stole a pocketbook at wegmans, walked next door to best buy and proceeded to charge more than $2,000 in goods. investigators say the thieves have two methods of operation. one is a crook distracts the shopper while a partner reaches into a purse on a shopping cart. >> unattended purse, left unattended on the back of a chair in a restaurant. >> reporter: this couple is accused of snatching a woman's wallet at the cherry hill mall. but this duo really hit it big. they allegedly stole a wallet at panera bread and racked up more than $14,000 in charges. >> it's disheartening for sure and the only thing that i would do is pray for them. >> i'm probably not cautious enough. i just usually hold my bag like this, that's about it and i have cid on the back of my card in case it does get stolen. >> reporter: but that's exactly what police say shoppers should do. almost all of the victims are

women. police say keep your purse connected to your body and never leave unattended. even for a split second because you never know who's watching. >> i think it's the volume of shoppers also, i think the restrictions on credit cards as far as asking for identification or verifying signatures has gotten very lax and that's the reason that these people can come out and commit these fraud so easily. >> reporter: and they know that. >> they know that. >> reporter: and don't forget the criminals are canvassing parking lots so if you can, put gifts in your trunk and keep the number of gifts in your vehicle to a minimum. i'm live in cherry hill, chad pradelli, channel6 "action news." >> all right, important lesson and thank you chad. we are heading into the last weekend to get some shopping done before christmas and everyone wants know if the weather will cooperate. >> meteorologist melissa magee in for adam joseph today. melissa more days like today would be more than welcome. >> brian and shirleen i think you're in for a treat as we head into the last weekend

before the holiday were he have plenty of sunshine today but it was definitely on the cool side. we'll check out the numbers across much of the midatlantic region. philadelphia 41 degrees, so a seasonable chill overhead. it's 45 in richmond but 31 in pittsburgh and 28 degrees in buffalo. there is a bit of a wind chill to factor in. we have an exiting storm moving over the canadian maritime and high pressure to our west so you factor in that north-northwesterly wind it feels like 33 in the city, 23 in pittsburgh. current wind chill in buffalo of just 20 degrees. we'll talk about what we can expect if you're stepping out on the town on this friday evening, 7:00 p.m. 35, mostly clear. same thing at 8 o'clock with a mostly clear sky but we drop down to 34. 33 at 9 o'clock and 10:00 p.m. that temperature around 32 but if you're out and about you want to dress for wind chills in the upper 20's. we'll talk about what's ahead. it will be a chilly but a dry weekend. it gets milder next week with the milder air is going to come at a price. we're tracking a wet and windy christmas eve. we'll go over the details with

the exclusive accuweather forecast, brian. >> melissa thank you. foul mouthed graffiti about police officers was found today in west philadelphia. it was discovered in at least two different locations including one near 49th and baltimore avenue. in fact we had to blur the spray painted words here because they're too graphic to show on television. another building with similar graffiti was being painted over while our cameras were there today. police don't know who is behind the vandalism. >> we are still working to learn the name of a driver who died in a nasty crash this morning in chester county. chopper 6 hd were you over the wreck on medina road. it happened around 5:00 a.m. and you can see it blocked the entire roadway. that portion of medina road stayed closed for most of the day. police say there was only one car involved in this wreck but they have not said what caused it. family and friends of missing college student shane montgomery are hosting a fundraiser this weekend in

manayunk. montgomery went missing on thanksgiving morning after leaving kildare's on main street. there's been no trace of him since then despite an exhaustive search. tomorrow 5k will start at gold's fit on main street. it will raise money for montgomery's parents so they can continue their efforts to find their son. >> president obama gave his annual year end news conference in washington today and touched on everything from tax reform to cuba. he also took some tough questions about the sony hacking that the fbi has now officially blamed on north korea. karen traverse life for us in washington today with a complete recap of news filled news conference, karen. >> reporter: good afternoon, brian. president obama certainly seemed like somebody who was very eager to get his vacation started. he was relaxed, he was joking with reporters about who wasn't going to get called on because they were on the naughty list but when it came to the serious issues, he had serious answers about north korea and cuba. >> hello, everybody.

