making news in america this morning -- hopes fading in the korean ferry accident, as the investigation turns towards the crew. the captain was not in command when the ship went down. so, who was? and the hero credited with saving 20 passengers. developing right now -- a man under arrest, accused in the kansas city highway shootings. what we learned about the suspect overnight. brave boys. a group of young kids are inside a car when someone steals it. how they fought off the carjacker. and the reunion with their family caught on camera. and unwelcome guest. this morning, new pictures of the four-legged friend making the white house grounds his home. good friday morning. dive teams are making their way

into that sunken korean ferry where they believe the bodies of most of those still missing may be. >> so far, 28 people are known dead. nearly 270 are still missing. also this morning, investigators say evacuations did not get under way until 30 minutes after the distress call went out. the captain had left the bridge just before the boat capsized with an inexperienced third mate left at the helm. abc's joohee cho just filed this report from the scene. >> reporter: these images, taken by a surviving passenger, as the ferry started to tilt. he's 1 of the heroes who saved more than 20 youngsters. the students asking him for directions, yelling, mister, the girls are over there. should they go up this way? they made a lifeline with fire hoses and curtains to climb up. upside-down, they shout, water's rising. water's coming up. with that, they had to leave the sinking ferry with many left behind. these texts reported on korean media show the last words between a teacher and her

students in a group chat. the teacher asking if everyone is okay. and says, don't move and keep still. get a lifevest if you can. students reply to each other. let's live and see each other soon. i love you all. everyone, i love you. parents on the third day are holding on to hope. prayers, agony, fear and outrage. the emotional rollercoaster ride that they're going through is unimaginable. many questions remain as to how this happened. the captain is now being investigated as a criminal for abandoning the ship early. new findings from the police today. the captain did not only escape the boat first. but he was absent from the steering room at the time of the accident. it was a new 26-year-old crew member who made the swift turn, causing the ferry to lose balance. rescue efforts so far have been hampered by bad weather and total lack of organization. coast guards, for the first time, made it into a part of the sunken boat today. and pumping in oxygen in case

there are brave survivors. joohee cho, abc news, jindo island, south korea. >> and more from south korea on "good morning america." another story still unfolding, police in kansas city, missouri, telling motorists to rest easier this morning because they say they caught the gunman behind a weeks'-long highway shooting spree. >> s.w.a.t. teams swarmed a suburban house and arrested an unidentified man they now say is the sniper. here's abc's tahman bradley. >> reporter: kansas city police think they have their man. >> we've apprehended what we believe to be the suspect in the highway shooting. >> reporter: police, fbi and atf raided this house in grandview, missouri, collecting evidence in plastic bags and towing away a dodge neon. illinois license plate. neighbors say the car has always been suspicious. >> the car comes and goes a lot. through the night, the day. i work nights. i come home. i get ready to leave. he's coming and going, constantly. >> reporter: although no formal charges have been filed, it's a huge sigh of relief for drivers along highways around kansas

city after weeks of terror. 20 highway shootings in the past month. authorities linking 12. three people were hurt, two shot in the legs, another in the arm. this driver barely escaped unharmed. >> something hit the car. so, pulled over. and that's when i saw the bullet hole. >> reporter: as fear spread, federal authorities joined the investigation. and a reward of up to $10,000 was offered. police received a number of tips. >> i can't say enough about the people in this community. without the people in this community, we wouldn't be where we are. >> reporter: police say they'll release more information once the prosecutor files charges, possibly later today. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. and breaking overnight, tragedy on mt. everest. an avalanche has killed at least 12 guides. rescuers are still digging through the snow for three others. the sherpas were fixing ropes for hundreds of climbers when the high-altitude avalanche hit, covering part of a route used to climb to the 29,000-foot mountain. the diplomatic efforts on the crisis in ukraine seem to be bearing fruit.

