Rex Heuermann’s daughter says she believes her father is most likely the Gilgo Beach killer, according to a newly-released documentary.
Victoria Heuermann told the producers of the Peacock documentary series “The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets” her thoughts a week before the series’ release.
“Victoria’s feelings and emotions have evolved since July of 2023. We have spent a good amount of time with her explaining the evidence and how it was extracted,” said Robert Macedonio, the Heuermann family attorney.
Heuermann, who was arrested in July 2023, previously pleaded not guilty to the killings of all seven victims, including “The Gilgo Four” and three others.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need a centre and playoff performer, and Sam Bennett, the Florida Panthers’ Conn Smythe Trophy contender, just might become available in the coming weeks.
If Bennett decides to leave the Panthers and test free agency, and, crucially, is willing to spend the rest of his career in Toronto (which may be unlikely), should the Maple Leafs put in a bid?
Let’s weigh the pros and cons.
Pro: Playoff warrior
Bruce Banner in the regular season, Bennett morphs into the Hulk every postseason.
Bennett is having the playoff of his life this spring, scoring in what seems like every game for the Panthers.
The moment never seems too big for him. Or maybe a better way of putting it is that he consistently meets the moment with the goal, hit or play (legal or otherwise) that his team needs.
The Leafs clearly could use a guy like that.
Unlike most of the Leafs’ core players during this playoff-stumbling era, Bennett produces a lot more in the playoffs than he does in the regular season.
Bennett’s per-82 regular-season production: 19 goals and 40 points
Bennett’s per-82 playoff production: 31 goals and 60 points
Even in Calgary, where his role never quite seemed secure, Bennett put a dent on the scoresheet in the postseason: He had six goals and 13 points in 15 games in his final two playoffs as a Flame.
It’s not just the production either.
Bennett makes his presence felt in other ways.
Nobody has accumulated more hits in the last four postseasons than Bennett, and it’s not even close.
Con: The huge contract!
Bennett’s last deal, which expires after this season, was for four years and came with a cap hit of $4.4 million. That cap hit ranked 233rd in the NHL this past season, which is obviously incredible value.
The Panthers have done a lot right and it’s not just the big, bold swings. It’s stuff like that, signing good players before they pop.
A deal that more than doubles Bennett’s cap hit, even with the salary cap rising and rising some more after that? That’s the opposite of value. A cap hit of more than $10 million, for instance, would have Bennett leaping from the 233rd-highest cap hit into the top 20 next season.
Is Bennett one of the 20 best players in the league? Obviously not — though in the playoffs, maybe? The definition of a $10 million player may be changing, but that’s still a lot of coin for a player who has never scored 30 goals or hit even 60 points and has no elite skill.
How much is a good regular-season player, great playoff performer worth? I can’t recall a potential free agent whose value was tied up so much in the postseason.
What if he isn’t quite as impactful in the playoffs as a Leaf, and is still drawing one of the largest cap hits in the league? The Leafs would be betting a lot that his playoff performances translate, and for a long time.
Bennett will also be 29 when next season begins. How will age impact his performance, playoffs or otherwise? How long will he remain a quality No. 2 centre? The Leafs won’t want to be paying a third-line centre $10 million-ish annually a season or two from now.
Pro: He addresses a need — with no assets spent
The Leafs have a huge need in the middle, whether John Tavares re-signs or not.
Though there may be centres who could be had in a trade, the Leafs may lack the assets to acquire them.
Sign Bennett and the Leafs can hang onto the remaining stuff they have — namely, Easton Cowan and the best of the leftover draft picks.
Con: Better players could be available next summer
Pay up for Bennett now and the Leafs, even with the cap projected to rise again to $104 million for the 2026-27 season, could price themselves out of the summer of 2026 when the pool of free agents could be much glitzier and more appealing.
It’s not just Connor McDavid. Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov, Artemi Panarin and Kyle Connor could all become available (though their respective teams may not let that happen).
Pro: He scores playoff goals
These are the players, heading into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, with more playoff goals than Bennett since 2022: Leon Draisaitl (40), Zach Hyman (35), McDavid (32) and Carter Verhaeghe (31). That’s it. That’s the list.
Bennett has 27 goals and counting over those four postseasons, which includes this spring’s incredible run of 14 goals in 20 games so far.
One more goal for the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final and Bennett will match Sidney Crosby’s and Alex Ovechkin’s largest goal totals in a single postseason. It’s unlikely, but also not out of the realm of possibility, that he makes a run for the all-time mark of 19 goals, held by Reggie Leach and Jari Kurri.
Among players who have played in at least 30 games over that run of four playoffs, Bennett’s 0.39 goals per game ranks 16th in the NHL — just in front of Auston Matthews (0.36), Sam Reinhart (0.36), Tavares (0.34) and Matthew Tkachuk (0.34).
