residents police are letting in. shortly before 2:00 this afternoon a house fire quickly spread from one home to three other homes and it quickly spread over a canal and in to indian point park. obviously a huge concern for this neighborhood given the winds. i can tell you there was a family home in the house at the time the fire broke out. they all got out safely. we now know one person was taken to the house for smoke inhalation. we don't know if that was a firefighter or one of the residents in the home. pretty dramatic pictures coming out of copiague this afternoon. several different firefighters trying to fight the fire. some had to get in boats in the canal and try to fight the burning brush on the island. we know they were having water problems. they have some water from the canal but this street has limited access. these people have really struggled from superstorm sandy. a lot of people lost their

and a while ago we spoke to someone about the struggle this neighborhood has gone through. >> it's another strike or whatever you want to call it. >> you own five houses on this block. what's going through your mind? >> got to do it again, fix them up. same thing. just keep going. >> one of the houses that burned was being rebuilt from sandy. >> yes, the party has two weeks to go and they would have been moved in again. they're not going to move in for quite a while now. got to start all over. she was over at our house before and just unbearable. she's in tears. frustrating. >> right there you get a sense of what these folks are going through. it's a neighborhood known as american venice. they struggled after superstorm sandy. you're looking at east santa barbara road.

because of these winds residents tell us the winds were swirling. people were hosing down the roofs of their homes was everyone was concerned about their homes and you heard that gentleman, what he said. one of the homes that burned, these folks were just about to move back in after superstorm sandy. we're live in copiague, stacey sager, eyewitness news. >> you have to feel for all those folks in that area. these are pictures and video that was sent in by our viewers. take a look. that's the scene. shows you how intense those flames were. some people taking those photos say you could actually feel the intense heat from where they were standing. and there you see video of the flames in that area as well. we want to bring in meteorologist lee goldberg right now because certainly dry conditions playing a role, and the wind as well, right, lee? >> when stacy described that it was swirling, i could tell why

3:30 from a wind going onshore to offshore. the winds weren't that strong but they were swirling in many directions. the wind doesn't scream out fire risk today. in fact, long island was not under a fire weather warning that originated with the house fire. if you notice, initially the plume of smoke is dragged out 30 miles in the atlantic. but in the last half hour to hour of the fire, you can see we started to see smoke carry toward babylon and baywood. it's shifted from a land breeze to a sea breeze. not terribly strong but enough to make the winds swirl. you can see the wind speeds here. 10 miles per hour. now coming out of the southeast right now. not big gusts. they actually come back tomorrow. the relative humidities are desert dry. we're seeing humidities below 20%. a sea breeze takes the humidity up. that's probably helped the firefighters fight that right now. we're at 39% in islip.

there's a new fire weather watch out for much of new jersey. that will start tomorrow. in fact i think the whole area will be included in that. we also have frost advisories. it's fire and ice in the accuweather forecast. we'll have more on that in just a few minutes. we are following more breaking news. new york's attorney general opening an investigation in to voting irregularities during yesterday's primary. issues ranged from polls not opening on time to tens of thousands of new yorkers purged from the voter rolls. eyewitness news reporter tim fleischer in the newsroom with the very latest. >> clearly the voting issues that occurred during yesterday's primary are causing continued concerns today. attorney general eric snyderman saying he's troubled by the number of complaints, enough so by most accounts voters were able to cast their ballots in high numbers, but the attorney general was deeply troubled by

irregularities. the attorney general's hot line said they received nearly 1,000 complaints during the course of the voting day. they also received 140 e-mails. that, he says, compared to 150 complaints during the 2012 general election. many of the reports heard and complained about yesterday said they had been dropped from registration rolls, leaving some unable to vote. quote, we have opened an investigation in to alleged improprieties. if necessary, we will initiate requirements where voting irregularities appeared high. the attorney general will also be looking at other complaints, including a lack of privacy at the voting booth and poor instructions from poll workers. we turn to the race for president. hillary clinton and

here in new york state. hillary is 80% of the way toward clinching the nomination. republican donald trump won at least 89 of new york's delegates. it is now impossible for either of his rivals to win the nomination. all the candidates are still pushing forward. eyewitness news reporter sandra bookman is here with the latest. >> hillary clinton and donald trump, while they really just had overnight to savor those big victories here in new york. there are still more delegates out there to be had. the two frontrunners and those fighting an increasingly fruitless battle to catch up have moved on to the next primary states. >> we had a great night last night in new york. >> reporter: still relishing last night's big victory in new york, donald trump was in indianapolis today trying to build even more momentum toward his goal of capturing a delegate majority in the race for the gop presidential nomination.