wrapping up 2014 president obama said there were crisis here and abroad and there's still work to do on the u.s. economy but. >> america's making significant strides where it counts. >> reporter: with republicans controlling the house and senate in january, the president seemed to have his political new year's resolution ready. >> i want to work with this new congress to get things done. >> reporter: president obama was asked right away about north korea's hacking of sony pictures. he said he thinks sony made a mistake pulling its film "the interview" after threats from cyber hackers. >> i wished they had spoken to me first. i would have told them do not get into a pattern in which you're intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks. >> reporter: this week president obama announced a historic shift in u.s.-cuba relations reopening an embassy and reestablishing diplomatic ties that were severed in 1961. and easing some economic sanctions.

but critics including many cuban-american lawmakers slammed the administration for rewarding the castro regime without getting any concessions. >> done the same thing for 50 years and nothing's changed, you should try something different. >> reporter: and as for firing up air force one for a trip to havana. >> we're not at a stage here where me visiting cuba is in the cards. >> reporter: and this press conference made history. eight questions from eight reporters all women. a white house first. reporting live from washington, karen travers, channel6 "action news." alicia. >> karen thank you. here's the big board. we're following three big stories affecting our local sports teams. it's been a jam packed day. a final goodbye to the longest tenured athlete in town. jimmy rollins is heading to los angeles. in exchange the phillies get a pair of minor league pitchers. the phillies also send cash to

the dodgers to cover jimmy's paycheck. rollins leaves as the phils' all time leader in hits. he also won an m.v.p. in 2007 and of course a world series championship in 2008. meanwhile the eagles desperately need a win to keep their playoffs hope alive. the action cam was with the team as they left for washington this afternoon. they likely need to win this week and next week to get into the playoffs. nick foles is still out meaning mark sanchez will start his seventh game of the year. the birds' defense will be focused on their former teammate wide receiver desean jackson who is looking to spoil the eagles' plans for a playoff berth. kickoff is tomorrow the at 4:30. and finally, a scary moment for the flyers today. starting goalie steve mason had to be held off the ice after he was injured at practice. gm ron hextall says doctors are checking him out and the team hopes to know more later today. mason has been one of the flyers' most consistent players this year. the injury comes just before an eight game road trip which

starts tomorrow in toronto. so big day in sports here in philadelphia. brian and shirleen. >> thank you alicia. still ahead, another day, another major car recall. the company that says its vehicles can lose control on the road. >> plus it was a massive fire that ripped through part of downtown los angeles. investigators say they finally know how it started but that's only leading to mr. questions. >> and one quick programming note for general hospital fans. the show did not air in its usual time slot today because of the presidential news conference. instead, you can see today's we'll be right back. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> for the second time this week australia is dealing with tragic news. police in queensland are looking for the person who killed eight children. they got a call this morning about a woman with serious injuries. when they showed up they found her stabbed in the chest but the most horrifying discovery

was inside the house where they found the bodies of those children. they say the woman was the mother of seven of them. the children range in age from 18 months to 15 years. so far police say they don't have any suspects. >> anybody that's even had associations with this family in the last two or three days. >> the tragedy comes days after a gunman took hostages at a sydney cafe. two of those people died along with the hostage taker when police stormed the building. actor steven collins says he's not a pedophile and insists he only inappropriated touched a child once. the star said in an interview he has boundary issues. he says those issues led to a physical encounter with an under aged girl back in 1973. he also admits he exposed himself to two other girls over the year. collins is under investigation in los angeles for molestation but he has not been charged. you can see the interview tonight on 2020 at 10 o'clock

right here on 6abc. >> investigators say a massive fire that ripped through downtown l.a. was set on purpose. the huge flames destroyed an unfinished apartment building back on december 8th. local and federal investigators have been working since then to find out just how this started. after sifting through 75,000 square feet of rubble, they say they found the evidence that someone did this intentionally. the fire caused an estimated $20 million to $30 million in damage. the parents of the man accused of shooting up a colorado movie theater are trying to make a deal on behalf of their son james holmes is charged with killing 12 people during a screening of the dark knight rises back in 2012. his parents wrote a letter asking that their son go to a mineral institution for the rest of his life rather than face the death penalty. they also asked attorneys to let him plead guilty if that means he can do that, jury selection in the trial is expected to start next month. >> to the business report now.

