and students about the added security. >> this morning rain moved out, but now we're watching something else entirely move in. i've got your forecast. first at 4:00, a local family still reeling after that horrific church van crash in hyattsville this week. a mother loses her baby just days before she was expected to give birth. four other people were killed and 14 others injured including the woman's 6 and 9-year-old children. news 4's erika gonzalez just spoke to a family relative. p erika? >> they were on their way to church. he had his family onboard, his pregnant wife, 6-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son and in a moment's notice things change. >> she's the family's sister-in-law. sunday night's memories are very raw and she was able to share some of the details with me. everyone onboard the van were friends and most lived in the same building.

she says when she heard about the accident she never imagined the gravity of the situation. [ speaking spanish ] >> she tells me freddy has a badly burned arm and a broken leg. martha, his wife, two broken arms. she was pregnant and due to give birth this week, but she lost a baby. a boy she planned on naming isaiah. their daughter is in a coma, but 9-year-old freddy, jr., was released from the hospital with a broken arm and several bumps and scrapes. these families all rely very much on their faith, but this tragedy is definitely testing them. tonight at 5:00, you'll talk about her talk about the thing that has shaken her up the most. the one moment she's dreading. pat? chris? >> thank you, erika. d.c. staff and police are on alert after online threats to students on howard university's campus. the threats came after an anonymous website -- on an

anonymous website yesterday and right now the school is taking them very seriously. security is increased on campus and at area metro stations and the fbi is now joining the investigation. news 4's meagan fitzgerald is on the campus and she'll have reaction coming up in a few minutes. an army captain from maryland showed his courage in combat and today president obama presented him with the nation's highest military award. wendy rieger is in the newsroom and i can imagine there were tearful moments in that room today. >> can you imagine? it was awarded in gallantry in battle risking one's life. you're right, this was an incredibly emotional ceremony today. [ applause ] retired captain florent groberg tackled a suicide bomber who had tried to attack a high-ranking aflitary degati in anistan. the year was 2012. the bomber's vest detonated. it did kill four members of that

delegation and it seriously injured captain groberg. >> th truth is that da was the rst day of his life and that is the stark reality behi these medal of honor ceremonies. these actions were danded amid so of the most dreadfulz moments of war. on his very worst day he managed to summon his very best. >> reporter: captain groberg insisted that today's ceremony include tributes to those four americans who were kille that attack. ter called them thee heroes here. we'll tell y all about groberg's ties to our community. that's coming up on news 4 at 5:00. we're also tracking the news in beirut where suicide bombers set off two explosions and killed at least 37 people. isis claims one bomber detonated a motorcycle bomb in a neighborhood and when people came to help another bomber set

off his suicide vest. lebanese officials say one of the explosions killed a third bomber before he could detonate his vest. hundreds of people have been wounded, making it the deadliest attack in years in lebanon's capital. hazmat crews called to a house in a quiet silver spring neighborhood after mysterious chemicals were found inside. someone called last night after finding a relative dead on wynona court. during the death investigation police found chemicals similar to those used to set up a drug lab. one man who lives next door says his neighbor was a nice man and residents wondered about a large greenhouse in the backyard and all of the activity at the house. >> people were coming and going at all times and they were -- it was a little sketchy. i think everybody in the neighborhood kind of jokes that there was something going on over there. >> an autopsy will be done to determine how the man died. police don't suspect foul play and they're examining those

chemicals and investigating how they were used inside that home. turning to storm team 4, the rain has moved out, but don't get too comfortable. more changes are on the way. doug's in the storm center and what's next on this roller coaster we've been on? >> that's exactly what it is, chris. a roller coaster for sure and temperatures are going up after the rain from earlier this morning and behind this we get a lot cooler this evening and into the overnight hours and the wind starts to pick up and take a look at this frontal boundary and as it made its way through earlier and we saw rain first and that rain coming through the region. it was mostly out of here by around noon, 1:00 as it raced off toward the north. now we're watching the actual front move in and temperatures have gone up behind the rain and 76 in stanton and we're going to stay on the mild side and i would not even be surprised if temperatures went up over the next one to two hours before they come down. we're tracking the wind and it

