nora, trump himself called this a shocker. what's the reaction there? >> reporter: oh, it's a stunner for sure, jim. now, we do know that governor christie had a secret meeting with donald trump in new york yesterday morning and then late yesterday afternoon he told just a handful of his staffers that he was getting on a plane and flying to texas to drop this political bombshell. >> i am proud to be here to endorse donald trump for president of united states. >> reporter: governor christie says he decided to endorse trump yesterday morning and offered his surprise backing at a news conference in texas. >> he is someone who is going the lead the republican party to victory in november over hillary clinton which is the single most important thing we can do. >> reporter: the reality tv star and businessman who has dominated the republican race for president was happy to accept his former rival's endorsement. >> this was an endorsement that really meant a lot. chris is an outstanding man. >> reporter: christie's endorsement comes despite swipes he took at trump before the governor dropped out of the race earlier this month. >> show time is over everybody.

we are not electing an entertainer in chief. show manship is fun but it's not the kind of leadership that will truly change america. >> reporter: clearly the governor has had a change of heart and just days before the all important super tuesday primary. >> what are you going get by giving such a critical endorsement at such a critical juncture in the campaign. >> reporter: there's speculation christie would want to be attorney general if trump were elected or perhaps run for vice president. >> chris called, we had this great relationship and i just said wow. >> reporter: christie endorsing trump is a political bombshell and we asked people for their reaction. >> not really a trump fan so i don't really have much to comment on. kind of lost respect for christie if that's what he's going to do. >> donald has the edge for the nomination so i think it's helpful to the governor to be a first mover on that. >> reporter: some believe this will pave the way for other mainstream republicans who have been luck reluctant to endorse trump. live in our new jersey news room, i'm nora muchanic,

channel6 "action news." jim. >> thank you nora. thousands of people have shared their opinions on the "action news" facebook page and we invite you to do so as well. go tlike the page and add your comments. police in new castle delaware are trying to track down three individuals who took to the area of west 11th street overnight and slashed the tires on at least 17 vehicles. "action news" reporter gray hall has that story. >> there's a cut right here. >> reporter: a flat tire is not the way you want to start your day. police say tire slashers targeted this new castle neighborhood early friday morning around 1:30. 17 cars were damaged. >> this was my father's house. he passed away and never had anything like this. >> reporter: charles bowen says he heard commotion outside his window before he could get outside he says group of teenagers slashed his girlfriend's car tire and the

tires of a nearby county police cruiser bowen called police and chased them off. >> i seen somebody's vehicle goes by getting up going after them but i hope they come around tonight 'cause i'll be out waiting for them. >> reporter: investigators believe at least three teens are responsible for the crime spree along west 11th and juniper streets. the victims are upset and hoping police will make a quick arrest. >> what's it going to do to you to get angry. something happens out here you have no control over. >> reporter: the flattened tires will cost thousands of dollars to repair. the crooks seem to be random. some cars will one or two flat tires, others had all four tires flattened. howard hewitt said all four tires on his truck and his wife's car were punctured. >> it's a shame, you know, that people going around doing stuff like this. >> reporter: this typically quiet neighborhood is now filled with angry residents, many struggling to find the money to pay for those damages done by careless teenagers. >> 1:30 in the morning where is their parents at.

>> reporter: tonight the search continues for those tire slashers. police tell me they were able to obtain that surveillance video from a nearby house but that video was too grainy. if you have any information you should call police. in new castle gray hall channel6 "action news." >> a multi car pileup tied up traffic on the schuylkill expressway today. the accident happened late this morning in the eastbound lanes in lower merion township. at least eight cars and a tractor-trailer were caught up in the wreck. one person was hurt but is expected to be okay. investigators still don't know what caused a destructive fire overnight in the germantown section of philadelphia. "action news" reporter vernon odom is live in the 200 block of chelten of a, the soon of the blaze and vernon. >> reporter: jim, the noise you hear behind me the fire department is right now returning here to chelten and pulaski to put out what is left of the fire from

