escaped!" yeah, you heard that right.... what happened at the cincinnati zoo this morning that caused two bears to walk out of their enclosure?! good evening everyone, i'm tricia macke. and i'm rob williams. we've been following this story all afternoon... for many families... it was anything but an ordinary trip to the zoo today... fox19 now's mike schell has been on this story from the start... he joins us live. mike... everything is calm now... but probably a scary scene at the time right? at first...no doubt about it tricia... you had dozens of

outside the main gate here...wondering what was going on inside and asking why they weren't allowed in. the bears got out of their containment area and caused quite a commotion among those who just wanted to visit the animals.. 1janelle "we wanted to come and enjoy a day at the zoo, we got here and said it was on lockdown, and animal got loose and we heard a polar bear so, kinda scary." 1austin "what do you think about a polar bear on the loose? run!" 1kevin "we were literally in the monkey house about to leave and the exit to the monkey house was closed off and a zoo employee came running in and said everyone there's a bear escaped which you're not expecting to hear." the biggest concern of course children who were on the zoo 2kevin "there were some little parents trying to assure them, you know, the bear's not going to get you." 2thayne "its a very big, but zoo director thane maynard says the 26-year-old companion found their way into a hallway tunnel

threat.. 1thayne "she never was escaped. she never was loose in the zoo. keepers and people were not in any danger." the zoo was on lockdown for a couple of hours which caused a log jam at the main gate.... 2nat "we're just making sure everything's taken care of, like i said and everything's fine, the animal's contained, everything's ok." 4thayne "its also important to the zoo that there not be some big sense of panic. the animal is not loose and was not loose." so, while the polar bear saga caused concern for some and a little exciting to others...it was a far cry from this.. nat jurrassic park 2janelle no, no jurrasic park. i'm going to have go home and watch it, for sure. austin: i watched jurrasic world. you did? i taped it. i liked it." and...many of the older kids like 7- year-old austin...thought this was great.. but it's important to note... the two bears gained access to an area that is more towards the inner sanctum of the

the general public... guys... mike... are zoo officials saying anything about how the bears were able to walk out of their exhibit?? thane maynard did say there was an open gate, so what they're looking into is whether one of the handlers inadvertantly left it open.. or if the bears opened it themselves. developing now animation developing now.... we're learning more about what exactly happened last night on the combs-hehl bridge that sent a car into the crash sparked operation that eventually ended with crews finding unable to recover it... or figure out who was in it. guaderamma has an update on the situation. intro: campbell county police say that due to high water levels and strong currents, the car that plunged into the ohio river here won't be removed from the water until sunday or monday. tonight we're also hearing from those scene they call

caller: "there was an accident of 275, right by the bridge in the river." into the bridge into the caller: "yeah, they went over the bridge." caller: "there's a major accident on 75, i mean 275, on the loop going over the bridge right over the edge. over the chaos on the bridge. witness that maroon car and gone." michael purvis tells fox 19 now he was in the middle of the pile-up yesterday afternoon that ultimately sent a car into the ohio river. he says it started as traffic backed- up by an earlier fender-bender. michael purvis witness "i noticed that the cars, in my rear-view mirror, were catching up pretty quick." purvis recalls a maroon car approaching quickly and frantically swerving. michael purvis witness "clipping that semi-truck and the car actually hit head-on into the side wall, that car hitting that tow truck had taken the steering out of that truck and shot him into the wall."

went over the bridge. "i kept thinking, that was the one vehicle i was looking for and it was gone." caller: "there was a big pile up and a red suv fell into the river. i watched it, it went over the bridge and into the river, i don't know how many people it had in it. it's been under the water for five minutes and i don't see anyone." tag: we also spoke to the man who says he was behind the wheel of that semi-truck, he says he's doing well but has been advised not to discuss details of the crash. robert guaderrama, fox19 now. as the recovery operation moves forward... we're gonna be getting new details throughout the week. you can stay updated with the fox19 now mobile app... we'll be posting all that new information as it comes in... right now animation right now we've got an update on a story you heard first on fox19 now... an aurora e-m-t

