a woman found dead in a park >> now, new york's number one news. channel 7 eye witness news. sleet and rain. colder temperatures. it's starting to feel more like winter out there. we're tracking the first winter storm moving through.

>> it's creating some big problems for the morning commute, yes and problems tonight as well. this is a landmark windmill on the jersey shore collapsing from the strong winds at the windmill diner >> on long island it was freezing rain coming down. in the bronx tonight people had their umbrellas out and what a change from just 24 hours ago >> two reports on the storm from amy frieze >> this first storm is more wet than white. if you're traveling you want to take extra time. it's all about the temperatures and we're above freezing in many spots. what that means is if you saw sleet this evening it's going to change to overnight. that could spell big trouble for the commute because it's going to be a lot of rain in a short amount of time. 35 in central park going down in the books with our first frozen precipitation of the season. a trace just after 8:00 p.m. at

winter weather advisory goes into affect until tomorrow. slick travel overnight into the morning hours. everyone else is above that and it feels very cold because not just have the temperatures dropped significantly tonight but we have a gusty wind. on the accu track the first wave of moisture came through and moistening up the atmosphere and the pink overhead with the blue is a mixture of sleet and rain. areas north and west could see flakes fly. we've seen that in places like sparta. the warmer air is coming in. northwest new jersey you have roads overnight. everybody get ready for rain. in fact, we could see an inch and a half to two inches before noon tomorrow. more on that and details on the second round of rain coming in in the accuweather 7-day forecast in a few minutes. i'll see you then >> i haven't seen pink in the

josh continues our coverage >> reporter: i didn't feel much of it because i was hiding in the truck for a lot of the night. we've had a bit of a break in precipitation. a light mix of wintery precipitation and a little bit of sleet and rain right now it is not pleasant at all. winter makes a delayed and not all that welcomed return. we've done without them for longer than any year in recent memory. the mere sight of city salt spreaders enough to give you the chills >> definitely feels like it. winter is here. winter is coming. >> reporter: this being december 28th, tonight's passing sleet was a much needed reality check across the city >> wish it was in time for christmas >> when it was close to christmas i was like are you sure it's december? >> reporter: sure did park section of the bronx tonight where commuters bundled up.

this was the scene in sell don. ice pellets accumulated before they melted away. a bullet dodged by road crews across the area that spent the day creeping into readiness. they issued the first snow alert prepping salt spreaders in case the temperature drops enough for already damp streets to freeze. >> we are going in, though, ready to fight anything that mother nature might bring, including having over 300,000 tons of salt on hand. >> starts to feel like it's winter. it hasn't felt like winter yet. no one likes being cold but it's nice to feel like it's the right season. >> reporter: all is right with the world according to some people we talked to tonight. this time last year a lot of public works departments across the tri-state area were already nearly tapped out when it came to rock salt supplies and their overtime budgets. because this is starting so late

the city says they're ready for anything. we've already seen a few salt spreaders at work tonight. live on the upper east side, josh eineger, channel 7 eye witness news >> it's part of the same storm that caused chaos in other parts of the country. while we don't expect anything like that, be sure to watch eye witness news this morning at 4:30 with updates on the storm and traffic problems. an arrest in woman in queens whose body was slashed and found dump in deed a park. murder. her body was found in october with slash wounds to her neck and stomach. a clock in pain and devastated. that's the family for 12-year-old tamir rice shot and killed by a cleveland police officer more than a year ago.

holding a pellet gun. protests in new york city over the grand jury's decision to not indict the cop who pull it had trigger. a few demonstrators were peaceful. in cleveland they recommended not to bring charges on the officer. newly enhanced video says the prosecutor says the video shows he was planned to show the officer it wasn't a real gun. more breaking news for you this one involving president obama on vacation in hawaii and what appears to be a huge security breach in his safety. the president playing golf today but during his motorcade there a

the drone flew adjacent to the motorcade before agents forced him to bring it down. he played the round of golf without incident. the grim reality of violence on display. two small children shot by stray bullets. one of the victims an 18-year-old month boy shot in the face. parents and community leaders are calling for the violence to stop. here's mallory hoff. >> reporter: young children became the victims of two shootings over the weekend. a 5-year-old is being treated at university hospital after being struck in the lower leg. this after shots were fired near morris avenue and springfield avenue before 9 sunday night. the same incident. in jersey city on bergen avenue, an 18-month old boy is the face. the bullet was removed and today he was seen leaving jersey medical center. he's expected to be okay.