will bring in much cooler numbers and e looking at weekend windchills and that's the kind of cold we're talking about. i've got the forecast for you in just a couple of minutes. >> thanks, doug. vandals have damaged another black lives matter and this time they hit arlington and someone vandalized the sign outside rock spring congressional church and cut out the black. church leaders took the sign down, but have ordered a new one. church officials think it happened some time between tuesday night and wednesday morning. police are looking into it and officials say they're not going to stop the church from taking a stand. first at 4:00, no bond for the two virginia men accused of flooding attacks on synagogues in black churches. authorities say the goal was to start a, quote, race war. today a richmond judge ruled ronald doyle and ronald cheney iii would pose a danger to the community if they were released on bond. the two were arrested sunday and charged with conspiracy after they tried to buy automatic

weapons and explosives from undercover fbi agents who were posing as gun dealers. now to a developing story in the district where a firefighter has been indicted on several charges including murder. this is all connected to a deadly crash where police say ryan thompson was racing another car and that second vehicle hit a third car along 16th street. that crash happened back in july and killed a young man from new jersey. witnesses say thompson's suv in the second car were traveling near 100 miles an hour before they collided. a laselaser-pointed pilot ak and how they helped zero in on a group with a blinding green laser. moment of impact. the house explosion and the frantic search for survivors. easing your winter woes. realtime information about where snowplows are in relation to your neighborhood. you're watching news 4 at 4:00.

and now your storm team 4 forecast. it's going to be a chilly one this evening if you plan on going out for a run. we did start out with rain today. i know it got better with the sunshine and now the wind is going to be taking over and not just for your evening, but for the next couple of days and that wind will impact your evening run and temperatures from the mid-60s to the low 60s and it's going to be brisk late and the temperature around will:00 around 60 to 61 degrees and look at the wind and not too bad across the area and they continue to increase and a few spots especially the higher tops of the mountains off to the west. so today breezy for friday, saturday, windy conditions in just a couple of minutes and doug will be back to show you just how high the winds will top

out this weekend and how cold it's going to be in a couple of days coming up over the next few. the faa says 20 aircraft flyiner cies across the u.s. were hit by lasers last night and the firstncident nvolved in news chopper from nbc affiliate and new york city. the pilot and reporte were trying to break news over brooklynhen a gen laser almost blinded them. as an nypd chopper wento investigate police said it was hit by a lase too. th chopper pots helped take two people into arrt. one man was identified ast g a wounding a district judge in austin, and that man showed up in court today on a completely different case. shimene is accused of kill someone in may. they match what was found friday

when the judge was shot. the fbi is investigating online threats made against howard university. the

here are some of the stories we're working on at 4:15. the frightening blast caught on camera. what investigators think may

have caused it. local leaders now taking a closer look at daily fantasy sports sites. officials in maryland announced a new plan to examine sites like fan duel and draftkings after they're shut down in other states. menacing and racially charged threats have put howard university on edge. an anonymous blogger threatened to harm people on campus toy and since this broke it has bn the top story on our news fitzgerald has been talking to students and police on campus. what are you hearing, meagan? >> reporter: chris, i can tell you the university is taking this very seriously after this threat was posted to a website call. posts there are anonymous, and it's also important to note that a lot of people post there to lure in the media and cause disruption, but nevertheless the university has increased patrols around and on campus and the fbi and mpd are actively investigating. many students found out about the threat from a school email,

techs messages or social media sites. the post references disgust at the of the why of missouri where students protested over racial inequality resulting in the president stepping down. the online rant then turned to howard university saying anyone left on campus after 10:00 will be first to go. the anonymous blogger also said being taken down by police would make him or her a hero. many students at howard are calling the post ridiculous. why do people have to take the time out of their day to act a mess and affect the students here. this is a good school and we just don't need that kind of -- just horrible. >> the university says that they are not going to penalize any student who decided not to go to class today. the fbi is encouraging anyone who might have information about this to contact them or mpd. i, myself, am a howard university alum, and i can tell you i've been contacted

throughout the day by a lot of alumni who are very concerned about this incident and it's a very popular conversation on social media. back to you. >> meagan fitzgerald. thanks, meagan. maryland is looking into the fantasy sports betting sites that have been shut down in new york and nevada. the comptroller wants to make sure he wants to make sure daily fantasy sports betting like fan duel or draft kings are operating legally in the state. he'll look at whether taxes are collected properly and whether consumers are being protected. three years ago maryland legalized games like these, but it was geared to small social groups and not the new industry created in recent months. comcast and nbc sports are invested in fan duel. we've been telling you about doug's winter storm forecast calling if more snow than usual and the drivers will navigate the worst of it. it's an interactive website any time we get more than two inches of snow. it allows you to track road conditions and where the plows

