academy this morning when, suddenly, police say the man in these pictures pushed her from behind. >> he is wearing a surgical mask, gloves. she is slashed in the face twice. once from her ear to the middle of her throat and another matter of the face as well. >> reporter: she ran back to her relatives home and was taken to the hospital. investigators meanwhile working their way through the language barrier as community leaders do their best to help the girl and her family. >> there is no excuse for a young girl going to school to be attacked. they shouldn't feel fearful of the authorities. we want them to feel comfortable working with us and trying to catch the assailant. >> reporter: sooner the better in this community unaccustomed to active police investigations. >> i was in shock. we live in a quiet area. no trouble. i live here 34 years. never heard anything like this before.

operated on at long island jewish. a source close to the girl and her family says they are just traumatized. the source tells eyewitness news she may indeed have issues with full facial recovery movement of her face. we will be following that. police are asking for your help on this. remember, she was slashed twice from the ear to the center of her throat. police are asking anyone with information on this case to call crimestoppers, 1-800-577- tips. live in whitestone, queens, stacey sager, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> just terrible, thank you. now to breaking news. a small protest in baltimore where after a third day of deliberations a hung jury in the first trial in the freddie gray. as protestors outside the courthouse chant no justice, no peace the mayor calling for unity and respect. eyewitness news reporter sandra

bookman is following developments from the newsroom. sandra. >> reporter: outside the courthouse there was heavy security in place in advantage of a court -- advance of a court decision. we take a live look at baltimore. the situation, as you mentioned, is calm, appears under control. earlier in the day, a handful of demonstrators gathered for the decision and immediately began voicing frustration after learning that the judge in this case had, indeed, declared a mistrial. the jury deliberated more than 16 hours over three days but was unable to reach a decision in the manslaughter trial of william porter, the first of six officers to stand trial from freddie gray's death. he died in april after suffering a broken neck while in a police van hand couched and shackled. an autopsy determined that his van was probably slammed into

turned a corner or stopped. prosecutors had argued porter disregarded his duty by not straping gray in and by failing to get him medical help. defense attorneys countered that porter was acting reasonably given what he knew at the time. one of the questions now being asked, should this mistrial be viewed as a victory for the defense. >> at the end of the day, the defense can say our client noted convicted. that's the number one concern for a defense attorney. what ultimately happens as the trials proceed and go forward, it remains to be seen. you never know. obviously the defense would want an acquittal but a hung conviction. >> reporter: after declaring a mistrial, the judge announced there will be an administrative hearing to determine a new trial date. at this hour it's unclear new trial. >> thank you. download our eyewitness news

app to receive breaking news alerts like the one in this story on your phone or tablet. horror on a queens street when a cement truck barrels into three people including two children. we have been on the scene since "first at 4:00" at the intersection of junction and 55th avenue gathering the details. let's get the latest from eyewitness news reporter shirleen allicot in corona tonight. shirleen? >> reporter: joe, that investigation continues. the scene is still very active. in fact, that cement truck is still on the scene and not removed. the entire intersection has been shut down as they take evidence with a data collector that will help reconstruct how the accident happened. as far as what happened, we are told the driver of the truck was going southbound on junction boulevard, turning right on to 55th avenue. that is when a woman and two children were hit.

the woman we are told is more seriously hurt than the children. all of them were taken to elmhurst hospital. there is blood on the scene there, a pair of sneakers under the tire. a difficult scene to see. we are hoping the victims are okay. as for the driver, we are told police are interviewing him and no charges have been filed yet. we did speak to one witness who was quite shaken up. she sprang into action when the accident happened. >> i ran or there and -- over there and i noticed a lady on the floor with one leg -- seems like she would lose her leg. and a little girl, 2 to 3 years old, she was laying down and a lot of people were trying to help them out. she was in shock as well. >> reporter: very scary scene for this community. again, we don't know the extent of the injuries. we are again hoping they are okay. they are at elmhurst hospital. that driver is being talked to by police. no charges have been filed

against him just yet. police continue to investigate and we will continue you updated. reporting live from corona, shirleen allicot, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> shirleen, thank you. an arrest in the killing of a mother who was found strangled in her home in new jersey. 36-year-old robert guerilla is charged with murder in the death of yolanda vega. she was found dead december 7th. a family member reportedly witnessed a gunman jump out of a closet and run from the house. authorities have not released a motive for the killing. an update from the department of homeland security regarding the -- regarding the national terrorism advisory system. the current two level system replaced the color coded system created after the september 11th attacks. authorities have never activated elevated an imminent which requires credible information about a specific threat.