>> reporter: the toddler was in a parked car with his dad when gunfire erupted saturday afternoon. a bullet struck their car shattering the window and hit the toddler in the cheek. police say they do not believe the car was the intended target. >> i'm scared to stay in my bedroom. i want to go to your room. she's scared >> reporter: jersey city's mayor weighed in on the situation. >> very tragic situation and thankfully the little boy is okay. epidemic. it's not unique to jersey city. >> reporter: the 5-year-old is being treated here at university hospital and investigators are working both cases. made. in newark, new jersey, mallory hoff channel 7 eye witness news. three climbers are back on solid ground after they were rescued off a cliff in rockland county.

cliff in a week. it happened this afternoon. the climber stranded on a steep ledge 250 feet up after venturing off the hiking trail. this was the second rescue in the past week. happening tomorrow the wake for a new york air national guardsman and a detective killed in afghanistan. he received a hero's welcome today. a suicide bomber struck lem's unit before christmas killing him and five other americans. his wake will be held tomorrow at st. anthony in his hometown of west harrison and on wednesday he'll be honored with a huge funeral at st. patrick's cathedral. the visitation for the other new yorker killed in the bombing will be on thursday and friday at the branch funeral home in miller place. his funeral saturday at new

the pentagon calls a defeat for ie cyst. iraqy troops regaining control of ramadi. they were celebrating in the streets. the city had been occupied by isis since may. this is the first major victory for the army since much of the military abandoned their posts 18 months ago. three men including two bankers from brooklyn accused of steeling from accounts belonging to seniors and deceased customers. investigators say the jp morgan chase personal banker stole $400,000 from 15 accounts belonging to dead clients. the bankers are charged with grand larceny and conspiracy we're hearing the 911 call

>> christopher was air lifted to a hospital with wounds to his head and arms and legs. he climbed into a cave unaware it was a bear's den. his son directed emergency crews to his rescue. tens of thousandsf people apply for some real tiny apartments in new york. could we see more of them soon or smaller apartments? also a brick thrown from a long island overpass. the frightening accident that left people in the car injured.

rain and what it means 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.

question for you. new tonight, could you live in an apartment the size of a one car garage? tens of thousands of new yorkers are trying to do that. the affordable housing units ranging from $950 to $1450 a month. so small the developers had to get a waiver from the 400-square foot minimum and that may become a trend. 60,000 have applied to rent the tiny units. the hunt for a person who threw a brick off a bridge that crashed into the windshield of a car injurying the driver and passenger. it happened on saturday and patrols are stepped up in the area. here's josh einiger. actually, nj burkett >> it's outrageous. >> reporter: drivers we spoke with said it was unthinkable. the car was heading north on the meadow brook parkway on saturday

brick off this overpass in uniondale. it crashed through the car's windshield striking the driver in the shoulder and blasting his passenger with shards of glass. senior state police investigator tom hughes >> truck passenger was there and 22-year-old male had damage and the operator of the vehicle was a 21-year-old male and he received a bruise to his right shoulder >> reporter: we obtained this photo of the brick where it landed inside the car. today investigators showed us piles of them just steps away from the overpass. a pedestrian overpass used students from nearby kellenburg memorial high school where the bricks are stockpiled with other supplies by the school's landscapers. investigators say it's apparently not the first time broken bricks were found along the roadside and on the ledge of the overpass. this afternoon the meadow brook

worker in a bucket truck could clear the ledge of what was left. >> this could have been anyone's mom, dad, sister and brother out there. we'd like to find out who did and it make an arrest. >> reporter: holiday driving is hectic enough without having to worry about this. >> to have no consideration for any individual and children. they could have been killed. >> reporter: police know where the brick came from, finding the person who threw it will not be so easy. they say the school was on winter break at the time of the incident and anyone could have accessed the overpass. and no, there were no surveillance cameras. nj burkett, channel 7 eye witness news. new at 11, the death tonight of a hard rock icon.

he spent four decades with motor head known for ace of spades. he had an aggressive form of cancer just two days ago. he turned 70 on christmas eve more severe weather moving through parts of texas tonight and torn apart by tornados. 11 people were killed by tornados that swept through the dallas area this weekend. the town of garland, one of the hardest hit areas. look at the devastation. more than 1400 homes were damaged or destroyed and 8 people were killed on an interstate by a massive tornado that crossed the highway. treacherous weather there. we had some form of sleet here today. we have a picture from orange county. that's a deck. that's about as extreme. nothing as devastating as what they had in the south. this must be another planet or something.

>> we're used to near 70-degree temperatures around here. >> yeah, from record breaking to reality. the balls of ice were bouncing on the deck and indicator of sleet. freezing rain is much different. it's a frozen surface and the rain creates a slick layer of ice. freezing rain much more dangerous. areas north and west could see temporary periods of freezing rain. we have 35 in the city and we won't see that in the boroughs. the temperatures are too warm and warm air will move in and that will change the mix over to rain for a lot of spots. it feels cold outside. winter weather advisory goes until 6:00 a.m. for areas that are close in. the suburbs. you get far into northwestern new jersey and we'll see this advisory go until 11:00 a.m. we have a 12-hour period here of wet slippery weather. temperatures are below freezing for monticello and andover.

