no heavy coats or snowshoes this year. record breaking temperatures leading to one of the most unusual christmas eves we've seen. but first, celebrations around the world and here in our area for christmas. good evening at 11:00. i'm shirleen ellicott. bill and sade are off. more on the celebrations in a moment but we are going to begin with breaking news. an active scene in nassau county where a car has hit three pedestrians. it happened shortly before 10:00 in hicksville. the victims were rushed to local hospitals.

the intersection is shut down as police investigate. no word yet on what caused the accident or if anyone has been arrested. the driver remained at the scene. we'll be following the story all night at abc7ny and tomorrow morning beginning at 4:30 on eyewitness news this morning. we are going to turn now to christmas celebrations around the world. from the vatican to bethlehem, thousands have already ushered in christmas 2015. right now a lot of people are getting ready to head to midnight mass in our area. eyewitness news reporter a.j. ross is in midtown at st. patrick's cathedral where people are already gathering. a.j., they want to make sure they get those seats. >> reporter: they certainly do. beyond the bright holiday lights is a timeless and precious story that speaks to the faith of millions around the world.

gathered to celebrate the birth of christ. lifting their voices and hearts in unison, nearly every pew was full with people from all walks of life joining together in prayer, song, and a common belief in the miraculous birth of jesus. >> it's very, very blessed and peaceful. >> is it's a beautiful thing, i think, to come together and celebrate jesus' birth. >> reporter: it's a timeless story that's been told many different ways. family and children enjoyed a special nativity play. >> it brings you closer to god. i feel special that i can perform in the play. >> like my brother, it brings

i prefer this church because they have doughnuts. >> reporter: meanwhile where many gathered for midnight reflection. >> the meaning of is christmas is a moment for people to be with their families, to be with their friends, to step back from work, to step back, in my mind, from the shopping, if you can. you get what you can for your family and friends, but to remember why we are on earth. >> reporter: shirleen, i have to tell you, even at this hour there are so many people on fifth avenue, some going to st. pat's, some taking in the displays and really just feeling the holiday spirit. a.j. ross, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> all right, a.j., thank you. and earlier tonight cardinal dolan celebrated mass with those who otherwise

protecting new yorkers. the cardinal celebrating at engine 54, ladder 4, battalion 9, one of the firehouses that responds to st. patrick's cathedral. and tens of thousands joined pope francis earlier tonight at the vatican. pope francis celebrated a late- night mass at st. peter's basilica. he spoke against what he called society's intoxication with consumerism and wealth. thousands are expected tomorrow morning to hear the pope's christmas day speech. and in bethlehem in the west bank a service was held at the church of the nativity. it is built rate at the spot where tradition holds that jesus was born. and thousands of people crowded into manger square for christmas eve festivities. they were not kept away by the recent wave of violence between palestinians and israelis. four palestinians died in attacks across the west bank.

christmas in our area won't need a heavy coat or snowshoes. some people spent time today in shorts and t-shirts, even dining outdoors. we set a record today. it may not be the only one we set before the end of the year. josh einiger has more on the unusual holiday weather and how people spent it tonight but we begin with meteorologist lee goldberg. >> shirleen, it was so bizarre walking around seeing everybody have their christmas dinners outside. remarkable. you won't forget this christmas eve and day. record highs at the park. add bridgeport to that list at 6 1-6r789 it felt like it should be fireworks. it was only three degrees cooler than our high on july 4th at 75. still at 11:00, the light show just ended on the empire state building, 67 degrees at 11:00. that's 30 degrees higher than it should be.

island where dense fog has come in. same thing down the shore. there's a dense fog advisory for the island that will go until 6:00 in the morning. low cloudiness, a couple of light sprinkles. heavier showers over southern ocean county. we're tracking thunderstorms on christmas eve. so wacky. so fog will not slow santa down. we're tracking santa on norad. apparently around the northeast right now, so kids have until about the end of the newscast. more record warmth. rain may be knocking on the door by day's end. there is some winter chill in the accuweather forecast. shirleen, back to you. >> my nieces and nephews are listening to you keenly about where santa. normally when we think of a warm christmas we think of places like southern california. this is a live picture from long beach. today the los angeles area topped out at only 61 degrees. can you believe it? eyewitness news reporter josh einiger didn't find many people

he is on the upper west side with more. josh. the difference a year makes, huh. >> reporter: yeah, that's true, shirleen. it is a little chilly right now, for august, or for long beach, california, perhaps, but here on broadway in the 60s, the sidewalk cafes are still busy, the sidewalks are still busy with people walking around. in fact, if you didn't look across the street at the lincoln center christmas tree, you would have no idea tonight is christmas. they were jogging by the hudson river, cycling in central park, dining al fresco on broadway. it felt more like christmas eve in miami. what does one wear when it's 66 degrees on december 24th? >> i don't know how to dress. i'm trying to dress down, and i'm too hot, and i can't figure out if i need a vest, if it's ever going to get cold again.

