>> got a question for you. did you get out and enjoy this weather? with temperatures in the 70s it was the perfect day to drive around with the top down, even if your car was a small toy. >> but it's porsche, so he's enjoying it. lots of cars and customers at the mall today. ski force 10 over the king of prussia mall where quite a few showed up for last-minute shopping. getting a parking spot is so hard today. good evening. merry christmas eve. >> this is definitely a christmas eve to remember. we topped 70 degrees, we broke records around the region. >> we have had to deal with rain, too. let's check in with glenn. so some rain and warm temps. >> incredibly warm temperatures, now the second day of this. more tomorrow and more on sunday. we also have a beautiful sunset out here, because clearing skies in the west and that sets us up

with this beautiful sunset. even with the clouds all day, we still got up to 71 degrees. 70 before midnight last night, so yesterday officially is a record. today is the record. tomorrow could set a record too. remember, the average high is 42 degrees. this morning's temperature was 41 degrees above normal. 41. 58 in mt. pocono. mid to upper 60s across much of the rest of the area. it's not going to cool off a lot tonight. a few showers north and west, the area of rain down to the south has moved out. we have some more showers developing around washington and down in western virginia. but not a lot. and today we certainly didn't get as much rain as we had yesterday. so we may get some more rain in the southern areas. delaware and extreme south

jersey over the next several hours. so we do have that threat of rain. but several other threats on the timing on that, along with big changes next week coming up in a few minutes. >> the warm weather was another excuse to get outside and finish that last-minute shopping. >> time is running out now. cydney long joinings us now. >> reporter: i can tell you, a handful of the serious procrastinators are out here. the parking lot is still full, dozens, if not hundreds of cars and many say they wait until the last minute to do their christmas eve shopping. they blame it on work or they just love the adrenaline rush of waiting until the last day. >> one, two, three -- >> reporter: home in new jersey from kuwait, they're all smiles about being together. the last-minute steals. and this blessing of warm weather. >> it's amazing. i love it. i brought the warm weather here

and we're loving it. >> reporter: they are among hundreds who waited until the last moment to cross gifts off their list. >> sneakers, remote control cars and androids. >> reporter: not buying any winter coats? >> too hot for that. i love this weather. this is perfect. >> reporter: inside of the mall, you could feel the rush of adrenaline. carol of bridgeton emptied he ever wallet but had her hands full. >> i'll go to midnight mass. tomorrow, we have nine children, and they'll all be at the house. >> reporter: we caught jordan wearing brand new sneakers. how comes it looks like you already unwrapped your christmas present? >> i didn't. >> reporter: they look brand new. >> i just got them today. >> reporter: one i don't think shopper had a special wish on her list. what did you wish for sh >> to make my family happy.

>> reporter: one that the north pole and her mom consider priceless. and she touched our hearts today. the sales last just one more hour. the outlets and the mall close at 6:00. no need for the fire pit today, just the warm smiles and warm thoughts about celebrating christmas eve and christmas together with their families. i'm cydney long, "nbc 10 news." >> i kind of get that adrenaline rush, as long as you can find what you want. normally if you go out on christmas eve, you have to be all bundled up, but right now you may not even need a jacket. >> let's check in with randy gyllenhaal. i know you're near an ice rink. i bet it's a no-go today, right? >> reporter: the ice rink is closed, so we're hanging out with this family from philly.

we're wearing t-shirts, it's beautiful out here. how does this weather feel? >> it's definitely weird. but i love the warm weather, so i couldn't be happier. >> reporter: tough to get into the spirit when it's 70 and raining. what's your plan for the rest of the night? >> we're going to walk back to our house and have dinner. we have a roast beef in the crock pot. >> reporter: we stopped by a few locations. first, we went to city hall. tourists flocking over with some umbrell umbrellas. the christmas village was packed with people. but a lot of rain did end up closing the river rink for the day. you just can't ice skate here. plenty of hot coko. people are having a good time. >> we were hoping to ice skate today, but it's all melted.