What have the Leafs been lacking each and every spring? Players who will reliably put the puck in the net.
Sam Bennett has an incredible 14 goals in 20 games so far this postseason. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Con: He may not top 30 goals and/or 60 points in the regular season
This is what makes the playoff production so remarkable: Bennett is a fairly ordinary scorer in the regular season.
His career high for goals through nine NHL regular seasons: 28.
He has three 20-goal seasons, all of which have come as a Panther.
Bennett’s career high for points in a single season: 51, which came in 76 games in a contract year this past season.
His totals in the two previous regular seasons: 40 points in 63 games and 41 points in 69 games, respectively.
And that was in Florida, through his mid to late 20s, with a usually superb set of linemates.
In his last four seasons, Bennett has produced 181 points in 279 games, the same total as Tyler Bertuzzi.
None of it would matter quite as much were the contract not so large (presumably).
If the Leafs add Bennett, they might only reasonably expect 20 goals and 40-50 points in the regular season from the third-highest-paid player on the team and one of the highest-paid players in the league, period.
It’s easy to see that production, because of the contract, attracting a whole lot of scrutiny in Toronto — which would only drive up the pressure on Bennett to be a rock star once again in the playoffs.
Pro: He would see more opportunity in Toronto
Sign with the Leafs and Bennett would be granted first-unit power-play opportunity, the kind of opportunity he isn’t getting right now in Florida. (He still drew nearly 2.5 minutes per game during the regular season.)
Bennett had only seven goals and 11 points on the power play this past regular season, playing on the Panthers’ second unit. Double that output with a regular PP1 gig (with at least one spot likely to become open), and suddenly Bennett could become a 30-goal, 70-point regular-season guy.
Couple that guy with the playoff performance and intangible qualities, and suddenly that contract might not look quite as bloated.
Con: He won’t be in Florida
This is a big one, with so many layers.
To start, how will Bennett perform without Tkachuk — and one of Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues — by his side?
Bennett has spent so much time with Tkachuk over the past few seasons (almost 1,800 five-on-five minutes) that there isn’t a huge sample size of his effectiveness without him (just under 600 minutes).
But here’s what we’ve got over the last three regular seasons:
Bennett with and without Tkachuk (22-25)
WIth
Without
Goals-for
59%
41%
Expected goals-for
59%
53%
Shot attempts-for
59%
53%
Bennett may get William Nylander on his wing in Toronto, though it’s not clear if their games would mesh quite the same way. And it’s unlikely that the second winger on the line, if the first one is Nylander, will have Verhaeghe’s abilities.
There’s also Bennett’s slotting with the Panthers.
Because Florida has Aleksander Barkov and the rising Anton Lundell, Bennett’s line tends to draw somewhat lesser competition; often third lines. Bennett’s most frequent forward opponent from the Leafs in this spring’s second-round series was Max Domi, followed by Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann.
It’s unlikely he would draw such cozy slotting in Toronto.
The Leafs would need him, as their clear-cut No. 2, to square off against stiffer competition.
His importance to the team would be much higher in Toronto, too, where the talent isn’t quite as wide-ranging as in Florida.
Will Bennett feel comfortable playing in Canada again? He didn’t have the most pleasant experience in Calgary, where, as a first-round Flames pick drafted (and then traded) by current Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, he struggled and found himself constantly in trade rumours.
It’s what may lead him to stick with the Panthers.
Pro: He is the DNA change
Treliving, who used his first draft pick as Flames GM in 2014 on Bennett, once talked about the Leafs needing more “snot” (which led to the Leafs signing Bertuzzi, Domi and Ryan Reaves). This past spring, he spoke about the need for change in the team’s DNA at playoff time.
Bennett is what the Leafs GM was — is — looking for.
He’s a pain in the butt to play against. He straddles and, occasionally, crosses lines. The Leafs witnessed that firsthand in this year’s playoffs when Bennett knocked out Anthony Stolarz for what ended up being the entire series. (Stolarz returned as a backup in Game 7.) While they were mad about what happened and believed a suspension was warranted, they were also likely envious of Bennett’s if-you’re-not-cheating-you’re-not-trying mentality, his willingness to play in and around the edge.
Bennett would give the Leafs that dimension, an effective agitator in the mould of Darcy Tucker; one they don’t have otherwise.
Ruling
Every indication is that Bennett is unlikely to leave Florida, especially for Toronto. But what if Bennett — via his agent, Darren Ferris — is willing to at least consider the Leafs on the premise of a huge offer?
It’s a tough call.
Bennett would solve a present-day need (when few other paths are available) and could give the Leafs the boost they’ve been looking for in the playoffs. But the risk would be massive, given the likely stakes of the contract, with huge downside.
I wouldn’t do it, but I can see how the Leafs might convince themselves that they have to.
