to do their work. that's exactly what these crooks are preying on. >> reporter: in the most recent incident, two men claiming they were con ed knocked on the door of a 26-year-old woman. when she opened it, they pushed their way in to her bronx apartment. the victim, whose identity is concealed, describes the horrifying ordeal. they came in and covered my mouth, and they sat me down there and they hit me over the head with their fists. they made me lay down over there and they tied my hands with an extension cord. then one of them stayed here and the other one went looking for something to cover my mouth. they left cuts on my mouth. >> the men stole $50 from her and sexually assaulted her, all of this happening while her 3-year-old was home. >> they only speak english. i didn't understand anything. >> reporter: that was monday. on sunday in brooklyn and last week in staten island, two elderly women were robbed by con ed impersonators. the 81-year-old in the coney

gagged while her home was ransacked by a homeless woman. fortunately police say the 25-year-old woman was caught and faces several charges. >> want to make sure our customers are on to the best information they can possible have to avoid being victimized of protecting themselves and their families and businesses. >> reporter: he says people should know all of their but even before you get to that point -- >> if you have a question about the identity of the person on the other side, call 1-800-75-coned and we can confirm whether that person is a legitimate con edison employee. >> there was a fourth incident that happened in this area on february 23rd. they believe it could be connected to what happened here on monday. those suspects. as for con ed, that number bears repeating. it is 1-800-75-coned.

person on the other side of the door is who they say they are. a fire that broke out late this afternoon in a three-story building in brooklyn is now under control. newscopter7 was above the scene on fulton street in the cypress hills section. flames were shooting out of the roof about 45 minutes ago. the building has apartments and businesses in it. the fire is now out and there are no injuries to report. a stormy night ahead in the tri-state. right now a comfortable evening, march 1st, entering like a lamb but this first day of the month will likely leave like a lion. rain headed our way and that's not all. meteorologist lee goldberg in the weather center. >> knew we weren't going to coast through the beginning of march. clouds are rolling in. it has been a pretty day. temperatures got close to the 50-degree mark. right now we're at 45 degrees. wind is picking up out of the southeast. our numbers in the interior, not far from 50 degreesism -- degrees.

could be freezing rain or sleet later on. with this wind coming off the atlantic, definitely going to be a rain snow for us. the core of the snow is going to go to our north and west. figure in a couple raindrops by 10:00. so have the umbrella later this evening. the heaviest is after midnight. i think peaking after 3:00 in the morning when showers come through with gusty downpours. the good news is it's moving right along. it's pushing east of new york city. still rain over connecticut, long island, the jersey shore. improving conditions during the morning commute, even sun by midmorning. here's what you need to know. that window of rain about eight hours or so is 10:00 with showers then it moves east. a few downpours will come with 40, 45-mile-per-hour gusts. wind will exit around daybreak. basically the idea, wet roads. maybe puddles for the shoulder. a few tree limbs can get knocked down because of the 40-mile-per-hour gust. this is not a repeat of last week, just a minor version of it. snow later in the week as the

we'll have the 7-day forecast in just a few minutes. two people are under arrest tonight in the hit-and-run accident that killed a 7-year-old girl on her way to school in new jersey. police say a 33-year-old man was behind the wheel of the car that hit little sheyla pichardo then fled the scene. his girlfriend has also been charged tonight. eyewitness news reporter sandra bookman is in west new york with the details. >> this couple faces a large list of charges tonight. investigators say he was driving the chevy tahoe that hit and killed that 7-year-old. they say she tried to help him cover it up. >> reporter: say video evidence played a major role in tracking down the suspects in the deadly hit and run that claimed the life of 7-year-old sheyla pichardo. glimpses of the vehicle's license plate helped them crack the case.