thinks should drop out of the race. >> in the case of lyin' ted cruz, lies. oh, he lies. >> i won 13,000 more votes in wisconsin than donald trump did last night in new york. >> reporter: but cruz did not sound like a man licking his wounds in defeat and ready to throw in the towel. on the stump in pennsylvania today, 71 delegates in play in next week's republican primary there. cruz reminded voters once again why he's his party's best chance to win back the white house. >> if we nominate donald, hillary wins. and hillary wins by double digits. >> reporter: still basking in the glow of what she called a personal victory in last night's new york primary, hillary clinton now has her sights set on pennsylvania's 210 democratic delegates with two events scheduled today in philadelphia.

nomination is in the home stretch and victory is in sight. >> reporter: meanwhile, bernie sanders is in vermont to, quote, recharge. no campaign events are scheduled today. despite his loss to clinton and her mounting delegate total, sanders is not going away quietly. >> next week we will be competing in pennsylvania, connecticut, rhode island, maryland, and delaware. and we look forward to winning a number of those states. >> back to the republican race for just a second. an internal memo reveals donald trump's campaign advisors are projecting he will accumulate 1400 delegates, enough to secure the nomination, on the first round of battling at the party's cleveland convention. trump has repeatedly called the delegate system a rigged process. the winner of a special election on long island still

all of the precincts are now reporting. democrat todd kaminski leads christopher mcgrath by less than 800 votes. 2700 absentee ballots are still outstanding with the largest group being democrats. kaminski is declaring victory. mcgrath says the race is too close to call. in lower manhattan democrat alice cansell has been elected to replace sheldon silver, also a democrat, after his corruption conviction. silver's sentencing is scheduled for may 3rd. a court document submitted today shows federal prosecutors want him to serve a sentence of 10 years. the u.s. attorney's office also wants him to forfeit nearly $5.2 million and pay a million-dollar fine. right now the search is on in brooklyn for the man who attempted to sexually assault a woman out for a run this morning. the attack happened in prospect park and tonight community

to help find the suspect. eyewitness news reporter joe torres is in the prospect park area right now. >> the physical injury suffered by this 23-year-old woman during the early morning attack here over my shoulder in prospect park early this morning, she had a cut to her finger. the suspect had a knife. the mental anguish, that may be far more damaging as investigators try to track down the suspect before he strikes again. >> this person must be apprehended. >> reporter: that's exactly why police and crime scene investigators examined the area near garfield place and prospect park west today, a search for clues. a search for a suspect. an early morning jog turned in to a fight for life for a 23-year-old brooklyn woman. about 5:15, an unidentified man approached the female jogger from behind and threw her to the ground. he pulled out a knife and said he was going to sexually assault her. >> it's very disturbing and upsetting.

at that hour? >> at 5:15 in the morning, i don't know. i never run that early. >> when you attempt to rape or rape a person, not only do you traumatize the victim, you traumatizeation spreads throughout the entire community. >> reporter: the 23-year-old woman put up a vigorous fight, so much so her attacker fled. emergency crews rushed her to a nearby hospital where doctors used six stitches to close a knife wound on her right index finger. >> i think the fact that crime has dropped so precipitously overall in new york is a great thing. we live in a city. things happen in a city and there are crazy people anywhere. >> reporter: investigators will look for any security camera video that may have captured an image of the suspect. >> we need people, if you saw something, please report it to the police department so we can apprehend this person. >> the brooklyn borough

during his news conference, in no way, shape, or form does he nor should anybody else blame the victim for what happened this morning. eric adams is a former new york city police officer and he had advice for anyone thinking of going on an early morning, pre-dawn run through the park alone. we'll share that with you at 6:00. live in prospect park, joe torres, channel 7 eyewitness news. a grand jury has indicted two nypd detectives on charges of assaulting a postal worker. karim baker said detectives angelo pampena and robert carbone punched, kicked, and dragged him last year. pampena is charged with perjury for alleging baker was parked in front of a fire hydrant. prosecutors say video shows the car was parked more than 15 feet away. baker had been sought for questioning until unwittingly

