. your checked bags are not as safe as you may think. a bay area woman has a story you'll see only on abc 7. >> new details in the death at muir woods, what the park is saying about the visitor killed at one of the most famous areas in the country. >> surveillance video catches a break in, what the owner is telling abc 7 news tonight. it's broken and apparently they can't seem to fix it. san francisco's parking problem, why the only thing you can count on is plan b. >> no clipper cards, no tickets, no problem, why vta is offering free rides for the last few days of 2019. >> announcer: now news to build a better bay area from abc 7. >> they just really didn't seem to care. >> a san francisco woman has a warning tonight for travellers

who use a certain app to deliver their bags when they don't arrive in sync with their flights. it's not the first time viewers have contacted abc 7 news about these services. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama this woman is furious. her belongings were missing including christmas gifts. >> melanie is live in the news room with the story. >> this is the second time in just over two months that i've heard from travellers about these third party apps. different airlines, different apps, but both travellers discovered more than half their belongings were taken from their delivered bags. >> newly engaged janessa couldn't situate to spend christmas with her fiance's family in indianapolis. but they discovered their bags did not arrive. >> i was in hysteria. i started crying. >> united airlines offered to have a third party vendor deliver the bags.

>> i realized 60% of my belongings were gone including my most valuable items. >> more than $4,000 worth of belongings missing including all the christmas gifts for her fiance's family. >> it was heartbreaking. i felt terrible to come here pretty much with nothing to give them for christmas. >> her fiance's bag was also missing, 3 to $400 worth of items. the couple went to indianapolis international airport to speak to the reps directly. >> one of the reps told me not to pack such nice things in my luggage. >> mandance posted the story to facebook. abc 7 news interviewed dell bar toe in october when delta airlines used an app to deliver her lost bags. her items were missing. delta reimbursed her $5,000. >> we thought this might be

happening quickly with services. >> united tells abc 7 news we are investigating the situation and our customer care team is reaching out to our customer to learn more. where's my suitcase writes, quote, as united airlines investigating this customer's claim, if required, our company would be in full cooperation as there were multiple touch points in the journey of a which canned bag. united tells mandance it will need six to eight weeks to investigate and she'll need to provide receipts for any item over $100. unfortunately mandance isn't sure she has all the receipts and the expensive jacket was a gift. also she says she has not heard from anybody from where's my suitcase directly since she reached out to them. abc 7 news. >> melanie, thanks very much. three teenagers are dead and two in critical condition after a tragic crash in pleasanton

late christmas night. two of the victims were twin brothers. neighbors heard the crash shortly after 10:00 on foothill drive north of castlewood drive. they saw a honda sedan wrapped around a tree and called 911. we'll have more on abc 7 news at 6:00. just a terrible christmas tragedy. in the north bay, sky 7 flew over muir woods today, the popular tourist attraction turned deadly on christmas eve. one of those famous redwoods fell on a man killing him. it happened on the hillside trail. kate larson has the story. >> on christmas eve around 4:30 in the afternoon while the park was open to visitors a group of people were hiking on a trail in muir woods. >> without warning, a tree fell on hillside trail where the three were walking. a man was pinned down by the tree and killed. a woman was hurt by falling debris and taken to a hospital. and a third man escaped

uninjured. >> the marin county said they found the man unconscious and lifeless on the ground. the 28-year-old lived in minnesota. in a statement, the golden gate national recreation area said in part the hillside trail and part of the main trail remain closed until the trunk and branches are removed after the holiday weekend. the tree fell of natural, unknown causes following a persistent series of winter storms over the last week and a half prior to this incident. >> we've had considerable amount of rain here that's caused issues that were not normally used to. so, it is mother nature. >> would be visitors to the park today seem undeterred by the incident which happened on the 105th anniversary of john muir's own death. >> spooky, but i still want to go in. >> others hope the park service wonder why the tree fell to begin with. >> maybe they can take