stocks gained more ground today to finish off a big three day rally. the dow was up 29 points, the nasdaq gained 17 points. the s & p rose nine and a half points and is now up 12 percent for the year. chrysler is recalling hundreds of thousands of pickup trucks because of a pair of problems much the move affects 288,000 older model ram pickup trucks. chrysler told safety regulators the rare axle can -- rear axle did come loose causing the truck to spin out of control. other drivers have reported the wheels lock if the truck is going 50 miles per hour or faster. the affected trucks were made in 2004 and 2005. dealers can install a fix with no cost to the owners. >> it is time now for a look at the "action news" traffic report on a friday. >> i know. on friday, yes, we did make it, matt pelman with the "action news" traffic report. >> we would love to fix the traffic so you can get home quickly but unfortunately we can only tell you about the

situations you want to avoid. there's plenty of traffic out there on this friday afternoon. here on the blue route 476 actually did fix a situation. there was a crash here on the southbound side approaching route three broomall upper darby that they just towed away. so, everything is opened here on the blue route southbound but it's taking almost double what it ideally should to get from the schuylkill on down to 95. speaking of 95, extra slow on the southbound side from the airport on down to 320. have a couple accidents in the mix there but they're all off to the side. and 95 to the great northeast also looking really slow with speeds just like 12 miles per hour there around the betsy ross bridge. we also have a crash in north philadelphia to avoid along north broad at ontario. police on the scene there. there's a fire location in ardmore along saint georges road at montgomery avenue. also a crash in montgomery county in collegeville along germantown pike at cross keys road there by superior credit union and over in mount laurel a crash is closing church road this afternoon close to brookwood road. hainesport mount laurel road a possible alternate around that.

a transformer fire, the grass underneath the transformer in flames in hammonton along route 30 which is the white horse pike near moss mill road. use the a.c. expressway instead. speeds in the mid 60's if you're head down the shore on this friday afternoon. we'll check it again brian and shirleen coming up in the next half hour. >> students in west oak lane got an early holiday surprise today. a new set of wheels. councilman marian tasco presented students at the mccloskey school with these new bikes. they were chosen by their teachers for their excellent behavior and academic performance. it's part of a program under way in select council districts all across the city. >> doctors say adults should get seven to eight hours of sleep every night but few people actually do. rick williams is in the news room now with some more important advisement hey, rick. >> hi, shirleen. i know i don't get seven or eight hours of sleep a night but experts say you should because not only does a good

night's sleep improve your concentration and your mood but your overall health as well and coming up tonight on "action news" at 5:00 health reporter and registered nurse ali gorman will explain how with just a few adjustments you can get more sleep and potentially improve your health. also coming up tonight jimmy rollins, he's now officially traded to the dodgers. it's a done deal. and coming up at 5:00 we'll hear why the phillies gm says the deal was the right thing to do. he'll be missed. those stories and much more when we see you coming up on "action news" at 5:00. until then i'm going to take a nap. >> can't tell you the last time i got more than like two consecutive hours of sleep. it will happen some day. up next melissa is back with a look at the weekend call from accuweather. >> plus it's being called a social media rapture. why celebrities like justin bieber suddenly lost millions of followers on instagram this week. >> don't forget you can take 6abc.com with you wherever you're traveling. the smart design changes the

layout to fit any device including tablets or are smartphone no matter the size of your screen. check it out right now, visit 6abc.com any time, anywhere. >> ♪

>> ♪ [cheers and applause] >> yeah, santa claus stopped by isaac shepherd elementary school today much to the delight of all those chanting students. mrs. claus and some helpers from independence blue cross were also on hand to help pass out gifts. santa is a rock star. >> yes,s. >> some of those gifts included new winter coats for kids in need today. that is awesome. >> love that. time for the accuweather forecast. chillier today but the sun was shining. >> brilliantly and melissa magee standing by live with the word from accuweather. >> hi, brian, hi shirleen. it wasn't a bad end to our work week with plenty of she isnable conditions overhead

and sun popping out this afternoon. gorgeous shot outside, sky s-live in hd. the current air temperature in atlantic city around 40 degrees. you could see folks along the boardwalk there so seasonably cool. just grab an extra layer before stepping out on the town. let's show you the temperatures across much of the delaware and lehigh lehigh valleys. trenton 37, allentown the lehigh valley 35. from beach haven down to sea isle city that temperature coming in at 40 degrees. now you check out the wind and the wind direction. they're coming in out of the northwest, sustained anywhere from eight miles per hour miles per hour in beach haven to 16 miles per hour in philadelphia. later on tonight the winds will subside down to about four to 8 miles per hour but as they come in out of the northwest there is a bit of a wind chill to factor in. feels like 27 degrees in allentown and the lehigh valley, feeling like 33 in center city at this hour. and feels like 34 degrees along the coast in sea isle city when you factor in the wind chill. here's satellite 6 along with action radar, clouds and pockets of sunshine across the midatlantic region. have high pressure situated