— Stats and research courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference, Puck Pedia
ALEX CARUSO FIRST arrived in Oklahoma City with a head full of hair and flickering hopes of an NBA career.
It was September 2016, and the Thunder had invited Caruso to a tryout for an Exhibit 10 contract — an opportunity for a $50,000 bonus and a roster spot with the G League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue.
He was one of six players at the workout, but unbeknownst to Caruso, he was the only one that Oklahoma City’s management and coaches really wanted to watch.
Then-Blue coach Mark Daigneault, who was on the Florida coaching staff before Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti poached him, already had an appreciation for Caruso’s relentless competitiveness dating to his college days at Texas A&M. Caruso played so hard during the second half of a blowout loss to Florida that Daigneault wondered whether he knew the score.
As Daigneault recalled, the other guys at the tryout were “respectfully, not professional-level basketball players.” But Caruso still managed to make a lasting impression.
“He quickly figured out they had no clue what was going on,” Daigneault, now in his fifth season as the Thunder’s head coach, told ESPN recently. “By midway through the workout, he’s coaching the workout. He’s doing what he does.”
Caruso claimed one of the Blue’s final roster spots that afternoon, earning a $13,000 salary to accompany his signing bonus. And for one season, he emerged as a fiery leader for the Blue, starting at point guard for a team that went 34-16 and advanced to the second round of the G League playoffs.
Caruso credits that season to building his fundamental base, which was critical in carving out his niche in the NBA as a defensive stalwart who earned a championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers a few years later. He returned to Oklahoma City this season as the “old head” on one of the league’s youngest, most talented teams. Eight years after coaching up workout fillers, bussed in from Tulsa, Caruso instantly emerged as a veteran leader whose voice has helped guide the Thunder as they stride toward their championship potential. And after a last-second comeback from the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the stakes couldn’t be higher in Game 2 (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC) as Caruso and the Thunder look to even the series at home.
But Caruso admits his season in the G League was a frustrating one. He kept his head down as Blue teammates got NBA call-ups over him. He was also passed over for a two-way contract despite the backing of Daigneault and then-Blue GM Brandon Barnett, now the Thunder’s director of pro personnel.
“[Presti] admitted to me,” Caruso told ESPN in his typical dry wit, “that he got that one wrong.”
CARUSO LEFT OKLAHOMA City for Los Angeles when his contract expired at the end of the 2017 season, eventually parlaying a summer league deal into a two-way contract within a few years and filling a critical role as a defensive-minded reserve on the Lakers’ 2019-20 championship team. After the Lakers declined to bid against the Bulls’ four-year, $37 million offer — another instance of undervaluing Caruso — he went to Chicago in the summer of 2021 and earned a pair of All-Defensive selections over the next few seasons.
Presti eventually righted his wrong by trading for Caruso last summer.
Caruso’s career had come full circle back to Oklahoma City, where he returned as the potential finishing piece of the Thunder’s championship puzzle — the quintessential defensive-minded veteran role player and offensive connector who has experience enhancing superstar teammates.
His impact goes far beyond the box score.
“It’s been awesome having him back around,” Daigneault said. “I love coaching him. I loved coaching him back then. But what’s exciting is now it’s more about the future than it is about the past. As much history as we have, we have a lot of runway together moving forward here.”
The addition of Caruso, as well as center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, helped elevate the Thunder from contender to title favorite this season. With Oklahoma City’s young core, which features MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star wing Jalen Williams and former No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, Caruso profiled as a perfect fit as one of the league’s most disruptive defenders and an offensive connector who has experience enhancing superstar teammates.
“Immediately, I thought it was going to be a great marriage just from the standpoint of the stuff that I do and the stuff that at least it seemed like the team needed,” Caruso said. “And I have a bit of ego and pride with just the idea of anywhere I go, I think I’m going to win.”
And then there were intangibles that Caruso, who turned 31 in February, could provide for a team that is the second youngest to reach the NBA Finals in the shot clock era.
“He’s a colossal competitor, and we want to have as many of those guys as we can in the building,” Presti said in his news conference after the trade. “Specifically, I think it helps elevate the whole group if you can have those types of brains, and we really wanted the heart and the head in the building.”
CARUSO’S ROLE ON the court varies from game to game, even quarter to quarter. In the playoffs, that has meant stints as the primary defender on a spectrum of opposing stars, from Memphis Grizzlies speedy point guard Ja Morant to 6-foot-11, 284-pound Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic.
“It’s a lot of fun because he’s a mad scientist genius that likes to tweak and maneuver and find little, minute details and disciplines that you can exploit,” Caruso said of Daigneault.
His statistical production, particularly on the offensive end, rarely stands out. He has career averages of 6.9 points and 2.8 assists and has averaged double figures in scoring only once (10.1 points for the Bulls in 2023-24). But he demands attention on the court due to his relentless energy and defensive disruption.