tensions are easing in those cities where pro-russian activists have seized government buildings. it was an agreement at a meeting in geneva last night between russia, ukraine, the u.s. and the european union that demonstrators should go home. an enrollment milestone for president obama's signature health care plan. 8 million people have signed up for obamacare through insurance exchanges. that's 1 million more sign-ups than projected. the president says 35% of the new enrollees are under the age of 35. it's been his goal to sign up younger, healthier people. searchers trying again to find signs of the missing malaysia airlines jetliner. nearly two dozen planes and ships are checking the surface of the southern indian ocean for debris. beneath waves, the u.s. robot submarine looks on the ocean floor. the bluefin-21 have covered 41-squire-miles. four missions have been completed so far. no wreckage has been spotted. embattled toronto mayor rob ford has officially kicked off his re-election campaign with great fanfare. he made a grand entrance last night before cheering supporters

in a parade-like atmosphere, complete with bagpipes and bobblehead dolls. ford made no mention of his crack-cocaine scandal. but he acknowledged what he called rocky moments over the past year. and he promised not to back down. good friday ceremonies have already begun in the holy land, as christians mark the crucifixion of jesus. pope francis will deliver a good friday homily today. the pope took part in holy thursday traditions yesterday. washing the feet of 12 elderly and disabled people, including non-catholics. he told the faithful that the ritual is to remind himself of how to serve others. it's looking a lot like christmas in northern wisconsin and minnesota. unfortunately it's mid-april, a month into spring. there's been snow on the ground continually since november. >> many schoolchildren got another snow day yesterday. believe it or not, it's only the fifth-snowiest winter on record for the north region. april isn't over just yet. so, we may still get more. still, it won't happen today. only a few rain showers in the forecast in the upper midwest. there could be some snowshowers

further to the west in the upper elevations. heavy rain along the gulf coast. showers in the southeast. and dry everywhere else. >> it will be cool most places, as well. with the west coast not getting to 70. the upper midwest will be in the 40s and 50s, as will the northeast. the south will reach the 50s and 60s. and scientists say temperatures on this planet are slightly cooler than they are on earth. but this planet is said to be about 500 lightyears away. >> it was discovered by a nasa telescope. it's supposed to be the most earth-like planet yet detected. scientists say it's not too hot, not too cold, and may have liquid water on its surface, which would be key to life. coming up, another popular retailer announces a credit card breach. nearly 3 million customers could be affected. and new this morning, we're hearing the frantic 911 calls made after a fedex truck slams into a bus. and the latest on this investigation. plus, emotional reunion. three young children are inside a car when it gets stolen. how they saved themselves with a snake.

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and welcome back. another major retailer is confirming a credit card breach. michael's arts and crafts chain says nearly 3 million payment cards may have been affected. data was stolen from last may through the christmas season. michael's says the problem has been fixed. and it doesn't think customers' personal data has been compromised. but there were some fraudulent transactions. don't be surprised if you have to dig deeper for your cup of coffee. prices soared more than 8% yesterday, the biggest jump in six weeks. it's all blamed on worsening drought conditions in brazil's growing regions. brazil is the world's biggest coffee producer. a new johnny depp film may not be able to transcend its

poor reviews this weekend. "transcendence", about artificial intelligence, is only expected to gross about $20 million in its debut. it cost about five-times that much to make. the studio is hoping that it will do well overseas, where china is getting an exclusive 3d version that opens today. all right. burger king introducing a new chicken sandwich tomorrow. the chicken big king is similar to the big king hamburger with two fried chicken patties, lettuce and pickles. >> burger king says that beef prices are rising and more people are choosing chicken. the recommended price for the chicken big king sandwich is $3.59. >> i'm hungry now. >> bring some over. >> yeah. big-time. when we come back, keep on rolling. a bizarre highway incident with a driver who wasn't stopping for anything. and bill and hillary clinton are about to add another title to their resume, grandma and grandpa. what they're saying about chelsea's big announcement.

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welcome back. checking your morning road conditions. slippery in the northern rockies. wet in the upper midwest and the south atlantic seaboard. and watch out for possible flooding along the florida west coast. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in miami. for the first time we're hearing the panic-stricken voices of students frantically calling for help after their bus was hit by a big rig last week in california. >> investigators trying to re-create the moments just before that crash, with help from the 911 calls to describe the moment both vehicles exploded into flames that left ten people dead. >> i was in a car accident. i was in a travel bus. and we crashed into a fedex truck. >> it just exploded. whatever is on the freeway is on fire. >> those high school students were heading for a college tour in northern california. investigators now know that the bus driver managed to slam on

