can a flu trap keep you from a bunny brawl at the mall. new at 11:00, we're hearing from the mother caught up in the middle of this madness when all she and her family wanted to do was get a picture with the easter bunny. good evening at 11:00. i'm sade baderinwa. >> and i'm bill ritter. a day at the mall turning in to

2-year-old girl falling to the floor. now both the man in the bunny suit and the girl's father now facing charges. >> eyewitness news reporter jim dolan is at the mall in jersey city with the details. >> this all started as innocently and routinely as a sunday trip to the mall but it got crazy in a hurry and it might seem funny unless you're one of the two people in jail tonight. it seems that that man dressed up in the easter bunny costume let a 14-month-old girl slip out of his hands, and naturally the father reacted to that and then -- >> the bunny became evil out of nowhere. >> reporter: natalie says she and her husband and her 14-month-old daughter jaylen went to the newport center mall yesterday hoping to get a picture of jaylen with the easter bunny, a trip that ended with this. >> it's the easter bunny. >> reporter: natalie says the person in the easter bunny costume dropped jaylen face down on the floor. >> he dropped my daughter and my

and the guy just punched him seven times in the face with my daughter on him until finally he got unconscious, not unconscious, but you know, got dizzy. >> i look over and i see a man in the bunny suit. the top half was off, the mask was off but everything else was on, fighting, i'm assuming it was a parent. i don't know who it was. >> reporter: it was a parent. natalie's husband, juan jimenez, whose finger was bitten so hard in the scuffle he needed 14 stitches. both he and the man in the arrested. no one answered at the home of 22-year-old kassim charles, the man in the suit. both men remain in jail charged with assault. >> he was defending our innocent baby. she fell face first, and you know what, it's not fine that he's going to be in jail and my daughter could lose her father

her life. >> moriati can't afford a lawyer for her husband. she can't even afford bail once that's decided. she had to start a gofundme account for both of those. she's now looking at the possibility of losing her husband, the father of her child for maybe as long as five years. reporting live in jersey city, jim dolan, channel 7 eyewitness news. new tonight, also in new jersey, a boat running aground along the shores of jersey, two people falling overboard. happened earlier tonight off the township of atlantic highlands. officials there tell us the boat hit the rocks of the stuck. two people tumbled overboard. they were pulled from shallow water. fortunately they were not hurt. a flight attendant hoping to security. the tsa said she left behind a shoes. checkpoint at l.a.x. she was pulled for a random screening

a evidence a -- after a quick phone call, she ran with her bags. she got away. when the bags were taken, authorities found 70 pounds of cocaine inside. also new at 11:00, that big complicated nasty battle between apple and the fbi tonight might be over. might be. turns out the fbi might not need apple to unlock a terrorist iphone. federal prosecutors disclosing an outside party, unnamed so far, has unlock the phone of the san bernardino terrorist killer syed farook. a big showdown is now canceled. if this works, it's a huge sea change in the privacy versus security issue. happening tomorrow, with slashings and stabbings across new york city, officials are set to announce a new plan to help get it under control. commissioner bratton is hoping it will help turn the numbers around. eyewitness news' josh einiger is

>> here at 23rd and 7th, the one of the more high profile locations of the crimes. police commissioner bill bratton is vowing to take a deep dive in to these numbers to try to reverse this disturbing trend. >> reporter: it's become the latest urban nightmare to plague this city. a terrifying trend of slashings by strangers, caught on video at all hours of the day, lashing out at unsuspecting victims, brandishing a blade and cutting. >> something hit me in the face. i thought maybe he punched me or i broke my nose. >> there's not a pattern here. >> reporter: after months of down playing the increase, tonight city leaders are poised to address it head-on, a big policy change coming together. >> a lot of this is fueled by family situations. >> reporter: before city council today commissioner bill bratton testified the increase in slashings and stabbings is dramatic. citywide 153 incidents so far this year, up 20% from the same time last year. and tomorrow he and mayor de blasio will go back to the

