Heavy traffic was reported in southwestern Connecticut on Monday morning after thousands of New York City-bound workers from the suburbs took to the roads because a train crash last week wrecked a section of commuter-rail track.

But fears that roads in the area could turn into one giant “parking lot” -- with the addition of some 30,000 commuters who normally take the Metro-North commuter rail line -- did not appear to have been realized.

The train crash -- just outside Bridgeport on Friday -- injured 72 people. Nine people remained hospitalized on Sunday, with one critical, according to the AP. A 2,000-foot stretch of track was damaged and repair crews are expected to have to work around-the-clock for several days.

Full coverage from NBCConnecticut.com

Connecticut Metro- North Rail Commuter Council, which was set up by the Connecticut state legislature, said in a message on Twitter that traffic was “not bad.” “Buses from stations shuttling half full but slow. Carmagedon avoided?” it tweeted.

And Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia told the Connecticut Post that traffic was calm around the city Monday morning. On Sunday night, a reverse 911 call was made to city residents asking for them to carpool.

"It is better than I thought it would be. People are heeding my advice and the governor's message to either work from home or carpool to work,” Moccia said.

Get more on travel disruptions, replacement services from NBCConnecticut.com

Sandra Dria, of Waterbury, told the paper that her journey down Route 8 was just like "a normal day.”

However heavy congestion was reported along Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway, NBCConnecticut.com said Monday morning.

Jennifer Pascucci and Lisa Zarny, of Orange, who work in food service at Stamford Hospital, told the Post they tried to drive to work, but found the Merritt Parkway was choked at Exit 49, so they parked the car and planned to catch a bus-train. "We can't exactly work at home,'' Zarny said.

Gary Maddin, of Milford, Conn., told The Associated Press that it took him an hour to make what is normally a 20-minute drive from his home to the Bridgeport train station. From there, he planned to board a shuttle bus to Stamford where he could catch a train to Grand Central Station in New York.

"It's a lot," he said. "It's a nightmare just to get into the city today."

A spokeswoman for Connecticut State Police, citing Lt. J. Paul Vance, said just after 9 a.m. Monday that traffic on the relevant stretch of I-95 was “light,” as people appeared to have made other arrangements or avoided the area.

On Sunday, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy warned that he expected the commute to be "extremely challenging."

At a news conference in Hartford Sunday, Malloy said that "residents should plan for a week's worth of disruptions."

He said that if all 30,000 affected commuters took to the highways to get to work, "we would literally have a parking lot," according to the Associated Press. And if a substantial number of affected consumers hit the roads, traffic would be "greatly slowed."

"If you are going to New York and you get to New York or you're transporting yourself to New York you may decide that perhaps you should stay there for the duration of this disturbance," Malloy added.

About 700 people were on board the trains Friday evening when one heading east from New York City's Grand Central Terminal to New Haven derailed just outside Bridgeport. It was hit by a train heading west from New Haven. Both trains were traveling at about 70 mph.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related:

• Conn. train outage expected for days following crash that injured 72
• 'Absolutely staggering': Dozens injured in Connecticut train crash

This story was originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 6:14 AM EDT

The task force responsible for deciding the future home of Sandy Hook Elementary School has narrowed it down to two locations.

One is to build a new facility just down the street from the now-vacant Newtown, Conn., elementary school where 20 first graders and six staff members were killed in December.

The second option is to renovate or rebuild at the existing site, which has some of the victims' families upset.

“I will chain my body to it and to protest if they try to reopen it,” Erica Lafferty, the daughter of the late Sandy Hook Principal Dawn Hochsprung, said. “It should be knocked down. There should be some type of long-lasting memorial.“

The task force narrowed the options down from 40 different locations and will hold a public meeting on Friday night to discuss the options and ultimately make a decision.

Veronique Pozner, who lost her son Noah in the Dec. 14 shooting, said she and her husband walked the halls at Sandy Hook Elementary School in February.

“It’s not for everybody, but just like I needed to see my son’s body, I needed to see where he died. That’s me, but I could totally understand why a parent would say I can’t do this," Pozner said.

For Pozner, the school is now "tainted ground." 

“Then again, I also know life has to go on. If that’s the best site logically, economically for the other children, the ones that are alive … Ya know, who am I to say you shouldn’t build there, you shouldn’t rebuild?,” she said.

New Haven Police

Carol Mansfield, 44, of Waterbury, Conn., was arrested outside of her ex-boyfriend's house when she showed up demanding $20, according to New Haven Police.

Ten years after their breakup, a woman showed up on her ex-boyfriend’s porch, demanding $20, according to police.

