Jackie Bensen is a general assignment reporter for News4. She specializes in reporting breaking news, mostly for News4 at 11.
Bensen joined News4 in 1999 after spending 12 years at WTTG-TV in a variety of roles including news writer, special projects producer and, for the last few years, general assignment reporter. She has also worked for Media General's cable channel and in the Washington Bureau of Outlet Communications.
Bensen is frequently called upon to speak at community and public safety events. She has been a guest lecturer at the FBI's National Training Academy in Quantico. She has also served as grand marshal of the Montgomery County Humane Society's Walk in the Park and the City of Rockville Memorial Day Parade.
A Philadelphia native, Bensen came to Washington to attend American University where she earned a Master's Degree in Journalism and Public Affairs. She has an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa.
Bensen and her family live in Montgomery County.
The Latest
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‘My baby's gone': Body found in Northeast DC building identified as housing advocate
The body found encased in concrete inside a refrigerator at a Northeast D.C. apartment building has been identified as a 44-year-old woman and housing advocate. Chandra Brown was remembered as a talented writer and poet. “That’s my baby. My baby’s gone,” Sheila Brown, Chandra’s mother, said. Brown, who lives in North Carolina, says she and her daughter spoke by...
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Man hurt in police shooting at Rosslyn Metro station
Police say a suspect was seriously hurt in an officer-involved shooting just after 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Rosslyn Metro station in Northern Virginia. He was taken to a hospital. Before going to the Metro station, the suspect went to a Safeway on Wilson Boulevard just before 4 p.m., witnesses said. He wanted food but did not want to pay…
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Man ‘born and raised in Maryland' charged with murder in NYC CEO killing
A 26-year-old Maryland native is being questioned as a person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the executive gunned down on video last week on a busy New York City sidewalk.
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‘Pushed to the side': Students with disabilities denied tables at Cracker Barrel
A group of students who have developmental and learning disabilities were denied service at a restaurant while taking part in a life-skills learning program with teachers, Charles County Public Schools said. In a community email, CCPS Superintendent Maria Navarro wrote 11 students and seven staff members visited a Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Maryland, Tuesday after notifying the restaurant in advance...
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Commuters voice safety concerns after weeks without lights at park-and-ride lot
Commuters who rely on a park-and-ride lot in Bowie, Maryland, say the lot’s lights have been out for weeks and they don’t feel safe there after dark. Dozens of people leave their cars at the lot on Northview Drive every day to take public transit to D.C. and elsewhere. At 5:45 p.m. Monday, a News4 crew went to the...
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‘No water': Broken main disrupts Thanksgiving for many in Northeast DC
A broken water main proved a major obstacle for Thanksgiving plans in Northeast D.C. The break, reported after 10 a.m., left people without water in a neighborhood just off Rhode Island Avenue. Four apartment buildings and 75 homes were affected. “My neighbor called and said, ‘Is your water on?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m doing laundry.’ And she said,...
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Suspect arrested in $400K gold bar scam
Police arrested a man suspected of taking a Bethesda, Maryland, couple for $400,000 in a gold bar scam. A text message reading “Contact us about an unauthorized charge on your Apple account” led the couple down a scam rabbit hole, police said. They were led to believe they were talking by phone to real Apple employees and eventually, according to…
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Crash involving MD police officer serves as drunken driving warning this holiday
A Maryland police officer was struck head on by a suspected drunken driver while on duty early Thursday morning. The Laurel officer’s SUV was struck by a dark-colored Kia about 2:30 a.m. on Van Dusen Road near Laurel Oaks Lane while he was responding to a call, police said. The officer was taken to a hospital and is home...
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Forensic artist creates 3D likeness of victim in 1973 Loudoun County cold case
The bare details of a murder in Loudoun County, Virginia back in 1973 have come into a vivid three dimensions. A forensic artist has created a likeness of the victim in hopes it will help identify her. She’s no longer an abstract. She looks like she’s about to speak. Blood-stained scraps of fabric from the 1973 murder investigation were used…
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DC preschool director faces federal charges linked to Discord messages
The director of a prestigious preschool in Northwest D.C. faces federal charges after what prosecutors describe as his messages about child abuse on the app Discord.
