sad -- 33 years of sadness and uncertainty, it was over in minutes. amaury villalobos and william vasquez can get on with their lives or what is left. >> 33 1/2 years of my life. i went in at 30 and come out at 65. >> reporter: they were arrested in 1980 along with a third man, mitchell morreale, charged morreale -- raymond mora. in a stunning reversal, brooklyn prosecutors admitted that the men were framed by the drug dealing landlord who made a death bed retraction and that fire marshals misinterpreted the evidence and in all likelihood the fire started accidentally. >> reporter: prosecutors say the men were victims of prevailing theories of arson investigation in 1980 that are now totally discredited. >> what matters to us is that we get to the truth and that we

prison for murder that they did not commit. >> it won't come soon enough for raymond mora who died in prison of an apparent heart attack. >> no better christmas gift than to say that my dad is innocent and everybody knows. >> reporter: william vasquez and amaury villalobos say they loss their freedom but not fate. >> i am not angry. they did something bad to me but god is there. god is on my side. >> some states have the death penalty forecasts like this. did did you ever think about that? >> yes. i thought about it but i never lost my faith because i knew i didn't commit a crime. >> reporter: the brooklyn d.a. has been in office for barely two years but already 17 people have seen convictions overturned. the d.a. is committed to correcting mistakes, many made years ago.

attention by students and faculty at new york law school. >> n.j., thank you. breaking news in newark. more than a thousand members of a janitor's union on the march. shannon sohn is watching it all. shannon? >> reporter: you can see the march has now finally ended here at military park. you can see they are setting the stanley for what is now becoming a rally for the over 1,000 january for yale workers. this started with a strike authorization vote down on west market street and these thousand plus workers marched on market street up broad street really curtailing traffic throughout the newark area. on the right side, that is broad street. you can see things are finally moving now. but it was bad for a while. the reason for all of this, the contract expires for more than 7,000 workers in the next two

this union consists of office cleaners and custodians. reporting live over newark, shannon sohn, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you. we turn to the latest on the three people hit by a cement truck in queens. a mother and her two children were hurt. the mom getting the worst of it. the accident happened in the corona section. jim dolan is at the scene with the latest. jim? >> reporter: this happened after 2:00 this afternoon. take a look. these hours later they are still back there testing the brakes on the cement truck to see how well they respond. this happened just as soil was letting out. there were so many children who saw a mother and her two children struck by that truck. the cement 55th avenue where it started to make a turn this afternoon as schools were letting out. a mother and her two children were crossing the street and the truck struck them hard.

noticed a lady on the floor, laying on the floor with one leg already -- seemed like she would lose her leg. and the little girl, maybe 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. i got into shock. >> she was in bad condition? >> horrible. she pale. >> reporter: the driver was interviewed. it's not clear what happened but it was horrifying. >> at least two bodies laying on the street in really bad condition. i didn't want that picture in my mind. i kind of yelled at the parents to get back. there were parents within ten foot of the bodies videoing what was happening. >> reporter: police will figure out what happened. neighbors say there are too many trucks in a neighborhood with too many children. >> they should have a crossing

there is no crossing guard. and that corner always, always cars don't know which direction they are heading and a lot of children. >> reporter: witnesses here say that the father of the two children came running to the scene. he was in tears. the two children were not seriously hurt. the mother much more seriously hurt. we have not got a condition on her but witnesses say she was in bad condition when she left her. jim dolan, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> jim, thank you. also in queens, police tonight releasing surveillance video of the man that attacked a teen as she walked to school. security cameras recorded the man walking behind the 16-year- old in whitestone. he came up behind her and slashed her twice in the face and in the neck. the secretary was wearing a surgical mask, a hooded sweatshirt and white gloves.