information and gather some status about the rest of the trees in the area and see if any of them are at risk to fall too. >> the officials say this was an isolated event. aging trees and fragile root systems are common in the bay area. in marin county, i'm kate larson, abc 7 news. a bakery owner in san jose hopes someone can identify the thief who broke into her shop and stole a cash register. surveillance video captured this morning's crime. you can see the person break through the front door and head to the register. it happened around 2:00 this morning at annie cake delights and flour in willow glen. the crime has saddened the owner. >> it's sad. it's the day after christmas. we work so hard and why? why a small shop? what would you expect from a bakery? why would you break into a small shop like this? >> reporter: the owner also says this is the second time someone has broken into her bakery and

stolen money during the past four months. in the south bay, there's a new push to boost the number of people who use vta. in the past four years, buses are seeing 17% fewer riders and light rail 26% fewer. some of that as uber and lyft become more popular. but many riders just say the system is too slow and doesn't run often enough. abc 7 news is working to build a better bay area, and that includes mass transit. abc 7 news reporter chris wynn looks at what vta plans to do to make the system better. >> major changes by the valley transportation authority are on the way. this weekend, the vta will usher in a new era of bus and light rail service. to get ready for it, dozens of employees are spending today and tomorrow swapping out the old bus sign frs new ones at a total of nearly 3,300 bus stops across santa clara county.

brandy spoke to us from inside the command center where they're keeping track of field crews and the service. >> we're getting ready for the b.a.r.t. service to come in and we knew that was a great opportunity to really look at the service and see where we might make our biggest gains in ridership. >> the new service plans incorporates community feedback that was gathered over the past year and a half and include greater frequency on 20 of the popular bus routes another. routes are being eliminated such as the one used by monica mallen who travels from the park to the university on a daily basis. >> i'm hopeful we can stop this from happening in the future and bring these routes back and do other things that make transit a much better option for a lot of people. >> ridership has been on the decline in recent years. sjsu you are ban planning expert saying there's still demand for high quality and reliable

service. >> if you have to take two or three different kind of buses and trains, that's where you start to lose the really big percentages of riders. you want to be where people are starting their journey and get them to where they're sending it. >> to celebrate the switch, the vta is offering free rides to the public for four days starting saturday. >> cable cars are about to get more expensive. prices to ride on any of the lines will go up from $7 to $8. before the year ends, you can catch a ride for free at any time on new year's eve. >> up next san francisco's parking problem. >> yeah, this time it's all broken meters, the trouble to fix them, and the motorists caught in the middle. also ahead why organizers of burning man are taking the federal government to court. >> and i'm meteorologist drew tuma, what a gorgeous day we have out there. the next storm is on the way. i'll show you when it

>> you're looking live at san francisco pier 15. aa lot of people in the city bustling about. many will encounter broken parking meters all around the city. it's a problem. it's hard to say how much revenue the city collects from the malfunctioning leann is live with a parking meter that needs impruchlt. >> reporter: that's right. it was a parking enforcement officer, you know, the one who is hand out those tickets you don't want to get, dan. that person came up to me and said, you know, leann, here in the city we have a big problem with all these broken meters. and that got me thinking how

much is the city not collecting. >> like this meter you see the coining in there. >> oh, the coins. >> and just like that, this meter technician clears the coins that have been jammed. it appears to be a common problem in san francisco. here we are on grant avenue in north beach. i take out my wallet to get quarters and quickly discover that nearly every other meter on the street was jammed. there's another one. here are a couple of locals who see the problem every day. >> i just see the guy fixing the meters every day. anywhere you go here. >> in some cases, a meter is jammed on purpose and the coins are later fished out. >> what do you do when it's jammed? >> you get a ticket. we try to put a bag over it. >> the san francisco municipal transportation agency says there are other options. here's what they told us last june. >> you should be prepared with a plan b. that would include a parking card, credit card, or pay by

phone. >> let's say and it's possible that i don't have a credit card. plan b is to buy a parking card. where do i get it? they told me there's an app to locate a store near you. it says the closest one is s&s grocery, 1461 grant avenue. that way. but by walking a block, i risk getting a ticket. and when i get there, they've run out of the $20 cards leaving me with one option, paying for a $50 card. in 2012, sfmta reported more than $47 million in annual revenue from meter fees. but because of the holidays, no one at sfmta was available to tell us how much revenue if any the city fails to collect because of these broken meters. >> and of course, you know, we want to know more about this just as much as you do so we'll stay on this story. dan and ama, we know that san francisco spends a lot of money on services and you would think that they need that extra revenue.