His Game 7 work against Jokic, a three-time MVP, is the most prominent example from this playoff run. It was a tactic that the Thunder sprinkled in throughout the series, aggressively fronting Jokic with help swarming behind him. But Daigneault knew it was “not sustainable physically” for Caruso to have nearly a 100-pound weight disadvantage against his primary defensive matchup throughout a seven-game series. For one game?
“Let’s go to this early and see how it goes,” Daigneault said. “And then it was like wildfire.”
According to GeniusIQ tracking, Caruso defended Jokic for 40 half-court matchups that afternoon, the most by a guard in any of the 839 regular-season and playoff games in Jokic’s career. Caruso gave up only 0.78 points per play, as Jokic finished with as many turnovers (five) as field goals while attempting only nine shots from the floor.
As much hell as Caruso raises defensively, Daigneault tells people to watch him during dead balls to get a true appreciation. He’s constantly doing something with a purpose, as his eyes dart from the scoreboard to coaches and teammates, and occasionally the officials. He communicates without dominating the conversation, barking out what Daigneault refers to as “filler lines” to maintain focus on priorities while prodding his teammates to talk.
“He’s constantly filling the space with that kind of stuff, which in a way allows space for other people to still exist,” Daigneault said. “Sometimes you get a veteran player and they feel like they have to be the veteran. They’re holding court and it can really suffocate the oxygen of everybody else. He has an unbelievable feel. I don’t even know if he does it consciously, but he’s got a great feel for being able to get his points in, be very constant with his communication, but in a way that isn’t claustrophobic.
“There’s never drifting. He’s always competitively present.”
CASON WALLACE, THE Thunder’s 21-year-old second-year guard, took great glee in pointing out that Caruso is “the first bald teammate I’ve ever had.”
“That’s high on my list of accomplishments,” Caruso quipped.
Caruso is the oldest player on a Thunder roster whose average age is 24.5, and he’s reminded of that frequently as a consistent source of comedic fodder for his teammates.
“It’s always that, which is insane because I have many years to go in the NBA,” said Caruso, who signed a four-year, $81 million contract extension in December, the soonest the Thunder were allowed to offer it to him.
Caruso considers sarcasm a form of affection, so he gladly accepts the ribbing. It was also a priority for Caruso to establish trust in the Thunder’s locker room, not just a know-it-all veteran
Out of respect for his new teammates’ pedigrees and previous accomplishments, Caruso attempted to ease his way into becoming a prominent voice within the team. He felt that he needed to earn “sweat equity” before becoming a loud presence. Not that his teammates or coaches noticed any hesitancy.
“His version of cautious is still pretty verbal,” Daigneault said.
But Caruso never had to impose on his Thunder teammates. They wanted to soak up the wisdom of the only player on the roster who owns an NBA championship ring.
He’s taken a particular interest in the defensive development of Wallace, an elite athlete whose prowess guarding on ball reminds Caruso of Avery Bradley, his former Lakers teammate.
Caruso had tried to teach Wallace the details of becoming a dominant force on that end of the floor — knowing every technical trick and tendencies of every opposing player.
“Not arrogantly, but he’s just like, ‘I’m just going to go guard the guy,'” Caruso said with a chuckle. “For him, it’s just that binary where it’s like, ‘It doesn’t matter if he likes to go left or right. I’m going to guard him, and if he puts the ball in front of me, I’m going to take it.’ And I was like, ‘Alright, yeah, that works. Let’s sprinkle in a little bit of the mental side of the game, too.'”
Daigneault jokes that Caruso’s lessons will sink in around the time that “Cason gets some hair on his chest.” Whether he implements it immediately or not, Wallace welcomes the input now.
“Whatever he sees, he says,” Wallace told ESPN. “He’s going to speak his mind. You can also tell him stuff as well. We’re all good at listening to each other. That started on day one.”
Soon after joining the Thunder, Caruso ended up taking the lead in the informal meetings the players have every few weeks at the team’s practice facility.
“We didn’t really have this hump he needed to get over,” Williams told ESPN. “We were ready to listen to him. We understand why Sam brought him in.
“He’s somebody that we trust. We call him ‘old head’ and stuff, but his experience from being in the G to now, we really hold that dear. Our team is really receptive to him and what he has to say. He always says the right thing, which makes us even more inclined to listen to him. Obviously, he does the right stuff on the court, too.”
Caruso’s commitment to the team is also evident in his patience off the bench, never complaining despite averaging only 19.2 minutes per game, his fewest since 2019-20, which was his first season on a standard NBA contract.
Caruso understood the developmental benefits of giving minutes to Wallace and rookie guard Ajay Mitchell, among other young players, especially when the Thunder were nursing big leads during their march to a franchise-record 68 wins. In those instances, Caruso contributed as an extension of the coaching staff on the bench.