overnight. it flared up just a few minutes ago. fire department is headed back. the fire scorched and gutted this building that will have to be raised. investigators brought in heavy equipment here, a crane an claw to help them in their quest to determine the cause. after midnight the sky over germantown near east false was illuminated by more than an hour as firefighters battled an intense restaurant blaze that appeared prime to spread all along the 200 block of chelten avenue. the fire department preventerred that and there were no known injuries. the house of jin restaurant was long closed for the night. employees long gone when it started. at dawn, the view from chopper6 revealed that no other buildings were today. other nearby merchants were relieved. >> okay, it's bad. it's gone. it's destroyed, you know. it's destroyed 'cause it was like a building yesterday with windows and everything. >> reporter: our cameras found the owner of the restaurant next door in the deli he also owns and operates

too upset to talk with "action news." dr. abdul bashir owns and operates a dental lab here on chelten. the sudden level of destruction and disruption stuns him. >> it was very big fire. could have burned the entire neighborhood. definitely it was a very bad fire. when i first came up, all the windows were busted out, burnt out. it was a very devastating fire. >> reporter: in late morning federal agents joined the local fire marshal searching for the cause of this fast moving fire that destroyed this landmark building. they sifted through the rubble all day and plan to return tomorrow to continue their investigation. jim, fire trucks back out here at this burned out restaurant because of a little flareup, some smoldering inside those ruins over there. the presence of atf does not automatically signal suspicion of possible foul play. they assist in lots of cases. fires of this type at longstanding businesses, this

one was 18 years old and the fire department back out here tonight to put off -- put out what is left over of the overnight fire here. live in germantown, i'm vernon odom, channel6 "action news." jim. >> all right, vernon. berks county authorities have released this sketch of a man wanted in an assault case. the teenaged victim gave this description of the suspect she says attacked her on the thun trail in kumry township. the incident happened at 10 o'clock tuesday morning. the 15-year-old girl told police the man came up from behind her then physically and sexually assaulted her. investigators say they caught a man in the act of trying to steal donations meant for the poor. police were staked out inside our lady of calvary church in northeast philadelphia. the church was recently burglarized so investigators spent two nights in the church waiting for the burglar to return. and that -- or the alleged burglar did in fact. police say william sides came back last night. they captured him after he

tried to pry open the collections box, that according to police. law men say the 28-year-old will be charged for two other burglaries. the state of new jersey can no longer borrow money to fix roads and bridges. governor chris christie's administration reached the borrowing limit in december when it issued more than $626 million in bonds. the state's transportation fund is quickly running out of money. to replenish it democrats want to raise the gas tax but governor christie says any tax hike would have to be offset by cuts elsewhere. a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers stood together at philadelphia city hall today to endorse a bill designed to create tens of thousands of new jobs but to do that an increase in the commercial real estate tax would be required. the proposal contains welcome news for those who live or work in the city, a decrease in the city wage tax. the legislation will be introduced when the statehouse

reconvenes next month. mayor kenney meeting the situation there today. coming up on "action news" tonight, new details about who shot the suspect ending a killing spree he in kansas yesterday. and a local player looking to make it on the phillies roster. ducis rodgers with that story. >> well, it was windy and cool here today with temperatures only in the low 40's but it's 20 degrees warmer across the plain states and that air arrives here over the weekend. i'll have all the details on what to expect in the accuweather 7-day forecast. >> those stories and much more when "action news" continues tonight.

>> ♪ >> five people including the gunman have been killed in a standoff in washington state. it happened in the rural community of bell fair. four people were shot inside a home. authorities say the gunman shot himself. we have learned much more about the gunman in last night's shooting spree in hesston, kansas. police had just served the suspect with a protection from abuse order 90 minutes before the shooting began. 38-year-old cedric ford worked at the excel industries lawnmower parts plant where he opened fire killing three people. 19 others were injured. the he also shot two people on his way to the plant. it turns out that the who ever who killed ford was the police chief doug schroder. the sheriff said if schroder hadn't killed ford it would have been much worse with two to 300 people still inside the building. last night's shooting means the small kansas town now joins a growing list of places synonymous with mass

shootings and as brian taff found out there are many asking what could have been done to stop gunman. >> yeah, that's right, jim. one of the men who witnessed that shooting last night appeared on "gma" today, jared trujillo saw the shots with his own two eyes and in the midst of the chaos he had the presence of mind pull a wounded coworker to safety but he admitted on television this morning that he wished he had been able to pull something else, a gun. trujillo said the rash of mass shootings around america has him rethinking what he would do in that situation and he's not alone. we met one group of men and women you see them here who also want to be prepared in the event that something like that happens and so they are taking part in an active shooter training class in chester county. >> if you are not willing to use force in the defense yourself or others, you should not be in here. >> reporter: i went to see