his brakes, skidding for 145 feet after the impact. they found no evidence that the truck driver tried to stop. one year after the deadly blaze at a fertilizer plant in texas, we're seeing new video of the disaster. its incredible power was caught by a father sitting in a car near the plant in the town of west, texas. the blast killed 15 people, injured more than 200 and leveled nearby homes and schools. the community gathered to honor the victims last night. they held a moment of silence at the exact moment that the plant blew up. 12 of the 15 victims were volunteer firefighters. the town is considering whether to rebuild the plant, an understandably controversial idea. police in houston believe they have tracked down the burglar recently caught on surveillance home video. the man seen here lurking over a child's crib while the parents were sleeping in another room has been identified as 18-year-old christopher gomez. a flurry of tips poured in after the video was released. gomez was arrested for an unrelated incident. but burglary charges are also now pending. it was double trouble in san antonio for a car thief who got

a lot more than he was going after. a mother got into her car with her baby and two twin 7-year-old boys. but she ran back in the house to get the child's bottle. when she came back out just a few seconds later her nissan and her three kids were gone. but the ordeal didn't last long. the thief pulled over with the kids after they attacked him with a rubber snake. >> we wanted our mommy and daddy. >> i was hitting him with the snake. >> they got a snake yesterday at the store. and i didn't want to buy it for him. and i guess god knew he was going to use it today. >> as you can see, the boys are fine. they'll be receiving an award for their bravery later this year. go, you boys. >> yeah. nice work there. while we're talking about children, it's happened again. a mother giving birth and she didn't know she was pregnant. check out this little guy. he wasn't waiting for his mom and dad to go to the hospital. when mom went into labor, dad called 911 dispatcher jamie mason. and she was on the line for four minutes when he was born. the name was mason.

the parents say the 911 call had nothing to do with it. >> the baby's name is mason. and i didn't even react. my friend was with me. and she's like, shut up. really? >> boy's full name, mason charles braun, to be exact. little mason, mom and dad, doing just fine. we've been celebrating the mustang's 50th anniversary this week. but who knew it was a magic car capable of traveling on three wheels? this bizarre highway scene was caught on a cell phone camera in texas. it's unclear how that front wheel came off the car or why the driver refused to stop. maybe just wanted to see how far he could go on three wheels. >> that's just odd. now, to sports. and the first triple-play of the major league baseball season happened last night in florida. >> the yankees against the rays. ground ball to third base. watch this. diana, this doesn't happen much. pay attention. a throw to second. throw to first. the yanks have not turned a triple play in just over a year. they went on to win the game, 10-2. pretty cool. and the nba's playoffs are about to get going. >> four series start tomorrow.

and four others start sunday. as for hockey playoffs, fans got their money's worth last night. highlights, now, from espn. >> good morning, america. i'm chris hassle. he's matt barrie. and we had a fantastic night of hockey in lord stanley's playoffs. >> yeah. we didn't sleep because it was so fun. a lot of overtime. blues/blackhawks. this could be a conference finals match-up. but we get it in the first round. third period, blues down. jaden schwartz, finds the back of the net. game tied at 3-3. we head to overtime. in overtime, first shift. steve ott, dishes to alexander steen. 26 seconds in the third overtime, steen lifts the blues to the win. 4-3. blues have never won a stanley cup in franchise history. >> so, we had the home team scoring a late equalizer in the third. and then winning in overtime there. how about here? patrick roy and the avalanche hosting the minnesota wild. third period, avs down 4-3. wild going to clinch it. but erik johnson saves the day. what a play. under 20 seconds to go.

johnson takes a shot. paul stastny with the equalizer. and we've got more playoff hockey. in o.t., stastny, again. first player in nhl history to score in the final 15 seconds of regulation and then win it in overtime. it is time for a nap. chris hassle. matt barrie. exciting playoff hockey. have a good morning, america. >> thanks, guys. coming up next, it's "the pulse." we're learning about the new york mets mascot getting a stern warning from the secret service. and it's that time of year again. time to show off some very terrifying easter bunnies.