♪ >> i don't get how it's this hot out. it should be colder. >> reporter: hoping for snow? >> yeah. i don't think that's going to happen, but hopefully. >> reporter: we're not going to get any snow. the families are having a good time, right? >> we are. merry christmas. >> reporter: we're live at the river rink. i'm randy gyllenhaal, "nbc 10 news." >> it seems like randy drew the short straw to be out there. >> really nice. >> reporter: tough assignment, guys. >> thanks so much. and christmas came early for nearly half a dozen local families today. >> city and community leaders playing the role of santa's little helpers in south philadelphia. ♪ you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> unity in the community delivered holiday share to families today. gifts courtesy of a toy drive.

in all, five families were lucky enough to receive the christmas surprise. the group hopes their generosity leaves a lasting impression. >> the kids come out and it's like reach one, teach one. so my mom taught me to do this, so we have to teach the younger generation to do this. >> this is the sixth year for unity in the community operation health program. roof on a woman's home for free in bucks county. torrey markakis lives in morrisville. she won a contest, the company wanted to help a deserving person with a new roof and she won. >> all these people here are not getting paid to be here. they are doing it out of the kindness of their heart, and

it's christmas eve. this is what the meaning of christmas is, and i'm just so grateful. >> i like to let my guys go between 12:00 and 2:00. so if we were to do this, and offer this service to this woman, who would want to do it and be there and everybody jumped in and said let's do it. >> a job like this would normally cost $8,000 or more. she's a single mother of three and attends school. she works and wants to be a social worker. a lot of people going to church services this evening. this is christmas eve mass of st. peter and paul. a second service will be held at 7:00 and a 9:00 service in spanish, leading up to midnight mass, which starts at 11:00. protesters in chicago flooded the heart of the city's shopping district today. they're calling for mayor rahm emanuel to resign.

you >> rahm must go! rahm must go! >> you can hear the demonstrators chants "rahm must go" down the magnificent mile. they also stained die-ins on the street. the demonstrations are in response to a police shooting that killed teenager laquan davis. meanwhile, cleanup and recovery efforts are under way across several states after a series of tornadoes touched down yesterday. this is aerial footage over mississippi and tennessee. two of the hardest hit areas. ten people are dead, dozens injured from this winter tornado outbreak. >> reporter: they're images we're used to seeing in early spring, not during christmas.

homes ripped apart from tornadoes. all part of a powerful storm system that swept across the south and midwest. >> this should be a joyous holiday season. and it will not be for many. >> reporter: the worst of it hit late wednesday, with deadly tornadoes touching down in three states. in perry county, tennessee, west of nashville, rescuers searched for people buried under the rubble. >> we spent much of last night trying to extract the people out that was trapped. after several hours, we were able to get them to safety. >> reporter: in mississippi, a 7-year-old boy died when the vehicle he was in was struck by a tornado. 18 people were transported to the hospital in ambulances with many more injured. >> i couldn't begin to tell you how many walking wounded went through the hospital. >> reporter: people are

returning to a sense of damage as power crews work to restore electricity. >> considering what's happened, it's bad but could have been worse. >> reporter: while the risk of tornadoes is diminishing, the concern is flash flooding across parts of the southeast and mid-atlantic, with more thunderstorms expected through the christmas holiday. still ahead on "nbc 10 news" at 5:00, a life saving rescue caught on camera. >> the guy was not breathing and needed help. we were trained to help people. >> that training was put to the test for three philadelphia police officers. today, they're telling us what it was like to bring a man back to life. plus, it was one of the most memorable moments of the pope's visit to philadelphia. the pontiff blessing a young boy at the airport. today, we're watching up with him and his family to see how their lives have changed since that special day. for a few brief hours, they

canceled santa, and his ride on the fire truck in this new jersey town. i'm brian thompson, i'll have that story coming up.