of bulletins about current developments and trends involving persistent ongoing threats. >> attacks, attempted attacks international and in the homeland warrant increased security, as well as increased publicville gil lanes and aware -- public vigilance. >> the first bulletin today calls for public vigilance for attacks like the mass shooting in san bernardino. sade? joe, that sentiment echoed by the new york police commissioner and director of the fbi. this as the nypd showed off the newly created police unit to respond to terror attacks. the nypd 800 cops trained to take out active shooters preparing for a paris terrorist attack. political reporter dave evans was there during the training. >> reporter: earlier this

practiced at randalls island. the police department announced with the creation of the unit, respond. as one topples commander said, we live in a new day, a new age to protect new yorkers. this is a first drill for the strategic response group. the main responsibility is crime control and -- crowd control and crime suppression. they are trained in haz-mat, radiation suppression and how to react to a terrorist threat like in california two weeks ago. >> they have multiple capacities to deal with the threats that we are talking about. today's demonstration is one example. >> reporter: earlier today commissioner bratton and the fbi director talked about the attacks in san bernardino. yes there is evidence on social

were radicalized but it was on private e-mail, not social media. >> we have found no evidence of posting on social media by either of them at that period of time and thereafter reflecting their commitment to jihad or martyrdom. >> reporter: in the paris attacks they were not home grown. they were operatives from syria. next year 1700 police will be trained with long guns to go in and take out an active shooter like what we saw at the bataclan theater in paris. >> you have to go in. if you are not going in, they will kill all the time that you are outside. that's what we do. >> reporter: and the message today from police and the fbi is for the public to help, to say something if you see something and not be afraid. this new unit was created because the city council and

size of the police department. reporting live on randalls island, dave evans, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you, dave. president obama plans meet with families of victims of the mass shooting in san bernardino. today at the white house they announced that the president will head to california on friday. 14 people were killed, 21 injured when a husband and wife terrorist team opened fire at a workplace holiday party. in los angeles public schools reopened today with increased security. yesterday they were closed after an e-mail terror threat. in the end the threat was deemed not credible. today back to normal which at one elementary school was pajama day. new details from the ntsb about the deadly collision between a metro north train and s.u.v. in westchester county earlier this year. the ntsb released photos showing the s.u.v. after it was hit by the train moving at 49 miles per hour in february. the s.u.v.

was pushed the length of two football fields. parts of the third rail through into the first train car killing five passengers. now to the race for president, warren buffett campaigned with democratic front-runner hillary clinton. the two were in nebraska today. clinton talked about wanting to raise taxes on the wealthy and the buffett rule. it's a proposal backed by buffett that calls for people that earn more than a million a year to pay a tax rate of 30%. republicans are back on the campaign trail following last night's debate. 18 million people watched making it the third highest rated presidential debate in history. the last g.o.p. debate of the year focused on national security following the paris and san bernardino attacks. the last debate of 2015 democratic debate airs here on channel 7. the federal reserve made it official. they raised key interest rates

for the first time in nearly a decade. the central bank lifted rates near zero by a quarter percent stage point. the hike signaled the feds confidence in the u.s. economy but further increases will come slowly. mortgage rates and car loans are not expected to rise any time soon. but rates for credit cards and home equity credit lines will likely go up. the feds announcement gave stocks on wall street a boost. investors interpreted the move as positive move about a strengthening economy. the do i closed at 17,749. the nasdaq climbed 75 points and s&p 500 added 29 points. new information about what made students sick at a high school in long island. and a family's tearful plea. >> if you are out there watching this, please. >> a father of three killed by a hit and run driver and the search to find who struck him. also, men accused of