over the northern great lakes. you can also see a storm system brewing over the southern plain states with this high pressure in control a lot of this precipitation and a lot of this moisture staying well to the south and east of our region for the rest of tonight and for that matter into our weekend. still looking dry but we're looking chilly. if you're traveling to poconos, breaks of sunshine, calm winds, temperature at 10:00 a.m. 24 degrees. once we get into 2 o'clock on saturday afternoon that temperature up north in the poconos around 30 degrees. fast forward into sunday because sunday marking the beginning of the winter solstice. at 6:03 in the evening it's the shortest day, the longest night and it's when the sun has its lowest point in the sky as well but the good news after sunday as we get into monday is that the length of daylight will start to increase and that sun angle will get higher in the sky so something to look forward to. the cold however is sticking around. the call from accuweather for the rest of tonight partly cloudy, seasonably cold, 24 in allentown, 29 philadelphia and 31 in cape may for the overnight low. your four-day at 4:00 showing

you on saturday it's chilly, limited sunshine, not bad and at 39 degrees. on sunday, a high temperature of 42 with winter beginning sunday evening. on monday, 46 degrees. we're tracking that evening rain. as we get into tuesday it's milder, a high of 53 but that drizzle is sticking around so we have to watch christmas eve and christmas day, details of that coming up with that full accuweather seven day. enjoy the weekend. >> will do it. melissa thank you. >> thank you melissa. more than a dozen culinary students in camden are one step closer to donning their chef whites. today was graduation day for 16 students of the cathedral kitchen staff. the food the students prepared was served each day to low income families since the program began in 2009, 75 percent of students have found jobs within three months of graduating. so congrats to them. >> fantastic. and we are buzzing next. >> i'm going to till how brad pitt got out of jury duty

coming up in the buzz and also why justin bieber and other instagram followers. >> okay. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> time now for the buzz. comedian stephen colbert's final show on comedy central was more like an all-star sing off with the who's who from hollywood to capitol hill joining him for one final song. >> ♪ jon stewart kicked off the showstopper full of cameos. everyone from big bird to country music legend willie nelson to new jersey senator cory booker all making an appearance on the show, even president bill clinton was there. they joined in the song called we'll meet again. colbert is leaving his fake person in a behind to take

over for david letterman next year. brad pitt gets out of jury duty for being too distracting. according to online sources the movie star showed up to fulfill his civic duty in l.a. last week but the court sent the actor home because he was deemed too much of a distraction. and finally, instagram recently pumped all spam accounts eliminating all fake users. well, justin bieber as a result lost three and a half million followers who were apparently not real people. arianna grande rihanna and selena gomez lost about a million followers as well during the purge. those numbers just went -- >> i was wondering i lost 2.5 million users. >> follow ertz on your instagram. >> now i have two. >> i would deactivate yours. [laughter] >> give up. >> thank you, alicia. >> thanks. >> there's much more ahead in the next half hour of "action news" at 4:00 including a liveup date on the death of a deaf father of two nearly three weeks after he was run

down in west philadelphia. >> and kidnapping case comes to a heartbreaking end when the little boy is found dead kidnapping case at all. the tragic twist is coming up. >> ♪ so you can see like right here i can just... you know, check my policy here, add a car, ah speak to customer service, check on a claim...you know, all with the ah, tap of my geico app. oh, that's so cool. well, i would disagree with you but, ah, that would make me a liar. no dude, you're on the jumbotron!

whoa. ah...yeah, pretty much walked into that one. geico anywhere anytime. just a tap away on the geico app. >> ♪ >> "action news" continues with meteorologist adam joseph, alicia vitarelli, shirleen allicott and brian taft. >> it's 4:30 and "action news" continues with a festive

edition of freebie friday where you can get everything from free hot chocolate to free phone calls from santa. >> plus, naming and blaming. as the united states officially points the finger at north korea both the commander and chief and hollywood's elite weigh in on sony's decision to pull "the interview." why both agree that canning that controversial comedy was a bad call. >> and later what spans 5,000 miles, six states and two countries? a philadelphia teacher's surprise proposal. how her now fiancé tricked her into taking the trip of a lifetime that would ultimately change her life. >> but first now to the frenzy sure to surrounds malls, big box stores and boutiques over the country this weekend. >> according to consumer reports 68 percent of us have not finished our christmas shopping with roughly 132 million consumers looking for last minute gifts stores are pulling out all the stops to get people to shop. "action news" reporter wendy saltzman is live at the king of prussia mall. hey, wendy. >> reporter: well, if you're