“You never question his intentions as a competitor or as a team guy — ever,” said Daigneault, who refers to Caruso as a “warm-weather player,” meaning his value peaks during the playoffs.
Now, in the playoffs, with the Thunder in the Finals for the first time since 2012, Caruso’s impact is best summed up with one stat. Oklahoma City has outscored opponents by 16points per 100 possessions with Caruso on the floor, a net rating that ranks second in the league behind Wallace among players who have logged at least 225 minutes this postseason.
Down 0-1 in the Finals after a Pacers comeback, the Thunder will certainly look to their veteran defensive leader to help guide this young team to play a full 48-minute game.
“There’s never a selfish or a noncompetitive moment that he has, and so it just gives him this very strong platform,” Daigneault said.
“He had that even when he was younger than everybody on his team. Now he’s older than everybody on his team.”
A 21-acre New Jersey farm that has been in the same family since 1850 is at odds with a township seeking to seize it by eminent domain to meet affordable housing goals.
“Many towns have been required to build a certain number of affordable housing, and this town — Cranbury Township — has to build about 265 affordable housing units,” said Timothy Duggan, an eminent domain attorney who represents brothers Andrew and Christopher Henry, owners of the property.
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Tom O’Donnell raises Scottish Highland (foreground) and Belted Galloway (background) cattle on the 21-acre Henry farm bordered by warehouses and highways.
Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy revisits the crowd crush that left 10 dead at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in 2021.
The film claims that poor planning, ineffective stage placement, and slow responses from those in charge all exacerbated the severity of the event.
Directed by Yemi Bamiro and Hannah Poulter, the documentary is now streaming on Netflix.
In November 2021, 10 concertgoers died and hundreds were injured during a terrifying crowd crush that occurred during rapper Travis Scott’s headlining set at Astroworld, an annual music festival in Houston hosted by the popular rapper.
Now, roughly four years since that night, Netflix is exploring the myriad of alleged planning and personnel failures that resulted in the calamity with a new documentary, Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy.
Directed by Yemi Bamiro and Hannah Poulter, the film aims to capture the horrors of the evening and the specifics of what went wrong through interviews with Astroworld staff, concertgoers, and the friends and families of victims. (The Houston Police Department released a 1,266-page report on their investigation into the tragedy in 2023. A grand jury declined to indict Travis Scott, Live Nation, and other organizers on criminal charges. In 2024, Scott and Live Nation settled wrongful death lawsuits stemming from the incident.)
Approach with caution if you’re claustrophobic — the film’s footage of attendees crushed in the chaos is hard to stomach.
It also highlights commentary from Scott Davidson, a crowd safety expert recruited to work with Live Nation, who managed the festival, in the aftermath of the tragedy. Davidson says he was given a “treasure trove” of evidence, including site plans, emails, and text messages, to help in his investigation into Astroworld’s failures.
“I believe Astroworld 2021 was not an accident. It was an inevitability due to a lack of foresight and the abandonment of basic safety protocols,” Davidson says in the documentary, adding that he was “shocked” by what he found.
Below, we unpack the biggest bombshells from Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy.
Astroworld staff allegedly lost control of the gates
Courtesy of Netflix
‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’
Though the crush occurred during Scott’s headlining set, Astroworld 2021 was a disaster from the minute the gates opened. Footage from the day in question shows attendees rushing the entrances, barreling past security, and knocking over metal detectors.
While this kind of behavior isn’t surprising, it’s usually considered during the planning process. In the documentary, Mark Lentini, a former commander for the Houston Police Department, opines, “What was going on was so totally predictable, [but] there didn’t seem to be any contingency plans or mitigating.”
Jackson Bush, who worked security at Astroworld 2021, says in the documentary that he was hired the evening before the festival started. He also claims that he was given no guidance onsite. “The only instructions that we had came from other workers that was working with us,” he says. “They were like, ‘Hey, they gonna rush the gates, so y’all be ready.'”
The chaos at the entry points distracted the festival’s security and attending police officers to such a degree that people without tickets began climbing fences and streaming onto the festival grounds.
Several interviewees remark that this kind of chaos is to be expected at Scott’s concerts. The rapper is known for riling up audiences, often encouraging them to climb onstage and bypass security. In 2015, Scott was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after telling a Lollapalooza crowd to “put a middle finger up to security right now” and leap over security barriers during his set. Scott pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of court supervision, according to Rolling Stone.
Kirby Gladstein, a photographer who worked Astroworld, says she was told by festival organizers to “lean into the fans and the chaos.”
Gladstein also notes that a promo video for the 2021 festival, which is shown in the documentary, contains footage of attendees breaking down fences trying to get in. “It was stressed to us that we try and match that energy, showing how crazy it all is,” she says.
“That type of energy,” Davidson notes, “requires a high level of planning.”
