For the first time since the alarming events surrounding Internet personality Perez Hilton, his family has broken their silence. Hilton was hospitalized after a disturbing TikTok livestream where he inflicted self-harm with a knife on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, the family addressed the public, confirming that the well-known celebrity blogger, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira Jr., 48, remains under medical care following the shocking incident.

“We are deeply thankful for the incredible wave of love, support, and prayers we have received,” expressed the statement from his relatives.

The family assured, “Perez is currently receiving necessary medical attention, and our priority at this moment is his recovery and well-being.”

They added, “Should we have any updates to provide, rest assured we will communicate them as promptly as we can.”

Just hours earlier harrowing surveillance video captured the moment scores of cops swarming the gossip icon’s Miami home when concerned fans alerted 911 to his alarming self-harming behavior on a TikTok livestream. 

Four squad cars were spotted pulling up to the celebrity blogger’s ranch-style house with sirens blaring just after 7pm Tuesday after officers received multiple emergency calls about his behavior. 

The video, captured by a neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera, reveals officers then trying to coax Hilton out of the home. 

‘Mario it’s the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, please step out of the house,’ a deputy calls out as more cops arrived. 

Clips taken from the disturbing livestream video, which the Daily Mail has decided not to republish, appeared to show a blood-soaked Hilton rambling incoherently after hacking himself with a knife. 

The Ring footage reveals officers were still there at 11:11pm begging the showbiz blogger not to hurt himself. 

After arriving on the scene on Tuesday evening, officers ultimately spoke with family members and confirmed Hilton was alone inside before making the decision to ‘tactically disengage’ while monitoring the situation, the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail.

Hilton was eventually taken to the hospital where he was surrounded by loved ones on Wednesday, including his 42-year-old sister, Barbara Lavandeira. 

‘In many incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or actively harming themselves, deputies prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,’ the sheriff’s office said.

 ‘Unless there is an immediate threat to others, slowing the situation and utilizing crisis intervention techniques can reduce the likelihood of a suicide-by-cop encounter and minimize the risk of injury to the individual, deputies, and the public.’

Authorities later confirmed that Hilton had ‘been safely recovered and transported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to a local hospital, where he is receiving medical attention.’

Meanwhile, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Crisis Response Unit and Licensed Mental Health Professionals remained at the scene ‘providing support and resources to the individual’s family.’ 

Hilton is a father to three children, who were born via surrogacy. His eldest son was born in 2013, followed by two daughters in 2015 and 2017.  

The celebrity reporter’s condition remains unclear. The Daily Mail has reached out to Hilton’s representatives for comment. 

The video has been taken down, and Hilton’s account has since been suspended by TikTok. 

Hilton’s representatives, Golden Artists Entertainment Co-CEOs Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan, told TMZ in a statement, ‘We are aware of the concerning content circulating online involving our client, Perez Hilton.

‘At this time, we have not been able to make direct contact with him, despite our ongoing efforts to reach him. Our primary concern is Perez’s health and well-being, as well as the well-being of his family. Until we have confirmed information, we will not speculate or comment further.

‘We appreciate everyone’s concern and ask that his privacy be respected during this time.’ 

In the meantime, celebrity friends and fans of the blogger, born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr, have taken to social media to send him messages, begging for him to seek medical help. 

‘The Perez Hilton video is so upsetting,’ wrote Trisha Paytas. ‘I hope he’s OK. I hope his children are OK.

‘Crashing out on the internet, whether it’s fake or real – is a cry for help.’ 

Jessica Rosado, a singer and the host of Las Vegas Morning Blend, also posted a statement to her Instagram page.

‘As someone who knows Perez personally, I find myself at a loss for words,’ she wrote. ‘I know the move to Miami hasn’t been an easy one, but never could I ever have imagined something as dark and deeply disturbing as this. 

‘He is clearly in distress, and as someone who is also in media, I’m not rushing to discuss things I don’t have all the facts on,’ she continued. ‘I’m waiting to hear more from trusted sources.’

In the meantime, Rosado said her ‘love pours out to him and his entire family.’

‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out with kind words and concern,’ the television host said. ‘Whether you are close with someone or not, please remember to move with empathy and approach others with the utmost care.’ 

