>> i'm sorry, i just get a little emotional. >> reporter: martinez saw the collar on tv last week and called the d.a. >> it just brought some really bad feelings about this gentleman. i'm not sure what he did to her, animal. i'm sorry, but you know, she was part of our family. >> look at sophie. so cute. >> reporter: her cat disappeared the end of september. she then heard about farmer's arrest and wonders if her beloved feline could be one of the victims. her fears were confirmed when she saw her cat's collar on the news. >> every day i looked for him until i saw his collar. the moment i saw his collar, i knew for sure that he wasn't coming home. >> reporter: abc 7 first broke the story in late september when this man, whom police say is farmer, was caught on video snatching a cat from the lawn of a home in the cambrian district

of san jose. neighbors feared there was a serial catnapper. others came forward and said they had cats missing or found dead of blunt force trauma. he's been accused of animal cruelty and other counts. he'll be back in court tomorrow to enter a plea. vic lee, abc 7 news. trhree teenagers are in trouble after a prank that had serious consequences. they threw a large rock at this s.w.a.t. van. that rock shattered the window and hit the driver who suffered a severe head injury. you can see the blood here on this police department photo. the teenagers admitted to throwing the rock and said they were sorry for hitting the police officer. police say 26-year-old elick mendez was speeding when he ran into a man around 10:15 this morning. the cyclist had on a helmet and

reflective gear. police say mendez stopped and tried to help but the cyclist died at the scene. alcohol was not ra factor. san jose police do not expect charges to be filed in an accident that killed a 52-year-old woman as she rode her bike this morning. the cyclist collided with a pickup truck on chynoweth. the driver stayed a tt scene and is cooperating with police. a driver's mistake is to blame for this wreck in san francisco. authorities say he slam z hhis into a building telling police he accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake after he left a car wash. he wasn't hurt but inspectors had to be called out to check the structural integrity of the building. the car had an uber placard on the windshield but doesn't appear any passengers were in the car. the storms of the past few days may be a preview of things to come. we may see more accidents like this. where a downed tree hit a parked van in hayward yesterday.

laura anthony is live in walnut creek where tree specialists are working around the clock to try to prevent this. laura. >> reporter: that's right. we've already seen a number of tree failures so far. we're not even officially into winter. if the predictions hold true, the tree experts tell us there is one sound we may be hearing a lot of in the coming months. with each storm that moves through the bay area, it seems there's another series of these trees that fall sometimes making for a very close call. >> and then my mom said, oh, my god, this tree just fell. >> reporter: in hayward, a big oak that gave way and landed on a van used to transport special needs children. tree experts say this could be just the beginning if predictions hold true, this winter is going to be a wild one. >> the weather guys are really giving us a lot of work. people are concerned about their trees and this el nino coming in and getting stuff taken care of prior to it falling and causing

damage to the house. >> over the driveway. >> reporter: while the arborist says he's booked through march while homeowners worry their trees may not make it through the winter. >> we heard the highest winds we're ever going to see. this is following up four years of historic drought. we're adding all this historic weather back-to-back. we as arborists are interested to see what will happen. >> reporter: he says much of the decision-making depends on what the target is. that is what a particular tree or limb could hit if it fails. in walnut creek, laura anthony, abc 7 news. crews are working to clean up a diesel spill in humboldt county. around 800 gallons of fuel flowed into big lagoon when a tanker truck overturned on 101. a ban on fishing is now in place and two ducks were spotted covered in oil. no word on how long it will take to clean up this spill. usc santa cruz researchers

say they know why sea lions are turning up at local beaches. evidence that the mammals are suffering from brain damage caused by poisoning from demoic acid, a toxin produced by naturally occurring marine algae. this year's bloom is the largest ever recorded and is to blame for the closure of this year's commercial crab season. businesses in union square are seeing more of the homeless in the area. and tomorrow they'll launch an initiative to help those on the street. carolyn tyler joins us with the details. >> reporter: ama, san francisco's mayor has made the homeless crisis one of his top priorities. and now union square businesses have, too. it's called union square cares, and it focuses on the homeless who have become an increasingly common presence. >> really individuals that are in need, that are mentally ill