Live Nation allegedly sold more tickets than were safe for the venue
Erika Goldring/WireImage
Travis Scott performs at Astroworld 2021
According to Davidson, Live Nation sold 50,000 tickets to Astroworld “before they’d worked out how this number would be able to safely view Travis’ set.” Later, he cites a finding that Scott’s stage only had viewing capacity for just 35,000.
“They planned for many thousands more people than could safely view Travis’ performance,” claims Davidson, who adds that the full number of attendees remains unknown since so many unticketed people managed to slip inside.
Davidson also cites text message exchanges he viewed between “key members” of Live Nation management who discussed not knowing how the festival would accommodate 50,000 people.
“The sellable capacity for the venue was set by SMG Global and approved by the Houston Fire Department (HFD) before tickets went on sale,” reads a statement from Live Nation shown at the end of The Astroworld Tragedy. “The number of tickets sold, and attendees on site did not exceed the approved capacity.”
Poor planning resulted in one side of Scott’s audience being far more packed than the other
Courtesy of Netflix
Travis Scott’s stage design, as depicted in ‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’
One of the biggest failures of Astroworld 2021, according to Davidson, was the placement of Scott’s stage, which could only be approached from the left-hand side.
Since the stage had a T-shaped barrier system that split the viewing area down the middle — a common feature of festival stages — this meant the “configuration created a trap on the left-hand side of the stage.”
With proper signage and security, Davidson believes audiences could have been directed to circle around the rear of the viewing area to take a spot on the right-hand side. Instead, they all piled into the left-hand side. “And so the compression just built and built where people could not escape,” explains Davidson.
This was compounded by the fact that Scott’s stage was used only for Scott’s set, meaning a huge influx of fans all streamed towards his stage around the same time.
All of the attendees appearing in the documentary recall the terror of the crowd crush, which made it difficult to move or breath. As more and more bodies compress into each other, the risk of falling and being trampled increases exponentially. Several concertgoers recount the “stacked” bodies piling up around them during Scott’s set.
A medical examiner concluded that all 10 Astroworld deaths were caused by compression asphyxiation. Each of them was on the left side of the stage, according to the doc.
“HFD, SMG Global, and the Houston Police Department (HPD) were aware of the event plans, which were developed in line with safety codes,” reads a statement from Live Nation shown in the documentary.
Live Nation let the show go on despite allegedly knowing the severity of the situation
Erika Goldring/WireImage Travis Scott performing during Astroworld 2021
One of the more distressing revelations in the documentary concerns allegations that Live Nation representatives understood the severity of the situation but allowed the concert to go on anyway. As Davidson puts it, a “common denominator” in the Astroworld 2021 incidents was “a failure to speak truth to power.”
According to Davidson, only two Live Nation representatives had the authority to stop the show in the event of an emergency. He says this is a deviation from the norm: “Any key decision maker, from police, fire, EMS, or Live Nation, should’ve been able to very quickly initiate a show-stop process.”
According to ABC News, Houston Police was aware of trampling and multiple injuries as early as 9:30 p.m. Lentini says in the documentary that law enforcement was looking for a manager from Live Nation about potentially ending or delaying the concert, but “couldn’t find him.” As ABC notes, Houston Police saw the concert as a potential “mass casualty event” by 9:38 p.m.
Per transcripts reviewed by Davidson, a Live Nation manager allegedly spoke to the audio engineer at 9:52 p.m., ordering the concert “shut down” by 10 p.m. Davidson notes the manager was aware of the severity of the situation by that point, quoting the manager as saying they witnessed “more crush victims than I’ve ever seen in my 25-year career.”
But the concert didn’t stop at 10 p.m. Instead, it went on for at least another 12 minutes. As Davidson tells it, Astroworld organizers and police worried about triggering a “crowd panic” by stopping the concert abruptly. “The idea of a performance continuing while even on CPR in progress is underway is insane. Unprecedented,” he says.
Davidson also cites alleged text messages between Live Nation staffers that further underscore how serious they knew the crush was becoming. “Panic in people’s eyes. This could get worse quickly,” reads one. “Someone’s going to end up dead,” reads another.
“The Festival Safety & Risk Director and HPD representatives agreed to and executed an early show stop,” reads a statement from Live Nation.
Conspiracy theories muddled the truth following the tragedy
Courtesy of Netflix
The family of Astroworld victim Rudy Peña mourns in ‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’
In the aftermath of the tragedy, conspiracy theories quickly spread online and in the news media.
As the BBC reported at the time, several social media posts went viral by calling the event “Satanic,” speculating that the crush was part of a “ritualistic sacrifice.”
Another prominent theory highlighted in the documentary blamed the medical emergencies on tainted drugs being injected into concertgoers’ necks with a needle.
As attendees note, these theories only served to distract from the actual causes, including poor planning and slow responses by those in authority.