like me you probably haven't gotten all of your shopping done and it's too late to order things on time in order to get them under the christmas tree by christmas. but don't panic. some stores are getting in on a new trend around the clock marathon shopping with their doors opened 24 hours a day. >> i think it's great for people like me last minute shoppersism it's the last minute dash only five more shopping days until christmas. >> here to help me 'cause i'm last minute. i'm december 24th shopper and i start at about 4:30 sometimes. >> it is so hectic in here. there's no where to move. it's shoppers everywhere. >> reporter: but if you've got to grab a toy for your tot or a sweater for your pops, coles and toys r us are taking holiday shopping to extreme. kohl's opened at 6:00 this morning for i wasn't hundred hour marathon opened 24 hours a day until 6:00 p.m. christmas eve perfect for those men in your life who might, well --

>> i do everything at the last minute, everything. >> reporter: and toys r us is getting in on the nonstop shopping game extending hours starting tomorrow from 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. on sunday they go around the clock and won't be closing until 9:00 p.m. christmas eve. >> one wants a phone. two want bikes. >> reporter: so if you haven't had a chance chance to run out and get those gifts from santa don't stress. >> it's not that crazy because everybody's insane at the same time so we all just are bumping into each other and we just go with the flow. >> reporter: you can fa-la-la into the stores into the wee hours of the night. >> especially if you can put the kid to sleep and then go, great for us. >> reporter: now i'm not going to say that the old stereotype runs true but most of the guys we talked to here today were the ones who were just starting their shopping so shirleen you might be okay but for brian, if he hasn't

done his happening yet and he wants to come in the middle of the night, the good news is you can avoid the crowds and potentially get a parking spot right up front. live at king of prussia, i'm wendy saltzman channel6 "action news." >> what makes you think i would have waited? >> you were right, wendy. >> i bought my gifts last night so i did wait. >> did you really? >> some of them. >> not so bad after all. >> turning now to the question thousands of procrastinators will want an answer before hitting the stores, what's the shopping forecast. meteorologist melissa magee is over at the big board with the answers to this all important question. >> yes, shirleen and for those procrastinators or those who just like to do it on saturday that happens to be the last saturday before we get into the holiday, well, temperatures aren't too bad, seasonably cold across much of the region. philadelphia coming in at 48 degrees. notice the temperatures across the great lakes and the midwest, you have high pressure over the northern great lakes so it's just 31 in chicago. that's where you are finding that cooler pocket of air moving through, saint louis

coming in at 38 degrees. we'll show you you satellite sa6 along with action radar. with ridge of high pressure over the great lakes the winds suppress the moisture across the southern states away from our region so this moisture travels well south and east of our region as we go throughout the rest of tonight and into the weekend. so the shows' forecast, we've got that covered for you and your weekend outlook showing you tomorrow on saturday limited sunshine, it will be chilly and calm. that temperature around 39 degrees and by sunday it's partly sunny and dry with a temperature of 42 and that's really not bad because average for us this time of the year is 43. we are tracking some changes up ahead next week. we are tracking wet and windy conditions, even arriving as we get into the day before christmas. those details with the accuweather forecast. shirleen. >> sounds good, thank you melissa. you can check out the shopping forecast before heading out for the day by downloading our 6abc storm tracker app. it gives you access to live radar, the hourly forecast and weather alerts posted for your area. it is free for your apple or

android device. >> while most families are making plans to spend the holidays together, one north philadelphia family is instead making funeral plans. 30-year-old byron scales died on monday just days before christmas and nearly three weeks after he was run down by a driver who never stopped. despite finding that car and surveillance video you see here, police have not yet found the killer of that man who was a deaf father of two. "action news" reporter david henry live now at the scene of the crash with an update on this investigation. david. >> reporter: yeah, brian as you say, byron scales was deaf and never heard the car coming as he crossed 59th street here. that was almost three weeks ago. he lingered on life support until he was declared brain dead earlier this week. this is the surveillance video of the accident obtained exclusively by "action news." it clearly shows a silver station wagon running down scales as he crossed 59th under the el on market.

