morning america." have a great wednesday. making news in america this morning -- winner, winner, chicken dinner. more than one lucky ticketholder will take home the near-record mega millions jackpot. new details on where they were sold. also this morning, deadly crash. a plane goes one in a neighborhood, while residents look on. >> it looked like it was headed straight towards my house. >> how the pilot's actions likely saved a lot more people on the ground. high drama. a worker perched on the end of a construction crane with raging fire behind him. his harrowing rescue, all caught on camera. also this morning, immaculate reception. a security agent is in the right place at exactly the right time.

and good wednesday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson, in, today, for john muller. >> i'm diana perez. we have some winners to tell you about. two tickets matched all of the numbers in that massive mega millions jackpot. >> less than an hour after that big drawing last night, lottery officials in california confirmed that a ticket was sold in that state, in the city of san jose. then, news broke that at another store, this one in atlanta, georgia, also sold a winning ticket. >> the winners will share a near-record $636 million. abc's tahman bradley has all of the details. >> reporter: the people who hold mega millions tickets with these numbers -- >> 8, 20, 14, 17, 39 and the megaball, 7. >> reporter: are about to get the best christmas gift ever. overnight, lottery officials confirmed winning tickets were sold in atlanta, georgia, and san jose, california. >> it's good for san jose. hopefully somebody will be rich.

>> reporter: oh, they will be. the jackpot, more than $636 million. the second-biggest in lottery history. the odds were about 1 in 259 million. but that didn't stop the frenzy. in 43 states, the district of columbia, and the virgin islands, americans dreamed big. >> i feel that i'm going to win. >> i bought a new lamborghini. >> probably going to buy an island. >> reporter: on tuesday alone, an estimated 11 million tickets were sold every hour. some 30 million tickets an hour during peak times. >> could be my lucky day. could be my lucky day. >> what do i have to lose? it's a dollar. so, i took a chance. >> reporter: the jackpot swelled past $500 million after 21-straight drawings failed to produce a winner. this morning, there's at least two new multimillionaires. 20 ticketholders won $1 million. there's good news for all those people who didn't win. the mega millions jackpot resets to $15 million for the next drawing on friday.

tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >> my ticket was not lucky. yours was not, either. >> i'm here. >> right. >> we would have been long gone. our thanks to tahman there. it seems someone working on the mega millions website was a little quick when it came to posting the next jackpot. >> briefly overnight, the lottery's website indicated no winners. and that friday's jackpot would be worth an astonishing $950 million. that would have been an all-time record. we of course know now that is not the case. another big story from georgia this morning. investigators will be on the scene of a deadly plane crash in northwest atlanta. both people onboard were killed when the aircraft went down just after takeoff. terrified residents watched as the plane came straight towards their homes. but they credit the pilot for making a sudden right turn into the woods. >> looks like it was headed straight towards my house. i thought for sure, he hit a neighbor's house. and he -- he did it on purpose.

i mean, he banked it on purpose so he wouldn't hit any houses. >> they ran toward the plane, hoping for survivors. but explosions were intense -- with intense fire kept them away. the aircraft was registered to an atlanta area business. nevada police say they simply don't know why a gunman opened fire inside a hospital in reno. one person was killed and two others critically wounded before the shooter turned the gun on himself. investigators say they don't think the victims were chosen at random. a doctor was one of the two people who were hurt. subfreezing temperatures are a big concern this morning across the midwest and the northeast. icy roadways here in new york, last night, led to this 30-car pileup in brooklyn. drivers described the expressway as a sheet of ice as they lost control and plowed into the car ahead of them. >> there were no serious injuries. but traffic, as you can imagine, was snarled for hours. parts of the long island expressway were closed because of black ice. further north, in boston, massachusetts, a few inches of snow made the trip home a nightmare.

the city of boston put 400 pieces of equipment on the roads to get them clear. matters were only made worse because blustery winds that were blowing all that snow around. and that really impacted visibility on the roads. there is no more snow in the northeast, for now anyway. but there could be a little near the great lakes. today, the south will be dry. but not the west coast, where there's a storm moving in. >> teens and 20s in new england and upstate new york, and in the northern plains, as well. the gulf coast will see 60s and 70s today. and also some 70s and 80s across southern california and southern arizona. sounds nice. fire crews are reporting some progress in their fight against a wildfire in california's picturesque big sur area. the flames have now scorched just over a square-mile and have destroyed more than 20 buildings, most of them homes. one of the homes that was lost was owned by big sur's fire chief. she stood by helplessly as the fire was just getting started. >> when i walked out the front door, the embers and ashes were

actually pretty much coming by my front door. to stand there and watch your home burn is not what you want to do. >> the extremely dry conditions and rugged terrain make fighting the fire all the more difficult. officials say they have the fire about 20% contained right now. another developing story on this wednesday morning. the u.s. military is looking into the deadly crash of a blackhawk helicopter in afghanistan. it went down yesterday, killing six americans. the military says there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. the troops onboard may have been attacked after the chopper went down. it's unclear if any casualties were the result of enemy fire. in civil war-torn syria, hospitals in the city of aleppo are overwhelmed with civilian casualties. government air forces have been pounding that city for days, striking civilian neighborhoods with bombs packed with shrapnel. more than 100 people have been killed, dozens of them, children. president bashar al assad's forces may be trying to destroy the opposition before a peace conference can begin.