“These people did not die from a needle in their neck,” says one concertgoer in the documentary. “The answers are right there in front of you. We’re telling you what happened. Why are people not hearing us?”
A lasting friendship formed between an attendee and the concertgoer whose life she saved
The Astroworld Tragedy is a harrowing watch, but there is one bright spot. Early in the film, we meet Sophia, a woman who had just gotten her nursing license weeks before the concert. We also meet Arturo, who suffered a heart attack during the show and, if not for Sophia’s intervention, likely would have died.
Years following the concert, the two remain close. “There’s no way that this all happened and we don’t talk afterwards,” she says.
“Hopefully we’re friends forever,” says Arturo.
Where can I watch Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had a digestive issue that he couldn’t kick — and no answers in sight.
Johnson, one of WWE and Hollywood’s biggest stars, opened up about his health journey during a recent conversation with the man who saw him through to the other side in Dr. Mark Hyman.
The 53-year-old, after years of dealing with the gut issue, had a conversation with former agent and longtime business partner Ari Emanuel about it at the end of 2023.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson speaks on his gut-health issues. The Mark Hyman Show/YouTube
“He’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ I said, ‘I’ve seen doctors and I can’t quite nail it. I can’t quite fix it. It’s in my digestion,” Johnson said during “The Mark Hyman Show.” “I feel great — and that’s the odd thing — but I just can’t crack it.’”
Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor and WWE’s parent company, TKO, mentioned seeing Hyman, who practices functional medicine.
The two eventually connected for a virtual visit.
Johnson admitted he knew nothing about functional medicine, which, according to the Institute for Functional Medicine, provides a framework to systematically identify and address the underlying processes and dysfunctions that are causing imbalance and disease in each individual.
“You said, very succinctly, ‘I’m not going to treat your symptoms. I’m going to go deeper than that and treat the root cause of what’s going on,’” Johnson said. “And I said, ‘I love that.’”
The treatment began in early 2024, with Johnson set to begin his “Final Boss” run to WrestleMania 40 with WWE. Getting to what was holding Johnson back took some heavy digging, Hyman noted. They did blood panels and a stool test, among other things, to get to the source of the problem.
Johnson was in for a grueling year with WWE commitments, the release of “Red One” and “Moana 2,” and filming for his upcoming movie “The Smashing Machine.”
Dwayne Johnson attends the “Moana 2” UK Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on November 24, 2024 in London, England. Getty Images
“That was at the beginning of 2024, and I was just getting ready to launch into what would become a nine-month workload for me — nonstop work,” Johnson said. “And I was thinking, ‘Holy s–t, how am I going to get through this with my gut issues? I’m not digesting properly.’”
Luckily, Hyman was able to provide Johnson some relief, finding the issue began after he took multiple rounds of antibiotics, which messed with the bacteria in his gut. He was missing Akkermansia, which coats the lining of the intestine and protects from inflammation and a leaky gut, Hyman said.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena fight during Night 2 at Lincoln Financial Field on April 7, 2024 in Philadelphia. Getty Images
“We basically rehabbed your gut. Gave you probiotics and plant compounds—pomegranate, green tea, cranberry — to help rebuild it,” Hyman said. “And we made you this amazing gut health shake with 10-plus ingredients personalized for you.”
Johnson hasn’t wrestled in WWE since, but was the catalyst for John Cena’s heel turn earlier this year.
The Los Angeles Sparks face the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 (6/11/25) in a regular season WNBA game at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As Dustin Johnson vies for U.S. Open success, attention turns to Paulina Gretzky and her inheritance from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky (Getty Images)
As Dustin Johnson pursues another shot at U.S. Open glory, attention has shifted to his wife, Paulina Gretzky—not just for her support, but because of what she stands to inherit from her legendary father, the Great One, Wayne Gretzky. While Johnson has secured massive paydays from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, Paulina’s future is lined with generational wealth thanks to her father’s illustrious career and lavish lifestyle.
Wayne Gretzky’s fortune and assets are shaping Paulina’s multi-million dollar legacy
Wayne Gretzky, often referred to as “The Great One,” is more than just a hockey legend—he’s a financial powerhouse. With an estimated net worth of $250 million, Gretzky holds 61 NHL records and has turned his post-retirement years into a business empire. For Paulina, this means inheriting not only an enormous fortune but also a portfolio of jaw-dropping properties and luxury items.Among his holdings, Gretzky owns a lakefront estate in Idaho, multiple Florida homes, and a childhood residence in Brantford, Ontario. He even repurchased his famed ‘Gretzky Mansion’ in Thousand Oaks, California, only to flip it for a profit in 2021.But one of the most unique pieces in the Gretzky collection isn’t a home—it’s a custom, handcrafted 34-foot Steinway 340 HT powerboat.
