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
-
Man shot to death in Foot Locker at Maryland mall
A man was shot to death inside a Foot Locker store at a Maryland mall Thursday evening. The man was shot before 6 p.m. as employees and customers were in the store outside The Shops at Iverson in Hillcrest Heights. Police do not believe the victim was an employee. Investigators worked their way around mannequins dressed in sportswear as they…
-
Hyundai thefts decline 90% in Montgomery County after surge
Hyundai thefts have decreased by 90% in Montgomery County following efforts by local officials to fight the rise in auto theft. Reports of stolen Hyundai vehicles declined to 10 this month, in a drop from October of last year, when 103 vehicles were reported stolen. September 2024 alone saw 35 stolen. Reports of stolen Hyundais skyrocketed in 2021 after a…
-
Family mourns loved ones who died in DC suspected arson
There were flowers and tears from friends and neighbors overwhelmed by the tragedy at the home on 23rd Street SE Sunday morning. Margaret McKinnon, an 84-year-old retired nurse who worked at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital for more than 25 years, and her son, 64-year-old Ronald McKinnon, were trapped on an upper floor, overcome by heavy smoke and unable to escape....
-
‘He came back': Suspect in deadly DC arson returned after multiple calls to police
Four calls in four days to the same house on 23rd Street SE in Washington, D.C., a domestic fight, broken windows and small fires suspected of being deliberately set. One call came just two hours before the raging blaze that trapped and ultimately overcame the home’s three occupants as they slept early Sunday. At a press conference, questions emerged...
-
‘I used to go there': Fire tears through closed Silver Spring elementary school
An aggressive fire took over JoAnn Leleck Elementary School Tuesday night in Silver Spring, Maryland, lasting 14 hours. Montgomery County firefighters said that the closed school was in the process of being demolished before the fire broke out at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Since the building was closed, the sprinkler system was deactivated, making it harder to contain the fire. When…
-
Woman's favorite purse helped her survive stabbing in Friendship Heights, she says
A man accused of stabbing a woman who was sitting on a bench outside a D.C. Metro station last week has been arrested in the past on assault and gun charges, according to charging documents.
-
Woman hurt in gas explosion at Columbia Heights apartment
A woman was seriously hurt Friday morning in an apparent natural gas explosion at an apartment building in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of D.C., fire officials say. Firefighters evacuated the four-story apartment building at 1433 Columbia Road Northwest and shut off the gas after finding the woman in serious condition, D.C. Fire and EMS said. Neighbors said the woman...
-
Some Maryland voters received sample ballots with wrong names
Some registered Maryland voters flooded elections officials with questions after receiving sample election ballot booklets with their correct address but a stranger’s names on the mailing label. Montgomery County Board of Elections quickly noticed all the calls were coming from registered voters in Congressional District 8 whose last names begin with “A,” spokesperson Gilberto Zelaya said. Some whose last names…
-
‘I'm watching your dirty behavior': Search history blackmail scam targets Gmail users
Imagine getting an email that contains your name, a picture of the front of your house and the words, “I’m watching your dirty behavior.” Maryland State Police are warning people about a blackmail scam. Potential victims are asked for large sums of money in Bitcoins. The scammer demands money in order to keep their internet search history from being...
-
‘Miracle': Humane Rescue Alliance searching for person who shot dog in DC
The Humane Rescue Alliance is trying to find the person who shot Louisa, a sweet brown and white pit-type dog well-known and well-liked by people in her D.C. neighborhood, who has miraculously survived a gunshot to her head. An X-ray shows the bullet that entered her head, grazed her tongue, traveled through her throat and ended up in her...
