east, now east of penn station. but this is the scenario that the l.i.r.r. -- [no audio]. to l.i.r.r. was hoping to avoid. the track work is not complete and the railroad contingency plan is in effect. after the l.i.r.r. shut down the main line for much of the day. for tens of thousands of l.i.r.r. commuters today, the end of the line was mineola. the trip home from manhattan meant transferring to buses for a half hour ride to hicksville, then waiting on the platform there for another train east. other riders headed in reverse. commuters like eric kagan were furious. >> i took a train to hicksville

and it was really late. then had to spend 25 minutes on a bus or so. now i will be late for meetings so i'm trying to figure out what to do next. >> reporter: overnight rail workers removed the derailed freight care and spent the next 16 hours struggling repair the damage. it would not come soon enough to save the evening rush hour. >> our track guys have been at it for many hours and they got a good look at the damage. i was told it was in excess of a thousand feet of track damaged, significantly damaged, third rail, regular rail, ties, all of that. >> reporter: with one of the two tracks out of service, the railroad canceled westbound service on the ronkonkoma and port jeff branches at 3:00 p.m. to make way for eastbound trains. the priority, to get commuters out of new york city. most seemed resigned to the inconvenience. >> sometimes things break and you got to adapt to it and do the best you can. >> how do you think they are doing the best they can?

i think they are doing a good job. you can always do better. it would be great if we didn't have to change here today but all in all considering how fast they have to react to things and the volume of people, it's not so bad. >> reporter: a lot of work to be done on the main line. to recap, eastbound service, virus out of penn station headed out to long island is up and running but one third of the schedule is being canceled. there are going to be delays and crowded trains out of penn station tonight. it's important to note that westbound service from port jefferson and ronkonkoma is suspended entirely at least until 8:00 tonight. we will continue to follow the rush hour, much more for you on "eyewitness news at 6:00" tonight. >> thank you. new details in the death of a 6-year-old girl in westchester county. her mother is under arrest and went before a judge. lacey car's body was discovered

her mother found unconscious at the time. eyewitness news reporter stacey sager was at the arraignment in white plains. stacey? >> reporter: well, sade, the theory -- the theory in this case was murder-suicide except this mother recovered after spending about two weeks in a coma. now the disturbing toxicology reports have come in and what they show is a deadly mix of morphine, benadryl and diaz say pam, valium, in this child's blood. >> obviously this is a very, very upsetting case for my client. >> reporter: but also sickening for everybody in the courtroom listening to the details of how her daughter, 6-year-old lacey carr died on april 5 of 2015 easter sunday. it was here inside their home in croton on hudson and no one had heard from the child's mother, 51-year-old kathleen dymes until a text message early that morning to the

>> it is extremely misspelled jumbled text message from the defendant's phone that lacey took a pill. >> reporter: now toxicology reports show it was a lot more than that. this child had ten times the therapeutic level of morphin in her body, 10 times -- >> reporter: sadly this barely scratches the >> there was a chef's knife on a chair accessible to the child. a bottle of alcohol on the nightstand accessible to the child. pills strewn on the floor and underneath the very bed that lacey carr died upon was heroin under the bed. >> what i'm not hearing from the prosecutor is what my client did that was criminally negligent that caused her daughter's death. we all have things in our house. a 6-year-old is not a 3-year- old. this is a big girl. i don't know what she did. i don't know how she got a hold of this but i haven't heard any evidence that it was anything my client did. >> reporter: can you blame a 6-

year-old for something like this? >> no, you can't blame a 6-year- old but you can't charge the mother of this poor 6-year-old for doing something when there is no evidence. >> reporter: now, what we know about kathleen dymes is she was a registered nurse accept she was disciplined at the nursing home where she worked for allegedly stealing demerol for her own personal use. the charges include criminally negligent homicide but also endangering the welfare of her charge. bail. live outside the courthouse in white plains, stacey sager, channel 7 eyewitness news. you. saying it's reaching epidemic pro portions nationwide new york city announced a crackdown on synthetic marijuana. they unsealed an indictment against 10 manufacturers and distributors in a ring across