The Steinway powerboat is more than just a toy—it’s a Gretzky family heirloom in the making
Commissioned in 2021, this bespoke mahogany boat—built by Couer Custom—is worth $900,000 and blends elegance with engineering. It can hit speeds of 50 mph but is designed for leisure. “I was relatively fast when I skated, but these days I drive my car slow,” Gretzky told Robb Report. “I’ll take comfort over speed any day.”The boat features plush loungers, a main cockpit with cozy sofas, a stern sunpad, and even an electric bimini for added shade. Paulina’s mother, Janet Jones, played a pivotal role in designing its stylish aesthetic. “She’s the creative one in the family; the only thing I asked for was to have a Canadian flag at the back,” Gretzky added.Also Read: Wayne Gretzky sparks controversy by accusing Florida Panthers of buying success with tax loopholesBetween her father’s sprawling real estate, massive fortune, and luxurious custom yacht, Paulina Gretzky’s future looks every bit as glamorous as her past—and Dustin Johnson may not be the biggest star in the household for much longer.
A new source claims that Katy Perry has been feeling the pressure following the release of her latest album “143,” which dropped in September, and it is causing some “tension” with Orlando Bloom.
Katy Perry ‘Frustrated’ Over Album Reception As ‘Tension’ Builds With Orlando Bloom
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The insider spoke with PEOPLE Magazine, claiming, “Katy was deeply frustrated following the reception of her new album,” they shared. “It made her very stressed. Orlando was understanding, but it did cause some tension.”
The album, a high-energy, love-fueled dance-pop collection, was designed to be a celebration. “My vision was to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message,” Perry explained in a statement at the time, referring to the retro pager code meaning “I love you.”
But not everyone was feeling the love.
A second source added, “She was also disappointed in some of the tour reviews. It’s put stress on their relationship.”
Katy Shakes Off The Critics With Sold-Out Tour
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Despite the criticism, Perry has powered through with a sold-out tour that’s been met with enthusiastic fans overseas.
After selling out three nights in Mexico, prompting the addition of an extra show, the singer is now performing to packed venues in Australia. The “Lifetimes” tour hits the U.S. beginning July 10 in Denver.
Back in February, she spoke candidly to PEOPLE about tuning out the noise. “You shouldn’t read it when it’s good. You shouldn’t read it when it’s bad,” she said. “My therapist said something that really changed my life. What anybody thinks about you is none of your business. It’s what you think about yourself.”
She also revealed that “143” was born out of “a real shift” in her life after becoming a mom to daughter Daisy Dove, whom she welcomed with Bloom in August 2020. “I really tapped into that feminine divine energy. The messages on it are celebratory. They’re about love.”
Katy Perry Calls Out Fan For DM’ing Orlando Bloom
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Perry and Bloom have been together for nearly a decade and got engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2019. While the couple has weathered ups and downs over the years, Perry recently showed she’s still fiercely protective of her man.
During her May 17 show at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the “Teenage Dream” singer jokingly called out a fan in the audience for sliding into Bloom’s DMs. “Cute grin. I know why you’re here,” she teased from the stage before launching into her song “I’m his, he’s mine.”
“Listen, if you keep DM’ing my man… Oh, Kyle? I know, I know. You’ve been doing it for months, ever since the residency,” she continued. “If you keep on DM’ing my man, I’m going to have you removed. Seriously, get your own life.”
When the fan tried to hand her something, Perry wasn’t having it. “I don’t want it. I’m his. I said I’m his. Stay the f-ck away.”
Bloom Praises Perry, Says He Won’t Rush Into Marriage Again
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Bloom got candid about his relationship with Perry during a 2019 appearance on the “Today” show, emphasizing the importance of being on the same page before walking down the aisle again.
“It’s important to me that we are aligned. I’ve been married and divorced, and I don’t want to do it again,” Bloom shared at the time. “And we’re both fully aware of that. She’s remarkable and so I’m always so impressed with that and I’m encouraged.”
Three years after Orlando Bloom popped the question, Katy Perry opened up about their postponed wedding during an appearance on “The Kyle and Jackie O Show,” explaining that the COVID-19 pandemic had put their wedding plans on hold.
“It’s a destination location that like, you know, we’re still trying for it to work out, but every couple of months it’s like, ‘New variant! New variant! New variant!’” she said.
Katy Perry Says Couples Therapy Keeps Her And Orlando Bloom ‘In Tune’ Amid Busy Lives
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Last year, Perry opened up about attending couples therapy with Bloom and how it’s helped strengthen their bond. Speaking on Chelsea Handler’s “Dear Chelsea” podcast, the singer explained that therapy has played a key role in keeping their relationship grounded.
“We love it because it keeps us in tune,” she said. “The resentment can get really strong when you’re both working hard, and so when you want to come back to being normal in a domesticated world where you have a child and stuff like that, you have to really learn how to be kind of different out there in the big and in the small.”