the volvo station wagon was found on the 800 block of south cecil street two days later thanks to a tip call. residents of that block say they had never seen the car before it showed up the night of the accident. police sources say the car is owned by woman who also let's her son and daughter drive it. sources say they know who was driving it at the time but so far they haven't filed any charges. the car never even slowed down after it hit scales. right after the accident, witnesses immediately ran across the street to help him. seconds later, a police car with flashing lights pulls up. police say the officers in the patrol car had tried to stop the station wagon a couple of blocks away but they say it sped off. police say the officers disengaged and then witnessed the accident from a block away. when they arrived on the scene they put scales in the back of the patrol car and raced to the hospital. he had no id on him and wasn't identified until family members came forward a day later. they say byron was a father of two who struggled most of his

life because of his disability. he was declared brain dead on monday and was taken off life support. he died a short time later. byron's family says they would like to tell us more about him but they say the police told them not to talk to the media and they say they're just wondering why it has taken so long to file charges if the police know who was driving. live in west philadelphia, david henry, channel6 "action news. brian. >> david thank you. meanwhile school bus drivers to remember a young life cut short. she was struck and killed as she was about to board her school bus on wednesday. this morning drivers gathered near the crash site to decorate a christmas tree put up in her honor. charges have not been filed against the 18-year-old accused of striking zeka. >> rocky now has a new home

a-zoo. an ocean county judge ordered her to give up her 30-pound pet today. rocky has been at the center of an ongoing legal fight between fine and stafford township official. the feline who is a hybrid of a bobcat an main coon cat has escaped at least six times. in october fine pleaded guilty for letting her hairy houdini run at large. she was ordered to pay more than $1,000 in fines and restitution. >> family sized christmas meals were boxed up in camden today. member of the camden hispanic police officers society and the camden county police department spent more than $1,000 to buy all this food. turkey, potatoes, green beans stuffing and pies all of it going to families in need. the officers will deliver the meals to chosen families in the coming days. our lady of lourdes medical center in camden made the holidays a lot brighter for several families today. this was their annual share and care event. 82 adoptive families were given gifts and a special

holiday blessing right there in the chapel of that high school. this is the 24th year for that special gift giving event. >> the hustle and bustle at one local airport was less chaotic thanks to a trio of musicians. >> ♪ the bay atlantic symphony zaire maded travelers at the atlantic city airport today. people coming and going got to hear some beautiful classical music free of cost. >> man, they sound good. a little girl from glen mills got quite a surprise today right in here classroom. grab yell is a fourth grader at saint patrick's day thomas the apostle school. she was one of 10,000 archdiocesan students who wrote a letter to pope francis this year inviting him to come to philadelphia next year. she wrote about a passion she shares with the pope, animals and for that the philadelphia zoo brought along some of its

animal ambassadors there to give gabrielle and her classmates a thrill that they will not soon forget. >> very cool. and still to come from a personalized message from santa to hot drinks and magazines, stick around for an early christmas gift. your freebie. >> plus a bold beauty experiment. wait until you see what happens when one blogger challenged editors all around beautiful. >> and later it's being called the proposal to end all proposals. you won't believe how a former philly radio dj tricked his now fiancée to take a trip across the globe to get engaged. >> meteorologist melissa magee is back with that full accuweather forecast as "action news" at 4:00 continues. hi melissa. >> hey, guys. >> on a friday. we'll be right back.

>> ♪ >> investigators now say a woman in upstate new york who claimed a five-year-old boy had been abducted is the person who killed him.

police outside albany say the 19-year-old woman lied when she told them the boy was taken yesterday. they activated an amber alert after a 19-year-old said two men in masks took that child. overnight they found the body of young kenneth white and determined the woman made the whole thing up. police say the woman strangled that child before throwing his body in a culvert. she's now facing second degree murder charges. the woman's parents were the legal guardian of that boy. >> the united states formally blamed north korea today for the cyber attack against sony pictures. the fbi said it found similarities between the tools used in the sony hack and previous attacks linked to north korea. in the meantime, president barack obama said today he doesn't agree with sony's decision to shelf the film "the interview." it tells the story of a plan to assassinate north korea's leader. >> there were threats against its employees. i am sympathetic to the

concerns that they faced. having said all that, yes, i think they made a mistake. >> also today george clooney's accusing hollywood insiders of hanging sony out to dry. the mega star said he circulated a petition among industry's power players asking them to stand in solidarity with sony to release the film but he says no one would sign it. here at the big board with the big talkers a big trend. big demand for these people right here. they are masked, wigged and they're anonymous. their job a fair and honest appraisal of your appearance. fashion week celebrity parties and now countless holiday parties. people line up to get an assessment on a scale of one to 10 but you won't get less than an eight. it's all pretty positive and it's cleverly delivered. here's what they told one woman "your look is killing it today. the way i picture is you in lulu magazine floating an sea