rob nelson is in the bronx at one of the rob? >> reporter: well, good afternoon, on the streets this stuff is known as spice or k 2, whatever you call it, officials say it is an epidemic in our city and across the country. today officials released the results of a year long investigation and also put stores across new york on notice, get the stuff off your shelves or you two may get busted. more than 90 stores and warehouses across new york city yesterday. officials busting a synthetic marijuana ring they say was worth up to $30 million. >> we are undertaken the single law enforcement action ever in spice epidemic. >> ten men were charged in the scheme. six arrested. all of them allegedly a part of an international ring to import, manufacture and

in bodegas, delis in all five boroughs. we cannot arrest our way out of this problem. we need the informed public in the fight. >> reporter: the raids took place in east harlem to this building in the bronx where officials gave the media a glimpse of the chemicals used to make the product. the mix has fallen into the hands of teenagers but the homeless and prisoners. officials say use of the drug is an epidemic in our city. >> smoking it becomes a dangerous game of russian roulette that too many people in our city are playing. >> reporter: the health risks are staggering. and death. officials say today's raids and indictment are just the beginning and stores selling this stuff should consider themselves warned. >> we are going to be focused like a laser on this issue on eradicating this poison from our communities. >> reporter: not only is the

about 5 bucks a bag, it's marked using kid friend -- marketed using kid friendly names and fruit flavors. it is an unregulated and potentially deadly poison. >> so easy to use. you smoke it. the risk is incredible. you don't know what the hell you are smoking. >> reporter: now, back live at the scene on bassett street in the bronx. a few minutes ago commissioner bratton came to the scene to tour the facility. he said this was the biggest distribution center or manufacturing center they found throughout the entire bust. this was a major facility in the bronx. $30 million in street value overall throughout the 100 locations. the commissioner said in the city there is no law criminalizing the sale of this synthetic marijuana but the mayor and city council are making efforts to change the law to avoid what we have seen today. reporting live in the bronx, rob nelson, channel 7

eyewitness news. >> thank you, rob. on long island, police are searching for the driver in a hit and run that left a homeless man in critical condition. suffolk police say the victim was pushing a shopping cart on the road in coram when he was struck by a vehicle around 11:00 this morning. a passerby called the man and -- found the man and called 911. there were no eyewitnesses that saw the crash. new details about the aide to governor cuomo shot in the hours before the west indian american day parade in brooklyn. in a statement released today, the family of gabay gab says -- carey gabay say he is brain dead he was struck down by a callous act and are asking for privacy while they make difficult decisions. they are using facial

the head football coach at rutgers university suspended for three games. it's yet another black eye for the program. sports anchor rob powers is following the story from the newsroom, rob? >> reporter: an awful few days for the rutgers football program. the school is trying to establish itself as a big time power but problems get in the way. coach kyle flood suspended and fined $50,000. he can't have contact with faculty members and was checking on grades of one of his players. e mailed then face to face with a faculty member. contact can only be made by an academic advisor. this is on the heels of player arrests, being kicked off the team which have nothing to do with flood's suspension. today it's about him violating university policy. within the last few minutes, flood released a statement saying in part, quote, moving forward i will make sure i adhere to all university

emphasize with our staff on knowing, understanding and following every university big ten and ncaa rule. rutgers president handed down the penalty and states the ncaa has been notified to see if any of its rules were violated. no word yet who will coach the team while flood is on suspension. sade? >> thank you, rob. the count down is on for pope francis to arrive in the u.s. final preparations are underway for his visit to our area. today good news for those around attending the pope's events in philadelphia. it may be a lot easier to get there than first thought. new jersey toni yates is in camden with the plans released today. toni? >> reporter: yes, indeed, sade, the earlier plans had them trying to make accommodations for 11,000 buses in the camden county area. now that they are not doing that, all of that room can go for cars. center city philadelphia will be shut down to vehicle traffic during the pope's visit even

the major highways around the city will be shut down including the ben franklin bridge. camden county will be the last stop for visitors with cars. they say, yes, they are ready. >> reporter: bible study groups visit st. peter and paul and they have prayer ribbons where the pope will say mass, across the bridge, officials have those traveling through this state to know the rules for parking and getting to philadelphia. >> i highly encourage residents, visitors and others to please know your physical limitations. that day is not the day to find out what your physical limitations may be. >> reporter: camden is calling itself the gateway to the pope. across the ben franklin bridge is where all the festivities will take place. camden city is hosting thousands that will park here and take the only three means