are in realtime. >> they'll find out where a truck is in relationship to their house and every five minutes they'll see what kind of progress that truck is making in terms of getting their street cleaned. >> we're putting a li website and when snow hits you'll know where to go for up-to-date information and if you want to know more about doug's outlook just search winter forecast on our app. in maryland the officials are excited about infrared pavement sensors that will help them determine air and pavement temperatures and moisture when they're out fighting winter's snow and they've added more of the larger trucks that carry twice as much salt and can plow for longer periods before having to stop to get gas. still, they're asking drivers to help them by taking public transportation during storms and by making sure vehicles are ready for the winter weather. and now your storm team 4 forecast. >> one thing we told you in the winter forecast is that the rest

of november is looking very, very warm. the exception is going to be this weekend, though. let's take a look. we have big changes coming in over the next 12 hours and really over the next six hours and beautiful right now. the sun is shining. blue skies out there and winds not too bad. winds out of the southwest at 13 miles per hour and southwest winds, any time we have that wind direction we're on the warmer side of things and temperatures have been very warm. look at the numbers. 69 fredericksburg and 75 in stanton, again, i would not be surprised if numbers went up a degree or two before they went down because we have a cold front moving our way and once it does the winds will start to kick in and a wind advisory is in effect not in our area and part of the shenandoah valley and gusts up to 50 miles an hour overnight tonight and it goes to show you even the rest of us will be seeing gusty winds and upwards of 30 to 40 miles per hour. storm team 4 radar all clear. the storm came through very quickly and it is now out of here and you can see the clearing skies. that's why we've aloud the

temperatures to warm. back to the west, though, here's the storm ask look at this swirl in the atmosphere and a very tightly wound storm and winds gusting 50 and 60 miles per hour and it is not a nice day around the great lakes, for sure, and we are still on the southwest wind here and tomorrow our winds shift and they actually shift tonight and a much different day tomorrow, tomorrow windy and chilly. dress warm. 50 degrees at 7:00 a.m. and rising to 57 by 1:00 any falling temperatures by late afternoon and 57 and sunny is nice, but 57 with a 30 mile an hour wind will feel like 37 degrees and we'll feel much cooler and what to wear tomorrow? we think it's the scarves and the coats, as well. you will not need the umbrellas and you will not need the umbrellas for a while and the coats is what we'll talk about over the next couple of days. >> under partly to mostly sunny skies during the day. high temperatures tomorrow, 57 and only 51 on saturday and windchills for some of you on saturday will not make it out of

the upper 30s so a very cold day on saturday. sunday a high of 57. 62 degrees on monday and veronica will have much more on how warm we'll get coming up at 4:45. right now we want to send you up to the great lakes and i just told you about the wind, and mike seidel from the weather channel has been up there all day. >> reporter: the gales of november are howling across a lot of the midwest today. here in chicago land we've had gusts close to 50 miles an hour out of o'hare international and because of that there have been flight cancellations and flight delays. so do check ahead with your carrier, but look what happens when you have an offshore wind. it blows on the water to the other side of the lake so on this side without an east wind we don't have white caps and there's the skyline and we had a lower stratus deck earlier this morning and we had light rain and drizzle. let me take you to the other side of the lake and the west shore of michigan and look at the waves here. this is the grand haven camera and you can see the lighthouses

along the pier there. 10 to 15 footers is the forecast. a storm warning and winds can gust over 60 miles an hour and we'll have beach e roegsz and significant impact on the dunes over there from muskegon all of the way down to benton harbor and the beautiful beach areas. in chicago, windy weather continues today, tonight and tomorrow and the sun is back out tomorrow. weekend, no problems. we're approaching thanksgiving and some more warm weather comes back and not quite record setting, though. mid-50s saturday, but look at the high on sunday up around 60 degrees. in the meantime, very windy here. in fact, all or part of 20 states this morning under a wind advisory or a high wind warning. i'm weather channel meteorologist mike seidel on the lake front in chicago. back to you. >> and for us our winds will be quite strong tomorrow afternoon. here's tomorrow at 3:00. 41 mile-an-hour wind gusts in gaith ursberg and 36 in leesburg, so we've got the wind and it's coming our way and the cold air moving right along with it. guys? >> thanks, doug. a rogue drone causes a scare