brinsley directions. baker was cleared of any wrongdoing. both detectives have been suspended without pay. a man from long island is accused of pepper spraying a man and his children and brawling outside the broadway mall in hicksville. police arrested labella. they say he sprayed the driver and his two children in the car with him at the time with pepper spray. bystanders jumped in to subdue labella but police say he broke free. he was later found at his home in sea cliff. firefighters rescued a dog from a burning home in rutherford, new jersey. they found the house, as you can see there, fully engulfed in flames. this was about 11:00 this morning. that's when they learned the family's dog was inside. firefighters raced in the backdoor and managed to rescue the animal. dog and everyone okay.

extensive damage and some minor damage as well. still to come, we'll continue to follow the fire that's now smoldering on long island. we'll bring you the latest in a few minutes. >> plus, an ambulance crashes on the southern state parkway. two people are killed. new details behind what caused the crash. >> criminal charges filed in the flint water crisis.

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in suffolk county, now mostly out now here in copiague. one person was taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation. the fire started in a home, spread to three other homes and started a brush fire in a park nearby. we're staying on top of this story. we'll continue to bring you the very latest as soon as we have more information. a judge in connecticut entering an initial not guilty plea for the midtown middle school teacher who's accused of bringing a loaded gun to school. 46-year-old john adams was arrested on a weapons possession charge. he had a valid permit but connecticut state law prohibits possession of firearms on school grounds. adams has been placed on syracuse university is remembering one of its all time duane pearl washington. washington died today after a long battle with brain cancer. he was 52 years old. washington went from the playgrounds of brownsville, brooklyn to being one of coach

in the 1980s. he got his nickname at 8 years old where at such a young age he was already being compared to earl the pearl monroe. a new registry is up and running in new jersey dedicated to assisting people with special needs during emergency situations. the goal is to provide first responders with the vital information they need to help people with special needs, including those who are blind, hearing impaired, and those with autism. >> consider the autistic teenager who is drawn to shiny objects, who might encounter a police officer and grab for their firearm or badge. if the officer doesn't realize the individual is autistic, it could result in a physical arrest. >> the special needs registry sends an alert, letting police officers know they are responding to a home with a

to expect in terms of interacting with that resident. speaking of first responders, they're still in full force in copiague. >> they're concerned about any type of flare-ups. >> i want to show you some of these pictures, lee. these are mind-boggling. these are taken by our viewers sent to us. imagine how close they were standing to the fire. they told us they could feel the heat from those flames, video as well. gives you an idea of how intense this fire was. >> there's still ambient smoke in the air. close the windows right now. the air quality will be poor there. there's not a tremendous amount of wind out there. it's about 10 miles per hour. it wasn't necessarily high risk today even though the air was dry. that's why that area didn't have a red flag warning or high fire weather warning. it started with the house fire, then turned in to the brush fire, then the worst case scenario of swirling winds and spread like crazy. tomorrow we'll have all those

we'll have the gusty winds and low humidity. although the humidity will be climbing during the day. we're at 68 degrees. it's just not all that often that you see a humidity reading of 10% across the area. a north wind at 7. the barometer on the fall. the high today in the upper 60s. very, very pleasant. 5 degrees above average. i think we'll be about 10 degrees above average tomorrow. sunset is at 7:41. last year in the state was a soaker. we can use one of those at this time. 57 degrees. over an inch of rainfall. now it's 59 in ronkonkoma. the wind has definitely turned of long island. that's another piece of good news, although there's a breeze, the humidity is starting to come up, and the temperature is bit. that's why the fire risk always diminishing as you head toward sunset especially along the coast. inland numbers are still well in to the mid and upper 60s. it's a comfortable late day that turns in to a jacket needed evening. see how the humidities have come 39%, islip.