>> it should be a joyous occasion. don't be discouraged from going. don't let the rollout and confusion and angst discourage you. >> reporter: there are four commuter train line stations that will take you directly into philly, no stops. some are the camden's waterfront for people taking the ferry and the thousands that park and walk across the ben franklin which will be shut down to traffic the friday before the pope arrives. foot traffic only over the bridge during the pope's time in the region. getting there is covered. >> we expect lines and expect to be able to handle a little over a hundred thousand people in a ten hour period and do our best to accommodate crowds at any given station. >> reporter: and if you are heading to the philadelphia area for the pope, even before you gas your car, go online to

that is where you will buy your passes for the parking spots, passes for the mass transit. you will need those to get to the area. make sure you have them, print them out. that is your way to show the police officers, yes, you have a parking pass for the spots you go to and they will let you in in. that will make it easier four. live in camden, new jersey, toni yates, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> toni, thank you. we will have extended coverage leading up to and during the pope's next visit at abc7ny.com/pope. we have the entire schedule and all the join the millions who have already switched. we switched.

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fresh from his retirement, comedian jon stewart is heading to capitol hill to try to push congress into permanently extending the 9/11 zadroga health and compensation act. the $1.6 billion effort enrolled 72,000 first responders. it will expire at the end of

the month in lawmakers don't act. mitch mcconnell plans to extend the legislation. >> you are strong men and women but these are conditions that you may never have faced before. buckle your seat belts and let's get this done. >> reporter: comedian jon stewart revving up firefighters, police and other first responders as they prepare to lobby congress to extend the james zadroga act. it provides health care and monitoring for first responders and will expire at the end of this month if it's not extended. it's a personal fight for stewart who retired from the daily show in august. he is credited with helping pass the original act five years ago. after a show dedicated to the ailing police and firefighters who worked at ground zero when the towers well. >> i am embarrassed for our

new york similar temperatures tomorrow morning. light winds, daytime heating gets to escape quickly. newburgh at 81. 83 in carmel. great ranges. it's warm and dry during the afternoon then you have a comfortable cool night in the suburbs. 80 in islip and 79 in belmar. the dew points are in the 50s.

that is a nice comfortable level. nicely sunny to clear overnight. upper 60s in the five boroughs as well. mostly sunny in the afternoon. humidity at low levels and highs in the upper 80s. satellite is clear. over west virginia it hasn't moved much. the clouds are suppressing to the south. forcing them to take the scenic route into canada and not toward us. as the high moves away, that will happen late this weekend, this next front or the one behind it will have the opportunity to take a path toward us late in the weekend and some of this moisture may creep up the coast. a lot is directed offshore. cloudiness will get in here by the second half of the weekend. until then warm, beautiful. the high is slipping offshore. may have to watch out for the northwestern flank. here is the seven-day forecast, clear, comfy tonight. 50s in the coolest spots north

high in the upper 0s. mostly sunny, warm, low humidity. tomorrow night clear and 68. coming up at 5:30, do we have to be concerned about a cooler cloudier coastline on friday if you think about a bonus beach day. so long to the 80s after saturday. a front sunday, does that come through dry? we will look at that in the next half hour. back to you. >> thank you, lee. and coming up, new changes you could notice to make laundry pods safer and out of the hands of small children. >> plus, a home buyer's trap that almost cost a couple 12,000 dollars. 7 on your side with the