bratton's own playbook back in the 90s shootings by creating their own category of crime. >> believe me, as we do with all crime, we're pretty much on top of where it is, who's involved with it, and so in this issue it has increased and what we'll be attempting to do is identify where are the increases occurring, who's involved. >> reporter: bratton has increased patrols underground. this will cover city streets where it's undeniable, the fear is on the rise. >> you can't really prevent it. people are going to do what they want to do. >> i think i have people from outside of new york who are a bit more worried about me, who are mentioning it more than anybody i hear in new york. >> bratton points out that one of the reasons this has become a large issue is because most other indexes of crime have drops, so therefore this is really what's on the radar. bratton and mayor de blasio

announcement at 11:00 tomorrow at one police plaza. live in chelsea, josh einiger, channel 7 eyewitness news. an mta bus out of control off the fdr drive, crashing and throwing passengers with no seatbelts hurdling forward. the driver of the new york city bus losing control this afternoon while getting off the fdr drive. this is at 34th street on the east side. the bus drove up an abutment before slamming in to the pillar. one passenger trapped in the bus carried out in a stretcher. other passengers were shaken up. >> my knee is banged up. my face is banged up to see. my phone went flying. thank god i didn't go flying. i was tilting but i was okay. i think it could have been a lot worse. >> it certainly could have. not clear what caused the driver to lose control. police are investigating whether excessive speed was a factor. so many unanswered questions tonight about an off duty police

his car in a parking lot in new jersey. investigators say the man was discovered outside the old amboy cinemas in sayreville this morning. there's no word yet on the circumstances that led to the shooting. the financial crisis in atlantic city tonight so dire, the city's government is planning to shut down, completely close for three weeks. mayor don guardian says the shutdown will begin april 8th and likely last till may 2nd. police, fire, and sanitation workers will work without pay during that period, but will be paid back when quarterly tax money comes in. city's tax base has shrunk since four casinos shut down. a jury awarding hulk hogan $25 million on top of the $115 million already awarded last week in a sex tape lawsuit against gawker. after hulk hogan proclaimed he and his legal team made history. they sued gawker after it released a video of the former wrestler and his friend's wife having sex.

was being taped. this is a new day. with that in spanish and in english, president obama today in cuba opening the door to u.s. corporations and the president hopes a new day for freedoms for the cuban people. but this new detente not without its human rights problems. here's marci gonzalez. >> president obama saying he truly believes castro wants change. that handshake between the two presidents, an unforgettable image for people here, and they followed it up with a night at the palace of the revolution. >> reporter: at the state dinner, president obama and cuban president raul castro sharing the spotlight and a meal. hours after sharing this historic moment. meeting in private before facing cameras to take questions on the progress remade rebuilding the relationship between the two nations. >> this is a new day.

tension. >> we find it inconceivable that a government doesn't defend and ensure the right to healthcare. >> reporter: between the awkward moments, castro also outwardly dismissing the ongoing human rights issue in cuba. the arrest of political dissidents, 1400 in january alone. >> what political prisoners? give me a name or names. >> reporter: president obama planning to meet with some of those former prisoners and in an exclusive interview with abc news blasting the treatment of those who stand up to the castro regime. >> that kind of continual harassment wears on people and chills legitimate debate. >> reporter: president obama also focusing on what he says are the positive steps being taken that will be beneficial to both cubans and americans. still a lot of work left to do with a busy last day ahead tomorrow.

channel 7 eyewitness news. >> an historic trip to be sure. now to vote 2016. another important day of caucuses in a primary tomorrow. idaho will hold the democratic caucus. utah will hold caucuses for both parties and arizona will hold primary for both parties, winner take all there. frontrunner donald trump professing his love for israel tonight while ignoring his recent remark about trying to remain neutral in peace in the middle east. newsing for the first time a tele -- and using for the first time a teleprompter, something he said he would never do. as he criticized iran, the u.n. and hillary clinton. >> i love the people in this room. i love israel. i love israel. i've been with israel so long in terms of i've received some of my greatest honors from israel.

also speaking in front of apac tonight. hillary clinton also talked there earlier. new at 11:00, they say a teacher's aide slammed their autistic son to the ground. >> tore us apart. it's completely torn me apart. >> why she says some people at the school covered up what happened. also, a girl torn from her foster family. the heartbreaking reason she was taken away, coming up. >> and snow totals were recorded quickly today because everything melted very fast. look at temperatures over in the 50s today. we had 2 or 3 inches of snow in connecticut, eastern long island and the jersey shore. even with the snow this morning we managed to get to 50.