park is at 10%. 21%, sussex. 13% in monticello. there's your fire weather warning for another 40 minutes or so in fairfield county. there's now a frost advisory because that coolness will turn in to a very chilly night in interior fairfield county, danbury. you have a place like brewster or carmel, goshen, sussex, parts of warren and hunterdon county, there's a frost advisory in to tomorrow morning. fire watches will go up again in to the early evening. sunshine early. clear sky overnight. fairly light wind. breezes pick up tomorrow. you'll notice high clouds mixing in during the midday. more clouds by this time tomorrow. there's big area high pressure that's been fending off the storm to the west. it will finally get here. clouds first tomorrow. rain showers on friday. so it's a warmer wind tomorrow. on friday there might be a shower north and west during the morning hours, then showers become more numerous late in the day in to the evening. futurecast will show a chill in

then low and middle 70s during the afternoon. the rain is still way off to the west. so clear, cool, moonlit skies tonight. the full moon on friday. 47 degrees. 72 tomorrow. breezy and warmer with sun mixing with clouds. a shower may move in to the northwest suburbs. 59, a mild night tomorrow night. coming up at 5:30, is it dry much of the day on friday? do the showers really hold off till late? still damp early saturday with the slower movement of the front. cooler and maybe rainy at times next week. your 7-day accuweather forecast in the next half hour. a town in new jersey disbanding its police department. why people there voted for the change, and who will protect them now. >> and the story behind this bizarre bulldozer brawl. >> and college tuition just keeps on going up.

decision time is fast approaching for a lot of high school seniors when it comes to making their college picks. for many families. is best? tonight we have advice from consumer reports on how to avoid excessive debt. >> reporter: high school senior

several college acceptances from public and private schools. she picked a state school. >> tuition was a huge factor in my decision. >> reporter: the financial aid offer letter is key to making the college decision. first, check what's being offered in grants and scholarships, which don't need to be paid back. a caution though. the letter often only covers the first year. >> contact the financial aid office and ask questions like is a grant renewable? does the scholarship require a certain gpa for it to continue in to another year? >> reporter: the letter also details how much money you can get in federal loans. for the rest, you may have to look to private loans which you borrow from a traditional lender. >> you want to make sure you start with federal loans. they have a lot of advantages over private loans. they have fixed interest rates. they also have repayment options. >> reporter: check whether the loans are subsidized so you're not responsible for interest till you leave school.

can compare each of the schools you're considering at consumerfinance.gov/finance. >> there's no class on loans and high school. i have no perception of like how much in debt i'm going to be. >> also keep in mind you can negotiate with the school for a better financial aid package especially if your family circumstances have changed because of events like a job loss or a divorce. a mystery surrounding a deadly ambulance crash on long island. coming up on eyewitness news, a chilling wreck. a patient killed. but there's no clear explanation why this happened. >> flint water crisis charges the first wave of officials in michigan take the fall.

we continue to follow the breaking news on long island. a house fire sparked a brush fire in suffolk county. it first broke out in a home on east santa barbara road. the flames spread to three neighboring homes, jumped the copiague county park. the fire is mostly out though still smoldering in some places. stacey sager will have a live report at 6:00. now at 5:00, a deadly and puzzling ambulance crash on the southern state parkway on long island. >> the ambulance was conducting a routine transport when it smashed in to an overpass. it happened near exit 18 in

eyewitness news reporter n.j. burkett is there. he actually mentioned at 4:00 that there are two cameras in that area and hopefully they caught something. >> that's right. the cameras are here. they're pointed in the right direction. i've just confirmed through my sources that they are in fact real time traffic cameras and did not record the crash or any of the events leading up to the crash. it's a real set back to the investigation because right now they have no idea why the ambulance suddenly veered off the highway at a high rate of speed. >> reporter: the cab of the rig was demolished and the driver of the ambulance was killed along with the patient he was transporting. a paramedic belted in to his seat in the back of the ambulance survuvd -- survived the crash with a broken leg and possible concussion. it happened in the eastbound lanes of the southern state parkway at exit 18. state police investigators shut down the highway and spent four