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another sign on the road to recovery from superstorm sandy, artifacts removed from the museum on ellis island after the storm are back where they belong. eyewitness news reporter kemberly richardson has more on what else was done to prepare the museum for the future. >> ellis island is back together again. >> reporter: now that nearly 2,000 artifacts are back inside the ellis island national museum of immigration. >> something this delicate and ceremonial would have been packed in the luggage and

considered a treasured item to bring with them. >> reporter: crews loaded the one of a kind pieces into displays. letter they were gown for three years. when superstorm sandy barreled through, the storm surge destroyed the electrical, cooling and heating systems. staff knew they had to do something fast. >> six weeks after the storm, it was very apparent to us that climate control was not going to be up and running in a short amount of time. so, we decided to do the best thing for the collection. >> reporter: they moved each and every piece to a storage facility outside of washington, d.c. but now that the museum's mechanical and electrical infrastructure has been overhauled, it's time to get things back in order. here on the third floor dubbed santa's workshop, they are unpacking and categorying everything. behind each item is an amazing story chronicaling the journey

this teddy bear belonged to a little girl from switzerland. >> reporter: she had a porcelain doll. her uncle gave her the teddy bear. >> reporter: they will be brought back here where they belong. kemberly richardson, channel 7 eyewitness news. a cruel and hard less theft. someone steals a 5-year-old's wheelchair and leg braces. the surprise the mother got when she pleaded for help. the changes coming to those laundry pods to make them less appealing to kids so they won't eat them. only eyewitness news was there as a day care worker accused of abuse goes to court. what her wow, time warner cable really upgraded their network. 300 meg internet, clearer picture. i know, we get almost 20,000 movies and shows on demand. our new dvr records six shows at once. why didn't we switch sooner? right? everything's better. [bad violin playing] well, almost everything. we're making things better. enhanced dvr, nearly 20,000 on demand titles, and up to 300 meg internet. including free wifi

at home and on the go. switch today and ask how you could get a $300 reward card. time warner cable. it took joel silverman years to become a master dog trainer. but only a few commands to master depositing checks

technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank. tonight a heartless crime. a little boy's wheelchair and

leg braces stolen. the theft left him without his lifeline. police are searching for the thief but they have no idea who would do something like this. >> ing the theft took place right in front of his home in elizabeth, new jersey. eyewitness news reporter michelle charlesworth spoke to his mother and posted these photos on facebook. she has the story. >> andrew has cdls. >> reporter: 5-year-old andrew needs his custom made $2,600 chair to sit, go places with family and go to school. his mother has been carrying him since the wheelchair and his braces were stolen out of the driveway. she put them by the car while she was going for him and they disappeared. >> sitting there. >> sitting there. >> reporter: for minutes. >> for minutes. same routine for years. nothing changed. >> reporter: what do you suspect happened. >> it's valuable. he uses the wheelchair to transport to and from school, out somewhere, something like

we need him to be sitting. he doesn't walk. we want it back, no questions asked. whoever took it, anything, they could have left it when nobody was around, we don't care. i just want his life back. >> reporter: the mom is thankful for the attention. she knows the power of facebook but warns people she is not looking for money. >> if there is anyone giving money to anyone, it's not us. >> reporter: we called the custom wheelchair company out in california. the person that works in community relations decided on the spot to get andrew a new one gratis. who called her? this man. >> i literally copied the screen, pasted it in an e-mail and sent it to the marketing and said can we help this kid. >> reporter: everyone involved in sharing the story on social media and in making things right say this was a no brainer, that these kids and the parents as well, needed a

life that the good people out there certainly outnumber the bad. in elizabeth, new jersey, michelle charlesworth, channel 7 eyewitness news. eyewitness news was the only station there today as a long island day care worker accused of abuse went before a judge. 23-year-old sarah dawber pled not guilty to a child endangerment charge this morning in southampton town court. protestor say she and coworker kathleen culver shoved children to the ground and force fed them at side by side child care in southampton. dawber's attorney said there is no physical evidence of abuse, only a statement from a disgruntled coworker. >> once the bell has been running, it's not something that you can escape. it will follow her the rest of the life. she devoted herself. this is the third day care she has worked at. >> the state moved to revoke the center'sly seven after conducting its investigation earlier this month.