conning a grandmother out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. why she gave them so much money. >> also, bai-bai officially introduced at the national zoo. >> growing fast. i'm meteorologist lee goldberg. you know it's warm when

are feeling on the cool side. meet the moore's! we're the moore family, and we're always looking for ways to enjoy more. so we called time warner cable and got even more than we expected. call now to get more. more speed. like, 300 meg. more tv shows and movies on demand. more places to make more unlimited calls. call now. for $89.99 a month, you'll get 100 meg ultra fast internet, hundreds of hd channels, and unlimited calling to international destinations. we find more good things every day! more ways to watch more shows. on more wifi connected devices in our house. time warner cable made switching easy with a one hour arrival window. they even made sure all of our connections were up and running before they left. why settle for less, when you can get more!

call now. for a limited time, get a free trial of showtime for one year, and ask how you could get a $300 reward card. call for more, now. you'd be surprised how easy it is to get a good low-cost health plan! you might even get help paying for it! go to nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777

it turns out mayes sprayed in a hallway by two students sickened dozens at a high school in long island. west babylon is the high school. the students responsible will be punished. a deal reached in congress will extend the zadroga act for first responders. under the agreement the victim compensation fund will continue through 2021 and the world trade center health program will be renewed until 2090.

the de blasio administration shake up of the homeless service programs. the commissioner of the organization stephen banks hosted a round table discussion to review the planned restructuring of homeless agencies. just yesterday the mayor announced the resignation of gilbert taylor. this comes amid criticism of the city's growing homeless problem. >> there are efforts to encourage people to not feel that they have to go to a shelter system to get help. i think that is clearly an area we want to look at. >> recommendations for changes will be presented to the mayor are the 90-day review of the homeless program. tonight a lasting contribute to the memory of a fallen police officer in new jersey. a section of route 17 through waldwick will be dedicated to officer christopher goodell.

there was a ceremony to unveil the sign for the christopher goodell memorial highway. he died when a tractor trailer hit his police car. >> he was a police officer for five years and he loved doing what he did and i hope that he will never be forgotten. >> he joined the waldwick police department after eight years with the marines. he was a graduate of waldwick high school. lee, we are in the middle of december, right? >> that's what i heard. i am trying to con firm that. >> breaking news. >> another day in the 50s now. we have active weather. ups and downs through the weekend and record warmth down the road. outside tonight, a chill in the air. a pretty sunset. lights reflecting off the east river. a comfortable evening for december. 49. here comes the moisture off the ocean. 52 the high number on the day. you are running nine above average. 14 above at night. no records now.

they could be in the seven-day forecast. the chill that we will experience for the first time in a while is this weekend. 42 feels like 30s. next seven hours, look how the futurecast is depicting showers after 10:00, 11:00. drizzle may set in later this evening. may have the umbrella. you may use the wipers intermittently. 40s on the island in connecticut. the first places probably long island and the coastline, parts of the lower hudson valley as well. it feels cooler because we are in the upper 40s. wind freshening off the ocean. clouds at 7:00. you don't need your umbrella until later on. the good news for the morning commute no heavy rain. that comes lunchtime into the afternoon hours. the break in the overcast which is shrinking is from new rochelle to great neck to valley stream.

here comes that deck of low cloudy necessary. that window of clear sky is shrinking and closing up. a weak front to the west. cold air for now bypasses to the north and west. we will watch this area of low pressure, enhance the front and tomorrow a heavier area of rain comes on the coastline. i think it will be steadier over long island and the jersey shore. even in new york city, brooklyn and queens versus the bronx and manhattan. futurecast tonight, drizzle developing. same idea for your morning commute then the steady rain around lunchtime. heaviest south of i-80 in new jersey into parts of middlesex, monmouth and ocean county, long island, brushing new york city. into the first part of the evening commute then things get quieter in terms of rain intensity but damp tomorrow. cloudy, cool, the rain steadier

south and east in the afternoon hours. tomorrow night lingering showers and drizzle around. will the northwest suburbs be spared rain? friday will the showers stay offshore? close call there. how about a few snowflakes before we talk about warmth. that is coming up in the seven- day forecast in the next half hour. before we move on, we want to go to shannon sohn t. breaking news in newark. a janitor's union marching on west market street. >> about a thousand are spilling out of essex county community college here where they just took a strike authorization vote. they are heading east on west market street toward university place. they just did the strike authorization vote and they are expected to march throughout the streets of newark along with politicians for about 7,000 of workers, the contracts expire in two weeks. that is what this is about.