and that's next month. there's some emergency repairs scheduled for the international space station. the two american astronauts will try to fix the station's cooling system in spacewalks that have been set, now, for saturday, monday and maybe even christmas day itself. with only half the cooling system now functioning, the six-person space station crew has shut down all nonessential functions. still ahead, a blockbuster drug deal will create a cheaper version of a very popular pill. and weapons at the airport. exclusive details released to abc news about the staggering number of guns confiscated by the tsa. plus, a remarkable story of survival involving a blind man, his guide dog and good samaritans on a subway station.

and welcome back, everybody. well, today would be a very good day to order online. it is free shipping day. hundreds of retailers are taking part. they'll also guarantee deliver by christmas eve. that's good. many brick and mortar stores have extended hours, starting today. and while so far, this year has been a disappointment for stores, it's been a record year for those folks shopping online. >> doing all of his shopping today. >> really? online? >> no. at the store. >> oh, he's brave. >> extended hours, that's what he needs. all eyes on wall street will be on the federal reserve today. the central bank may announce whether it will continue propping up the economy and holding down interest rates. with uncertainty, investors were reluctant to make big bets.

so, the markets drifted slightly lower. generic viagra will go on sale sooner than expected. all right. a federal lawsuit, pfizer, the company that developed viagra, is allowing an israel drugmaker to begin selling its version in four years. other companies will have to wait, though. viagra sales, get this, totalled more than $2 billion last year. sales definitely not limp. wendy's first restaurant with new features is open right across the street from corporate headquarters. it looks forward with its digital menu boards, a wi-fi bar and also some flat-screen tvs to boot. and it looks back at the burger chain's 44-year history. and its founder, the iconic dave thomas. while we're waiting to hear who is going to share last night's massive mega millions jackpot, much more than that goes unclaimed every, single year. >> how people don't get their money, i'll never understand. officials say, get this, about 800 million bucks in winnings are not collected.

not collected, every year. often it's because players hear they didn't win the jackpot and they don't realize they won lesser prizes, though. some of these lesser prizes can be worth up to $1 million. still not a bad deal. >> not bad at all. you're not a millionaire. but if you invest right, you could be one day. >> exactly. that will buy you a lot of viagra. >> certainly true. when we come back, a harvard student under arrest. accused of calling in a bomb threat. the possible motive had a lot of people talking online overnight. plus, what a catch. an airport security guard is at the right place when a baby takes a tumble. clerk stumbled upon a cottage. [knock] no one was at home, but on the kitchen table sat three insurance policies. the first had lots of coverage. the second, only a little. but the third was... just right!

bear: hi! yeah, we love visitors. that's why we moved to a secluded house in the middle of the wilderness. just the right coverage at just the right price. coverage checker from progressive. thanks, guys. i think this is the best thing you made all week. steve, we love you but you know you live next door, right? uh-huh. don't your brothers and sisters miss you? no. we text. ok. [ female announcer ] here's to moms who know what a dollop of daisy can do. unlike others, it is 100% pure with nothing else added. ♪ do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy ♪ ♪ do a dollop of daisy ♪ yes! ♪ attention... he went to jared. he went to jared. [ applause ] who wants a little champagne? [ female announcer ] jared the galleria of jewelry

has five times the selection of ordinary jewelry stores, with thousands of loose diamonds and hundreds of settings to create your own one-of-a-kind ring. oh. please return your fiancée to her original upright position. [ female announcer ] that's why he went to jared. and now, for a look at your morning road conditions on this wednesday. yesterday's snow will not get a chance to melt in new england and the upper plains states. there could be a little fresh snow around the great lakes.

and roads along the west coast will be wet with either rain or snow. >> and there are no major airport delays expected for today. all right, now, back to the news. and growing concern as millions of us head to the airport for next week for christmas. >> this is sobering news for sure. tsa screeners are finding that more passengers these days are packing heat. the amount of weapons confiscation is rising from 660 back in 2005, to double that in 2011. and now, triple that in 2013. abc's jim avila tried to find out why. >> reporter: what are people thinking? >> virtually everybody says, i forgot. or i just get a different bag than i usually have. >> one of the weapons confiscated this year were taken from suspected terrorists, though, as part of any plot. some new details this morning about the student who opened fire on his colorado high school last week. authorities say karl pierson apparently intended to do a lot more harm than he actually did.