that class for myself. i got to speak with the people who say recent headlines have driven them to buy a gun and learn how to use it in a very specific way. tonight at 11:00 we'll take you inside that class and hear from these people, what they have to say is fascinating and they have taken a very serious and significant step in their own lives. >> we look forward to the report. thank you brian. the cost to the a tend three area colleges and universities is on the rise. the university of pennsylvania just approved a 3-pointer 9 percent increase for the 2016-2017 school year. tuition and fees will now cost $66,000. swarthmore college approved a plan last week to increase tuition and room and board by three and a half percent. that brings the total to $64,000 at swarthmore. villanova also plans to hike costs by three and a half percent. that would bring the total cost up attending villanova to $62,000. philadelphia mayor jim

kenney and former governor ed rendell welcomed center city's newest restaurant today. pj clark's will open its doors in late summer at the curtis center at sixth and walnut. the original pj clark's is a new york city icon. it opened in 1868 and drew celebrities like frank sinatra and jackie onassis. the philadelphia location will feature the very same decor.

>> they say every game is a crucial game. tomorrow they have some personnel issues. >> they've the got good news and bad news with the flyers. jake voracek will miss tomorrow's game against arizona with a lower body injury. on the flip side claude giroux is getting had thissier. flyers captain was back on the ice this morning. this is the first time he skated with teammates since taking a blow to the head friday night he's missed three straight games. his return would be a huge boost with the flyers just three points out of a wild card spot. it's and clear if giroux will be cleared to play. >> i don't know yet.

we have to put some thing together,. >> status really has not changed. he's day to day and we'll see -- see how he did again today and continue to make decisions day to day. >> wait and see. there are a lot of new faces on the phillies roster this year. jeff skversky introduces us to a local product who hopes to land a big role with the team. >> reporter: over the last year phillies traded a way both john papelbon and ken giles so who is going to be their new closer. how about a guy who grew up just across the bridge from citizens bank park rooting for the phillies and wears number 38 just like his favorite player from the 1993 team. >> i know what the fans are like. i'm one of them. >> reporter: haddon heights native and paul vi high school grad andrew bailey grew up a luge phillies fan. curt schilling was among his favorite players from the 1993 team along with nicky

morandini who is a phillies first base coach. it was a dream come true when he was able to tell his mom laurie he signed with the phillies there she was crying just because she could be around the grand kids a little bit more during the summertime so. >> reporter: and wear a phillies jersey he with bailey on it. >> of course. obviously she's a phillies fan. >> reporter: bailey is now trying to seay his career with his hometown team, a two time all-star in his first two seasons with oakland bailey has had a painful last few years because of shoulder injuriesly he's been limited to only 40 games the last three seasons combined. >> health has always been a concern with me and, you know, now that i'm healthy 100 percent with the shoulder i don't see why i can't get back to how i was earlier in my careerism bailey started his career as an all-star. and 2009al rookie of the year and now he's trying to close out his career in the back of the phillies bullpen. with the phillies in clearwater, jeff skversky,

channel6 "action news. >> good luck to him. the sixers host the wizards tonight. sixers have lost 10 their last 11 games. doug pederson and other eagles decision makers at the nfl scouting combine in indianapolis. it runs through monday. offensive line men and running backs were showcased. the eagles have neglected the o-line the last couple years. they know that needs to change. >> we were leading the league in offense line men draft fred i think 2000, 2013. >> taking a look at our current situation, there are some holes. but we're going to evaluate, continue to evaluate the guys on not only our roster but here this week. free agency's coming up so, you know, there's opportunity there to help improve that talent level. >> not about just drafting offensive line men you've got draft good good offensive line men. >> okay. cecily tynan with the accuweather forecast when we continue in just a moment.