at a popular tourist attraction. >> and neighbors said it felt like an earthquake. what investigators are saying about the explosion that leveled a home and sent a fireball surging into the s

one man is dead and two people are in critical injured

after an explosion in new jersey. surveillance video captured an explosion and it was so powerful it flatten the house where it happened and damaged nearby homes, as well. 30 people in that area are now living in hotels. >> i went to sleep and woke up independent a nightmare. it's bad. we probably lost everything except each other. >> the mayor of elizabeth thinks the blast is gas related, but the gas company says there is no evidence of that. another drone made its way into restricted airspace and this one forced a popular tourist attraction to shut down. someone could have been seriously hurt when the drone ashed into the giant ferris wheel in seattle. they think it was trying to fly through the spikes and didn't quite make it. it crashed through a plastic patio table and police confiscated the drone last night, but are still looking for its owner. >> i can't figure out why somebody would fly a drone so close to other human beings. i don't get it.

>> fortunately, no one was hurt and there was no damage to the ferris wheel which did reopen a little while later. the clean up in akron, ohio, is under way after tuesday's deadly plane crash and new surveillance video captures the moment of impact. investigators believe the video could help them figure out what caused the jet to slam into an apartment building and then burst into flames. all nine people onboard died. the ntsb says fog could have been a factor in the crash. they recovered the black boxes and they'll be examined by investigators here in washington. e-cigs exploded on to the scene and now they're just exploding. the news 4 i-team investigates while the popular alternatives to cigarettes are not regulated. >> their viral video touched th. now a virginia couple struggle toing start a family gets the surpre of a lifetime on national tv. and while you may go to mcdonald's and see the menu change before your eyes, all depe

for the first time today we're hearing from the family who was hardest hit in that awful church van crash in hyattsville. a pregnant woman lost her unborn child and our erika gonzalez spoke to her sister-in-law. you can hear her emotional interview coming up at the top of the hour. and army captain florent groberg who grew up in bethesda is the latest recipient of the nation's highest military award.

president obama presented the medal of honor to groberg during an emotional white house ceremony this morning. groberg tackled a suicide bomber in 2012 saving many lives. he is the tenth living service member to get the medal of honor since the war in afghanistan started. now we'll turn to the presidential race. a lot of attention is shifting to marco rubio. some think he's too young and green and others see him as the best shot to beat hill cree clinton and now we're being looking at the stance on immigration which is far different from donald trump. >> reporter: he's charismatic, latino and third now in national republican polls. could 44-year-old marco rubio win the nomination? >> he's youthful so i think younger americans will identify with him. >> reporter: but rubio is in south carolina today on a touchy subject, immigration. >> criminals will be deported and people who were not here

long enough will be deported and we will enforce the immigration laws and we'll round up and deport 11 million people. front-runner donald trump are saying the opposite. >> they are going back. they're going back. they're going back. >> reporter: just two years ago rubio supported president obama's plan to let millions stay. today as ted cruz registered for the new hampshire primary he called for what rubio now wants, amnesty. if a republican party nominates a candidate who supports amnesty along with hillary clinton we will lose the general election. ben carson got hit with associated press reporting, a pittsburgh dentist convicted of insurance fraud, but not imprisoned after carson vouched for him. i will continue to stand by him said carson in a statement. that is what real friends do. a front-runner in the spotlight along with a strong challenger. >> reporter: immigration is still dividing the republican party and its presidential

contenders with trump, cruise other ands on one side, rubio, jeb bush and others on the other that these primaries are shaping up as a party referendum. i'm pete handelsman, nbc news, washington. not bad today at all because we started out with the rain across our area and now our temperatures are around the low to mid-60s across the area. get ready tomorrow this time. our temperatures will be some ten degrees lower and your headline weather along with the chill and cooler air moving in and windy days ahead and we'll talk more about the frost coming up and this upcoming weekend. here's a look at the temperatures by 11:00. 57 degrees, this time our change comes after midnight and before sunrise tomorrow. brisk conditions we're expecting. the wind stays up and the temperatures drop to the 40s to around 50 degrees and that will make for a very chilly start for the day tomorrow and wind intensity and there will be leaves blowing around and those winds are 30 to 35 miles an hour