reporting live over downtown newark, shannon sohn, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you. a bear sighting in a new jersey neighborhood. why residents aren't too concerned about it. >> new video of a bronx teenager slammed into a window by an nypd sergeant. what the teenager's family is hoping the video leads to. >> a massive "star wars" collection here in our area. one man's impressive stash including items from the actual movie. >> you may remember the story about a mystery shopping scam that almost cost this working mother and her son their home. you won't believe the

new information about a scam victim that turned to 7 on your side for help. >> when an eyewitness news viewer saw the story, many of you stepped in to save christmas and the woman's home.

nina pineda is here with the update. >> reporter: this young mom was in deep debt. her plan to take on part-time work to make extra money for the holidays back fired big time. it is you, our viewers who were on her side this time. mystery shopping scam victim is not too proud to admit a homeless shelter may have been the next step for her and her son. >> i didn't want to. if that was my only shon, that's what i had to do. >> reporter: she was looking for a second job and got conned into thinking she was hired to be a walmart secret shopper. she got phone any money orders. she sent money back. she was six grand in debt by the time the bank flagged the fakes. >> how do you tell a 6-year-old christmas won't happen. >> reporter: after we showed her story, several reacted. some spent money and clothes.

>> reporter: this is his whole list, right? >> little yes. lost for words. >> her story struck us so much. watching it in my kitchen. i saw her with her little son and how he would lose his son for the holidays. i said, this still speaks to what we do, which is when you think there is no hope, we want to be that hope. >> reporter: jenna, a mother of two in morris county had just started a grass roots charity. >> my nephew, 4 years old, out of nowhere was diagnosed with a brain tumor. >> reporter: henry's hallow held bring her family and four others out of debt. >> after henry, we started to as many children as we could. >> reporter: she sent a check that wiped out the $6,000 debt and then some. >> it left me beyond words. like i don't know how many times i told her thank you.

be. >> merry christmas, everyone. thank you. >> reporter: thank you to our viewers who donated to the go fund me page, donated anonymously. no one wanted recognition. the woman that gave the gift lost her only son and lois said he always gave toys to the needy kids at his job and she wanted to keep the tradition alive. >> thank you, nina. moving on, a father of three killed in a crash. the other driver ditches the vehicle and runs away. tonight hear the family's plea for help as authorities hunt down the suspect. >> a violent armed robbery. wait until you see what the victim does when confronted

>> google's top searches of the meet the moore's! we're the moore family, and as you can see, we need an internet that can do more. we do more games, and more streaming. so we need more speed. that's why we switched to time warner cable. you can too.

call now. now we can connect more devices, at the same time. the wifi in this house is amazing. so is my guacamole. hi grandma and grandpa! ha, look at that! [laughs] time warner cable even has an internet plan for us. get the internet speed that's right for you. from 3 megs to ultra fast 300 megs they even made it easy to switch with a one-hour arrival window. why settle for less, when you can get more! get 50 meg internet for $39.99 per month. call now. you could get free installation, no data cap, and access to over 400,000 twc wifi hotspots with select plans.

a developing story in baltimore. a hung jury in the first trial in the death of freddie gray. officer william porter was charged with manslaughter. after three days of deliberations the jury could not reach a verdict. small deem mon stations broke out but -- demonstrations broke out but they are peaceful. gray's family spoke about the decision. >> we are not at all upset with them and neither should the public be upset. they did the best that they could. we are hopeful that she will retry officer porter as soon as possible. >> prosecutors have not said whether they will retry officer porter. tonight an emotional plea for help from the family of the man killed in a hit and run. >> he was on his way to meet his mother when another driver crashed into him. that other driver, a suspected