of chiffon many are you a queen of awesome. that's a pretty good one to get. the bumby's anonymously boosting confidence one party at a time. i wonder what they really look like under there. now a global social experiment that's going viral. a plus sized beauty blogger named marie sent a makeup free picture of herself to 21 beauty editors all around the world asking them to make her "beautiful." she says she just assumed they would all airbrush away her extra weight but the results surprised even her. canada just gave her a new hairdo. jamaica gave her a dear tan. her favorite she says italy, they glammed her up with some heavy photo shopped makeup but only three of the 21 countries altered her weight at all. she says she hopes this will inspire women all over the world simply love their look. and finally to an engagement that plays like a hollywood production. this is justin xle man a former philly radio host and

his now fiancé diana bishop. they're such big fans of the amazing race that he staged a proposal that her believing she was on the amazing race online show. the adventure started at her school chichester middle school. they then followed clues to reading terminal market, to places in new jersey, in new york and in connecticut and finally to boston where they boarded a flight to ice this afternoon see the northern lights. he hired a cameraman off craigslist who drove them to 14 clues in six different states. the good news, she said yes, though he says his performance in the finale wasn't so smooth. >> i'm so nervous and i love you so much. >> how sweet are they. let me tell you. the moment here, he puts the ring on, she is so excited, they're kissing, they're plan ning to get married on

10/10/15. next year. it will be a destination wedding. you notice the after yo' was a little scratchy. he he said that was his big mistake with the camera. >> i think you can forgive him that. >> it was a cross country world trip. >> unreal. congrats to them. great to see that. let's get another check on the roads now. >> matt pelman in the "action news" traffic center. >> a lot of things to keep track of. we're keeping track of a number of things although i think he had the bigger challenge there but some of our things we're keeping track of includes delays here on 95. both directions by allegheny avenue this afternoon, like most afternoon we're backed up both ways here northbound side a 39 minute ride from the vine to woodhaven. that's not great but at least everything is opened. there are no accidents or anything. heading up towards that work sewn zone by cottman they'll be working a lot down to two lanes in each direction starting at 8 o'clock tonight and they'll close the ramp from the northbound side of 95 to cottman tonight until monday morning.

so i would probably try to avoid that area if i were you and it's a possible thing for you to do. out in collegeville couple accidents to avoid as well this afternoon. one along germantown pike at cross keys road by the superior credit union. we also have one along ashton felt erode at black rock road. a crash in chalfont road. in new jersey a crash on the turnpike northbound side by the service area vehicle ran off the road way. traffic is getting by. we still have the accident investigation in mount laurel closing church road. hainesport mount laurel road a possible alternate. crash along 70 at mount misery road a downed traffic signal here to avoid in williamstown at lake avenue. southbound side you can get by but watch out for emergency crews. brian and shirleen have a good weekend. >> you too, matt. thank you. >> meteorologist melissa magee accuweather 7-day forecast to find out just how good that weekend will be right after this. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> all right, we are joined by melissa magee who tells us that the week will be not that bad. >> not bad at all brian and shirleen if perhaps you need to do more shopping, brian. >> why do you always look at me. >> he did it yesterday. >> at least i did it. >> we're all very proud. like did you a big thing. we'll show you what's going on outside. the action cam was outside earlier today looking after city hall and the christmas tree there. we're definitely getting in the festive spirit and we definitely have seasonably cool air overhead for the rest of tonight. storm tracker 6 live double scan radar nice and quiet across much of the delaware and lehigh valleys. not tracking any precipitation today. but as we get into the day before christmas, wet changes are on the way. outside it's 41 in

philadelphia. the poconos 25. along the coast in beach haven 39 degrees, its upper 30's in trenton, 38 in reading and also into lancaster. winds coming in out of the northwest so it does make it feel like we have a wind chill factor and feels like 20 in the poconos, 33 degrees is the current wind chill number in philadelphia and it feels like 29 degrees outside in trenton. here's satellite 6 along with action radar. we have a partly cloudy sky across much of the midatlantic region. high pressure right now is over the northern great lakes so with this high in control the winds around that high are clockwise so it helps to suppress this moisture you see across the southern plain states well away from our region so we're looking pretty good for the rest of tonight and for that matter as we head into our weekend. here's the setup for you on s. it's -- saturday. cold with high pressure in control. high temperature tomorrow in philadelphia coming in at 39 degrees. this ridge of high pressure starts to lose its grip a little bit. on sunday it's partly sunny with light winds and a high temperature by then at 42 degrees. we'll fast forward however as