but the cause of the crash was not immediately clear. sources say the medics were conducting a routine transport. no siren and no lights when the rig suddenly veered off the road and crashed head long in to a bridge abutment made of stone. most likely at a high rate of speed. investigators say there were no other vehicles involved. there was no indication that the ambulance had been cut off and no obvious skid marks. >> the highway was shut down for several hours this afternoon but as you can see behind me, it has since reopened. the names of the victims could not be confirmed late this afternoon. it happened around 12:00 noon. plenty of motorists saw it. investigators say they've got every witness they need except the one they need the most, the driver of the ambulance who did not survive. live tonight in lakeview, long island, n.j. burkett, channel 7 eyewitness news. new at 5:00, a 6-year-old boy hospitalized tonight after he was hit by a car in brooklyn. that little boy was crossing the

when a lexus sedan slammed in to him. he was thrown under an suv that was parked nearby. firefighters had to rescue him. the little boy rushed to lutheran medical center in critical condition. the driver did stay at the scene and so far no charges have been filed. a supervisor in rocklin county stepping down from two board posts amid a scandal over a stadium. supervisor christopher st. lawrence was indicted last week on federal and fraud corruption charges for allegedly lying about ramapo's finances and using millions of taxpayer dollars to fund a ballpark. st. lawrence has pleaded not guilty. a nun accused of drunk driving in new jersey convicted and sentenced today. the judge in southern new jersey decided to suspend sisterly kimberley miller's license for 90 days and fine her $257 plus fees. the nun claimed she had taken a sedative and that she does not remember crashing her car in to a building. a $7,000 reward is being

dog on long island. a frightened german shepherd was found along the montauk highway earlier this month with its mouth taped shut. the aspca is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. the agency's county division has already put up $2,000. the dog is now being cared for at the babylon animal shelter. three government employees now face felony charges in the flint, michigan water crisis. two of them worked for the state and one was a city employee. the charges against them include altering test results on tainted water. abc's stephanie ramos has more. >> reporter: the first wave of criminal charges now filed in the flint water crisis. >> so many things went so terribly wrong and tragically wrong in flint. >> reporter: michigan's attorney general announcing three officials are now charged with felonies including official misconduct and evidence tampering. two state environmental regulators were arraigned in court today, facing up to five years in prison.

responsibilities to protect the health and safety of families of flint. >> reporter: flint's drinking water became contaminated when the city switched to using the flint river as its water source for more than a year. the attorney general alleges these officials knowingly lied about water tests required on certain homes before the transition, leaving nearly 100,000 residents exposed for months to potentially hazardous levels of lead. >> reporter: michigan governor rick snyder believes the water in flint is drinkable again and plans to drink it for a month. >> he wants us all to start using the water in the filters again. >> reporter: the governor stopping by this home, filling up gallons of tap water to take home for him and his wife to drink. investigators say it doesn't end here. for them, it is personal. >> really hurts when i have friends, personal close friends.

>> reporter: before the charges were announced, more than 20 senate democrats called for massive new investments in water infrastructure systems because of concerns over lead contamination across the country, adding the water crisis in flint was a wake-up call. in washington, stephanie ramos for channel 7 eyewitness news. strange way to have a fight. bulldozers brawling. rival construction companies get in to a battle right on a busy street. >> also, a hockey star's shame. what the player is saying tonight about controversial remarks he made on the ice. >> and stamp of approval. a little prince steals the show

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a bulldozer battle between two groups of construction workers in china caught on camera. watch as the drivers deliberately run in to each other on a busy street. the shovels are used as battering ramps. one of the bulldozers is hit so hard, it flips over on its side. that's when another bulldozer picks it up and drops it. two people were hurt. six bulldozers were damaged. frightening scene there. chicago blackhawks player andrew shaw is saying sorry for an anti-outburst. he yelled the slur during

immediately after the game when he was asked about it, shaw said he couldn't recall what he said. but the incident spread quickly on social media and shaw says after seeing it, he was embarrassed. >> i want to apologize to the gay and lesbian community. that's not the type of guy i am. this is hard for me. i saw the video last night and i had a tough time sleeping and it's gotten to me. i let my emotions get the better of me. >> despite that apology, shaw has been suspended by the league for one game. a new look at the royal family as part of queen elizabeth's 90th birthday celebration. the uk postal service is unveiling new stamps that includes a portrait with three generations of the royal family. the queen and prince phillip, williams, and george posed for

