Justin Vellucci
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jvthetrib.bsky.social
Justin Vellucci
@jvthetrib.bsky.social
News reporter at @TRIBLive. Covering crime and communities in
@Pittsburgh. Verified news, context and behind-the-scenes reporting. #FourthEstate
Pinned
I’m a @triblive.bsky.social reporter covering public safety in Western PA.

It’s not just crime scenes or courtrooms — it’s about the people and neighborhoods at the heart of every story.

Follow for updates from #Pittsburgh’s streets.

Tips: jvellucci@triblive.com
Tragic update: Authorities have identified the victim of Saturday’s house fire in #Pittsburgh's Brighton Heights as Mark A. Jeselnick, 64.

Firefighters found him dead in a second-floor bedroom. The fire is under investigation but appears accidental. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 13, 2025 at 10:08 PM
A hat left at a #McKeesport shooting scene helped crack a homicide case.

DNA on the hat matched Daemond Artemus, 18, now charged in the May 2024 killing of Brandon Dean.

@alleghenycounty.bsky.social Police say the odds of a match? 1 in 65.7 sextillion. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 13, 2025 at 8:02 PM
🚨 #Pittsburgh mayor-elect @coreyoconnorpa.bsky.social taps Jason Lando — a hometown cop turned
@frederickmd.bsky.social chief — to lead the struggling
Pittsburgh police bureau.

Lando says Downtown safety and community trust are top priorities. @triblive.bsky.social LIVE

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November 13, 2025 at 7:38 PM
🚨 On Election Night, #Perryopolis Mayor Charles “Bud” Petrosky — re-elected hours earlier — allegedly drove drunk, rear-ended a woman driving her kids, then fled the scene,
@pastatepolice.bsky.social say.

The 82-year-old blew a 0.139% on a breathalyzer. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 12, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Thank you to Editor+Publisher for the #Eppy award for my
@triblive.bsky.social article on police use of force.

It took months of reporting -- and many, many
Right To Know requests.

Also, very importantly, an immense thank you to families + survivors who shared their stories.

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November 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM
REVIEW: @dropkickmurphys.com 'For The People' punches like a protest record — fists in the air, boots on the ground, targets … kind of blurry. 🎸🍀

Rage, riffs & broadside blasts at "the bosses & bankers" — just don’t ask for names. Still, it slaps. @spectrumculture.bsky.social

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November 12, 2025 at 1:14 PM
🏈 It’s official: 'College GameDay' is back in the 'Burgh!

@espn.com sets up at @acrisurestadium.bsky.social for the
#Pitt vs. Notre Dame showdown.

A homecoming twist: @patmcafeeshow.bsky.social returns to
#Pittsburgh w/ a $500K kicking contest. @triblive.bsky.social

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#H2P
November 11, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Snow flurried, hands saluted and hearts stayed warm Tuesday in #LowerBurrell.

Neighbors lined Leechburg Road for the #VeteransDay parade. A ceremony followed at the #VFW post.

“If they can fight for us, we can show up for them,” one woman said. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 11, 2025 at 10:11 PM
🚗💥A fender-bender Tuesday in a #Pittsburgh
parking garage left a car flirting with a 4th-floor precipice.

A vehicle rear-ended a parked car, which crashed through a concrete barrier. It later was towed. Nobody was injured.
@Triblive

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November 11, 2025 at 8:59 PM
A 38-year-old man died Monday at @alleghenycounty.bsky.social Jail after staff called a 'medical emergency.'

Officials have not released his name or cause of death. An internal review and police investigation are underway.
@triblive.bsky.social

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November 10, 2025 at 10:25 PM
🕵️‍♀️How many fired police officers in #Pittsburgh are quietly reinstated after misconduct?

🤷‍♂️ We don’t know.
⚖️ No public database.
📄 No oversight.
🚪 Most of it happens behind closed doors.

Read a @triblive.bsky.social investigation on #Act111

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November 10, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Fired for deadly force, sexual assault or sending porn to subordinates — but still eligible to get their badges back.