we get into the day on christmas eve because we are tracking the storm system coming out of texas. now the storm system will cut up to the west of our region which means we're picking up a lot of wet weather moving in in the form of rain so look for precipitation. we also have winds gusting at 40 miles per hour coming out of the south so a good soaking rain on the way with some gusty winds. it's not snow but it is the day before christmas so if you're traveling, if perhaps you're still doing some shopping this can definitely slow you down. also we're expecting snow to pick up on the backside for areas in the great lakes and the midwest. the call from accuweather for the rest of tonight, partly cloudy, seasonably cold dropping down to 29 in the city to 24 in the suburbs. the exclusive accuweather 7-day forecast showing you on saturday chilly limited sunshine high temperature up to 39. on sunday clouds and sun, a high temperature of 42. winter beginning as we get into 6:03 in the evening on sunday with the winter solstice with the sun's direct rays right over the tropic of capricorn. it will be one of the longest nights as we get into sunday.

on monday a high temperature of 46 degrees. afternoon and evening rain showers on the way. tuesday it's milder. we're up to 53 but that drizzle holds on and then on christmas eve we're tracking that storm system cutting up to our west so wet and windy by then, a lie temperature 58. the good news we're wind whipped for christmas day but looks like that moisture moves out, 46 and kwanzaa it's seasonable with a high temperature on friday up to 45 degrees so not a bad weekend. >> not too bad. >> thank you melissa. freebie friday. a holiday themed one coming up next. >> all right. >> ♪ the holiday season is here, which means it's time for the volkswagen sign-then-drive event. for practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a german-engineered volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta... and the 2015 motor trend car of the year all-new golf.

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>> ♪ >> time to safe with 6abc and 'tis the season for festive freebies. first the kids can get custom personalized free phone calls from santa claus from google from send a call from

santa.com. we'll show you how to do that. warm up with free hot chocolate at two events in olde city happening this saturday and then next saturday. the first ever olde city holiday music from 1 o'clock to 5 o'clock. eight cough if i shops are handing out there free hot chocolate. go to 6abc.com for that. for a fresh look for the new year and some inspiration or maybe a last minute stocking stuff for someone rewards gold is offering a free subscription to glamour magazine. if you're doing last minute shopping like brian, you can get some online free shipping deals. the deadline for retailers offering free shipping with no minimum on the amount of your order, you have until midnight tonight to do that on amazon.com. tomorrow night at target and then on the 21st at midnight that's your deadline for nordstrom. go to 6abc.com for all the details. brian not too late for you.

>> would you like -- was there a memo that went around today. >> we probably didn't hear that you got it done. >> got it done. >> that is it is for "action news" at 4:00 for brian taft, we're proud of you alicia vitarelli, adam joseph melissa magee, i'm shirleen allicott. brian and i will be back tonight for a full hour of "action news" at 10:00 on phl17. nothing against you. probably just your gender. >> just my gender. blame men. "action news" at 5:00 is coming up next and we might be back tonight if we're still speaking. [laughter]

>> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program. with jamie apody, meteorologist cecily tynan, with jamie apody, malpass. >> ♪ >> a camden county community is on high alert after a rash of break-ins in a little more than a week, seven homes have been hit. police there say they know drugs are driving criminals to burglarize these homes. friday night the big story on "action news" is the search for suspect who are targeting homes in search of valuables. >> this is happening in clementon new jersey and the burglars have hit homes in one area of that community.

"action news" reporter vern odom is live in clementon along the white horse pike with the full story. vernon. >> reporter: burglars have been on the rampage here in clementon. residents are angry but police believe they're now closing in on the culprits. >> my wedding ring. there's one more piece of my husband that i can't get back. >> reporter: she is a burglary victim who does not want her face shown. last saturday thieves broke into her clementon home despite a sophisticated alarm system. they came through her bedroom window during daylight hours and took her most valuable keepsakes. she feels violate. >> my bedroom was completely turned upside down. all the drawers were out. even the mattress was hanging off the bed. and a window was broken and i just was in shock. >> reporter: police say there have been at least seven residential break-ins in clementon in the last 10 days, all in this section of town