from china was taken to the hospital. a mistrial declared in the police officer in the freddie gray. gray the young black man injured in police custody in the back of a large van this past spring then gig a week later. the -- dying a week later. the jury deliberated three days then telling the judge they could not reach a verdict. officer william porter, the first of six to face charges. the family of freddie gray and the mayor urging calm. this is a live shot of the streets of baltimore. >> if some chose to protest, they must peacefully demonstrate. that is their right. prosecution. new at 6:00 a flood of dramatic and disturbing evidence about a deadly collision between a metro north train and s.u.v. last february. a woman driving her car on the

it derailed and caught fire. six people were killed. 9 why is a mystery. no drugs, no alcohol and no texting. jim hoffer is here with the latest. >> reporter: when a train hits a car at a railroad crossing, rarely does anyone in the train die. last february a collision in westchester killed five metro north passengers in addition to the car's driver. the huge volume of documents show the ntsb is looking closely at what we first reported contributed to the many casualties, the third rail. scanning the dozens of photographs released by the ntsb makes it clear investigators are focus category on the third rail to explain the unusually high number of deaths. while the 1100 newly released pages reveal little why ellen brody's car got stuck on the railcar in february, the documents seem to back what a

day after the collision. >> got caught on the third rail started lifting it out of its anchoring system like a crowbar. >> then broke apart. >> impaled it at a higher elevation which probably pushed it through the car. >> reporter: this picture tells a lot. the third rail i am pales the car -- impales the car as it is being pushed down. it is jarred loose. those pieces of loose third rail go in the car like missiles in the first railcar. today's record stating there were 11 sections of rail in that car. five died from severe burns and blunt force trauma. incredibly some survived. their testimony to the ntsb is chilling. one telling investigators the impact was startling. we began to hear loud popping

the entry of a rail segment roughly in the middle part of the car. a man adjacent to that car jumped up and his clothing burst into flames. another passenger in the first train car describing the flying third rails saying it was like a can opener cutting us open. it kept growing. last month we reported not a single change has been made to that crossing since six people lost their lives nearly a year ago. they are examining all street level crossings in their system. it will likely be several more months before the ntsb comes out with a probable cause of the crash. liz? >> wow. jim, thank you. there is some news about your money tonight, especially if you have any credit card debt, a savings account, home i can't loan or you want to buy a house. for the first time in nearly a decade the federal reserve raised interest rates by a

it's up to .5%. some banks immediately raised their prime rates by percent. wall street rallied after the fed said future interest headaches would be gradual. as we continue for this wednesday, we see and hear from the widow of a new york cop murdered with his partner. his widow taking a big step to honor her husband's memory. >> c.c.

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new at 6:00 the widow of a police officer assassinated with his partner nearly a year ago is turning her grief into action. >> the widow of wrath yale ramos starting a foundation to build better relations between police and minority communities. >> kemberly richardson sitting down with her. >> i just don't want anyone to ever forget who wrath identify yell was. >> reporter: nearly a year ago the bottom dropped out of her world for the first time. she opened up about the phone call she got on december 20th. the voice on the other end said

that a man walked up to the patrol car and shot them. >> oh, nights are really bad. just because you know, i keep busy during the day. but when nighttime comes there is nothing but the lonely bed and the thoughts. >> reporter: at the funeral where thousands bad respects the couple's son put on a brave face. she shared a moment with me she will never forget. she tells me rafael was a private humble man. >> i am in the limousine saying if you could -- you must be like what the heck is going on. why all this attention. >> reporter: but in all of this she found her voice, launched the detective rafael ramos foundation in hopes of better relationships between the police and community and giving back to other people that helped her. she admits it's out of her comfort zone. for the love of her life she is determined.

from heaven saying you go girl. >> reporter: to mark the one- year anniversary, she tells me for the first time she will go to that exact spot in brooklyn where her husband was murdered. kemberly richardson, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> such strength. we have posted more of kemberly's emotional interview on our web site, abc7ny. >> fantastic. when we come back, christmas comes early for a little girl but first lee goldberg with his accuweather forecast and he says we will

get colder temperatures but not this is the best block of all. it's like candy cane lane. i know. oohhh. oh, holiday ferris wheel. i kind of love it. look at those reindeer. jeffrey, you're awfully quiet back there. i was just thinking... maybe it's time we finish this test drive and head back to the dealership? that is so jeffrey... soooo jeffrey... so jeffrey... oh. elves.. it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first months payment on a new passat the centers for medicare and medicaid services recently asked patients to rate the quality of over 3.500 hospitals. fewer than 6% received 5 stars. among them was cancer treatment centers of america in philadelphia.