Former politician George Santos wrote on X: ‘Please pray for Perez Hilton folks. He needs the power of prayer and the strength of our Lord and Savior.’ 

Others hit out at TikTok for allowing the disturbing video to continue for about half an hour.

‘Genuinely think TikTok should be held liable in some way for allowing that Perez Hilton feed to last 30 minutes. Absolutely insane,’ one X user wrote.

Another noted that the platform ‘allowed for many people, including children to come across a live where a man was going through a mental health crisis.’

‘Check on the people you love and please,’ the netizen urged. 

In March, Hilton revealed that he had just emerged from a 21-day hospital stint as he battled sepsis, a result, he said, of taking flu medication on an empty stomach that triggered a cascade of health problems.

At the Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Hilton underwent two surgeries as he was treated for a string of medical crises.

During his recovery the following month, Hilton wrote he felt ‘like I should be scared right now, but I’m not.

‘I definitely am worried, though. God show me the way!’ he wrote on April 8. 

‘Perez Hilton is GOING THROUGH IT right now,’ the columnist continued. ‘He asks for prayers and for Christ to intervene – sooner [rather] than later.’ 

Hilton later told the Daily Mail how he found God during his recovery.

‘It was God presenting Himself to me, and then doing something that I could only describe as a miracle to heal me… I was still unwell, and then God did something,’ the gossip columnist said.

He also said that his professed exchange with the Almighty allowed him to change his mindset about his rollercoaster 22-year career. 

Hilton had come under fire over the years for his controversial behavior – including outing gay celebrities and giving certain A-listers inappropriate nicknames. 

He admitted that he had ‘made a lot of mistakes in the past which are very public. Which I own. Which I regret, which I have deep shame for, which I’ve apologized for repeatedly, publicly as well as privately.’

But, he said, ‘to have this experience with God and to know that God loves me, and God forgives me, it was very healing, because I then forgave myself.’ 

Hilton also noted he harbored guilt over ‘all of the mistakes – not even mistakes, they were awful decisions that I made’ in his ‘enfant terrible phase’ as a celebrity blogger, when he ‘knew what I was doing was wrong and I didn’t care.’

‘It’s like if you’re a drug addict, and you’re stealing from your parents’ money to buy drugs. You know what you’re doing is wrong, and you don’t care. You just want that hit,’ the father-of-three continued. ‘And that was truly what I was doing.’

For Hilton, the ‘most powerful drug’ was the ‘attention’ he garnered as an online gadfly, ‘and I didn’t care who I hurt in the process.’

Still, his ‘experience with God’ did not inspire a total career change. 

When people ask if he’d consider changing professions, Hilton told them: ‘No, because I’m not doing gossip. I do celebrity journalism.’

If you or someone you know needs help in the US, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 988. If you are in the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123 for free. If you are in Australia, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

In a significant crackdown, the U.S. Department of Justice, together with leaders from several federal agencies, announced on Wednesday the indictment of individuals associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). These charges are linked to drug trafficking and illegal weapons activities, as well as elaborate timeshare fraud schemes preying primarily on older Americans.

This announcement emerged from a broader inter-agency press briefing, unveiling a comprehensive set of enforcement measures aimed at dismantling the CJNG’s operations across Mexico.

“These intricate criminal networks employ brutality and intimidation to dominate the traffic of lethal narcotics into the United States—covering fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and more. Their actions sow disorder and tragedy in our neighborhoods,” declared Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during the news briefing.

Adding to the gravity, Blanche elaborated, “The cartel members face charges spanning from orchestrating drug trafficking syndicates and directing well-trained assassins responsible for killings and attempted hits, to sourcing illegal arms, laundering money, and producing and distributing dangerous drugs. Notably, three of these cartel suspects are also accused of engaging in sophisticated fraud schemes that exploited elderly Americans through an alleged timeshare fraud operation.”

As part of the enforcement, the DOJ’s criminal division brought federal charges against five senior members of the cartel, including drug trafficking and firearms offenses, Assistant Attorney General Tysen Duva said. Duva also provided further details about the fraud scheme targeting elderly Americans.