When police responded and charged her with first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree breach of peace, they served her with four outstanding warrants.

Police responded to Hillside Avenue in New Haven, Conn., at 8:41 a.m. on Thursday after a complaint was made and a 53-year-old man told officers he has been trying in vain to get his ex-girlfriend to leave him alone.

The two broke up in 2003, according to police. They say Carol Ann Mansfield, 44, of Waterbury, Conn., showed up on her ex-boyfriend’s front porch, yelling and demanding $20.

He told her over and over again to leave, which just made her angry, according to police.

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Then, he gave her the money to avoid further disruption for his neighbors and to preserve his failing health, according to a news release.

Mansfield was served with four outstanding warrants with charges including; third-degree criminal mischief, three counts of first-degree criminal trespassing, eight counts of second-degree failing to appear in court, use of a motor vehicle without permission, three counts of probation violation and second-degree threatening.

NBCConnecticut.com

This story was originally published on Fri May 3, 2013 4:02 AM EDT

West Haven Police Department

Michael L. Peterson, 34, has been charged with multiple felonies including robbery, larceny and engaging pursuit.

A man brandishing a hand saw stole a cash register from a store early Sunday, police said.

According to police, an employee at Sam's Food Mart in West Haven, Connecticut,  called 911 to report that a white male wearing a mask was acting suspiciously.

While en route to the scene, police learned that the male brandished a hand saw, threatened the store clerk and stole the cash register.

Officers pursed a Chevrolet Pickup and attempted to stop the truck but it fled onto I-95 North and was eventually lost after exiting onto Route 1 in New Haven.

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Michael Peterson, 34, was later charged with multiple felonies including robbery, larceny and engaging pursuit.

This story was originally published on Mon Apr 29, 2013 5:17 AM EDT

Boris Delisser, 43, has been accused of stealing chicken wings and other meat from a South Windsor, Conn., company

An employee of a meat and poultry company has been arrested, accused of stealing $10,000 worth of chicken wings and other meat from the company.

The larceny happened at County Distributors in South Windsor, Conn., in February 2012, according to police.

The owner of the business reviewed surveillance footage from his warehouse and noted that an employee, identified as Boris Delisser, 43, of Bloomfield, Conn., had taken products from the warehouse and loaded them into a vehicle, all while there was no sales transaction, according to police. 

When police investigated, they found that Delisser had done this on several occasions and the total loss is estimated in excess of $10,000 worth of chicken wings and meat, according to police.

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Police obtained a warrant charging Delisser with larceny in the first degree, which was served on Tuesday. 

He was released on a $10,000 surety bond and is scheduled to appear at Manchester Superior Court on May 2.

This story was originally published on Thu Apr 25, 2013 5:19 AM EDT

A suspected shoplifter was arrested after trying to steal more than 100 bottles of nail polish from a local CVS, police said.

Marco Gonzalez, 42, entered the store in Middletown, Conn., on Thursday night and stuffed 102 bottles of nail polish into his sweatshirt and pants, police said.

Police confronted him around 9 p.m. at the CVS on Washington Street.

The nail polish bottles, made by Essie and Sally Hansen, cost $8.49 each. Altogether the nail polish totaled $865.98.

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Gonzalez admitted that he was not planning to pay for the nail polish, police said.

Gonzalez was transported to police headquarters, where he was charged with 5th-degree larceny. He was released on $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court May 1.

A CVS senior loss prevention officer said the store plans to press charges.

A mother caught on cell phone video apparently throwing her baby across the aisle of a bus, prompting a police investigation, says she didn't do it.

"I didn't toss my baby. I set her down," said the woman when NBC Connecticut confronted her at her Hartford home.

The startling scene was caught on tape by a concerned passenger during a bus ride on Albany Avenue Wednesday morning. It's since gone viral with internet postings on YouTube, Facebook, and elsewhere.

The two minute video shows a woman screaming obscenities at another passenger, as her baby sits on her lap at times holding her little ears.

The woman repeatedly asks other passengers to take her child so she can fight the woman. "I will thrash you. Somebody grab my baby. I'm going to beat the... of you on this bus," she's heard saying in the video. Then, it gets worse.

The woman is seen throwing the baby across the aisle into the arms of another passenger. Then, she heads up front and gets into a fist fight.

Read more stories on NBCConnecticut.com

The bus driver pulled over to the side of the road and opened the doors, according to CT Transit. As he called for help, the woman retrieved her baby and left the bus. So did the other passenger involved in the fight.

When NBC Connecticut arrived at her home Friday night, police and child welfare workers were inside talking to her. After they left, we knocked on the door and the woman answered.