and they will be higher for a time period also on saturday. i'll show you when in just a few minutes. a confrontation on the streets of baltimore turned into a deadly police-involved shooting. baltimore police say one of their officers shot and killed a man last night after he shot the officer in the leg. it allegedly all started when two officers approached the man and noticed he had a gun. the suspects fired at police and police fired back. the injured officer is a five-year veteran of the department and he was taken to the hospital and he's expected to recover. the second officer was not injured. a star football player died after falling out of a window at elon university. it happened in the ten-story dormitory of the school's chapel hill campus. dmitri was described as a talented young man with a bright future. he was a junior at that private school. some mormons are planning to leave the church this weekend over the church's new policy

over same-sex couples. the policy bans the children of same-sex couples from being baptized until they're 18. children of same-sex parents are also banned from other church blessings. according to a facebook page, dozens will be part of a public group resignation from the lds church this saturday. a local couple now in the national spotlight because of their exforts to start a family. hidy and matt cahill appeared on the meredith vieira show. the couple is from falls church and they've been trying to have kids, but they hit a roadblock when he gottes it testicular cancer and they dieded to adopt and used crowd funding to pay for it. they were still about $15,000 short of what they needed. >> what you are doing is so important. i, myself, am adopted so i know

how amazing it is to be adopted by a family, and on behalf of my family and the national adoption foundation, we would like to present to you $15,000. the local couple appeared as part of surprise week on meredith's show which airs afternoons at 1:00 here on nbc 4. >> kentucky fried chicken would like customers to enjoy bucket and sides without having to leave their home. it is testing out a home delivery service. right now it's only available in california. kfc customers there can get chicken, coleslaw and biscuits through the online delivery company door dash. the company hopes to expand to texas by the end of the year and no word yet on when they will come to our area. mcdonald's has come up with a way to get you to spend more money on the next have said. the chain is intalling smart digital menus at all of its

locations. for example, if it's cold outside the menu will highlight warm drinks and heartier meals. on hot days it will highlight salads and iced tea. the smart menus were recently tested in canada and customers who used them tended to spend more money. a blender that might be in your kitchen right now is being recalled, but in this case you don't need to send it back. the recall involves more than a million shark ninja blenders. the problem is when you remove the lid and invert the pitcher you can cut yourself on the loose blade. at least 50 people have been cut that way. there are new instructions that you can download to use the blender safely. search blender recall. we showed you the video earlier. a laser light shined at a news chopper. ahead, why federal officials say this crime could send you to prison for years. and this is going on live right now. what in the world of andy warhol

is shia labeouf up to? we're trying to explain his

temperatures into the 60s and a lot cooler. kids at the bus stop, they'll start out at 50 degrees and the upper 30s and low 40s and continued windy through the day and high of 57 and it will not feel that warm and even with the

sunshine. we'll see a lot of wind for sure and that is the big story as we move on through the next two to three days and it is going to be the wind and what to expect tomorrow, windy and chilly conditions and gusts of 30 miles per hour and even higher in some spots and a very cold evening. if you have plans on your friday evening, get ready to bundle up. guys, veronica has the seven-day forecast and the temperatures go right back up quick. >> all right. thanks, doug. here's hoping he got some bathroom breaks because shia labeouf is nearing the end of his latest stunt. the former child actor has spent two days holed up in a new york city theater watching all of his movies in reverse, chronological order. here is a live look inside the theater right now. is he awake? he looks like he's sleeping. >> he's watching 1998 movie "the christmas path," people are fascinated with this on social

media. i linked to it on my facebook page. one woman called the actor precious and another guy was celebrating the moment and said hey, just bought everybody in the theater some pizza, but it's going to come to an end very soon. the art project ends in two hours. stay awake. >> it looks like he does need a nap. the number of young women living at home with parents or relatives has climbed to the highest level since the 1940s. 36% of women between the ages of 18 to 34 live with parents or relatives last year and that's according to pugh research. the reasons for women living at home are different compared to 60 years ago. millennial women are putting off marriage and they face a higher living cost and increasing debt. e-cigarettes catching fire and exploding in people's mouths. the news 4 i team investigates what's

we're working several developing stories in the newsroom right now. an anonymous blogger threatened violence on people on howard university's campus. the group is taking these threats seriously increasing patrols by metro stops. we broke the story on the nbc washington app and coming up in 12 minutes news 4's meagan fitzgerald will have reaction from a campous edge. a virginia lawmaker is looking for better ways to treat