♪ what does the fox say time for "the pulse." we start with an uninvited guest at the white house. it's an unnamed fox. >> "the wall street journal" says the animal turned up last fall when groundskeepers were furloughed in the shutdown, it made itself at home. >> not only is the fox is tripping alarms overnight. and it's disrupting tours in the vegetable garden. they've even seen it right near the oval office. >> yikes. >> they've tried to catch it. but so far, no luck. funny, they can't catch a fox. >> can't catch it. very cute. >> beautiful animal. there may be a future president in the clinton family. and we're not talking about hillary this time. >> yeah. we're talking about the bun in chelsea clinton's oven. the former first daughter says she and her husband, marc, are expecting their first baby due this fall. and as you can imagine, chelsea's parents, bill and hillary, are overjoyed. prospective grandad, bill clinton tweeting, excited to add a new line to my twitter

bio, grandfather-to-be. @hillaryclinton and i are so happy for chelsea and marc. >> and from hillary clinton. quote, my most exciting title yet, grandma-to-be. @billclinton and i are thrilled that chelsea and marc are expecting their first child. >> congrats to them. >> absolutely. sports mascots sometimes frighten children. now, we're learning that they sometimes frighten the secret service, too. former mr. met reveals that when bill clinton visited shea stadium in 1997, he was warned not to get too close. >> a secret service agent said, quote, approach the president and we go for the kill shot. the agent then apparently repeated the warning, adding, are we clear? these days, the only thing frightening at the mets game is the bullpen. sorry, john. >> yeah, i know. that's my team, by the way. i hope that guy was being sarcastic. come on. that's mr. met. well, it's the holiday weekend. so, what better time to show you some hilarious easter images. >> check it out. right now, the internet is brimming with those retro holiday pictures with the

sketchy-looking bunnies. this one is crosseyed and terrifying. this guy is okay with it, though. >> take a look at this bunny. looks like it's a snowman. again, no tears from the kids. >> all right. this little girl is not having any of it. that's about right. i think that's an appropriate reaction. maybe it's the long eyelashes that are freaking her out. >> who makes these snow -- these bunnies? they're awful. >> crazy looking bunnies. we have a couple more. >> we have a couple more. that's a normal-looking bunny. she is not interested. i don't know why he's hanging on to her leg like that. >> one more. do it. >> creepy. >> yeah. love the easter eggs. love the chocolate. love the chocolate bunnies. >> he looks evil. >> but the grown-up bunnies -- >> i would be screaming if i were anywhere near anything like that. that's what we'll be doing with my little guys. >> see the easter bunny? >> we're going to see the easter bunny. hopefully it on the lap. >> going to get pictures? follow through on that? >> i'm going to scope it out. >> if the bunny is creepy, going to get ice cream? >> if he's okay, we'll do the lap thing. i have no idea how the kids are going to react.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> a very good friday morning. i am katie marzullo. so glad you are with us. >> i am eric thomas. it is the friday before easter. a big welcome ahead. good morning, we are starting out with clear skies. the front pushed through. this will bring cooler air to the coast. it is a night day overall with temperatures around average. we are at 51 in san mateo. 54 in hair. 55 in san rafael. warmer by a couple of degrees right now. by the afternoon it switches around. the forecast today calls for temperatures in the upper 50's to low 60 and numbers in the mid-70's around the bay and now

an update on the commute. >> we start off with not good news in oakland with a sig-alert issue a big rig in a medium rig northbound with c.h.p. on the scene. there is a big tow truck to get it cleared. two lanes are blocked. they have issue add sig-alert. expect thais. hopefully it is clearing. the golden gate bridge shows mist but no traffic. all moving nicely into san francisco. >> we have breaking news in sonoma where firefighters are on the scene of a fire that broke out before 3:00 outside of petaluma. a passerby woke up three people inside and the dog so they could get out. no word on the cause. >> in richmond an investigation

is underway into a shooting at a business near 13th east of bart maintenance yard. a burglary at a business turned into a shootout. matt keller is gathering more information andin's us in half an hour with the latest. >> police are investigationing the first homicide in concord when a man was shot and killed in downtown concord before 9:00 last night. the victim was an adult male. police are try to figure out what led to the shooting. >> bart doesn't expect delays this morning because of a train that derailed. it happened on a sidetrack near north concord. crews would heavy equipment worked to upright the train and put it on the rails with no passengers when it happened and bart is not reporting