>> >> a northern new jersey man was stopped after he tried to bring a cane with an ice pick hidden inside at newark liberty

international. it was hidden many the handle of the cane. the agents gave him a new gain from lost and found. one of the best presents you can give yourself and loved ones this christmas is a flu shot. that's according to health officials with the cdc. it's been a quiet flu season so far. but the cdc expects activity to pick up. flu season tends to peak in february. flu activity is already high in south carolina. almost everyone older than 6 months is advised to get a flu shot. >> tonight on an inspiring young girl who is getting attention across the world, it all started with a facebook post that went viral. she is spending the holidays at shelters in albany. the 8-year-old will give gifts to homeless children and victims of domestic violence. she's the only survivor of an arson fire that killed her

father and younger siblings. she asked for christmas cards and got them in a big way. a tractor trailer delivered more than a million cards and gifts and plans to give many away to children in need. santa's appearance was almost canceled in one north jersey town tonight after a dispute over sirens. >> his fire truck trek is a tradition in many small towns, but as brian thompson reports, it almost was not in the monmouth county town of roosevelt. [ sirens ] >> reporter: that's the sound that almost kept santa out of roosevelt. >> might not get our gifts. >> reporter: a fire escort for

s santa. a referendum turned down any improvements, dividing this town. opponents argued upgrading the water system is a higher priority. the final straw that canceled santa came when a fire truck ran its siren the other night. in what the mayor fears was retribution. >> residents filed a complaint. >> if they're being used inappropriately and out of anger because someone suspect happy about a referendum passing, that's wrong. >> reporter: so on facebook, the fire department posted it was cancel santa's farewell christmas eve parade. >> trying to walk your dog and people are yelling another you. >> reporter: but the santa tradition, now he's taking his ride. >> we're doing quiet santa now?

how ridiculous. >> reporter: yes, the siren has been silenced, but they will be playing christmas music on the p.a. system so kids know to come out of the house and see santa on his way to the north pole. brian thompson, "nbc 10 news." >> there's some good news. kids in our area have to wait until tomorrow morning to see what santa left them. but look at this. the jolly old elf is busy delivering gifts to boys and girls on the other side of the globe. norad is tracking santa and his sleigh. right now he's in norway. so far this morning, santa has given out nearly 30.5 billion presents. count on us to track santa as he works around the country throughout the evening. of course, when he is expected here tonight, he'll be welcomed with some warm weather. >> yeah. and there are no big storms between that location and here. so no travel delays expected

tonight. we do have record breaking warmth. we smashed records during the day today and we have more records to come. we have some rain coming in christmas day. it won't be raining all day, though. and we have some cold changes for next week. they're not going to be anywhere near 70. again, beautiful, beautiful sunset out there with the clearing in the western skies. 67 degrees now, winds south-southwest at 7 miles per hour and it is in the mid to upper 60s across the area. 69 in salem and in trenton. 68 in wilmington. 67 in dover. temperatures are fairly uniform and we had some uniform temperatures earlier today. you can see that it's already 60 degrees in atlantic city at the board walk with a little bit of a land breeze. so there are no real cool spots in the area. and these are the official highs for the day.

lots of 71s, huh? and allentown, for example, beat the record by nine degrees. redding beat it by 8 degrees. even mt. pocono set a record. those records are just destroyed, obliterated. you generally set a record by a degree or two, not nine. here are the showers down in southern delaware. we've got more farther to the south. not a lot of rain yet, buff it s building up towards tomorrow afternoon. we have more rain that this computer model is showing. during the evening, south jersey especially. and then as we go into tomorrow. we're pretty much waiting for the afternoon for another disturbance to move in. we have kind of a front that's going to be stalling right near us. this disturbance moves through friday night, we started off saturday dry. and then here comes another kiss