people with mental illness after his son died in the midst of a mental health crisis. what he found in one northern virginia program coming up in our next hour. a mother tells me her autistic son is missing a lot of school because the school system is not providing the necessary transportation to get him here to james madison middle school. we spoke to this mother in a hotel. she's in transition and without a home right now and also transportation. she's depending on the prince george's county school system to transport her autistic son to middle school. she was saying he needs a special needs bus with a bus aide and a limited number of students and she does not want him on a regular school bus. coming up at 5:00, the fallout between this mother and the prince george's county school system and the transportation her son is not getting. i'm tracee wilkins, news 4. the university of missouri has named the intern president

and he will lead until a permanent replacement is found. it has been a senior administrator who has retired and he's replacing tim wolfe who resigned monday after students led protests over how his administration handled racial complaints. those protests are also prompting changes at colleges all across the country. >> that's right. administrators at yale are vowing to take steps to improve diversity on that campus. it followed several protests at yale this week. some students complained of growing racial tension. in one incident a student of color claimed she was turned away from a frat party because it was, quote, for white girls only. >> this is going to bring a lot of things to the forefront that we've been needing to deal with in a long, long time. >> the presidents of the university are looking at them now and the students have been telling them to be proactive, but they haven't been paying attention. >> administrators say before thanksgiving they plan to outline several initiatives to help alleviate racial tension on campus.

and now your storm team 4 forecast. storm team 4 has two big things that we want to highlight and really focus on in our forecast. the first is the wind. we're seeing the winds really pick up. in fact, getting some reports now that there are some flight delays from d.c. all of the way up to new york because of the wind. the other thing we want to focus on, let you know what's coming, is a very cool air that's going to be moving in. take a look at this weekend. it starts on friday and that colder air that will be moving in. the average temperature, 62 and we're way below that for the weekend and then we'll see a warmer week coming up and a bit of a roller coaster ride we'll take and here ate driving forecast for friday. cold and windy each in the early part of the day and that wind sustains itself throughout the afternoon with gusts as high as 30 miles per hour and temperatures again on the chilly side and only about 57 degrees, and i doubt we see any wind restrictions on area bridges around here, but that could

change. so you always want to check back and make sure you download the nbc washington app. as far as impacts tomorrow it will have a low to moderate impact on the area because of the big change that's coming and because of the wind that we'll have to deal with and 8:00 a.m. temperature and it is going to be chilly and make sure that the kids have on their fleece, sweatshirts or nice, warmer jacket than what they've been wearing or a thin coat and we top out at 57 degrees and 58 degrees in fredericksburg. not a big spread across the area, but look at this. i think our high temperature will be hit at about 1:00, 2:00 and then the temperatures will start tumbling, heading back down by the afternoon hours and friday's wind speed, 25 to 30 miles per hour and we're calling it windy, yes, and by saturday morning those winds could be as high as 30, maybe 40 miles per hour and it is early saturday morning where that could change in terms of those wind restrictions. as far as friday night lights. just 46 degrees and pull out the

coats by tomorrow evening if you're going to be out certainly for this upcoming week and for a calmer wind around on continued and that's the day when you'll be able to do some raking and frosty start for early sunday morning and the temperatures will feel like they're 32 to 35 degrees across much of our area and you can see in the seven-day forecast the numbers close to 70 degrees this time. a man had to be placed in a coma after an electronic cigarette exploded in his face. it happened a couple of weeks ago in florida and now investigators across the country are reporting more and more emergency calls about fires and explosions triggered by e-cigarettes. tonight a report by scott macfarlane, despite safety concerns no government agency is regulating these products. >> reporter: life is normally so quiet in the mountains of western maryland until one day in late autumn, two years ago. >> all of a sudden it just blew

out. >> gina kisner and her husband were in the living room when she plugged the cigarette into the computer and it exploded coming within inches of the oxygen tank, her husband, a longtime smoker needed to breathe. >> it shot out of my computer, hit his bed and dropped right next to him and started a fire under his bed. >> what if it had hit that oxygen tank? >> we would have been dead. >> the house would have exploded. >> all of us would not have been here anymore. >> they're not alone. a report with the u.s. fire administration documents about 25 other fires or explosions triggered by electronic cigarette equipment in just the past five years. many of them while charging including a 3-year-old burned in utah after an e-cigarette exploded and ignited his car seat while riding in the family