“CJNG targeted Americans who are aspiring to own or already own timeshares in Mexico, many of them elderly, and promised them profits for selling or renting them. But first, the victims had to pay taxes and advance fees. Of course, the profits never came. Once someone paid, the fraudsters contacted them again, posing as lawyers or officials who could recover the money for another fee,” Duva explained.

“Of course it was fake. The scheme morphed and continued, with the fraudsters even claiming that the victims actually paid a cartel and would be arrested if they did not pay more, which they did. One particular victim, an 83-year-old individual, an American who bought a timeshare many years ago for $179,000, was duped at each level of this phase. He paid advance fees to begin with. He fell for fake real estate websites and title companies. He was victimized again by attorneys who sent their bar information and fake websites, who claimed that they could get his money back. Of course they were impersonators and they could not,” Duva continued.

“Government agencies then contacted him for additional fees, using government letterhead and spoofed government websites. And then again, Mexican law enforcement contacted him and demanded he pay criminal and civil fines because he had apparently paid a cartel. It went on and on. It victimized this man for hundreds of thousands of dollars over eight years,” Duva said.

Between 2019 and 2023, FBI Director Kash Patel explained during the news conference, the scheme defrauded over 6,000 Americans to the tune of $400 million.

“These individuals, pursuant to the New York Field Office investigation that began a few years ago, started call centers, down south and across the world. The funds they utilized and they scammed out of these call centers from senior citizens from across America, totaled over $400 million. They duped our seniors using email, telephone, text messages and phishing campaigns into subscribing to a timeshare project that they falsely stood up and falsely delivered promises that our seniors would be able to enjoy their lives and their vacations, only to have that money seized from them and that vacation and their retirements deprived from them,” Patel said.

Patel also announced that the FBI had executed over 30 foreign transfers of custody in 15 countries in July alone.

“I’m here to tell you today, for all these individuals that are on the run right now, you will not be on the run for long. We will hunt you down in every corner of the planet, and we will return you here to face American justice,” he said. Patel also said the FBI was working to return stolen funds to the elderly victims, adding “we have seized these funds and we are going to get them back to the senior citizens that were fleeced of their life savings and their retirements. That is the mission of law enforcement.”

Blanche said the DOJ has been working with a wide swath of other federal agencies on increased enforcement actions which he said have helped reduce fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S. by 22%. The agencies involved in the enforcement actions included the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the IRS, the State Department, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The DEA’s Administrator Terry Cole framed the enforcement as an America First policy during the news conference.

“Since the inception nearly two decades ago, CJNG has grown into one of the world’s most dangerous and ruthless foreign terrorist organizations. CJNG was built on a vast criminal network that produces and distributes deadly drugs, while sustaining a powerful influence via violence and corruption in Mexico. This includes members within the Mexican government who shield CJNG leadership from justice and facilitate drug trafficking, money laundering, and violence,” Cole said.

“CJNG actions have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans, Americans that were lost way too soon. They did this through the production and distribution of fentanyl, a weapon of mass destruction. DEA is aggressively targeting both the cartels and the corrupt government officials who are responsible for the deaths of our citizens,” Cole continued.

“Today’s coordinated actions against CJNG leadership and infrastructure, including superseding indictments and rewards totaling more than $100 million in arrest, will not end. It sends a very clear message. This is just the beginning. This is about Americans first. This is a fight against CJNG that we are just beginning, and we will not back down. DEA investigations of cases have generated more than 100 federal indictments against CJNG leaders and members and associates. We are working with our international partners to arrest, extradite, and prosecute these defendants in the United States,” Cole concluded.

Blanche said the agency partnered with the State Department to offer up to $100 million for information leading to the arrest of the cartel leaders.

News Media contacted the DOJ, FBI and DEA for further comment.

New York City is making impressive strides in the fight against its longstanding rodent problem.

According to city statistics, rat sightings have reached their lowest levels since the pandemic era, signaling a successful outcome from the robust anti-rodent initiatives implemented during Mayor Eric Adams’ tenure. This progress is evident as the data for the first half of 2026 indicates a marked decline.

During the initial seven months of this year, approximately 9,900 rat-related complaints were logged. This is the first occurrence of such reports dipping below the 10,000 mark within this timeframe since the year 2020, based on data from the 311 service.