meet with president obama on the white house investigate 9th. he addressed congress in march but he refused to meet with him because the invitation came from john boehner and not the white house. they will discuss the iran nuclear deal and efforts to combat isis. now to the refugee crisis overseas. violence broke out at the hungarian border when riot police confronted thousands fleeing their homes. kenneth moten has the story. >> reporter: tear gas and water canyons. from special forces armed in taking action against the thousands of people gathered along raise sorority wire fence at the border of hungary and serbia. the escalation came after hungry enforced new restrictions to stop the increasing tide of humanity flowing from the borders to western europe. hungary arrested hundreds for crossing. taking in war refugees is problem.

better life is a different story. >> we are in solidarity with the refugees. this is not the issue now. what we say is that we cannot except economic migrants because we cannot bear the burden of debt. >> reporter: they are searing syria. syrian president blamed europe for the crisis accusing the european union of supporting extremists trying to topple his regime. croatia's prime minister criticized hungary saying his country will remain open to offer an alternate route. for many the path to home leads to germany. the a student was separated from his family for years. he reunited with them wednesday before they and hundreds of others crossed into germany from austria. >> the germans, they told us come to germany and we are happy right now. >> reporter: the pressure for the united states to step up its response is increasing.

can except ten thousand refugees. critics called that number inadequate. kenneth moten, abc news, washington. certain laundry detergents are getting a fresh look in the name of safety. pods and consumer advocates reached a deal on voluntary safety standards. in addition to adding warning symbols, they call for adding an agent to the package film that gives a repulsive taste. a stronger nontransparent container and making them harder to open. the consumer product safety commission says it's not sure if the measures go far enough. one u.s. city is on the list of the possible hosts for the olympics. los angeles, hamburg, paris, budapest and rome. l.a., paris and rome have hosted before. l.a. in 1932 and 1984. if los angeles is selected, it would join london as a three- time host. the winner will be announced

next year. a slithering surprise leads to a snake rescue in westchester county. 11 boa constrictors and pythons were seized from a home after it was determined that the owner couldn't care for them. ten of the snakes including a burmese python are told to be in good health. a columbian red tail boa had to be euthanized. it's not clear if the animal's owner will face charges. >> yikes. a student arrested for building a clock. coming up, from the white house to silicon valley, the invitations for the teen caught

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fema is extending the clock for homeowners that want to challenge the superstorm sandy flood damage claims. ed 30-day extension -- the 30- day extension came before the 30-day deadline yesterday.

the agency says 459 claims worth $7.3 million have been approved so far. high profile support including a white house invitation for a muslim teenager arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school. engineering student ahmed mohammed took his creation to another teacher thought it looked like a bomb and police were called in. the 14-year-old was pulled out of school in handcuffs and suspended for three days. police did not file charges but some say mohammed was a target of discrimination. a short time ago he said he is still suspended and wants to transfer schools but he is encouraged by the support he got on social media. >> it felt outstanding. i never thought i would get this far but since i have, i will try my best not just to help me but every other kid in the entire world who has a problem like this. >> great attitude. he thanked his supporters that included president obama and

earlier today he tweeted cool clock, ahmed. want to bring it to the white house? we should inspire more kids like you nor science. mark zuckerberg said having the skill to build something cool should lead to applaud, not arrests. if you want to come by facebook, i would love to meet you. keep building. new information tonight about a phone call russian president vladimir putin thought he made to elton john. a couple of tv softs from a state owned channel admitted to pretending to be putin by making a hoax call to elton john. john tweed that he smoked to putin and hoped to have a face- to-face meeting. the kremlin quickly denied the call happened. the art collection of celebrated writer and civil

brought in $1 million at an auction in new york city. a painted story quilt commissioned by oprah winfrey sold for $461,000 at the swan gallery sale. the estate consigned the quilts along with 50 other pieces of artwork to the auction house following her death last year at age 86. love that story. he claimed to be in the world trade center on 9/11. >> but 14 years later, a comedian admits that he was in midtown. one family whose son was killed in the attacks reveals the pity they feel.