or do have addictions, what have you, and we do want to make sure they get help. >> karen flood is with the business improvement district which has decided to hire a city homeless outreach worker dedicated to union square. as well as train their safety ambassadors who already interact with those on the street and the tourists who see them. >> why do we have a lot of homeless people here? that's mainly one of the questions i get asked a lot. >> reporter: now the ambassadors will be equipped with business cards with dispatch numbers and hotels with brochures explaining what the city is doing about the crisis and what they hope tourists won't do, encouraging them not to give to panhandlers. and instead, donate to social service agencies. these two friends are divided. >> you give to individuals on the street? >> yeah. yeah. i do. >> i prefer to give to an organization. >> reporter: union square cares is collaborating with project homeless connect.

>> we can get people medical care, get them connected with family and friends, get them connected with housing and shelter and things that a cup of coffee and ten bucks might not be able to do on its own. >> reporter: the homeless coalition says people should not be discouraged from direct handouts, but with at least 45 people on the streets in the heart of this shopping mecca, union square cares believes they have a better approach. in san francisco, carolyn tyler, abc 7 news. a woman in fran is wasan fr wanted for trying to set two senior citizens on fire near union square. the victims ages 72 and 74 were at eddie street yesterday afternoon when a woman lit a match behind them in an effort to set the women on fire. the match did not make contact and the suspect then pushed both women into the street. both were taken to the hospital for injuries. they are going to be okay. police found a man on 880 as

john paul seguyama. he stepped out after a car on the roadway. another driver hit his car spending it spinning into him. he's a union city resident who got married in july. the owner and operator of california's great america am e amusement park said it will appeal cal osha's fine of more than $70,000. the fine came after a train on the roller coaster hit a mechanic who had lunged for a cell phone which a rider apparently had dropped. one rider suffered a hand injury. cedar fair southwest didn't have adequate safety protocol and didn't properly train workers. albany police are asking for your help in finding a man who tried to kidnap a girl on sonoma avenue. the girl screamed for help and fought back when the man grabbed her and tried to force her into

a white pickup truck. he took off with another person inside the truck. the suspect is described hispanic in his mid-40s, 5'8" short dark hair and a short stubbled beard. an nba referee decides now is the time to say he's gay. why he felt compelled to do it now. that's next. plus -- >> up in flames. the fire danger that's everywhere this holiday season. speaking of fire, hoverboards and overheating, seven on your side's michael finney with what you need to know before you buy one. >> post offices packed.

of custom in-home serviceside a variety for your aging loved ones, including medication reminders and transportation to the doctor. ♪ santa rosa, berkeley, san jose and all the bay area. this is abc 7 news. >> today an nba referee announced he's gay after a player directed a derogatory

term toward him. it happened during a game on december 3rd. referee bill kennedy called out a technical foul on sacramento kings players rajon rondo who then called kennedy a gay slur. the league suspended rondo friday. kennedy said he's proud to be a gay man. he said, i'm following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that it will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are. rondo issued a statement on twitter today saying, quote, my actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period. they absolutely do not reflect my feelings towards the lgbt community. i did not mean to disrespect anyone. the warriors are back in the bay area after the final game of their nearly two-week road trip brought an end to their record winning streak. here's a great sight for warriors fans. harrison barnes hitting jump shots in practice today. he's been out with an ankle injury.