shared on social media. christmas eve dinner outside, tweeted this family. >> it's pleasant, but these things come in cycle. next year at this time we may have three feet of snow. >> reporter: but as pleasant as it's been, this man couldn't help but remark that something here is seriously wrong. senate's worrisome obviously. it shouldn't be like this. maybe not showing, butt should be at least like the 50s. at most, 50s. i'm enjoying now, but i'm worried for the future. >> reporter: back live, a lot of these restaurants did actually have heat lamps out tonight. it's not like a balmy summer night, but on december 24th, who's complaining, really. live on the upper west side, josh einiger, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> so true. thank you, josh. new at 11:00, if fed ex failed to show up with a gift, you're not alone. fed ex says it wasn't able to

christmas eve deliveries. to try to catch up it will deliver on christmas day and will open its express offices so customers can pick up packages. fed ex blames the delays on bad weather in parts of the u.s. and a last-minute surge of holiday shopping. new tonight, investigators are on the scene of a deadly accident in brooklyn. police say a 77-year-old woman was crossing the street in the sheepshead bay section when she was hit by a van. the woman was pronounced dead, the driver remained at the scene. new details on a deadly shooting at a mall in north carolina. the mall was crowded with shoppers looking for last- minute gifts when shots rang out. police say the gunfire was sparked by a fight between two groups of people. >> i want to tell the people emphatically this is not a random act of violence. this is something that happened between two parties who were beefing back and forth.

working at the mall when he heard the shots and confronted the man who pointed a gun in his direction. the officer opened fire, killing the suspect. the officer is now on administrative leave, pending an investigation. in chicago, last-minute holiday shoppers had to weave through protesters in the retail district along michigan avenue. demonstrators briefly blocked the entrance to an apple store. it was latest in a series of ongoing protests since the release of video showing a police officer shooting a teenage boy to death. today's protest was smaller than one held in the same shopping district on black friday. and as we continue on this thursday night, why california's governor has pardoned robert downey jr. for something that happened almost two decades ago.

robert downey jr. is getting a christmas present from the governor. a pardon. he was convicted of felony drug possession after authorities found heroin, cocaine, and a gun in his vehicle. in 1999 he served nearly a year in prison after acknowledging he violated his pro baismghts since then the star has gone on to become hollywood's highest paid actor. christmas came a day early for more than 100 children on long island thanks to the generosity of the local police. the nassau county police foundation paid for the children to go on $100 shopping sprees. these children come from families that have hard times. >> i've had a really rough year and a half, and having two kids is definitely a struggle, and it's been a rough year. this is amazing. this is a christmas miracle. >> it's important to know the

you need help, sometimes in bad situations, but they're also there for good situations. >> not only did maddie's toy shop shut down for the kids, they also covered the cost if the kids went over their gift certificate amount. more than 500 children their families were invited to take part in a toy drive give away today. officers today boarded buses and made car stops, but not to give out tickets. they had another mission. >> reporter: this was a traffic stop with a festive reason. >> do you know yi pulled you over? >> no.

a girl in the back. >> reporter: dozens of officers took to the streets handing out a variety of gifts to unsuspecting kids and families. >> you don't drive with a little girl in the back without a present. it's the holidays. due mind if i give your daughter a present? >> as you have seen throughout the country and the city, there's been issues with police and community interaction. this is another way of saying, listen, here's one way the police are helping. >> protecting, serving, and placing priceless smiles on countless kids faces. the toys were extra toys from a recent toy drive at the station. these are some of the candid photos the nypd posted to twitter. >> i thought i was getting a ticket. i don't know. look, why even talk. >> it's all right, merry christmas. >> thank you so much.

there you go, look at that. merry christmas. merry christmas. >> merry christmas to them. the officers were pretty busy all day. we're told they gave out hundreds of toys. what a relief for that woman. did you see that? and great weather out there. did you hear josh? it's a little cool out there. >> exactly. >> for california. >> for california. >> a clever tweet from a viewer trading in pine trees for palm trees. we are tracking santa. if you are waiting for the update from norad, the latest position of santa is right over ontario, canada, so very close by and ready to head into the northeast. we'll look on radar as well. there is the empire state building. beautiful led christmas colors. the wind is calm. the high today 72 balmy degrees, easily a record high, almost the all-time december high. look at that. 31 degrees above average.