this is the first time prince george will appear on a stamp. the queen's birthday is tomorrow. michael strahan is talking about his decision to leave live with kelly and michael to work full-time for good morning america. strahan got big applause on the show this morning one day after the news of his departure broke. he says even after he makes the jump, and that won't happen till september, he says you may still see him sitting next to kelly on occasion. >> can't ask for better fans at all. you guys have been absolutely amazing. and on top of that, i've worked with an incredible staff here and i'm always here, i'm always available to guest cohost if i get a call because i consider myself to be apart of this family forever. >> aww. he is part of the family forever. a fill-in for kelly today because she had the day off. >> just goes to show what a great place it is to work in this company. >> very true. your money is about to get a makeover.

move over andrew jackson. harriet tubman will soon be gracing the $20 bill.

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a new face will soon grace your $20 bills. it was supposed to be a new face on the $10 but then hamilton became a hit on broadway and now it's harriet tubman replacing jackson on the $20. >> staff and students at one school are celebrating the change. >> indeed. harriet tubman becomes the first african american featured on u.s. currency. the first woman depicted in over 100 years. changes that have special meaning right here in the bronx. >> i'm overwhelmed by it. >> reporter: it's

frazier is especially excited about today's announcement by the treasury department that harriet tubman will be the new face of the $20 bill. in 2000, frazier co-founded a charter school in the south bronx, a school named after harriet tubman. a woman who escaped slavery and freed hundreds others through the underground railroad. >> the person committed to the well-being of others is what we wanted our children to become exposed to. >> reporter: today's announcement is a bit of a surprise because it's believed a woman would grace the front of the $10 bill but alexander hamilton will stay, helped no doubt by the popularity of the smash broadway musical "hamilton." key women suffragists will be featured on the back of the bill. the $20 is getting a makeover. >> we should reflect somebody like harriet tubman, by sheer

she was a slave, but not only did she lead many people out of slavery through the underground railroad, she worked for our army working as a spy. >> reporter: in the bronx there is pride from administrators and students. >> instead of the various pictures you'd see around the hallway or in the classroom, now you get to pull the money out of your pocket and show students hey, this is the person the school is named after. >> it will be honorable because it would show her face on currency. >> almost like having your school on money. >> yeah. >> reporter: cliff frazier sums up the significance this way. >> it brings her face and who she is to the world. >> and harriet tubman settled in upstate new york, so she's considered a new yorker. governor cuomo, mayor de blasio all issuing statements in support of the change. the one thing is don't expect to see these bills in your wallet any time soon. it will be at least 2020 before the new currency goes in to circulation. we're live in the morrisania section of the bronx, marcus

news. >> 2020. >> that's a long time. time. >> my goodness. i hope they have an image because we'll be using cash. this weather stretch has been great. our stretch is going to end after tomorrow's dry weather. we get a little rain on friday. but not a washout. if you have outdoor plans on yet. there will be more showers in the afternoon. outside we go where we have what is a partly to mostly sunny sky. barely been a cloud in the sky in most locations. only thing we've seen on radar was the smoke plumes from the fire on long island. we'll have more on that at 6:00. but meanwhile we look up toward the george washington bridge, visibility is absolutely unlimited out there. it's 68. very pleasant afternoon that will go to a more cool feel in the evening hours because of how dry it is.

nearly 3 inches below for the year. we do need rain going forward. fire weather warning in fairfield county will expire at 6:00. we didn't have that over long island. the winds really haven't been that high. that was sparked by a house fire initially. then the fire weather watch goes back in to effect for new jersey tomorrow and i think the entire area will be under a fire weather warning by the time it's said and done. meanwhile, cool-ish. look how the numbers drop in to the 50s. have the coat handy even if it feels mild out there right now. 59 at the stadium. a little chilly in the bronx mid and late innings. tomorrow we start out with sun, high clouds mixing in by midday. more clouds during the afternoon. but still a very bright day. notice the winds. we'll be in the low 70s. humidity will be coming up. gusty winds will be over 20 miles per hour. that's why the fire risk is high. definitely a chill out the door tomorrow morning. even upper 30s in the coldest spots north and west.