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a culture clash is leading to an emotional custody battle in california. a 6-year-old girl was taken from her foster family who cared for her for most of her life because she's 1.5% choctaw, a native american tribe. she'll be sent to live with extended family out of state. her foster family, who had hoped to adopt her, is devastated. >> they were not looking at the best interest for lexi. they were not. because if they would have paused for just one minute, they would have seen what they were doing is harming this child, not just for now, but for future. >> she said don't let them take me. i'm scared. don't let me go. >> the foster family is appealing to the california supreme court. new tonight, parents of a kindergarten student with autism

city public school district, claiming an aide abused their son then covered it up, never told the parents. the incident nearly a year ago. the boy with autism thrown to the ground for licking his hand. here's eyewitness news reporter carolina leid. >> reporter: 5-year-old brendon has autism. easily. his mother said because he's so vulnerable, she and her husband put every ounce of trust in his teachers. >> we cried y -- he cried a lot when we'd pick him up. they used to blame it on his autism. >> reporter: last year a teacher's aide accused another teacher's aide of using corporal punishment on brendon. documents so brendon was making noise and licking his fingers when paraprofessional robin zapinza allegedly became upset with his behavior.

was grabbed and thrown to the floor. theresa and paul said they were never told about the alleged abuse. >> here we have a situation where the school system had knowledge of abuse and did not inform the parent. the parent finds out about the abuse from a third party, tries to get information about what happened, was stonewalled. >> reporter: the district says he was suspended for 10 days because of claims of corporal punishment were substantiated. district leaders say she's been at the school for 20 years, and that she was suspended without pay for four days back in november 2014, following another substantiated corporal punishment investigation. >> we don't know exactly what happened and i don't think we'll ever know what exactly happened to brendon. >> reporter: they say suspensions are not strong enough. the aide needs to be fired. now they plan to sue the school district.

carolina leid, channel 7 >> disturbing story. so, lee, we're in the clear. that's what it feels like. >> getting rid of some of the chill right now. got a nice week overall. you about. there's a chillee wind outside but we've cleared out. going to be a nice night. had a couple flurries. there's a look at midtown. 432 park, the tallest world. nearly 1400 feet. northwest wind around 9 miles per hour. the barometer is on the rise. the high today managed to get close to normal despite the fact we had the morning snowfall. only a trace recorded in central park. a little more than that in parts of new york city. nearly 2 inches in parts of queens. there are your sunrise and sunset times for tomorrow. nice long day and a fair amount of sunshine. this is the coldest night of the week. there's a shot at 70 degrees during the middle of the week. wednesday and thursday away from the coast.

i like the way the weekend is looking so far. near normal on saturday and easter sunday, even though clouds may gather. i think we're mild in the upper 50s. we'll look forward to that and keep updating that forecast. we'll wake up to partly to mostly sunny skies. still a bit of a breeze. 35 feels like upper 20s. and the wind actually gets a little busier here tomorrow during the day, gusting up to 20 miles per hour. but we'll reach the middle 50s, running about 5 or 7 degrees above today's readings. there are a couple flurries that have tried to sneak in to the catskills and hudson valley. our snow maker from last night and this morning has headed to newfoundland. high pressure is building in from the south. that's going to set up shop on the east coast, almost in a bermuda high position. it's already happening on the eastern side of the rockies. look at the 70s and 80s. we'll dip in to that air mass during the middle of the week. tomorrow morning still chilly. winter coat. temperatures in the upper 20s and lower 30s. temperatures get in the middle 50s.

probably dress for 45 to 50 because of the breeze. then a warm front is going to slide to our warmth tomorrow night. you'll notice additional clouds tomorrow afternoon and might be a passing shower late tomorrow night and in to early wednesday morning. then that front will lift to the north and we'll see the skies brighten during the afternoon hours. you get in the 60s and near 70 wednesday and thursday. away from the coast. mostly clear and cold. up to 54 tomorrow. mix of clouds and sun and rather breezy. maybe a shower to the north. as we look at wednesday, forecasting a high of about 67 degrees but keep in mind only low 50s eastern long island. same idea with thursday. increasing clouds. rain late at night. friday starts out wet. we'll clear out, 61. chilly friday night then a nice looking weekend. easter sunday looking at 58 degrees. >> wow, we're lucky. coming up next, fighting the flu.