soldier not expected home from korea for a year shows up at her preschool classroom. there she goes. someone said would you rather see your dad or santa claus. she said i would rather see the boston bruins. >> that hug, got to love that hug. >> i love that moment, delayed reaction. >> just the best. we have changes. warm but still changes coming in. yes. rain tomorrow. big chill over the weekend. record warmth down the road. lots of ups and downs. no consistent cold. cloudy sky. streets are dry. by 10:00, 11:00, outside shot of drizzle. not seeing everybody bundled up. humidity it is climbing. high 52. not the 60s of the but few days

the chill is coming for a two- day stay over the weekend. saturday is the blustery day. i wouldn't be shocked as the cold air rushes in to see a couple of flurries north and west. even the futurecast depicting midnight patchy drizzle mixed in. temperatures are hovering through the upper 40s. pair of 4s in white plains. 48 in belmar. degrees. drizzle around midnight. morning commute. some areas cloudy. in. that could be late morning and central and southern new jersey. heavy rain from noon to 6:00 p.m., maybe 7:00 at the latest. a clear spot from marlboro to middletown and the rockaways to j.f.k.

those clouds are converging on the area. with the help of the wind the clouds will thicken during the overnight. the front from are the west, that doesn't look impressive. when you look to the south, big area of rain from the gulf. low pressure will ride on the front enhances the rain nearby and the coastal areas get the heaviest. watch the showers. a couple of light drizzle late tonight. i-80 into new york city, jersey shore and long island. decent ran north and west but not as heavy. cloudy and cool, patchy drizzle late. sunset at 4:30. evening commute is wet. rain tapers to drizzle tomorrow night. the trent will happen farther offshore.

west but a couple of showers. saturday blustery. up to 65 in a week. >> what? >> we are probably in the 60s christmas eve and christmas day. >> that's a little weird. rob is up next with sports. >> nfl week refs up again. giants have a tall order to fill sunday afternoon. getting ready to play the only unbeaten team in the nfl. giants hope they are up to the latest challenge. plus, you would be hard-pressed to find anybody looking forward to the baseball season as much

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tough game this weekend. giants fought took the and nail to get win number 6. they battle a team that won game number 13. the match-up is against the unbeaten panthers. the giants release safety brandon meriweather today and brought back barry coal field. the giants have a history of stepping up against teams with good records. >> the natural competitive instincts that i hope everyone at this level has in terms of playing against someone such as this and putting your best foot forward.

player of the week and ryan fitzpatrick with a big game against the titans. fitzpatrick could be a free agent after this season but he may have found a home for a while with the jets. >> the way it has come together with the system that i have been familiar with and guys in this offense that are great playmakers that make my job easy. >> he has success in this league. he is at peace. i'm happy for him. >> at yankee stadium, yanks 22nd annual food drive. fans trading 30 or more pounds of food for a couple of tickets to the game. they team up with local clergy to make gets to where it needs to be. sterling castro will play second base for the bronx. >> we feel it will add to the line up and infield defense.

girardi has been in contact with some players. he will wait until after the players to reach out to everybody else. one player he has been talking to was at the event,ing c.c. sabathia. he needed help for an alcohol problem. he got it and says he is so ready to pitch. >> the yankees have been fantastic. everybody has been 100% behind me. letter that feels good. it's a weight off my shoulders. i feel good. >> we are told bartolo colon pending a physical coming back to the mets on a one year 7 and a quarter million contract. nothing official from the team. todd frazier part of a team that sends him from the reds to the white sox.

16-year-old aaron miller was there. aaron is a special olympian honored by the celtics. look who stopped by to say hello. james said the game is more than about basketball. after this game he walked over to aaron shoes, too. >> made that night. >> his night in boston and lebron. >> thanks, rob. if you are wondering what we are working on for "eyewitness news at 11:00", your lucky night. sade is here. >> we are closely following late details out of baltimore. a.j. ross is on her way there. you are looking at live pictures where there are some protests after a mistrial was declared this afternoon in the trial of a police officer for the death of freddie gray. a campaign appearance turns dangerous when a man punches the french prime minister. >> that's it for us for now. thanks for watching. >> world news with david muir

eyewitness news returns at