identify, two we couldn't. numerous combinations until they finally found a plate that fit the description of the car. >> reporter: fabian rodriguez is now behind bars, accused of fleeing the scene after hitting the child as she walked to school. police say his girlfriend, joanna rosas-alvarez tried to cover it up by reporting the car was stolen shortly after the incident. >> what happened? [ inaudible ] didn't do nothing. >> reporter: gladys rented an apartment to the couple and was home around midnight when police showed up and took them and the suv in to custody. she's known them and their young child for about six years. >> nice guy, worked every day. >> reporter: police say rodriguez was driving with no license and is an undocumented immigrant, possible factors in his decision to flee the scene. today a tearful javier pichardo

accused of killing his child. >> i hold no anger toward him, i just ask him if he has a family to step in my shoes. >> as this community continues to mourn and remember this 7-year-old child, both suspects, rodriguez and rosas alvarez, are due to make their first court appearance tomorrow. we're live this evening in west new york, sandra bookman, channel 7 eyewitness news. now to vote 2016. the race for president. sources telling abc news tonight the chances of former new york mayor michael bloomberg running as an independent are now nearly zero. week. with hillary clinton appearing to be moving toward the democratic nomination, mr. bloomberg sources say will not enter the race. this is super tuesday, 10 states voting for democrats and republicans. biggest delegate total yet. democrats have a caucus in colorado and american samoa. political reporter dave evans covering it all for us.

will be watching the election results from his compound. >> this donald trump's mansion. a 20-acre estate. he's going to be talking to us on the south side at about 9:00. a news conference and small rally with friends and family. this as you mentioned is a big, big day of voting, super tuesday. votes in states like texas, virginia, alabama, minnesota, massachusetts. big not only for donald trump but also if you believe the polls, also for hillary clinton. both of them poised for big wins this evening. >> let me stop talking and introduce to you the next president of the united states, donald j. trump. >> reporter: with governor christie onboard, donald trump may just about wrap up this nomination fight tonight but he isn't letting up, blasting marco rubio at every chance. >> in florida i think i'm like 21 points up on a senator that never shows up. he hasn't shown up to vote.

in the united states senate. >> reporter: on this super tuesday, voters will choose their favorites in 12 states. ted cruz must win in his home state of texas. and marco rubio has got to pull off a lot of second place finishes and some wins later this month if he and the republican establishment have any hope of stopping trump. >> what you have here is a world-class con artist and a sham who is fears and people's anger to get their votes. >> reporter: the latest polling shows if the election were held today, hillary clinton would soundly beat donald trump. and that's why the republican party is in such a tizzy. her opponent today voted in his home state of vermont but clinton didn't say much about bernie sanders, more about the controversy of donald trump has disavowed enough any support from the ku klux klan. >> i'm just speaking out against bigotry and bullying wherever i hear it and i hear a lot of it from the republican candidates. they seem to have forgotten completely about issues and

campaigns based on insults. >> reporter: trump today looked forward to the general election which may very well turn out to be hillary versus the donald. >> hillary cannot make america great. she was talking about something yesterday, making america whole. whole. i don't want whole. i want great again. i want great again. >> donald trump will be talking with us this evening at 9:00 at his mansion in palm beach. about an hour's drive from here in miami, hillary clinton will be holding a big rally. marco rubio is holding an event this evening here in florida. a lot happening here in the sunshine state tonight but they don't vote in florida actually until march 15th. all of these candidates are kind of looking ahead to the votes that are going to be coming up later this month. we'll see you at 11:00. reporting live in palm beach, florida, dave evans, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> a very big night ahead indeed. world news tonight with david muir has a special election

newscast. abc news will have a very short super tuesday special report straight up at 7:00 when the first polls close. by the way, jeopardy will be seen in its entirety at 7:02. one final note, abc news will have a one-hour special edition tonight followed with eyewitness news at 11:00. investigators trying to figure out right now how an amtrak worker was killed by a train. >> also ahead, an emotional erin andrews taking the stand again in her civil trial after she was secretly videotaped in her hotel room.

a tragedy on the tracks in new jersey. a worker was struck by a train in new brunswick. it happened about 4:45 as a crew was wrapping up an overnight shift. it's not clear exactly how it happened. no one in the train was injured. a second travel-related case of the zika virus in new jersey. the newest case is a woman in hudson valley who got the virus in honduras. the state's department of health is starting a campaign to raise awareness of the virus among pregnant women, college students and healthcare workers.