tur ba -- disturbance. and then another one coming in on monday and a bigger storm for tuesday. and that could be a colder one that starts off as sleet north and west. but no threat of that for the eagles' game, but a chance for some rain, not much wind and temperatures going up during the game. remember, it's a night game, it doesn't normally get warmer at night. it did last night. unseasonably warm tonight with a few showers, some fog, 58 degrees for the low in philadelphia. 50 north and west. we continue way, way above average. near record high tomorrow. record of 68, mainly afternoon and evening rain continming in

the west. sunday, we warm right back up, probably records. and much colder on monday, setting us up for heavy rain on tuesday that could start as sleet. some students from delaware county christian school are already big winners. they finished first in this year's choir competition. ♪ >> don't miss the rest of their winning performance next on "nbc 10 news" at 5:00. plus, he's only 12 years old, but this young football player is inspiring people everywhere he goes, including lincoln financial field. we'll show you his special visit with the eagles.

time for the big reveal. the first place finalist in this year's christmas choir competition. >> the winner from the high school category is the delaware county christian school. here's their performance of "i saw three ships." ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ >> congratulations to all of those students. >> sounded great. you can go back and listen to all of the finalists. we've put them all on our website, nbc10.com and on the nbc 10 news app. it's a moment they never expected. the pope stopping to bless their 11-year-old son. now this family is reflecting on this act of kindness and how it changed their lives.

this is "nbc 10 news." >> the streets of philadelphia were filled with short sleeves, even shorts. mother nature giving us all a great christmas present with record temperatures in the 70s. normally you would have to be at the beach in florida to enjoy temperatures like this in december. >> the beaches at the jersey shore weren't too bad either. ted, it looks like the rain has

stopped. >> reporter: yes, fortunately it has. it is still dark out here, but unbelievably mild for christmas eve, with temperatures remaining in the 60s. we saw quite a few folks dressed in shorts and t-shirt, including one guy that spent some time on the beach with his golden retriever. it has been raining on and off, but it didn't keep people off the board walk the day before christmas. some businesses have really been benefiting from two months of above-normal temperatures that have continued to lure more people to the shore for november and december. >> the weather has been beautiful almost every single day. so we can't be happier. everything worked out well this year. it's been great. >> reporter: local business leaders tell me on average, ocean city's shops and restaurants have seen a 10 to 15% increase in sales this

month. similar to the spike they saw in november. live in ocean city, i'm ted greenberg, "nbc 10 news." >> can't believe it. you think about an hour ago, we checked in with ted, there were people in bathing suits out there. >> yes, it's that warm, especially when you've been used to colder weather. this is nothing. >> ted, thank you so much. glenn, it sure is a little cooler. >> that's right. all across the area, records broken during the day today and we're not done with this warm spell. it's going to last through sunday basically. well, at least we don't have dense fog right now. we don't have much rain on the radar, so it's a beautiful christmas eve weather wise out there. we set a record last night before midnight. it got up to 70. today's record, 71. tomorrow, we could set another record. the record 68, predicting 70 degrees. all these locations got records.

atlantic city at the airport, 71 degrees. the old record, 65. a lot of 71s during the day today. and we're seeing a lot of temperatures in the mid to upper 60s right now. and 58 at mt. pocono. we have a few little showers in parts of bucks county, and just north of trenton. not much from the radar and not much more coming at us from the southwest. but some more developing as we go through the night tonight and into tomorrow. of course, the big thing is the warmth. it's going to stay that way through the night. 6:00 in the morning, still close to 60. 58 degrees at 8:00 a.m. we'll see how warm it will get

later this weekend and more about cold changes with the seven day. two atlantic city police officers went above and beyond the call of duty to make christmas brighter for a pair of boys after a terrible incident. the officers were on the scene after someone was stabbed in the boy's apartment this morning. officers brendan and rusty put up a christmas tree they found sitting in a box in the apartment with the help of the boys. they noticed there were no gifts in the apartment, so they brought over a bag full of unopened toys from the police station. much of the delight of the boys as they waited for a relative to pick them up. it's been nearly three months since pope francis made his visit to philadelphia. >> a local family continues to feel the love even after the pope has come and gone. michael keating was blessed by pope francis moments after his arrival to philly. since then, the family has received an outpouring of support.