This figure represents a dramatic 22% reduction from the numbers recorded over the same period last year. Former Mayor Adams lauded this remarkable decrease as a significant victory in the ongoing war against rodents—a campaign he passionately initiated back in 2022.

“A decline in rat sightings isn’t achieved overnight. Our strategy was to simply cease enabling their survival,” Adams explained to The Post on Wednesday. “We implemented several measures like containerization and maintained a strong focus on the problem. Now, we’re witnessing the benefits of years of persistent efforts.”

“People used to come to me all the time and say, ‘What did you do with all the rats? Do we need to do more?’ Yes, there are still communities where we need to invest.”

Reports for “rat sightings” during the seven-month timeframe have been falling each year since 2024, according to the data, which was first reported by Bloomberg.

These sightings hit a peak in 2022, when 16,230 reports of squeaky pests were called in between January and August — prompting Adams to officially declare the “war” that fall.

Programs like the Empire Bins have apparently been among the most productive, with rat sightings dropping in the few neighborhoods that have installed the massive on-street trash cans.

“Mounds of leaky, smelly black trash bags on our streets have served as an all-you-can-eat buffet for rats, but the era of those bags is drawing to a close,” said Vincent Gragnani, a spokesperson for the Sanitation Department.

“More than 70 percent of all trash is now required to be in sealed containers, and in 2031, New Yorkers will see ALL trash in sealed containers. The data is clear that containerizing trash delivers cleaner streets and fewer rats.”

Manhattan Community Board 8 has seen 35% fewer rats since the bins were installed last summer, a change neighbors say is more than noticeable.

“In this area there used to be a lot, a lot, a lot,” said Susana Merlin, 59, who works as the bookkeeper for El Porton Mexican Cuisine on Broadway.

“A while ago you couldn’t walk because there was rat traffic on the [sidewalk]!”

James Fuentes, 20, a server at the neighboring Toast Bar, said tourists have been screaming less at night since the Empire Bins have been installed.

“I’ve heard people scream, you know, tourists scream at night,” he said of the times before the rat fight began.

“The rats are going to every restaurant that has trash overflowing outside,” Fuentes explained, pointing to a pair of dumpsters across the street, “where that dumpster is, it’s probably where they’re all at, or the places that aren’t fortunate enough to have these [bins].”

Johnny Peñufiel, an employee at Trufa Pizzeria, said he was grateful for the city’s work on reducing rats, but said it was time to move on to the next problem.

“Now we have homelessness. That’s a big problem. Some people are mentally crazy.”

A Louisiana judge linked to a high-profile gang-rape case is finding herself in the spotlight for personal reasons, as her son is maneuvering to overturn his convictions for multiple rapes.

Judge Gail Horne Ray, tasked with presiding over the trial of 21-year-old Desmond Carter, faces intense scrutiny. Carter stands accused of sexually assaulting Madi Brooks, a 19-year-old Louisiana State University student, in a vehicle with two other suspects in East Baton Rouge this past January.

Tragically, after being ejected from the car, Brooks was struck and fatally injured by another passing vehicle shortly thereafter, according to allegations.

Compounding the drama, Judge Ray’s son, Nelson Taylor, age 46, is revisiting the courtroom in an attempt to nullify several rape convictions.

Back in 1997, according to reports from WBRZ, Taylor entered guilty pleas for three counts of forcible rape and five counts of aggravated burglary. These offenses were committed while he was still in high school.

The attacks stretched from late 1995 to the spring of 1996, and saw Taylor break into his victim’s homes armed with a gun or a knife. 

The then-17-year-old would wear a mask during the rapes and use tape to cover the girls’ eyes and mouths, prosecutors said, with Taylor’s plea deal allowing him to avoid a life sentence. 

He received a sentence of 50 years at the time, but was released on parole in 2022 as a Tier 3 sex offender. 

Taylor is now trying to have his rape charges and their sentenced set aside, arguing that a similar motion in 2001 was never ruled on by a judge. 

He initially filed in November, but the case was delayed as every judge in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court system recused themselves because he is Ray’s son. The Louisiana Supreme Court has since assigned retired First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Michael McDonald to handle the case. 