with a trap to catch it so you will not? >> but first let's check in with our pal jimmy kimmel. >> tonight harrison ford, elizabeth olson, music from cam, and to celebrate the arrival of spring, our first ever baby animal parade.

slow, building african-style music it's the little moments that make the biggest waves. kalahari resorts & conventions. the world's coolest indoor waterparks.

maybe it sounded like a good idea at the time. let people decide online the name of a new british research ship. reality sunk in after someone named it boaty mcboatface as a potential name. the internet sailed full speed ahead with the name. 27,000 votes. the next closest, left back at the dock, had 3,000. the backers reserve the right to pick any name they want. in tonight's health alert, a emergency break through in block ing the researchers say they've developed a fabric coating for masks and air filters that isolates viral particles. they call it a flu trap and say it can trap 99% of the flu virus and prevent the spread of infection. >> we'll all be wearing flu traps. rob powers is next with sports.

and ending another. down to a handful of games in the nhl season. the scramble for playoff position now on. seems like there's always plenty to play for this time of year. tonight's game, no different. plus, it seems like the uconn women are always winning big games this time of year. tonight's game no different. ho hey, have you heard? heard what? before school starts in september, all kids going into 7th and 12th grade have to get the meningococcal vaccine. it protects against diseases like meningitis. that can be serious, even deadly. yeah, that's why they can't start school without it. something to share? (giggling) actually, yes! talk to your health care provider.

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almost opening day for baseball. that means starting to think about playoffs for hockey. >> one ends, one begins. playoffs fast approaching. the mad dash for nhl teams is on. the rangers fighting for playoff position. the panthers who visited the garden tonight. florida up on the rangers by 1 point when the night began. a tough hard hitting game this was. matt zuccarello scores.

rangers fans have been waiting for rick nash to get back. he sneaks it right underneath. henrik lundqvist had 25 saves. the rangers win, 90 points with nine games to play now in the regular season. the islanders are fighting in the mix as well. look at kyle okposo battling until he scores. that tied the game at 1. philly would raddle off three unanswered goals. 4-1 isles lose. they're winless now in their last four. the men's ncaa basketball tournament resumes later this week. tonight we get more from the n.i.t. monmouth against george washington. hawks beat bucknell by 10. monmouth took 21 3-point shots and hit only four. tyler cavanaugh scored 22 for gw. 87-71, monmouth loses. the season is over. as for the women, top ranked

round ncaa tournament game by 52 points. second round tonight against duquesne. huskies 33-0. best team in the nation, proving it again. briana stewart, three blocks on one possession. on offense, who's stopping them? connecticut wins 97-51. that is 71 straight victories. tomorrow in florida it's the mets against the yankees. spring training ball, mets against severino in tampa. mets were off today. mets played miami. jacob degrom went four innings, got more work in. four hits, no runs, five strikeouts. consistently in the low 90s. he said he's happy. scoring comes late. miami's robert andino steals 3rd. plawecki's throw sails. mets fall 2-1. degrom's spring e.r.a. is .90. also tomorrow the tampa bay rays play the cuban national team in havana. first game there for an american team since 1999. workout today, president obama's diplomatic trip helping put this

big names from american baseball are there including derek jeter. >> the one thing that's a common thread is we speak the same language of baseball. and finally from us, what happens when a switch hitter meets a switch pitcher? happened yesterday. blue jays pitcher. venditti wants to throw lefty. richardson wants to bat right-handed. he switches hands. richardson flips too. it was wild. finally he pitches left. you know how it ends? he hit him anyway. [ laughter ] richardson hit by a pitch and takes 1st base. a switch pitcher. you should declare when the batter gets in the box. >> could have gone on forever.

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put more fun in your day with ice-cream-flavored coffees at dunkin' donuts. go for delicious flavors like butter pecan, cookie dough, or new pistachio. enjoy one today. america runs on dunkin'. busy night. thanks for watching. i'm bill ritter. >> i'm sade baderinwa. jimmy kimmel is next.

morning at 4:30 with ken and lori. have a great night and we'll see you tomorrow. >> bye-bye. and now abc's jimmy kimmel live. >> dicky: from hollywood - it's "jimmy kimmel live"! tonight -- harrison ford, elizabeth olsen, and music from cam. with cleto and the cletones! and now, moving right along,