i'm live in san francisco, leann melendez, abc 7 news. >> leann, thank you. the petaluma fire department posted pictures treating a small dog for smoke inhalation. firefighters used a special oxygen mask that fits over the dog's muzzle. no one else was hurt. we want to take a moment to talk about a santa cruz man who influenced a lot of lives. chuck peddle is often called the father of the personal computer because he designed a microprocessor that sold for $25 dloor in the 1970s. it powered apple and commodore computers. the director of the history museum says peddle is one of the great unsung heroes of the tech industry. he says all of the successful mass market personal computers were built around his work. peddle died of pancreatic cancer. he was 82 years old. the organizers of burning

man are suing the federal government hoping to recover thousands of dollars. the bureau of land management has overcharged burning man with fees for holding the festival. that group has filed appeals for four years challenging what it calls excessive and unjust costs charged by the government. the federal government has not commented on the lawsuit. a winter storm has shutdown freeways in southern california on one of the busiest travel days of the year. take a look at cajon pass earlier today. highway patrol stopped drivers in both directions around 6:00 a.m. southbound lanes opened around 11:30 but the northbound side remained closed. i 5 through grapevine was closed. a driver was found dead inside a big rig. cause of death has not been determined. >> amazing scene. let's take a look at the weather

forecast for the weekend. nice dry day today. >> it does feel really cold. i say cold, for us. >> you know what? it's going to get cold tonight. we're dropping well into the 30s in much of the bay area. it's a mess in southern california right now. that's the same storm that brought us rain yesterday. live doppler 7, coming up rain free. what a way to end the day. the emeryville camry showing the sunset and the gorgeous afterglow. today was a nice day to be out and about after yesterday's cloud cover and on and off showers. take the jacket, scarves. by 11:00 p.m. well into the 40s if not a couple spots into the upper 30s. we're going to cool off quickly. numbers out there mainly in the 50s. app in concord, 52 in pal aloe,

50 in half moon bay. live doppler 7 along with satellite, you can see the mess in southern california bringing the snow that shut down i 5. a lot of rain in southern california, northern california, beautiful, dry as could be. that storm is going to move out of california overnight tonight. we saw the beach hazard statement. the risk of rip current and sneaker waves is with us until 9:00 p.m. tonight. 10 to 15 feet. they will gradually subside overnight. speaking of tonight, getting cold out there, dropping well into the 30s in most spots. what we'll watch for is patchy fog developing in the north bay. we'll show you the day planner tomorrow. bright and beautiful after the cold start in the morning with most spots in the 30s. the afternoon we bounce back, recover nicely, temperatures topping out in the mid and upper 50s. 56 in oakland and san francisco. 57 in san jose. 59 in santa rosa and napa. the bigger picture, high

pressure tomorrow firmly in control will bring us the cool start but a lot of sunshine into the afternoon. saturday is a dry day. we start with sun. get a little bit of cloud cover in the afternoon. that's all in advance of our next front you see here to the north and west. that will move in here late in the day on sunday. so, here's the accuweather 7 day forecast. next 7 days, mostly sunny tomorrow. cold start on saturday. we are dry. daylight hours on sunday are dry. rain returns sunday night to early monday morning. look at the last day of 2019. we are dry to welcome in the skies. still to come, how to keep your robo vac from running

but you don't feel good. with polycythemia vera, pv, symptoms can change so slowly over time you might not notice. but new or changing symptoms can mean your pv is changing. let's change the way we see pv. you track and discuss blood counts with your doctor. but it's just as vital to discuss changing symptoms as well. take notice and take action. discuss counts and symptoms with your doctor. visit takeactionpv.com

let's turn our attention to consumer news and how to use robo vacs the right way. >> apparently there's a wrong way. michael finney is here with that. >> nothing is as simple as you want it to be, is it?

