reports from Jerusalem. Tonight, a rare sight from the Gaza Strip.

Children smiling. Bread says this boy, bread. This is among Gaza's first tastes of aid following an 11-week-long blockade. Gazan officials say the lack of food and medicine has killed hundreds of children, the sick, and the elderly. Israel said the siege was to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages still in the territory. But under massive international pressure and warnings of imminent famine, it allowed in its first trucks of aid into Gaza this week. World Food Program bakeries that had been closed now open for business.

It's definitely not enough, but we hope that the borders will remain open and we'll be able to bring more aid. Israel says it let in more than 300 trucks this week, but officials in Gaza said little more than 200 actually made it into the enclave. The UN says Gaza needs 500 to 600 trucks a day. The needs are massive and the obstacles are staggering. Security is a problem. The World Food Program reported

that 15 of its trucks were looted. It's why distribution is tightly controlled. Each family is checked against a list and must show ID. But today, at just 15 years old, Abdul Karim Abu Rashid gets to literally be his family's breadwinner. God is great, he says. This bread comes after so much suffering. It's just one bag of bread for a family of six.

But after 11 weeks of hunger, this family now has hope for one more day. Matt Bradley, NBC News, Jerusalem. Authorities are investigating a power outage that disrupted the last day of the Cannes Film Festival. Police in France have opened an investigation into possible arson after a fire at an electrical substation near the festival weakened the

power grid overnight. Power was restored shortly after the outage happened. Still ahead tonight, the new developments from that deadly plane crash in San Diego. What we know about the flight's final moments next. Back now, with scary moments in California, where at least 12 people were hurt when this tree fell during a graduation ceremony on Friday. It happened during this ceremony at Diablo Valley College in the Bay Area. Officials at the school say none of the graduates were injured. We're learning more tonight about that deadly small plane crash in a San Diego neighborhood that killed six people, including the role some systems may have played as weather conditions

got worse. Steve Patterson has our report. Tonight, investigators piecing together the harrowing final moments before that private jet plowed into this San Diego neighborhood, killing everyone on board. With the flames on the floor, debris everywhere. I was like, we got to get out. We got to get out. Authorities say six people were traveling on the Cessna Citation business jet bound from New Jersey to the Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport, crashing just two miles shy of the runway after clipping a power line.

The pilot did not report any problems to air traffic control, and he did not declare an emergency. But the NTSB does say the skies were foggy, and neither the airport's runway approach lights or automated weather reports were functioning. Could that system have helped with the pilot's ability to land the plane? No. In this case, the pilot knew that the weather was poor, but attempted the approach anyway, instead of diverting to another airport that may have had better visibility.

Investigators will determine if the pilot's decisions played a role in the crash. The evidence from this case, to include the recorded radar track, has all the earmarks of a pilot descending below the required height that you need to be at to remain safe for the approach. The victims, the pilot who was a music talent agent, two booking assistants, a professional photographer, a software engineer, and the former drummer of a rock metal band.

Eight others were injured on the ground. A preliminary report is expected within the next 30 days as families mourn the fallen. Steve Patterson, NBC News. ["The Good News"] There's good news tonight. You know, so often the good news doesn't get as much attention as the bad,

so every Saturday, we highlight the many people who spread joy and love. And as the school year comes to a close this week, we're showing the special ways kids across the country say thank you to the educators who help them the most. Talk about a warm welcome. That's Dr. Janai Gilbert Collins, principal of Windsor Forest Elementary School in Savannah, Georgia. Getting down when hundreds of teachers, staff and family surprised her for National Principals Day. And they went all out asking for autographs, glitter, Even cutouts of her face. I feel celebrated.

I feel loved. I feel appreciated. Happy birthday! You've probably never seen a birthday gift like this. In the truck, that's Sherry Chauncey, an administrative assistant at the Valwood School in Georgia. Sherry was out of school for weeks when she got sick, but these kids missed her so much, they wanted to do something special. One after another, more than 200 members of the school community showing Sherry how much she means to them.

Happy birthday to you! I'm sorry! This officer's face says it all. I gave the world a new world for me. That's Sergeant Randy Goodall, a school resource officer at Burlington Elementary School in Ohio. God bless you, Ray! a school resource officer at Burlington Elementary School in Ohio. Overwhelmed with love when the school held this surprise assembly in his honor. From songs to drawings and hug after hug after hug. We've never had this many hugs.

Sergeant Goodall is serving his community in a new way after decades on the force. To watch over the kids, help the kids in any way we can, whether it's tie a tennis shoe, try to help fix a scrape on an elbow, or to wipe a tear away. It's not a job, it's a gift. Where are you? What are you? That's Tamela Fittick, who spent three decades at Central and Davidson Elementary schools in Maryland teaching music. There she is walking into her retirement party, caught totally off guard. You hear that?

It's her favorite pump-up song and a classic, the theme for rocking. And get this, she got a free concert featuring her current and former students. What was that like? Pure love and joy. Really truly. Some of them, they look just like they did back and forth in fifth grade. A performance to remember for a champion teacher who made her mark. What do you think the bigger message was?

Showing up for people in all times of their life. The good, the hard times. Showing up and being a kind person and helping each other out. That's what I do every day. And that's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. I'm Jose Diaz-Ballard. Thank you for the privilege of your time, and good night.