they said pierson had letters and numbers core responding to five locations inside the school, written on his arm. investigators believe he planned to target those areas. and he had more than 125 rounds of ammunition on him. instead of going home for winter break, a harvard sophomore has a date in court today. officials say he has admitted e-mailing a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of four buildings. all this happened monday morning. it warned that shrapnel bombs would go off soon. the student told the fbi he wanted to get out of a final exam. he could spend next semester behind bars. and from north of the border, a terrifying scene. a construction worker in ontario was crapped on a crane, as a huge fire burned right below him. the fire was burning in a building that was under construction. eventually, a search and rescue helicopter came to the rescue. a crewman secured the worker. and both of them were hoisted into the chopper. and now, watch the left side of your screen as an airport security guard dives in just in time to catch a baby, a second

before he hits the floor. it happened at an airport in pore land. the guard was about 15 feet away when he saw the child about to fall. his father, by the way, was putting on his coat. that security guard came to the rescue just in time. >> wow. >> wow, is right. >> lucky father and kid. president obama is spending a loud and clear message to russia about its treatment of gays and rez leans. billie jean king will be one of the openly-gay athletes in its delegation for the opening and closing ceremonies. and for the first time since 2000, the u.s. will not send a president, vice president, first lady or secretary to the game. >> a not-so subtle message from our country to russia. that's for sure. and time for sports news. a wild finish in cleveland, between the cavaliers and the trail blazers. >> plus, a controversial call during a college basketball game. here's neil and stan and espn news. >> welcome to our "sportscenter" studios. here in los angeles.

neil, wave to the nice people. >> i have a bald spot right there. >> let's get to the highlights. that way, nobody will see it. >> there's two, young guys with nice heads of hair. portland, the best record in the league, at cleveland. match-up of two of the great, young point guards. final seconds. one of them, kyrie irving, finds anderson varejao. we're tied. under seven seconds to go. cold-blooded, damian lillard. big sky, hello. portland is going to win it. 36 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds from lillard. portland, 119-116. here's an interesting ending. south florida/florida gulf coast. 0.3 seconds left in double-overtime. the guy guarding him is 7'3". so, just to get it up and over him is one thing. but he manages to do that and he connects with a teammate all the way down the court, who throws it up and in. wait a minute. he clearly released the ball before the backboard lights up.

it looks like it's good. but there's a problem. you see, the rule book says there has to be at least 0.4 seconds remaining for a catch and shoot play. you can tip it in with 0.3. but officials rule that's not a tip-in. that's catch and shoot. 0.3 to go, so it doesn't count. florida hangs on to win, 68-66. i've heard of that rule. but i've never seen it work that way. you'll be okay. >> i need hair. >> rogaine. >> i like those two. that was a bad call in that game. oh, man. >> okay. you're good, too. let's go. it's a big morning at abc news, with special coverage of this morning coming up from the vatican. >> one big reason, pope francis who again proved himself to be the people's pope yesterday, as he chose to celebrate his 77th birthday with three homeless men on the streets of rome. they went to mass together and had breakfast. >> this pope is something different and special. and later on "good morning america," robin roberts and josh

elliott will broadcast live from st. peter's square. they'll join thousands of folks attending the pope's weekly general audience, as millions of catholics, worldwide, of course, prepare for christmas next week. >> and we'd like to know what you're thankful for this christmas. so, tweet us and let us know, using the hash tag grateful this christmas. "the pulse." breaking hearts across the globe. the biebs makes an unexpected announcement about his future. i'm all choked up. and spreading christmas cheer. a kind gesture by a football team is a must-see "play of the day." with a higher risk of stroke iving due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. at first, i took warfarin, but i wondered, "could i up my game?" my doctor told me about eliquis. and three important reasons to take eliquis instead. one, in a clinical trial, eliquis was proven to reduce the risk of stroke better than warfarin.

two, eliquis had less major bleeding than warfarin. and three... unlike warfarin, there's no routine blood testing. [ male announcer ] don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. . easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. i've got three important reasons to up my game with eliquis. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor today if eliquis is right for you. [ male announcer ] this holiday, don't get stuck at the corner of "oh! you got me something" and "oh...this is awkward." remember, walgreens has a great assortment of little somethings, and we're always nearby, so it's easy to get in and out.

see you on your lunch break. swing by walgreens for lindt lindor truffles, hallmark cards, and more. plus most stores are open 'til midnight. here at the corner of happy and healthy. no, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini delivers fast craving relief in just 3 minutes. double your chances of quitting with nicorette mini. safe to say, we have way too much fun. >> the real show's during the commercials. here's "the pulse," this morning. we're going to start with a life-saving dog here in the big apple.