but coach luke walton said barnes will not play this week. the team extended its win streak to 27 games without barnes. next week they host the phoenix suns. today is the busiest day at the u.s. postal service. 612 million pieces of mail will be processed alone around the country. a lot of it's going through oakland where things are really starting to get busy. abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez has more. >> reporter: i see all these packages and i want to sing -- ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ ♪. please don't hate the way i sing. we're just having some fun out here. of course, this is the busiest time right now of the day, 5:00 to 7:00, because all the trucks start coming in. and inside the madness, mm-hmm, begins. watch out. there is nothing normal about this day. the busiest when it comes to

processing and distributing your mail and packages for the holiday. this center in oakland hired 75 additional workers for this day because of the volume expected here. >> and in this building alone, oakland plant and distribution, we're expecting to process 11 million letters, flats and parcels. >> reporter: nationwide, the u.s. postal service will process 612 million pieces. that's 100 million more than on a typical day. an increase of 15% from last year. it's expected to be a good year for the postal service. over the course of the holiday, more than 15 billion pieces will be mailed out. this year oakland will use a small parcel sorting system which can process 6,000 pieces an hour. cards, letters and packages are first sorted out, then they are organized by location and sent out anywhere from skmento to bakersfield. you can send your christmas cards as late as december 19th, but the deadline for the ground transportation parcels is tomorrow. >> you can send it as late as

tomorrow, december 16 and still have that expectation of getting it delivered by the 25th. >> this year the postal service is seeing an increase in the number of people doing their transactions online, therefore avoiding waiting in line at the post office. in oakland, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. we're about to show you really amazing video. how quickly the holidays can go from joy to tragedy. the biggest danger is christmas trees, dry ones, particularly can catch fire easily. takes just seconds for the tree to become a fireball and burn down a house. cooking grease fires are also common. the menlo park fire district showed a turkey deep fryer today. >> if you have a fat fryer like that, maybe you're making something for christmas dinner. what happens if it catches on fire and you use something like a beer or water to try and put them out. >> that's what happens. it can burst into flames. same thing when an oil fire

starts on the stovepot. put a lid on it or a fire extinguisher. never throw water on it. this fire outside a costa mesa hotel in orange county sent a bright stream of fire and smoke into the air. those flames reduced the 96-foot tree to charred wood and ash very quickly. no word on how that fire started. they are one of the most popular holiday gifts this season. >> yeah, but fires and injuries are raising some questions about the safety of those hoverboards you hear so much about. >> michael finney is here with really important information. >> you've been showing this video over the past week. >> it is incredible. consumer reports wanted to know what's going on. three popular models. find out if there's any real difference between the high and low-end hoverboard models. here's their test and their advice. celebrities helped make electric scooters this year's hot holiday gift. with some models costing $1500

and up. as with lots of popular gadgets, manufacturers are now making similar devices that are sold under dozens of names with various prices. that makes it tough to know exactly what it is you're buying. consumer reports bought three boards at different prices to compare. the swagway for $400. the $600 mono rover r-2 and the chic smart s-1 for $830. bernie dietrich took them apart to compare. though some of the components are slightly different, the construction of the scooters is nearly identical. all of the scooters consumer reports evaluated use the same type of batteries. >> they're all powered by lithium ion batteries, a type of batteries that has caused fires in other devices in the past, but those instances are rare. >> all the scooters consumer reports checked out ride the same way, using subtle shifts in weight to steer the board in the direction you want to go. it takes some getting used to

and it is best to start with a spotter, but all riders caught on pretty quickly. >> the subtle body movements are easy to control at low speed, but when you get going faster and you hit a bump and it causes you to shift your balance, you can very easily lose control. >> as bernie learned firsthand during his speed test, wiping out on a seemingly smooth surface. >> it went that way and i was going that way. >> reporter: the youtube videos will confirm with consumer reports recommend wearing a skateboard helmet, pads and guards when riding any electric scooter. >> i recommend just staying off the thing. the consumer product safety commission reports 29 emergency room visits related to the scooters. the agency is also investigating at least ten scooter fires. and be aware that several airlines, airports and malls have banned them and some cities actually won't allow them in public places anymore. >> people are good at them, make them look so easy. >> they go down hard.