#Act111 is how some #Pennsylvania cops return to duty, even after egregious misconduct — over objections from their chiefs and cities. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 9, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Ex-@pixiesofficial.bsky.social bassist Paz Lenchantin steps into the spotlight w/ a blisteringly personal solo LP.

Ballads, Biblical fever dreams, jabs at band-life politics? Yes, please.

A breakup album—for God, the #Pixies & maybe herself. @spectrumculture.bsky.social 🖤🔥

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November 8, 2025 at 3:40 AM
🎤“Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine"

50 years later, "Horses" still kicks down doors — but are its boots worn? @pattismithh.bsky.social's debut gets a remaster: raw, poetic, provocative - yet not as musically wild as memory insists. @spectrumculture.bsky.social

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November 8, 2025 at 3:24 AM
A #McKeesRocks fugitive was arrested for holding an ex-girlfriend captive for 2 days and beating her in the stomach after learning she was pregnant by someone else.

Justin Daugherty, 24, now faces 24 charges. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 7, 2025 at 8:31 PM
'It just shatters your world.'

Quaylyn Carter, a former #TheMole star and father of four, is mourning the loss of his eldest son.

Quaylyn Jr., 21, was found fatally shot in a car Tuesday in #Wilkinsburg — just days before his 22nd birthday.
@triblive.bsky.social

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November 7, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Three @alleghenycounty.bsky.social jail inmates — 2 awaiting trial for murder — are headed to court, accused of beating and sexually assaulting another inmate in his cell while searching for drugs.

Police say the 3-on-1 attack occurred Sept. 8
@triblive.bsky.social

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November 6, 2025 at 10:35 PM
🚨 DEVELOPING --- SWAT called to #Pittsburgh's Hill District after a woman was shot near Bedford Dwellings this afternoon.

Police say she was hit in the leg and is in stable condition. Officers are searching for a suspect. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 5, 2025 at 7:02 PM
A 21-year-old man was found shot to death in a vehicle Tuesday in #Wilkinsburg.

Quaylyn Carter of Monroeville was pronounced dead at the scene. @alleghenycounty.bsky.social Police are investigating.
@triblive.bsky.social

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#Wilkinsburg #AlleghenyCounty #GunViolence
November 4, 2025 at 8:19 PM
The Louisiana teen found hidden in a #Pittsburgh
basement is continuing treatment and says the hospital is “the safest she’s ever felt,” police say.

Officials say her case shows how online predators exploit vulnerable teens through social media. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
A 13-year-old girl missing from @batonrouge.bsky.social was found in a #Pittsburgh home, hidden in a sheet-covered box.

Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, is charged w/ trafficking and sexual assault.

Investigators say the girl met him on @sextingusername.bsky.social. @bucktrible.bsky.social

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November 4, 2025 at 12:28 AM
🔥 $200 drug debt leads to arson 🔥

Police say a man torched a #McKeesport home after not getting paid for heroin. The couple in the White St. house escaped w/ their pets — but the fire damage was severe.

Arthur Franklin now heads to trial. @triblive.bsky.social

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November 3, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Voters head to the polls Tuesday.

Democrat @coreyoconnorpa.bsky.social and Republican #TonyMoreno are vying to be #Pittsburgh's next mayor — and they differ on #ICE cooperation, police leadership, homelessness, housing & #Downtown’s future.
@triblive.bsky.social

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October 31, 2025 at 6:31 PM
🗳️Allegheny Cty Sheriff race heads to the polls Nov. 4.

Both candidates — incumbent #KevinKraus and
#GOP challenger #BrianWeismantle, both retired #Pittsburgh cops — say the vote is a referendum on leadership. @triblive.bsky.social

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October 31, 2025 at 6:09 PM
The #NBC contractor who fell 50+ ft at @acrisurestadium.bsky.social in #Pittsburgh remains hospitalized with shattered legs, organ injuries & a long road ahead.

But he's alive — and his recovery is rallying support from across the sports broadcast world. @triblive.bsky.social

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October 31, 2025 at 4:35 PM