>> the whole thing starts with 61-year-old cecil williams as he falls on the track of the subway station. his brave black labrador, orlando, leapt after him, barking and getting everyone's attention. witnesses say it happened so fast, there was no time to prevent williams' fall. >> i saw a man, wobbling. he was too close to the edge. i tried to get forward. the dog was pulling him to come forward. and it was too late. he rocked forward and went backwards into the track. >> a train rolled over them at very slow speed. but williams and orlando survived by laying in a trench between the rails. what an incredibly smart dog to know to do that. >> exactly. lucky, both of them. next up this morning, justin bieber, your favorite. he is getting a lot of attention online overnight, because of something he said on the radio yesterday in l.a. >> the 19-year-old superstar shocked his legions of fans, suggesting that this new album, "complete my journal," will be

his last. >> what's up with the new album. give me names and dates? >> the new album, i'm actually retiring, man. >> no. >> i'm retiring. yeah. >> don't get too crazy here just yet, folks. bieber's camp is already suggesting that it was all a joke. a publicity stunt. i'm shocked. >> uh-huh. hollywood is once again turning to '60s tv for new ideas. warner brothers is getting ready to bring "gilligan's island" to the big screen. >> talk about a three-hour tour all right. gilligan ran for only three seasons in the mid-'60s, but gained a whole new audience in reruns and several made-for-tv movies. there's no release date yet for the new film. love that show. good to see it coming back. and our "play of the day" happened at a children's hospital where indianapolis colts players and cheerleaders, serenaded young patients with christmas carols. they also included gifts, including a signed poster for each room. >> they posed for photographs with the patients. it's an annual tradition for the

colts. some of the players visit that hospital every week. nice going, team. i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is.

[run your entire business with all-new intuitit.ickbooks. get paid however you want with it. get real work done wherever with it. make all your numbers play nicely with it. say "buh-bye" to the old way with it. run payroll with your finger with it. scan receipts with it. sync this stuff with that stuff and that stuff, with it. maintain your sanity with it. this is your business on the all-new quickbooks. run with it. you give them the giggles. tylenol cold® helps relieve your worst cold and flu symptoms. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol cold®. so you think santa will like these... red and green m&m's? i don't know! i never met the guy! whaaaaa! he does exist! they do exist! uhm... santa?

nfc, afc, offensive lineman, defensive tackles, quarterbacks and cornerbacks are all living united. to ensure the academic success of millions of kids in our communities. all the way to graduation day. but that won't happen without you. so take the pledge at unitedway.org. make a difference in the life of a child. suit up like your favorite nfl players, and become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor with united way.

live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good morning at 4:28. i am kristen sze. >> i am eric thomas. mike is off and leyla gulen has the weather forecast. >> you may notice it is cooler this morning. look at our live doppler 7 hd. we are waking up to high scattered clouds. the big news is it is an 11th "spare the air" day. very poor air quality because of the stagnant air resting over the bay area for more than a week now. that is bringing our quality of air down significantly in the north bay but especially in the santa clara valley, san jose experienced the worst air quality they had in at least two years. that is saying a lot. we did have the sims fire yesterday that contributed to

the dust and soot in the air. we have the big sur fire. we have the seven-day forecast coming up ahead but, first, traffic. we do not have any crashes which is how we like to start the morning. we have a lot of green so we are at top speeds. we do not have freezing temperatures in the bay area so no chance to black ice. we have construction westbound bay bridge from the incline to the tower there, you can see we will have a couple of lanes blocked when you pass it, though, you good to go into san francisco. over to you. >> we have breaking news, a brazen a.t.m. heist leads to a wrong-way pursuit on the bay bridge. amy hollyfield? >> we have an incredible

picture. look at the a.t.m. machine used to be there, it was bolted into credit. look at the efforts someone went to, to get it out of there. we can still see a roll of receipt paper on the ground and the chain on the ground used to hold it in place. everything is ripped to shreds with lots of debris. the a.t.m. machine gone at the mayflower market in san francisco. the owners have not been contacted yet. the store is okay. a family friend is here. they are trying to get ahold the family. people are very familiar with this market. it is popular. the store is fine. it is the a.t.m. machine that is gone. we her about police activity included a chase on the bay bridge and possibly a suspect in the wrong direction on the bridge and coming back to the city. the officers say they have not heard of any arrests