during the afternoon hours. you can see the clouds off to the west. by friday morning, nothing more than a shower or two in our far northwest suburbs. very mild start to the day. well in to the 70s on friday and showers becoming more numerous and even a shower or thunderstorm later in the day in to the evening hours. you'll need your umbrella. in terms of rainfall amounts, not much through the early part of the day but i think by the time we go in to saturday, this last hour. i think parts of the area could see half an inch, maybe quarter inch to half inch of rainfall. 70 on saturday. a sea breeze kicks out on sunday. looks like it's going to be noticeably cooler. nicer inland. then a big range of temperature on monday. that's a low confidence forecast. parts of the area could be in the 50s with showers around. we'll be working on that for the broadcast. >> because you have one more to go. staten island cook, latest multimillion-dollar thanks to

>> eduardo reyes picked up his big prize today for the golden ticket scratch-off game. he bought it last month at his local liquor store. he's the second staten islander to win the $7 million prize in the last few months. a jersey shore town giving its police force the boot. >> coming up on eyewitness news, why voters in the tiny town decided to disperse the department. >> i'm bill ritter. new at 6:00, they call him the ninja burglar, suspected of 150 home burglaries. tonight we're learning a whole lot more about it. but why is he only charged with three burglaries? >> and the latest on the police search for a would-be rapist who

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finally tonight, a tiny town on the jersey shore is axing its police force. >> voters decided to take the unusual step in disbanding the department rather than get hit with a big jump in property taxes. eyewitness news reporter michelle charlesworth with more. >> this is a tiny jewel of a town down the jersey shore. to give you an idea how small it is, it is less than a quarter of the size of central park. fewer than 2,000 people live here. 75% of them have now voted to share a police department with the town of belmar so that they won't see their property taxes go up 22%. >> reporter: lake como is one-quarter of a square mile big with 1,800 people living here. >> sometimes the hardest thing

>> reporter: lake como's mayor points out mayors of the town have been talking about doing this since the 1980s. >> how many police officers will be moving to different jobs? >> we had 10 at the beginning of the year. three have done intergovernmental transfers out so i believe including the chief there's seven left that hopefully will be finding employment. >> i think we'll have an opportunity to put together a policing service that will save money for lake como and generate revenue for belmar. >> reporter: belmar's mayor says so many people tell us off camera this is a common sense move. sharing a police department saves them $1.5 million a year. they already share code violations, courts, 911 dispatch, snow removal, and one cherry picker. >> i've got to commend the mayor. >> reporter: attorney constantine bartis says it was a

to consolidate. >> belmar is 10 blocks that way. do you think there will be a difference? >> i think there will be a continuum. >> i think people are willing to give up what it says on the side of the car so they can keep their own zoning board, their own ordinances. >> so many people telling us this seems to be a win-win-win. belmar is 10 blocks that way. and this change takes place in about two weeks. we're live in lake como, michelle charlesworth, channel 7 eyewitness news. a would-be rapist on the loose while attacking a jogger in prospect park. >> eyewitness news at 6:00

he's the suspect in 150 home burglaries. tonight we have new information about the so-called ninja burglar. the quiet life prosecutors say he led and why they're charging him with only three of the burglaries. >> and a would-be rapist on the loose tonight in new york city after he attacked a jogger during her pre-dawn run in prospect park. good evening at 6:00. i'm bill ritter. >> and i'm liz cho. we'll have more on those stories in just a minute. first we'll begin with the destructive fire on long island. we just got dramatic new video in. the fire started with four homes then it jumped a canal and started a brush fire. all of this happening at copiague neck county park. the smoke from that brush fire could be seen for miles. >> eyewitness news reporter stacey sager at the scene in suffolk county with our lead story tonight.

reference, this is the copiague/linden border. we're here on east santa barbara road. you see the amount of police and emergency personnel that have been here throughout the afternoon. as i said we're just up the block from where the fire actually began. this is video that just came in like something out of a movie. the home goes up in flames shortly before 2:00 this afternoon. you can see how the flames and dry wind were a terrible combination out here. the fire then jumps to three other homes. the embers cross a canal. and a brush fire breaks out in indian point park. so seven different fire departments arrive. some of them in boats, fighting that brush fire. meanwhile, this neighborhood was really beaten up badly during superstorm sandy. many of these residents literally just getting set to move back in to their homes and now this.