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welcome back and happy new year. >> thank you very much. wonderful. great family time and great weather for it. >> i know. stellar. >> absolutely beautiful out there. gorgeous day. >> yes. this time of year, you are looking at the tropics, busy, looking at the weather pattern changing. not just yet. summer goes on and on. outside the studios, a lot of folks are saying i will take a day off from the bus. we will walk it. it's nice out there. a lot of cabs out there. temperature at 87. sunshine. a south wind around 3 kicks up a bit. halftime report of september, you know it, way above average. if we continued this pace w woe be on pace for the warmest september. we will cool off. next week we will. we will still come up above average for this month if not in the top 10. precipitation, we benefited from last week's rainfall and couple closer to normal.

the drought monitor will come up tomorrow and tell us what part of the area is in moderate drought. we are clear, dropping through the 70s. a light jacket. we drop through the 50s and 60s later on. mostly sunny day. we get into the upper 0s with low humidity and lots of sunshine. thursday gorgeous as well. here is the futurecast. maybe not as cool as this morning, temperatures in the 50 to 55-degree north and west. open the windows. comfortable during the morning. beautiful in the afternoon. then we just watch the coastal areas. there is cloudiness sitting offshore. a little of that may creep toward the coast otherwise your thursday night looks nice and clear. u.v. index at a 6. pollen count moderate. breezes kick up from time to time. the seven-day forecast looks like this. 87 tomorrow. today 88. very warm. we are still summary on friday.

the 70s with the ocean breeze and a few more patchy clouds on the jersey shore and east end of long island. 84, mostly sunny and warm. more cloud cover comes in, a weak front. outdoor activities will be fine. maybe a passing shower around. that's the first day we go to the upper 0s. 76 monday. a stray shower threat then off and onshore threat tuesday and wednesday. nothing siff knife can't -- significant. that breaks the back of this summery pattern for a while. no serious chill but a change next week. >> we have been enjoying it. >> great. >> thank you, lee. >> thank you, lee. when you buy a new home, you may not be thinking about the utilities and making sure that they are paid up can save you a headache and money. >> one family found that out the hard way. they got nina pineda to help out. nina. >> reporter: these are recent immigrants living the american dream, buying the first home

bill trickled down to them and pooled into the size of their down payment. it took years of saving for charles and francesca to avoid to buy -- afford this row house. >> dream come true. >> reporter: they moved from brooklyn last fall. now they fear they will lose the first home over this, a whooper of a water bill. >> $12,571. we were shocked. >> reporter: dep told them the prior owner hadn't allowed anyone inside to read the meter since 2011. the past four years sending out estimated bills. only on the day of the closing was the meter finally read. >> the bill was for when she owned the house. >> reporter: why are they getting charged for someone else's water? utility bills stay with the house, not the previous owner. >> they told me if i don't do

call my credit company and put it on the credit. >> reporter: 500 was put in escrow and signed an agreement to pay any other outstanding utilities. this says upon receipt of the final water bill the seller agrees to pay the total balance due. now it is up to 15,000. you have been working on this for almost a year. anything happen. >> nothing. >> reporter: we tracked down the previous owner and the attorney. the 500 escrow was released. the seller owned up to the bill promising to pay it in full. they no longer have to carry the water. the big take away, do not close on a house unless you get a final meter reading. contact all the utilities and check on the status of the outstanding bills. after we got involved, the real estate lawyer offered to represent them pro bono until they get this huge water bill

in a couple of weeks. >> that is a load off their backs. how did it escalate. >> reporter: obviously a leak. 12 grand for four years, this is why you have to get a reading. you can't go on estimated readings for four years. >> you got to be vigilant. >> good information. >> thank you. a fraternity in connecticut refused to leave a brother behind. quinnipiac university junior joey malani uses a wheelchair. he never thought he would be able to climb the mountain at sleeping giant state park which is a tradition for students. his fraternity brothers surprised him taking turns carrying him to the top. next month they are hosting a 10-mile bike race to raise money and awareness. >> teamwork works all the time. a story you have probably seen in the social media feeds today. >> a comedian confesses to lying about surviving the 9/11 attacks.