will look at record warmth to end the weekend, but definitely a different feel on saturday with occasional light drizzle or showers. back in the 50s on sunday. lots of ups and downs in the seven-day. we have the dense fog advisory until 6:00 in the morning. north and west, 45 monticello. more clear skies here. a lot more clouds along the jersey shore with a couple of showers. mostly cloudy to start tomorrow morning but a little bit more clear skies to the north. more clouds and a little fog along the coast. then we'll see the clouds break up as we go through the morning hours. i think by midday we see the brightening skies. a couple of sprinkles around across parts of warren county and into morris county but heavier showers over southern ocean near barnegat and stafford. i do think the skies will brighten during the middle of the day.

the radar picking up santa outrunning the rainfall. so that confirms norad. there's more rainfall. that's going ride up along that front and return to our area tomorrow evening and be with us off and on during the day on saturday. futurecast as we go through tomorrow morning, a couple of sprinkles, some low clouds and fog, 40s north and west, 50s most sections. the clouds will come back late day but we'll be 64 to 66. that will break the record high from 1982. tomorrow evening, have the umbrella going to christmas dinner. there will be some light rain that tries to move in, especially south and west of new york city. a merry mild christmas. a couple of showers, clouds, and 52. 59 at sunrise. partly to mostly sunny skies. record warmth

tomorrow night. mostly cloudy. as we go into the day saturday, look at the futurecast. just occasional showers. going into sunday, lucky enough to have tickets to jets- patriots? 64 at kickoff. third or fourth quarter, might be a shower. have the umbrella. seasonal chill comes back at 42. might be an icy mix tuesday morning. it does look like we're going to have our cool shots after we get out of this incredible warmth. >> it's going to be a shock to the system. >> no snow though, right? >> nothing yet.

coming up next, what you'd be surprised how easy it is to get a good low-cost health plan! choose yours today, you might even get help paying for it! go to nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777 to find out more. new tonight, pop singer

her current world tour. the five-time grammy winner is asking fans on twitter for their prayers but not specifying what she needs surgery for. she says ticket holders to the remaining concerts including the february shows in newark and brooklyn will be honored in a special way when the new schedule is announced. in tonight's health alert a warning from eye experts that modern habits may be increasing a child's risk of becoming near sight. a panel of ophthalmology experts noting the number of americans with myopia has nearly doubled over the last 50 years. that may be due to the use of electronic devices and not spending enough time outdoors. the experts encourage kids to take breaks and play outdoors. look who's joining me now. anthony johnson up next with sports. nice to have you. >> nice to be here, shirleen. the jets and giants hold on

we look ahead to the 2016 mets' season and say good-bye to stars from last season. plus, will you hear from our rob powers as he showers you with a sports twist on a holiday classic you won't want to miss.

welcome back. anthony johnson in for rob powers with sports. >> if you can catch a football there's an immediate job opening. send your resume to tom coughlin care of the new york giants. big blue's fragile playoff hopes will be tested sunday against the vikings, having to go without the suspended odell beckham. this team will have to overcome adversity to keep its slim playoff hopes alive. >> i hope to be able to make a statement about our football team going forward and facing a challenge, facing adversity.

as for the jets, even wins in their final two games will not guarantee a playoff spot despite 11 wins. still, they know their only chance is to win out, and that starts sunday with the hated patriots, lee, coming to town. >> tell you what, makes christmas a lot more fun when you're winning and when you have an opportunity to at least advance to the tournament. a double downer for the mets. first they confirm that cespedes will not be coming back, then they learn daniel murphy has signed a three-year deal with the washington nationals. merry christmas, mets fans. so now it's time for a sports tradition, the rob powers edition of a charles dick incidence classic that rob has made fantastic. a lack back at the home teams as you settle in for your christmas dream. >> such a nice fire. 'twas the night before

back so go take a load off while we take a crack, the mlb playoffs, man that was fun. not much for the yankees. talking about the mets, to the series they were sent. murph smacked those baseballs over the fence, 33 back from tommy john when harvey was on, the journey complete, back is "the dark knight." the yankees own story under the heading return was authored by a-rod whose lesson was learned. talk about lessons, there's jason pierre-paul. glad he's alive, forget about football. the giants keep fighting. the jets right on track led by a journey man. golly, the fate of this team changed by a locker room smack. not just a bruise, that bone, it was cracked. the previous coach shuffled upstatement hockey's been good,

the belmont saw history, didn't let us down. farrow did it, won that triple crown. then that tall latvian called porzingis. let's have a parade, some big story, you've heard a few in the short time we had, the best we could do. until next year, of course, next christmas eve night. >> a merry christmas to all, and to all a good night. >> merry christmas to you, coach, and to you. >> so now we count down to 2016 for new york fans what. it will mean? a championship run for all would be fun. so two text dark knight, go bring us the crown so you can be the talk of this town.

that is the news for now. i'm shirleen allicott. from all of us here have a great night and a great christmas. again, don't forget >> there are some people in this world with the attitude,

you won't be seeing any of those