>> long island reporter kristin thorne spoke with the family. she is at the scene. >> reporter: this is the intersection where he was killed. police say the car that the suspect was driving was reported stolen a week ago. >> i hope, you know, you are out there and watching this and just please, whoever knows anything, just please contact them and just help us find who did this. >> reporter: a plea from the family of reginald, the 32-year- old on his way to bring his mother out to dinner last night when this trailblazer crashed into his car at an intersection in north amityville. whoever was driving the trailblazer ditched the car and took off on foot. >> what he did is wrong. messed up thing that he did. hurt someone's family today. >> reporter: police say the trailblazer the suspect was driving was reported stolen december 8th. they know where it was stolen from but they are not releasing

the information because it's part of the investigation. the he worked in construction, was a father of three and was always willing to give a helping hand. >> he was less fortunate so he understood people less fortunate. he was trying to give. >> very, very, very hurtful that we had to lose him. >> reporter: if you know anything about this accident or know who the driver of that trailblazer was, you are asked to call police. live in north amityville, kristin thorne, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you. new video, take a look, of a store clerk taking on an armed robber in the hudson valley. security cameras reported the masked gunman bursting into a gas station yesterday. at first the clerk gives him money. when the robber liens across the counter, the worker grabs his arm and throws a shoe then chases the suspect into the parking lot. police say the robber fired a shot before getting away in a car.

no one was injured. a quick thinking teenage girl snaps a photograph of a man stalking her on the subway her twice. police say the 15-year-old girl was on a subway platform at the grabbed her arm. she managed to run away. the next day she says the same man approached her again and again tried to grab her. this time she snapped this picture. now police are trying to identify him. a funeral for an nypd sergeant who died over the weekend. hundreds of uniformed officers turned out to pay their last respects to sergeant donald scott coniff. in 1998 he was headed to work for mayor giuliani's inauguration when his vehicle was struck by an alleged drunk driver. he suffered head injuries.

west point is getting the first female commadant. she will be the 76th on january 5th. she is a veteran of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. she oversee discipline and training of the approximately 4200 cadets. a staten island man known as the situation pled guilty to fax fraud. he admits that he prepared bad ones for the brothers making millions at the time. they are charged with improperly reporting income. they pled not guilty. santa got a helping hand from the essex county sheriff's department in new jersey. they dropped off bags of toys collected during the annual toy drive at st. john's kitchen. truckloads of toys were

delivered to the 14th avenue school. the community organize says and the iron bound community center. santa will be busy. a bear spotted in new jersey. why people are not in a panic. caught on camera, a district attorney takes down a suspect

it's the holidays. and of course, everyone wants to get online at once. to watch things. buy things. but slow internet makes it hard. that's why it's time to get fios. it has the fastest internet and wifi available. with speeds from 50 to 500 megs. and right now, you'll get 50 meg fios internet, tv and phone for 79.99 a month online for your first year. and with a 2 year agreement, we'll give you all the premium movie channels for a year. plus, 400 dollars back. so go online or call now.

we are seeing new evidence, surveillance video in the alleged case of excessive force by police.

after he went through a hookah bar last may. you can see him turn and rush at payne striking him in the upper body with his left arm. >> i wouldn't want this to happen to any other parent with their son or daughter. >> payne's lawyer wants the incoming bronx district attorney to reopen the case. an unexpected guest spent the morning in a neighborhood in new jersey. several people in morris township spotted a black bear strolling through the area. the bear was probably taking advantage of the warm weather to continue feeding before the winter hibernation. some tennis players at the park say the large animal got everyone's attention. >> they were all in the back looking at the bear. everybody was taking pictures with their cell phone. i said i am glad we are in a cage. >> we aren't sure where he went. >> in those woods then behind.