When asked if she had any comment on the situation, the woman said, "No. Connecticut Transit, get the full video. I didn't toss my baby. Get the full video."

She then closed the door, only to open it once again.

"I never tossed my baby," she said. "Get the full video from Connecticut Transit. I didn't toss my baby. I set her down."

The video was so shocking that an NBC Connecticut viewer brought it to our attention. We asked Hartford police if they knew about it, and they launched an investigation.

Hartford police have not filed any charges in the case.

As part of their ongoing investigation, they're reviewing a second cell phone video from a different angle. The camera on board the bus was not working at the time of the incident, so there is no surveillance video available from CT Transit.

WESTBROOK, Conn. -- A state trooper was shot on Monday afternoon in Westbrook, Conn., while trying to apprehend two suspects in a robbery, and one of the suspects is dead, according to state police.

Old Saybrook police were pursuing suspects in an armed robbery and and asked Troop F for help.

During the pursuit, a state trooper's cruiser and vehicle the suspected robbers were in collided on Route 153 in the area of Docs Hill on the Essex, Westbrook line, police said.

The trooper exchanged gunfire with the suspects and was shot while trying to take the two men into custody.

The chase began with Old Saybrook police near a Days Inn at 1430 Boston Post Road in Old Saybrook just before 3 p.m., according to a witness. The suspects checked into a room at the Days Inn, the witness said.

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There was also another crime scene located at the Heritage Motor Inn, 1500 Boston Post Road. The owner of the inn said that the victims of the armed robbery live at the hotel. Police would not confirm this information.

The trooper suffered severe injuries, though the injuries were described as non-life-threatening, according to state police.

Officials said he was alert and conscious and taken to the Shoreline Medical Center in Essex by another state trooper.

Route 153 was closed in the area for hours.

Lifestar, a helicopter rescue service, sent one aircraft to the medical center and left with one of the injured suspects onboard, according to state police. The suspect was taken to Hartford Hospital, police said.

NBCConnecticut.com

Police have taken a man into custody who was in possession of a BB gun while watching President Barack Obama's motorcade depart the University of Hartford on Monday.

According to police, the man was standing near the intersection of Charter Avenue and Cottage Grove Road in Bloomfield, Conn., while Obama's motorcade passed.

Officers said they noticed the man acting suspiciously and pacing back and forth before he pulled out what appeared to be rifle.

The man was aggressively taken into custody, and it was learned that what had appeared to be a rifle was actually a BB gun.

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The man has been charged. The exact charges and the suspect's name were not immediately available.

The man will be in court on Tuesday.

A Connecticut animal control officer was arrested on Monday on a warrant charging her with animal cruelty.

Karen Lombardi, 59, voluntarily surrendered herself at the Woodbridge Police Department on Monday morning and was arrested on an outstanding arrest warrant charging her with one count of cruelty to animals, according to police.

The arrest stems from an investigation into an incident at the Woodbridge Animal Control facility in November 2012, according to police who said they are not releasing additional information now.

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Lombardi was released on a promise to appear in New Haven Superior Court on April 19. 

She's 81 years old and her age didn't get in the way of fighting back a thief.

Violet Mackiewicz had a robber reach into her car Wednesday and grab her purse. Her next instinct was to chase after him. The incident happened outside a post office in Cromwell, Connecticut.

"I'm going to be 82 next month. I said, 'Oh my god, I'm running,'" said Mackiewicz, who was walking to her car in the parking lot.

"I think I look like an easy target. Little old lady. Who knows? He doesn't know me though. What I'm capable of."

Mackiewicz had driven to the post office to pay her bills when a man lunged into her car and said: "Don't talk, lady. Don't do anything ma'am."

She added: "Then he grabbed my pocketbook and he ran."

Mackiewicz says she sat in shock and screamed for a moment but then she took action.

"I ran after him. I didn't know I could run," Mackiewicz added, saying the man was too fast. "I don't know. I thought maybe I could catch the car or something."

But she did manage to get a look at him and his black car before calling Cromwell police. She describes him as clean shaven and in his mid-30s. She says her biggest concern at the time was "my glasses. I said I need my glasses."

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"It does happen occasionally but not a lot," said Lou Tobias of Cromwell police, who say that these types of crimes are more common in shopping plazas; and what Mackiewicz did isn't necessarily a good idea.

"I certainly wouldn't recommend chasing after him. I don't know what she would have done if she had actually caught him."

Mackiewicz says she was still shaken up. But now that she's gotten her license and check book back, "Next week I will have forgotten all about it. Life goes on, right."

Mackiewicz says the robber got away with a couple hundred dollars of cash.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact Cromwell police at 860-635-2256.