>> father, son, holy spirit, amen. >> reporter: this is the time of year most people take a moment to count their blessings. at this table, one blessing still stands out a bit more than others. >> the pope came by and gave him the thumbs up. >> reporter: michael keeting is an 11-year-old. cerebral palsy has taken his voice, but his heart teaches everyone. >> he's the most lovable boy. >> we told them, the driver to stop, and then he got out and like walked over straight over to michael. >> reporter: a blessing that put michael's picture around the world and gave a moment of peace to the keatings. >> michael gave this big, huge smile and i looked at katie thinking, are you seeing what i'm seeing? and she looked at me and we were

both just gushing. >> i still can't believe what happened. >> reporter: letters of love and support of parents of other special need s children continud to pour in from around the world and a social campaign was started to help them buy a much-needed van and they got it just before thanksgiving. >> it makes things so much easier. >> reporter: the biggest donation came from j.j. abrams, as in the guy who directed the new "star wars" movie. >> they even sent us baseball hats that they used during the production of the movie. >> reporter: but famous friends hasn't changed the family too much. they're only motivated to do more. >> chuck and i, our eyes are wide open to see what else we can do to help others. >> reporter: so this christmas, they're counting all their blessings, big and small. >> the keatings shared their

journey online. we have a link to their website, just go to nbc10.com. >> and they were just one of many memorable stories in 2015. next, we look back at some of the most incredible images we saw in the last year. and the moment these police officers will never forget. coming up, they tell us the story behind this life-saving rescue.

dozens of people waited in line this morning at one south philadelphia bakery, all in the name of cannolis. hundreds of people come here to get the freshly filled pastry. nbc 10 talked with the owner today about being part of the holiday tradition for so many families. >> reporter: what is it about this time of year that you enjoy? >> the atmosphere of people so happy. they're so happy to be here. and it's unbelievable.

>> vince has owned this bakery for 58 years and he says he hopes to one day celebrate the business's 100th anniversary. those cannolis are really good. >> i have to try them. we've been looking back at some of the top local stories in 2015. >> yesterday we focused on the most memorable moments. today, we have some of the most memorable images. check this out. this was from february. dash cam video captured a home in stafford township exploding after a gas leak. 15 people were hurt. but many more were okay because police had already evacuated homes in the area. it might be hard to remember what cold weather feels like, but who could forget this scene in west philadelphia. this building became encased in eyes after it was doused in water trying to put out a fire.

>> and this, of course, may be the best feel-good story of the year. 8-year-old zion harvey won us all over with his smile as he received a double hand transplant at the children's hospital in philadelphia. he's the youngest children ever to get that surgery. you can check out more of this year's memorable moments on our website, nbc10.com. and coming up next, the story of another inspirational child, my favorite story. >> he was born without arms and legs, but that hasn't kept him from his love of football. and now the philadelphia eagles have taken them under their wing. his special vis wit the team next on "nbc 10 news." more warm days are ahead. and how rain could affect your holiday weekend. and then the cold. next in my first alert forecast.

we are tracking santa claus for you as he delivers gifts to boys and girls around the world. right now, he's in switzerland and is giving out more than 3.5 billion gifts. he's been quite busy artoday. this is the work of the north american aerospace defense command, or norad, tracking santa and his sleigh. you can see the reindeer in front of him. count on us to track santa as he works his way around the country, eventually coming to philadelphia, new jersey, and delaware, eastern pennsylvania this evening. i know there's so manyyyn5 kids looking forward to his visit. and there are certain times during your career, by the way, that you meet someone who literally changes your life for the better in an instant. >> and that special moment for me came when i had the opportunity to meet a young man who also grabbed the hearts of the philadelphia eagles.