but we won't get close to him. we have heard stories. >> the sighting comes on the first day of the four day bear hunt extension in new jersey. well, joe, google releasing the top searches in the u.s. number 4 caitlyn jenner who shocked the world with her transformation. and number 3, the controversial hit biopic american sniper followed at number 2 by the blockbuster jurassic park. number 1, former basketball star lamar odom, embattled former basketball star top google search in the u.s. but worldwide for 2015. joe? >> i thought lee goldberg would be on the list. male bonding films topped the list of the 25 films added to the film registry. the tom cruise film top gun and

shawshank redemption were chosen along with the movie ghostbusters. since 1989 the film registry selected 675 movies to be preserved because of their cultural historic or importance. five people arrested for scamming a grandmother out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. tonight hear from the victim about the con and what she wants to have happen to the suspects. >> "star wars" man i can't in full effect. meet a man in new jersey whose holiday season's just like football season... you got your big games... ...and regular games. get it all at a great price... ...and the holiday season is won.

everything in one place.

holiday season's just like football season... you got your big games... ...and regular games. get it all at a great price... ...and the holiday season is won. everything in one place. my stop & shop. a day on the gridiron when a district attorney tackled a suspect in oklahoma caught on camera. police say when a judge told a robbery suspect he would be returning to jail because he missed a court date he bold out of the room. he got way from court officers once then a district attorney charged him in the hallway and returned him to custody. >> wow. the newest member of the smithsonian national zoo made

there he is. bai-bai, a male giant panda born in august. he is four months old, 17 1/2 ponds. he is driving -- >> so cute. >> he is doing great and developing ahead of his older siblings. >> we look for the milestones, when his eyes open, teeth come in, vocally cations, movement. he is essentially at the crawling phase yes starts to be mobile working around his enclosure. >> he is a hand some fellow. although he does enjoy sleeping most of the day and who doesn't, zookeepers say he is becoming more active every day. >> look at that face. >> i just want to hold him, cuddle him. >> my activity, open the mouth and close it. we have weather coming in.

one hurdle to get through. outside we go. we have cloud cover coming in. george washington bridge sluggish but moving right along. we don't have the cross winds that we had last night. southeast winds at 7. planner tonight. evening plans pro problem. things moisten up, patchy commute. you look at syosset, long island, 9:00, 10:00 a couple of spritzes move in. mid to low 40s tonight. a cool, damp feel tomorrow. the steady rain waits until lunchtime. in new york city lunchtime. heaviest from noon to 6:00 or 1:00 to 7:00, in that six-hour period then in the evening hours it should get lighter. there is sprinkles or spotty drizzle tonight. same idea in the morning commute.

not looking at heavy rain slowing you down tomorrow morning but by lunchtime a heavy batch of rain south of i- 80 through central and southern new jersey through berkeley heights, summit, toms river and belmar. some could get into new york city. a lot will go toward long island. rain in the northwest suburbs, westchester, rockland, fairfield county but not as heavy. a good soaking through the day that starts to weaken during the evening hours. rainfall amounts, these may be on the light side. 1/2 inch to an inch of rainfall. some spots that of rainfall. the evening commute is challenging. soggier south and east. 59. on friday, a lot of debate about friday because the storm will just stall offshore. the trend with this is to put rain farther offshore meaning there might be clearing in the western suburbs.

most of us a fair amount of cloud cover and cooler. 51. look at the low friday night, 36. saturday is the coolest day in a while. maybe a couple of snowflakes late friday into early saturday as the cold air rushes in. a couple snowflakes may be in the air. feels like 30s through the afternoon on saturday. sunday is the calmer part of the weekend. chilly in the morning. afternoon not as harsh. 52, milder and cloudy monday. a couple of showers tuesday, 56. look at the high a week from now. in the middle 60s on wednesday and it basically looks like christmas eve and christmas day well up into the 60s and maybe record warmth wednesday through friday of next week. already viewers and some weather enthusiasts looking down the road because there is a computer model that predict a nor'easter a couple of weeks down the road. the weather pattern isn't buying that as we go into mid to late january we could have

colder air. >> those weather watchessers. thank you, lee. there is no way you haven't heard by now the new "star wars" movie is out. >> one man in new jersey, such a fan, he has been collecting memorabilia from the past films for years now. new jersey reporter and avid "star wars" fan himself anthony johnson checked out the collection and tweeted this picture. he has the story from franklin lakes. >> reporter: john has a long time love from collecting from the treasured shows from the '60s that grew into a love of "star wars" memorabilia. he collected props used in the two "star wars" trilogy. >> this is a trooper helmet. this is from new hope. the paint is starting to peel. this is the luck from empire strikes back. you can see the small r 2 d 2