>> weekend accuweather forecast, here's cecily tynan. >> and it is going to be a beautiful weekend and temperatures warming as we head through the week. storm tracker6 live double scan showing a dry conditions out there and we are live on sky6 taking a look at the center city skyline at dusk. the sun now setting at 5:49 and any clouds we had earlier today clearing out very nicely. we he did have a good amount of sunshine this afternoon but despite that, it was cold with highs only in the 40's and it was wind whipped. wind gusts in philadelphia 41 miles per hour, reading and trenton wind gusts in the upper 30's. wilmington 40. atlantic city 38 degrees and this created wind chills

generally below freezing but we are turning around the corner dramatically on sunday. future tracker showing by sunday we're looking at highs around 60 in philadelphia, 58 in allentown, 56 in millville in the afternoon so definitely going to feel like spring more than winter on sunday. but right now there's a chill in the air. 38 degrees in philadelphia. allentown and reading 33. atlantic city 36. trenton 35 and then you factor in the winds. wind chills right now are generally in the 20's. it feels like 11 in the poconos. if you're heading out this friday night you definitely do want to bundle up. satellite6 along with action radar showing temperatures will be falling a lot pretty quickly once the winds diminish later on tonight. part of the reason why we don't have any clouds. clouds can kind of act like an atmospheric blanket and help trap in the heat from the earth overnight but without the clouds temperatures will be dropping very quickly after midnight. overnight low 20 in the cooler suburbs, about 25 degrees for center city, so it is going to

be a chilly saturday morning but the afternoon not bad. our afternoon high 46 degrees. 47 is the average for this time of the year so seasonable, lots of sunshine. not as windy as today, tomorrow. all in all a pretty nice day for late february. if you like it warmer, though, you've got it on sunday. on sunday low pressure moves up to the north. what this does, it cuts off any arctic air well up over canada, it brings us a surge of warmth out of the southwest so our afternoon high up to about 62 degrees and looks like that warm air will be lasting right into next week. so, the exclusive accuweather seven-day forecast, looking great for the weekend. both days a tremendous amount of sunshine. tomorrow little bit on the chilly side but again the average high for this time of the year is 47 so going for a high of 46. close enough. on sunday, it will be a cool start to the morning. the morning low 34 degrees on sunday morning but the afternoon high with winds out of the southwest surging up to 62 degrees. and on monday a weak cold

front will move through. that will bring us a little bit more in the form of clouds, perhaps sprinkle or two, nothing more than that. moisture starved and still a mild day with a high of 62 and every day looks like tuesday's getting warmer and warmer. tuesday is our first day of march and it comes in like a lamb. partly sunny and still very mild with a high of 60 degrees. then on wednesday, another storm system will be moving in but this storm system like the last several will be tracking up to our west. so what that does, it puts us in the warm sector of the stormily we're not talking about any snow. this will be rain with perhaps even some gusty thunderstorms, a high of 55 degrees and that will open the door for that cooler air to arrive. thursday the high only 46 degrees, lots of clouds and friday 39 with a possibility of rain or even some snow on friday, so we've got something for everyone in the accuweather 7-day forecast and the weekend's really looking beautiful. >> thank you cecily.

they're celebrating at the philadelphia museum of art tonight because the museum has acquired an important private collection and the first painting from that collection is now on view. this is called road with trees painted in 1962 by edward hopper. it along with dozens of paintings by a number of other artists from the collection of chester county philanthropist the late daniel w. diettrick the third. abc's "world news tonight" with david muir is next on channel6. "action news" continues at 10:00 on phl17 with brian taff, sharrie williams, adam joseph and ducis rodgers. and please join us for "action news" at 11:00 here on channel6. for cecily tynan, ducis rodgers and the entire "action news" team, i'm jim gardner. we hope you'll join us for "action news" at 11:00. >> ♪

i do everything on the internet. but, it's kind of slow. my friends say i should get fios because it's the fastest. i just downloaded 600 photos in 60 seconds. that's seriously better. (husband) we're out of 2%! i wonder what else could be better around here? (husband) i heard that. switching to better internet is now easier than ever. only fios has the fastest internet available, with uploads up to 5x faster than cable. get 100 meg upload and download speeds. plus tv and phone for just $69.99 a month online with no annual contract. switch to better. switch to fios.

tonight, right here, the bombshell endorsement. the presidential race turning personal. the new attacks leveled tonight. rubio going after trump. and chris christie tonight, now saying it's time for president trump. breaking news, the motive in the deadly rampage. the video now discovered, and the notice the gunman got 90 minutes before the shootings. the new head line about the zika outbreak, and pregnant women in the u.s. the miscarriages as well. and the sudden explosion. the little girl grabbing her bag when a hoverboard ignites. the home catching