turns out those smart vacs might be really good at picking up dirt, but they're not always smart when it comes to getting out of tight places. check out this viral video from earlier this year where oregon police responded to a burglary call only to find the intruder was a robotic vacuum cleaner that was trapped in the bathroom. >> last chance. come out now or you're going to get bit. >> initially it sounded like the subject in the bathroom was trying to get out the back window. >> there was an intruder in the bathroom swiping the dust from the floor. >> it did a thorough job. it was stuck in there for a while so it appeared to be clean. >> how do you keep your robotic vacuum from wandering into the uncharted territory? consumer reports have advice. >> some vacuums come with magnetic strips to keep the robot from crossing.

others come with something like that creates a virtual boundary. >> more and more models come with an app that lets you create boundaries. consumer reports test ability to pass over rug fringe but thick mats should be avoided. >> the dock moves, the the robot may have difficulty finding it and could wander around the house until the battery dies. >> and even pros can find a glitch by happenstance. >> we had one test model missing from its dock every morning and i would have to search to find it. it was set to go out and clean every morning at 4:00 and all it took were a couple of clicks on the remote. so, that's something to watch out for. >> here's something to think about. it's a good idea to watch the vacuum work the first time you use it, looking for obstacles like cords that might get caught

in or low dining chairs or coffee tables it might have trouble navigating. think about all the stuff you have a hard time with. now to another kind of mobility. those one-wheeled scooters. >> you see people zip around on them hands free. just don't expect to see it on the bay area bridge. >> stay with us. first we want to thank janna from this image of the oakland hills. she calls it the magical forest with the fog shrouding the trees. we want to thank billy for sharing this

all right. coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, oakland police say they are battling a war against sexual exploitation of young people. investigators tell us why human trafficking is prevalent in the bay area. alts the government's plan to track nearly every drone in the united states. why some bay area tech kpaents can't wait for it.

and stores are packed today with shoppers returning with gifts that just didn't work out. michael finney explains what to expect when you return a gift coming up at 6:00. >> we're going to leave you with this. a man on an electric unicycle joined holiday commuters on the lower deck of the bay bridge. >> this photo was sent over instagram, shows the rider on an electric unicycle, holding a cup and a go pro camera with no helmet. >> the chp says they were not aware of any reports of this incident but want to remind people that's against the law. you can't do that. it's not the first time someone was photographed on a small electric vehicle on the bay bridge. >> this taken during rush hour shows a man driving an escooter on the lower deck also with no helmet. i'm sure they tell you it's against the law and not the smartest thing either.

>> it's really damage routs. it's tricky in a car. that is our report for now. "world news tonight" is next. we appreciate your time. >> all of you work hard. you play hard. a drink with friends can turn into two. and a prescription can be stronger than you thought. stop! there are a lot of ways to get a dui. and a lot of ways to go. text a friend. call a cab. share a ride. whatever you choose to do, go safely, california. ♪ do you recall, not long ago ♪ we would walk on the sidewalk ♪ ♪ all around the wind blows ♪ we would only hold on to let go ♪ ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we need someone to lean on ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we needed somebody to lean on ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ all we need is someone to lean on ♪

a drink with friends can turn into two.. and a prescription can be stronger than you thought. stop!

there are a lot of ways to get a dui. and a lot of ways to go. text a friend. call a cab. share a ride. whatever you choose to do, go safely, california. tonight, we're following several developing stories. a powerful and deadly storm slamming the southwest on one of the busiest travel days of the year. snow stranding drivers on the interstate for hours. water rescues, as torrential rains swamp several cities. that system tonight moving east. also tonight, the break in the case. a teen wanted in connection with the stabbing death of tessa majors, located by authorities in new york city. is he the one who stabbed her? impeachment showdown. president trump continuing his christmas twitterstorm, slamming nancy pelosi, as one republican senator says she was, quote, disturbed by mitch mcconnell's claim he's in lock-step with the white house heading into the senate impeachment trial. killers on the loose. two masked robbery suspects walk into a denny's just after