car. an e-cigarette exploded in the user's mouth and he lost teeth and part of a tongue. a man walked into a restaurant with two e-cigarettes in his pocket. i put my keys in there and i'm walking in and i'm waiting to talk to the lady at the front desk and he said flames erupted. >> and then there were fireworks going off in my hands and he suffered second and third-degree burn on his legs. >> the incidents happened to people who were trying to modify their equipment or who used the wrong power source. before they even powered up their e-cigarette to use, the e-cigarette overpowered them. >> reporter: at this vape shop in northwest d.c. the owner warns customers. >> if you're not careful you can burn yourself if you use your device improperly. >> reporter: users are often tempted to use the coils or amp up the power. >> they want more sensation and they want to turn up the flavor so instead of having the device they try to modify the one they have and when they do that, you

know, sometimes it's not so successful. >> the federal report says so far incidents have been rare, but the e-cigarette industry says it takes these fires and explosions very seriously and it warns customers to use the proper batteries, chargers and to use instructions. the industry must regulate itself. the food and drug administration is working on safety regulations to govern e-cigarette manufacturing and usage, but it has not finalized them. >> i don't think they're being safety checked. >> reporter: those regulations are expected to focus on the health of e-cigarettes and not the fire risk which frustrates gina kisner who says she used the charger sold to her with the e-cigarette device, the correct charger. >> it must have been a scare. >> it scared the crap out of me. >> they found the e-cigarette battery she was using had been recalled because they could catch fire. scott macfarlane, news 4 i team. >> i think she said it all.

fire officials in d.c. and virginia have a lot of information they want to share with e-cigarette users in our area. you can find that and guidance from the e-cigarette industry on our nbc washington app. just click on investigations. laser attack on a news chopper. the eye in th

he made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. now a bracelet worn by a fallen

world war ii soldier has been returned to his family. robert hawkins died while fighting in germany 70 years ago. the engine went out on his plane and crasheded. he was 19 at the time. a german family found hawkins' bracelet and kept it for years. it was turned over to his brother, guy hawkins during a special ceremony on veterans day in illinois. it's a growing problem at airports across the country. laser pointers aimed at planes in flight. 20 different pilots were targeted last night alone. it's nbc's chris clackum reports, our new york affiliate tracked down who allegedly targeted them in mid-flight. >> reporter: the latest in the string of laser incidents happened 1500 feet above new york city, a bright green beam of light hit the helicopter, nearly blinding the chopper pilot. >> police moved in, arresting one man. >> right now we're getting hit

pretty good with a green laser. >> i copy you're getting hit with a green laser. >> reporter: it's a growing problem across the country especially at airports. the faa says already this year more than 5,000 laser strikes have been reported with more than 20 aircraft targeted wednesday night alone. many fear culprits don't understand the seriousness of pointing lasers at those flying overhead. >> we're talking about a helicopter here that weighs almost two tons. imagine that coming down on your house because the pilot's vision is impaired and even more serious is if it was a jetliner. making matters worse, the laser's beam gets larger in the distance. >> a lot of people don't understand this little light is a big deal, you know, four or five miles away. >> attention all aircraft. unauthorized laser movement. >> police are looking for who pointed lasers at three planes landing on dallas love field wednesday night. a federal crime punishable up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

chris clackum, nbc news. here are the stories developing right now tonight. heightened security at howard university as the fbi and police look into the threat against the campus. the university now saying students won't be penalized for not going to class. we're going to take you there live to get reaction. >> meanwhile, a young man accused of making online threats against students and faculty there is being held in jail. isis is claiming credit for killing 3,000 people injuring 180. lebanon is planning to make tomorrow a day of mourning, and the u.s. embassy tonight is strongly condemning the attacks and extending condolences to those affected. and a d.c. firefighter is out on bond after making his court appearance. ryan thompson charged in the death of a man in a crash this summer in which police allege that thompson and another driver

were racing. good evening, everybody. i'm jim handly a. >> and i'm wendy rieger. we'll get to them and your forecast in the next ten minutes. >> but we want to begin right now first off the top with a story you will see only on news 4. it's a new understanding of that horrible church van crash in maryland and the impact it had on one family. a family that had planned to welcome a new baby this week and had so much to be thankful for when they all piled into that van driven by their father. news 4's erika gonzalez is here with their story. >> two parents, two kids and a baby on the way. the entire family was in that van that was hit and caught in an explosion of flames sunday evening. only one of them is now out of the hospital.