thank you, michael. let's talk about the weather forecast as we start another week. awfully chilly out there. >> hi, spencer. >> chilly, i would call it cold right now. that's how it feels now. a look at live doppler 7 hd. a few clouds around. skies are mainly clear where we are. in pattern that will bring us chilly weather overnight. light scattered shower activity in our direction from eureka right along the coastline. not likely as we give you that animation over the next hours not likely to produce any actual rainfall in the bay area although there could be damp spots near the coast. right now temperature readings of 53 in san francisco, 52 half moon bay, most locations in the low 50s, although we have go t viewhe airfield. westkyfr ou b

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igton bre ig recan alsohae'vearn about ethturned kier in san rdnahodidthor miss baed byerst. hristmast and new at 6:00, if you're not done with your holiday shopping just yet, 7 on your side's michael finney explains why this is a great year to hand out gift cards. tha

we had some raudio difficulties. our apologies. we believe it's corrected so we'll press on. twitter users may have been targeted by hackers. some received warnings that hackers tried to obtain phone numbers, i.p. addresses. twitter says it's unclear if the hackers got any personal information. a canadian company called cold hack received a notice from twitter saying it may have been

targeted. it comes as agencies, businesses and media have all been hacked. samsung today appealed a $399 million judgment for illegally copying patented aspects of the look of apple's iphone. the company is now asking the supreme court to take a digital age look at cases it heard in the late 1800s. those battles involved the appearance of a product instead of the way it works, concerning designs of spoon handles, carpets and saddles. this friday, the middle school in union city will transition to its new name. the name is a tribute to historic labor leaders and filipino americans, the two merged their union with cesar chavez and others to form the united farm workers union. the new haven unified school district will have the distinction of being the first district in the country to name a school after filipino americans. a new housing development is

planned for a large piece of property recently purchased for $24 million in the forest knolls area. it will soon feature 29 two and three bedroom homes. each home will have two car parking and sweeping views of the city. >> stunning. still ahead here, the laiders derek carr spent the day trying to elude defenders. >> how police came to his wife's rescue.

♪ ♪ grow old with me ♪ let us share what we see ♪ just you and i ♪ ♪ grow old with me ♪ let us share what we see ♪ and oh the best it could be ♪ just you and i

♪

venetia, san ramon and all the bay area, this is abc 7 news. coming up at 6:00 tonight, it is quite a mess. debris washed ashore from those containers swept off of a tanker ship. tonight, the warning going out to local boaters. >> and the competition that could usher in a new era of deep sea exploration and unlock the mysteries of the world's oceans. >> and a big night in hollywood. the premiere of "star wars: the force awakens", we'll take you live to red carpet just minutes before the film begins. all of that and a lot more coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00. >> boy, that would be the place to be tonight. >> definitely. oakland raiders quarterback is already looking ahead to next weekend's game against the green bay packers, but yesterday is

still pretty memorable for a couple of reasons. >> derek carr led his team to a big win over the broncos in denver. and while he did not run out of gas during the game, well, his wife did. >> heather carr, who is pregnant, was driving home with their other child and their dog in the car. you see them all there. when they ran out of gas on a freeway off ramp. this happened in dublin. then she posted this picture on instagram. >> a police officer noticed the car and stopped to ask and tracked down a gas can and had it filled and brought it back. very nice. >> police say the officer had no idea the woman was derek carr's wife. he was just doing his job. >> here's the post heather sent out. thanks, dublin police for saving the day. # thought we could make it, said 30 miles till empty, at least we got that win today. it all worked out on the field and off. >> world news tonight with david muir is next. thank you for joining us tonight. i'm ama daetz.

>> i tonight, the new numbers just in. donald trump, after his proposed ban on muslims coming to america, now polling at his highest yet. the new report tonight from his doctor. and the other republican candidate gaining steam. the warning signs missed. new reporting on the wife turned killer in san bernardino, who came here on a visa. what she had done before and how did authorities miss it during three separate interviews to come to the u.s.? the weather whiplash tonight. the new winter storm. 14 states on alert. elsewhere, the record heat. the long-range look, right through christmas. gas prices. the new prediction tonight for the holiday. and banned before christmas. several brands of a very popular gift, no longer sold by some major retailers, including amazon tonight. the new investigation, right here.