this was on the rebel base, the snow planet if you recall. this was headgear that the rebel forces wore to protect them from the snow. >> reporter: in every major collection there is one item that has special meaning. >> this is an amazing piece. the end of episode 3 when obie one and anakin are fighting to the death. this is the light safe saver. >> to me "star wars" i is like the wizard of oz. it will be around hundreds of years. to have these items from the movie is great. >> so, john has an incredible collection from "star wars" movies of the past but he is

memorabilia once he sees "the force awakens." from the galaxy far, far away, anthony johnson, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> he loves saying that for sure. conned out of more than $300,000. >> tonight the 92-year-old victim speaks out about the scam. why she handed over so much money to strangers. >> we continue to follow breaking news in newark. the janitor's union is protesting right now. more than 1,000 people in the demonstration. they are in military park.

and rally is affecting traffic. meet the moore's! we're the moore family, and we're always looking for ways to enjoy more. so we called time warner cable and got even more than we expected. call now to get more. more speed. like, 300 meg. more tv shows and movies on demand. more places to make more unlimited calls. call now. for $89.99 a month, you'll get

hundreds of hd channels, and unlimited calling to international destinations. we find more good things every day! more ways to watch more shows. on more wifi connected devices in our house. time warner cable made switching easy with a one hour arrival window. they even made sure all of our connections were up and running before they left. why settle for less, when you can get more! call now. for a limited time, get a free trial of showtime for one year, and ask how you could get a $300 reward card.

five people under arrest

for scamming a 92-year-old wollman out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> they tricked her by making her believe her grandson is in trouble. >> marcus solis is in harrison with the details. marcus? >> reporter: joe, sade, the woman was warned by the bank that there might be a scam involved as she withdraw large sums of money. nevertheless she did it because all she wanted to do was help her grandson. >> she is out over 300,000. >> reporter: these are the phones, computers and other items police say were used to bill being a woman out of a quarter million dollars. police arrested five people including a mother and son for running what is called the grandma scam. a caller pretends to be a grandchild in need of money fast. >> they are very convincing and they instill fear in our senior citizens and the dell dearly and that fear caused them to do things they wouldn't normally do.

spoke to the victim who was in florida. >> i believed everything that this man, supposedly sergeant told me. >> reporter: she was told her grandson was busted with drugs and he wasn't allowed to speak to her on the phone. the money would get him jail. >> i did it because i didn't want my grandson behind bars. >> reporter: eventually the real police were notified and a three month investigation ensued. detectives followed the money to china, back to texas, new jersey and the bronx. among the evidence seized, this bmw believed to be purchased with the stolen cash. they have tried to warn the elderly traveling to senior centers warning them of scams. law enforcement agencies or the wired. >> i am too gullible. i hope nobody else is as ignorant as i am. >> reporter: a lot of embarrassment in cases like this. police say even if you have

recovering the money. there was a delay here and police have only been able to recover about $50,000. as for the suspect they are in county jail on state charges but this could become a federal case which would involve much more severe penalties. marcus solis, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you, marcus. still ahead, the widow of a new york police officer assassinated on the job turns her grief into action. >> "eyewitness news at 6:00" starts right now. following a developing story in queens. a cement truck running into three people, a mother and two children.

>> first, justice delayed for decades. tonight no longer denied. three men wrong licon victim and sent to prison for arson and the murders of six people tonight exonerated. they didn't do did it. good evening at 6:00 i'm bill ritter. >> i'm liz cho. correcting a miscarriage of justice is what the brooklyn district attorney said he is doing by reopening and closing the case of three men wrong licon victim 30 years ago. >> two are out of prison. the third man wrong licon victim died in prison. >> eyewitness news reporter n.j. burkett is in park slope with the lead story. >> reporter: this is where it happened. the year was 1980. a woman and her five children killed in a fire that was ruled arson. but, no, it was not arson. and the men arrested and convicted innocent all along. [ applause ] after 333 years of

sad -- 33 years of sadness and