coming up, the fallout he is facing including pity from a family whose son was killed that day. >> i'm liz cho. a high school in new jersey takes action against a football player caught on video hitting helmet. also, the high school science teacher charged after his drone crashed into the u.s. open faces a judge. his attorneys reveal new details on where he planned to fly the machine. >> meet some really excited kids practicing to sing for the pope n take a look at these bbq trophies: best cracked pepper sauce... most ribs eaten while calf roping... yep, greatness deserves recognition. you got any trophies, cowboy? whoomp there it is uh, yeah...

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it's got the longest hours and stays open an extra ten minutes every day. i'm sid. and i bank human at td bank. new information tonight about that comedian who lied about being in the twin towers on 9/11. >> comedy central says it is deciding what to do about its relationship with steve rannazzisi. >> eyewitness news reporter tim fleischer is in lower manhattan with reaction to the stunning admission. tim? >> reporter: and the comedian's shocking and stunning admission about 9/11. it hits the hardest at the

families of the victims. >> i have more pity than scorn because i don't know anybody that would want to attach themselves to the worst day in american history. >> reporter: he was a former deputy chief who lost his son james in the world trade center collapse is reacting to the surprising online admission by comedian steve rannazzisi that he lied about working in the trade center on 9/11. >> 54th floor of the south tower. >> reporter: i told people i was in one of the towers. it wasn't true. i was in manhattan but working in a building in midtown and i was not at the trade center on that day. i don't know why i said this. this was inexcusable. i am truly, truly sorry. he claimed that he worked formerly lynch on 9/11 and was able to escape before the towers collapsed. he and his then girlfriend moved to los angeles to start a new career. on twitter he said for many years more than anything i wished that with silence i

could somehow erase the story told by an immature young man. it made me more ashamed. >> wrong, disrespectful to the families, the people that died. he is trying to change history. if it didn't happen, let it come out the bay it is. >> reporter: rannazzisi is supposed to have a special air on comedy central this weekend. a spokesperson responds in part we are disappointed to hear about steve's misrepresentations and are determining how we will move forward. whatever the comedian's motive for his admission, he went on to say it is to the victims of 9/11 and the people that love them and the people that love me that i ask for forgiveness leaving us to wonder who firefighter james riches would have reacted. >> he would pity him, talk about forgiveness. i forgive him. i hope he gets help. there is someone that needs help. >> reporter: the comedian appears on the fx network. officials said they believe his apology is sincere.

reporting live in lower manhattan, tim fleischer, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> okay, thank you, tim. still ahead, you are going to meet some really excited kids practicing to sing for the pope next week. >> "eyewitness news at 6:00" starts right now. new at 6:00 a new york city high school teacher faces a judge on charges he crashed a drone at the u.s. open. now a new warning from the faa to drone owners. >> plus, a new jersey high school takes swift and tough action against a football player caught on camera hitting an opposing player with a helmet. >> but first a second night of frustrating delays for long island railroad passengers. once again trains are canceled or delayed.

>> good evening at 6:00 i'm liz cho. >> i'm bill ritter. the l.i.r.r. says the damage from yesterday's freight train derailment is too extensive to get fixed for the rush hour home. >> one of two tracks near hicksville is closed meaning the cancellation of several eastbound trains and no westbound service at all. >> what a mess. >> n.j. burkett is in mineola with the lead story. n.j. >> reporter: that's right. mineola station on long island where we have been watching the eastbound trains rolling this way out of penn station the last couple of hours. so, yes, commuters are getting home tonight. without a doubt, it's been a rough 24 hours on the l.i.r.r. the first trains began moving on the main line after 3:30 this afternoon, bill. because of the damage, they can only use one of the two tracks. so, for that reason, one third of the service out of penn station on the port jeff and ronkonkoma branches has been canceled and that's going to

make for delayed and crowded