his name is gavin tony, and he scored his own touchdown by getting a vip invite from the eagles. take a look. >> this is chip kelly from the philadelphia eagles. >> seriously? >> yeah. >> how are you? >> outstanding. i heard a great story about you and what a great defensive tackle you are. i saw a little video on you, and calling to see if we could invite you to come down to our game against the bills this sunday. >> yeah, i would like that. >> reporter: for this 12-year-old, it may as well be super bowl sunday. >> wow. >> reporter: this 7th grader flying high with the eagles, now living his dream. he was born without arms or legs. hardly an obstacle for this young fighter, this determined soul. this defensive tackle for his middle school football team. >> one, two, three! >> reporter: gavin showing his

own gridiron greatness, which is why this day, for him, is epic. >> they were fired up last night and they couldn't wait to meet you. >> i can't wait to meet all those guys. . what's up, jordan? >> balling. you the man, homey. >> you're an inspiration. >> thank you. >> how does that make you feel? >> like really excited to know that they saw my video and now i'm talking to them. that right there just proves it. >> we're keeping it old school. >> how are you doing? >> good. >> ready for the game? >> yeah. >> going to win this one. >> i love your determination and work. >> thank you. >> enjoy the game. i'll see you after. >> it surprised me.

i didn't know what to say. it was just really awesome at that moment. >> reporter: what is it like to see these nfl players up close and personal? >> well, i've seen them on tv and they're taller than what you see on tv and just to know that you can be one of them one day is really awesome. >> this little fighter indeed a good luck charm, with the eagles getting a victory. and this touchdown became an even bigger score for gavin. >> this young man right here would probably appreciate this football more than i would. and so i took it out of my luggage and i gave it to him. the night before we watched the video, i just watched him talk and i watched the confidence he spoke with. that's real. that's just as real as it gets. >> reporter: if you're wondering how gavin prepares not just physically but mentally to get out on the field and play, he says if other guys can do it, why can't i? and one player he met on the

sidelines left him virtually speechless and that player decided to give him a very special gift. >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: a surprise shopping spree with demarco murray. >> there you go. that looks good. >> you can match the jersey up. you want to get a cell phone case? >> yes, please. >> reporter: gaining a new friend may be the best gift of all. >> the confidence, when he goes down, part of me goes down. >> reporter: this really puts life into perspective. >> you're not worried about everything else, just all the chaos around you. and then you meet guys like him, all that just goes away, and you're not thinking about anything but meeting him and having fun with him and getting

to know him. >> reporter: for gavin, new friendships, a lifetime of memories. >> so football is done now? >> yeah. >> reporter: and hopefully the realization that just as much as they changed his life, he changed theirs. >> he's such a special kid. and prior to gavin entering the field, he said the closest he ever got to that stadium was playing it on his video game "madden." he used to play as demarco murray, now he's friends with him and they're already setting up things to do in the future. what was interesting, initially demarco murray did not want cameras there when he gave the shopping spree, which speaks volumes to the character of demarco murray. a lot of people do things for the publicity, wanting cameras to be there. but hoping to inspire others to go good. >> and the football team won against the buffalo bills.

>> he's a good luck charm, gavin is. >> let's toss it over to glenn, who is tracking this warm, warm weather. a warm story to the warm weather. >> and we have records that are being set from florida all the way to canada. hundreds of cities setting records today, or in the days to come. it's just an amazing weather pattern. the christmas eve, smashing those records. not just by a degree or two. but by seven, eight, nine degrees. we've got some rain coming in on christmas day. we do have changes for next week. it's not going to be near 70. we have 67 degrees now. the wind is getting lighter out of the west-southwest. hit a record yesterday, just before midnight. today's record of 71. tomorrow, we may be near the record, 70. and another record may fall on sunday. saturday is the only day where