women to avoid travel to countries where zika is rampant. erin andrews sobbing today as she talked about the effect of her life by the new videos posted online by a stalker. she testified every time she stays at a hotel, she checks the room for cameras. she won't even let room service inside. andrews could barely speak as she described how the incident has impacted the information with her boyfriend. >> i think he would have loved the girl more that was there before this happened. and i feel very guilty about that. i don't like to talk to him about this. i want to be the easy breezy girl. >> andrews suing her stalker and a hotel in nashville for $75 million. taking a quick look on wall street where stocks had a big rally. dow gained 348. nasdaq up 131. and s&p 500 picked up 46.

news at 6:00, we check out the world's fastest car. how fast does it go, you ask? really fast. >> and lee returns with much more on the potentially heavy rain that's heading our way

governor andrew cuomo: there is an unhealthy income inequality gap that is only growing. if you work full-time you shouldn't have to choose between payi tnghe rent and buying food. i say lift up the working families of this state and pay a real decent wage. we fight until this nation fulfills its promise of opportunity for all and that's what this fight for $15 is all about. smoking causes 16 different tes of cancer. you have one clear way to reduce your risk. you can quit smoking.

if you have a need for speed, it's going to cost you. the french carmaker bugatti, and one of us on this set has never heard of it. the shira promises to be faster than all previous models combined. it's unclear how fast it can go but the road limit has been capped at 265 miles per hour. if you want to park one in your garage, you'll have to shell out $2.6 million to buy it. >> it's the perfect car for the west side highway and all the potholes. perfect. >> a new tire and rims. >> you own that car, you can

my son, i can see him now, his jaw is wide open right now. maybe at the auto show we see that. we go outside right now. we have a beautiful sunset for you. look at the clouds moving in different directions. then you'll see a couple plains in the contrails. then you have the high clouds. here's the picture with the clouds beginning to thicken up. we'll post that sunset as always on facebook in just a few minutes. bill ritter, i asked him briefly. can you film me at 8:45 for facebook live? >> i can. i'll be there. >> there you go. confirmed. 45 degrees, southeasterly winds. barometer on the fall. and the high today, 51 degrees. so gusty downpours come in overnight. they'll exit quickly around

blustery temperatures. look for snow late friday night. late thursday night i should say in to friday then again, another round of wet snow can come in this weekend. our numbers are in the 40s right now. go to be rain tonight. might be a little sleet or freezing rain mixed in in the catskills. mainly rain. the heaviest is through the overnight. i think this peaks around 3:00 in the morning. might hear the wind. or a rumble of thunder might wake you up overnight. probably cloudy at 7:00 in new york city. if there's rain in the area, connecticut and long island. gusty winds tomorrow will drop temperatures during the day so dress for winter chill, not for the 49 or 50 you might see on your thermometer in the morning. about 700 miles split up single digits to 60. that temperature contrast, you see this a lot in march, is what's driving this storm. got heavy showers here. a little embedded thunder. the snow is going to bypass us to the north and west. this rain is going to come in along with wind and mild

first showers could pop up around 10:00. let's say you're going out for dinner tonight. i think the rain is getting steadier after midnight with this all peaking around 3:00 in the morning. at the same time our temperatures are spiking toward 50. they'll start to drop a little bit toward dawn. the sun will come out. then that's when temperatures really drop with a gusty wind out of the northwest at 35 or 40 miles per hour. by this time tomorrow we're dropping toward the freezing mark and wind chills in the early evening will be dropping down in to the 20s headed for 45 degrees tonight. temperatures. on. the rain makes an early exit but allow extra time for the morning commute for standing water. wind chills in the teens tomorrow night. cold in place on thursday. friday. there could be a coating to an inch or two mainly on colder surfaces. i think the idea will be a little slick for the morning commute. then roadways probably wet after that. saturday is quiet.

or maybe mix on sunday. not a pretty day. we'll warm up next week. 60s by next tuesday. this is the nicest day till early next week. rob is up next with sports. >> we get going with baseball. it's a move we expected baseball to make, and now that suspension is here. straight ahead, the new closer won't be closing anything for the first month of the regular season. we'll have the latest on aroldis chapman's suspension. plus, forget those suped up cars. your daughter wants to stay organic. your husband wants to stay free from artificial ingredients. you want to stay free from artificial preservatives. and your debit card wants to stay on a diet. fill your cart with small victories like stop & shop's nature's promise brand. great prices on over 800 items.