Following Taylor’s release, he was arrested again in 2024 after being accused of exposing himself and masturbating in front of a housekeeper at a hotel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

That case is still ongoing, and Taylor’s court dates have been significantly delayed as all sitting judges in the 19th District – as well as East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore – recused themselves due to his mother being a judge. 

The controversy surrounding Ray’s son’s status as a serial rapist has already impacted the judge’s presiding over Carter’s case, weeks before the trial has even begun. 

Ray was briefly recused from the case after prosecutors complained about her son being a convicted rapist, before she was returned to the preside over Carter’s trial by the state Supreme Court in May. 

The Daily Mail has contacted Judge Ray’s judicial assistant for comment.  

Ahead of Carter’s trial, the suspect’s attorneys made headlines this week as they demanded Madison Brooks’ loved ones be banned from wearing pink at his court proceedings. 

According to prosecutors, Carter and two other men gang raped Brooks in a car after drinking with her in a bar on January 15, 2023. 

Brooks was allegedly ‘dumped’ out of the car by the men after the attack, and when she stumbled across a highway she was fatally struck by a moving car. 

The Brooks family and their supporters have taken to wearing pink to commemorate the late student at public events and court hearings. 

Carter’s attorneys filed a motion to prohibit Brooks’ supporters from wearing Brooks’ favorite color in the courtroom, arguing it could prejudice or intimidate the jury.

The defense cited several cases that found a ‘carnival atmosphere’ in courtrooms violated a defendant’s right to a fair trial, an argument that was characterized as a ‘gross mischaracterization of the facts at hand’ by prosecutors, per WBRZ.

But prosecutors said Brooks’ family and friends have routinely worn pink at multiple prior legal proceedings related to her death.

Prosecutors wrote in their argument to allow pink in the courtroom that Brooks’ supporters would be ‘silent, passive spectators’ to the facts, and described Carter’s demand as ‘absurd.’

Carter is facing rape charges alongside Kaivon Washington and Casen Carver, as prosecutors claim they assaulted Brooks in a car after they drank together at a bar.

The defendants deny raping Brooks, and say only consensual sex happened in the back of the car.

In footage of the night Brooks died released by authorities, Brooks was seen stumbling across a road after she was allegedly dumped by the sidewalk by the men, moments before a moving car struck her.

Authorities have said her blood-alcohol level was .319 percent, almost four times the legal driving limit, and she stumbled into the four-lane road where she was hit by a truck. 

In legal filings last year, attorneys for Carver and Carter claimed that injuries consistent with sexual assault allegedly found on Brooks’ body were not their doing.

They claimed that Brooks had consensual rough sex with another Louisiana State University student the night before, and say it was that encounter which caused her injuries.

A motion claimed the evidence ‘will gut the State’s theory of the case’ and prove their innocence.

The filing was condemned by prosecutors, with District Attorney Hillar Moore said the filing was ‘totally inappropriate and not in accordance with the applicable rules of law’.

The motion was ultimately rejected by a judge, as it was branded ‘irrelevant.’

In a new development on Wednesday, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by Alexander Murdaugh, who sought to reclaim $600,000 in legal fees. These expenses were pegged to the county clerk, accused of meddling with the jury during his murder trial.

U.S. District Judge Richard Mark Gergel determined that Murdaugh did not have the legal standing required to pursue action against Rebecca “Becky” Hill. He emphasized that her purported misconduct did not directly lead to the costs Murdaugh incurred to defend himself.

Judge Gergel clarified that Murdaugh would have incurred these defense costs regardless of any actions taken by Hill, as she did not play a role in initiating the murder charges or the subsequent prosecution.

In the written order, Judge Gergel concluded, “To put it plainly, the defendant’s alleged misconduct was not a direct cause of the plaintiff needing to finance his defense expenses.”

The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Murdaugh could seek to file another claim if he can present a legally sufficient theory.

Murdaugh sued Hill under a federal civil rights law, alleging that her communications with jurors violated his rights under the Sixth and 14th Amendments. He said he liquidated his 401K account before trial and spent $600,000 on his defense.

The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously overturned Murdaugh’s murder convictions on May 13 and ordered a new trial, finding that Hill’s conduct with jurors amounted to “shocking jury interference.”