we're definitely not going to set a record. it's all the way down to 61 in quaker town, 63 in coatesville. that's going to be the case. we're not going to see the temperature drop a whole lot during the night tonight. won't be as warm as last night. 61 degrees right at the beach. the temperature this morning by the way, a mere 41 degrees above normal for philadelphia. i don't think i've ever gotten to say that before. now you can see some more rain coming in through southern delaware. they had plenty earlier today as did other parts of the jersey shore. and the general zone of moisture looks like it's going to target the shore, at least for tonight. you can see some of those showers, maybe even some thunderstorms. briefly heavy. and then we wait for the next

system to come in. that would be generally tomorrow afternoon and into the evening. briefly heavy, not anything like yesterday's. then we get a bit of a brief and then another system on saturday. and then another one coming in monday night into tuesday. that's the more significant storm that's going to be affecting us and it may be cold enough that it starts as sleet in parts of the area north and west. for the eagles' game, it's not going to be record warmth, but it's pretty warm for late in december, and the temperature actually is going to be going up during the game, even though it's a night game. there is a chance of some rain. i'm not expecting heavy rain, not expecting much win, either. unseasonably warm tonight, a few showers around, especially to the south. 58 degrees for a low in philadelphia. 50 north and west. near record warmth tomorrow with rain coming in later in the day,

and at night near 70 degrees. seven-day forecast, the cool-down saturday for one day. then yumping up sunday to the record. then the changes come. much colder on monday. heavy rain and chilly on tuesday with sleet possible north and west. for two rookie police officers, they thought it would be just another day of training but then things took a turn. >> it's not the academy anymore. this is real life. this is our job. >> they were caught on video saving a man's life. coming up, they tell nbc 10 about the moments leading up to this intense rescue.

today, nbc 10 is catching up with the philadelphia police officers who are caught on camera saving a life. look at this. we spotted the scene in north philadelphia yesterday afternoon. >> the officers were performing cpr on a man who had no pulse. nbc 10's randy gyllenhaal spoke to them today about their life-saving rescue. >> reporter: when rookie officers chris bloom and james aldefer went on patrol, they thought it would be routine. they had been on the job less than three weeks. >> i wanted to do it since i was a kid. i want to help people. >> reporter: but a cop never

knows when duty will call and on diamond street in north philly, they stumbled into an emergency. >> they waved us down and said there's a guy in a car not breathing. >> he was not breathing and needed help. we were trained to help people. >> reporter: cameras happened to be nearby when they rushed over to help. the victim was having a medical emergency. he was slumped over in his car unconscious. the officers grabbed their cpr kit and immediately went to work. >> i started feeling a heart beat, because i was on a chest. >> we finally got his pulse back. >> reporter: in a situation like this, time and oxygen are precious. these cops were in the right place and had the right training. >> this is not the academy anymore. this is real life. >> reporter: saving a life just days before christmas and for the rookies, just a few days into their new job. >> policing, we're public servants. it's what we do. i'm not trying to sound cliche,

but the fact we're able to do something, there's nothing better than that. >> reporter: randy gyllenhaal, "nbc 10 news." coming up next at 6:00, a community unites to help a family in need. the show of support they got this christmas eve, just days after they lost their home in a fire. plus -- ♪ >> a record breaking christmas eve. beautiful weather. the kids seem to be enjoying it.

"nbc 10 news" starts now. ♪ >> right now at 6:00, we're counting down to christmas. but it sure doesn't feel like it outside because of the record-breaking temperatures. nbc 10 spotted a lot of people wearing shorts as they made their way around town this christmas eve. who knows when they'll be able to do that again? not everyone is finished with shopping yet. we caught a number of last-minute shoppers hitting the outlets. a many are hitting the roads tonight. a live look in south philadelphia where it's looking crowded as people make their way to their holiday destinations. it feels more like spring this christmas eve between the warm temperatures and the showers we've had today. tonight, we have team