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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. cancercenter.com slash eastern. bad for the yankees, yes, but major league baseball is sending a message to all. >> once opening day hits, he's out 30 games without pay, costing him over $1.8 million. yankee closer aroldis chapman

new domestic violence policy. it stems from an incident that occurred before the yankees traded for chapman. mlb comes down today. chapman won't appeal, said in a statement i want to be clear, i did not in any way harm my girlfriend that evening. however, i should have exercised better judgment with respect to my actions, and for that, i am sorry. the team tries to move forward. >> he's going through serious issues but that presents an opportunity to make your life way beyond baseball. the jets officially used the franchise tag on mohammed wilkerson. he wants a long-term contract. for now the jets tag him and wilkerson earns $15 million. he's expected to be ready for next season. among the other teams making the same moves today, the broncos

josh norman said he never wants to leave carolina. the redskins lock up quarterback kirk cousins in the same manner, costing them just shy of $20 million to keep their starter. on ice tonight, devils, hurricanes, islanders, canucks. the rangers with the night off. last night a thrilling home win to stay red hot. rangers have won 13 of their last 18 games. derek stepan's goal. 2-1 over columbus. we won't say the rangers have been lucky, but they sure hope they are tonight at the garden of dreams. laura behnke is there right now. >> it's become an annual tradition. yankees casino night. they traded in the blue shirts for the black tuxes. it's a fun night. it's for a good cause. what does this night mean to you guys? >> definitely something we look forward to every year. it's become a staple here with the rangers, the players get to hang out with fans, talk about

raise money for the garden of dreams. if you've been around the rangers for a handful of years, you know the importance and impact the garden of dreams does. it's great for us to have this chance to raise some money and it's all for a great cause. >> in terms of hockey, trade deadline was yesterday. what's the mindset when the team knows you can look at this roster and this is what you have going forward? >> it's great. you finally get your team set in stone. a player like eric stahl who has great experience, he's hungry again for another opportunity. we feel we've added a player so versatile and it help out in so many areas of this team. and going forward it's going to be a lot of fun to watch. >> good luck tonight. good luck the rest of the way. we're live at gotham hall in manhattan, laura behnke, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> those fellas clean up well. finally from us, what would

something a little off the wall? yoenis cespedes grabbed a lot of attention with the cars he drove to practice. today some real horsepower. cespedes and syndergaard riding up on a couple horses today. it's all fun but let it also be known after the workout today manager terry collins said the fun time's over. >> time to get to work. >> i think they'll be driving off in something special every day. coming up tonight on eyewitness news at 11:00, a mother's warning about the $5 online purchase that killed her son. plus, getting a good night's sleep. why it matters where you live. super tuesday, we'll keep on top of the latest results coming up at 11:00. on that note, that's it for now. i'm bill ritter. >> i'm liz cho.

breaking news tonight. the first major clues coming in right now. the super tuesday showdown. as we come on the air, the first exit polls are in. what the voters are saying. what's driving them at the polls. can donald trump be stopped? the high stakes battle across a dozen states. trump and his 11th hour pitch. >> i can do practically anything. >> marco rubio and ted cruz, battling to take trump cown. >> donald trump will be an embarrassment to america. >> donald trump could be a disaster. and hillary clinton tonight, and her pivot to the national race. how she would take on trump and the republicans. >> they're now running their campaigns based on insults. long lines at this hour. will there be record-setting turnout? and scout voercould voters be sending clinton and trump on a collision course this november? abc's powerhouse political team on it all.