potentially see some light snowfalling and also the rain. everybody else sees the icy mix start to end by dawn. the warm air changes to sleet and regular rain. slick spots in the colder areas and heavy rain is the focus. it's not necessarily what winter weather it will produce. we've seen light snow north and west, look at everything go pink. that's a mix of sleet and rain. a lot of change over to rain. two lightning bolts right over sullivan county as this clashing of the air masses happens and it's a fight and a battle between the cold and the warm. eventually the warm will win out and we'll see everything changing to rain and potentially an inch and a half of rainfall. that could spell trouble for the morning commute. not only will you need your rain gear but extra time. this could produce two inches of rainfall for southern new jersey and may see it through central new jersey.

tomorrow areas in blue getting rain. a steady rain. areas in yellow getting these quick downpours, heavy downpours with rain. if we get any icing in the areas blocking the drain typically flood prone areas will be a mess. we see temperatures going to 50 degrees tomorrow afternoon. that's more proof of the warm air coming in. isolated rain late tomorrow night as another front comes through. not potent but a chance for light rain. it's sunny and mild on thursday. we're back to the 40s. ringing in the new year and the weather will be ideal and new year's day 45 degrees. a nice lineup with temperatures seasonal and low 40s and takes us into monday. the pattern shift looks like it's happening six to seven days into january where the temperatures are staying where we'd expect them to be in the month of january, which is

you can get abc 7 ny apps for the next 24 hours and the year ahid. up next, a big move for the

another hover board caught on camera going up in flames. this time in a crowded shopping center. cell phone video shows the hover board after it exploded in flames. this afternoon inside a mall in texas. most troubling about this incident? the hover board was part of a

and still in its box when it exploded. in tonight's health alert, with all the controversy and scandal involving concussions in football, a surprising new suggestion to reduce head impact injuries. practice without helmets? that's what a new study suggests college football players do. players who practice with helmets feel they are protected so they tackle head first. without a helmet, players will tackle with their bodies as as rugby one. >> we'll have a vote. let's talk about it in our conversation later. anthony johnson in powers in next with sports >> the yankees making a big splash with a trade that gives them the best bullpen in baseball. the yankees have acquired a flame thrower from cincinnati. he does come with some questions. the nets are in miami hoping heat can help them find some winning ways.

are you curious?

do you look at things and say "i can make that better"? these questions, these curiosities then lead to discoveries... ...and those discoveries are going to lead to the energy solutions for the next 50 years. we have big, big challenges. one challenge is to capture the co2 before it's released into the atmosphere. we captured more than 6 million tons in 2014 alone. that's the equivalent of eliminating the annual emissions of more than one million cars. in the longer term, we are working on how to convert algae into biofuels. the ultimate objective is to be able to put it into an existing car, to not have to redo the engine. that could be one of the very important parts of the energy equation in the future. we want to drive our scientists, we want to drive our engineers, to never be satisfied with where we are today. because there are always better ways to do things. i'm vijay swarup,

so they get a great pitcher but he has an as trick by his name >> yes, of course. let's talk the boys of summer and boy did the yankees add heat. they traded for chapman who can routinely throw 100 miles per hour. did you see that? chapman is the big name in the swap with the cincinnati reds. he threw the 62 fastest pitches in baseball. chapman has an impressive arm but he comes with baggage.

with chapman but after domestic violence allegations came to light they backed out. brian cashman held a conference call saying the yankees looked to his past and are comfortable for now >> we're not a law enforcement agency and don't have the full extent of the mlb investigative arm but we've done as much due diligence on the subject at hand as we possibly can >> the nets were also looking to warm up to winning ways down in miami. they've lost 7 of the last 8. tonight they took on the heat. we go to the end of the second quarter. the heat were hot. dwayne wade to white for the alley-oop. the nets got fired up. ellington was the story. he hits a 3 point shot giving them a two point lead.

the nets won in miami the final 111-105. from the nets heating up to the court we go to the ice and the rangers. the blue shirts rolling into nashville hoping to avoid the holiday hangover. the rangers scoring started in the 2nd. the wrist shot deflected tieing the game at one. from there the predators went for the jugular. james winger giving the predators the lead. predators take it 5-3. giant's coach tom coughlin says you can blame the horrible performance in minnesota on him. coughlin says he'll address his future with the giants at the next team meeting. meanwhile the jets are gearing up for a big game in buffalo. win it and they're in the playoffs. they're facing the bills and their ex coach rex ryan who wants to end their season. he was called the crowned for instance of basketball.

died yesterday at the age of 83. lemon joined the team full time in 1954 and played in 7,500 consecutive games and the current team was in new york today and honored his legacy. we close tonight saluting globetrotter basketball. one member of our family understands the globetrotter treatment. sports anchor rob powers was front and center on the court. he was playing for the opposing team and got some playing time. it was all in good fun. many asked did rob score? yes, he is tough from the post. sign him up.

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