investigation... is behind bars. craig whitham is now listed in the dearborn county jail. he's charged with stealing more than 100-thousand dollars from the aurora emergency rescue team... while working as treasurer! police say he disappeared after he was confronted about the money. he's due in court tomorrow morning. a wyoming high school grad has now been sentenced to 15 years "hard labor" by the north korean government. 21-year old otto warmbier was detained earlier this year on a college trip... for committing a quote "hostile act" against the government. late last month, warmbier appeared in this emotional video released by north korean officials... where he apologized and confessed to trying to steal a propaganda banner. today governor john kasich called for his immediate release... calling his arrest quote "completely unjustified." last night, uc made the long trip to spokane, washington. tonight, xavier has a much shorter trip. jeremy rauch joins

the tournament plants you where they seed you. ride as a 2-seed. the x-men playing just five hours down the road in saint louis. a big sendoff for the musketeers just hours ago at cintas. jalen reynolds, hugging it out with the fans. edmond sumner, xavier's stud stopping for a selfie before it's just a 20-minute a one-hour flight expectations come and they like that. myles davis: "we're always used to being underdogs and trying to go get everybody else, but it's good now because we get to prove ourselves. we get to tell everybody we're just as good as all the elite teams out there. we're deserving of our two spot. we're just as good as anybody and we're proud about it." xavier plays weber state friday night around 9:20. our coverage in saint louis begins tomorrow at 6-30. did you guys here

obama tapped to be the next supreme court justice.. has a local connection. we'll tell you about that ahead. and remembering the life of the newport aquarium's oldest animal... steve... steve cam 4 you're watching fox19 now at 6:30 in high definition, sponsored by performance toyota: always home of the $24.99 oil change welcome back to fox19 now at six-

bogan was reported missing september... last seen with her downtown middletown. to be clear... they haven't found her... but they're following new leads and searching a field right here on cincinnati-dayton road for evidence. if you have any information... call police. two northern kentucky residents were honored by the state today for their work in battling the heroin epidemic. this was the scene at the radisson hotel in covington this morning... as holly and eric specht were given the civic leadership award. the two founded "n-k-y hates heroin" after they lost their son to an overdose. the group helps addicts and their families with recovery. you decide 2016 animation

you decide 20-16... it's down to three for the rest of the republican primaries... and now the focus turns to arizona and utah. but now voters in salt lake city won't get the chance to see the candidates debate the issues! today fox news decided to cancel the debate that was scheduled for monday. the reason... this man! donald trump said he wasn't going... and shortly after that announcement, governor kasich also decided to skip. instead the two will host their own events that same night. rob roof cam enjoy this beautiful weather... because it's gonna feel like winter again... we'll tell you it's gonna feel like winter again... we'll tell you when... next. president obama has followed president obama

for a limited time, you can get a great deal on this passat. wow, it looks really good... volkswagen believes safety is very important... so all eleven models come standard with an intelligent crash response system... hmm. ...seven stability-enhancing systems... hmmm... ...and equipment for two child seats. hmmm... for those who take safety seriously. like we do. the volkswagen safety in numbers event... is happening\ now! get a $1,250 volkswagen reward card and 0% apr on new 2016

supreme court justice.... after the announcement... backlash. candidates to many in washington say they're ready to start a political

judge merrick garland, u.s. supreme court nominee ""thank you, mr. president. this is the greatest honor of my life. " president obama has nominated merrick garland to fill late justice antonin scalia's vacant seat on the supreme court. judge merrick garland, u.s. supreme court nominee "fidelity to the constitution and the law has been the cornerstone of my professional life.." but the senate may hold up garland's confirmation -- senate republicans have vowed to block any nomination made by the president... claiming obama's successor should be allowed to choose the next supreme court justice. sen. mitch mcconnell, r majority leader "it is the senate's constitutional right to act as a check on a president and withhold its consent." republican presidential front-runner donald trump agrees... voice of: donald trump, r presidential candidate "i think the next president should make the pick." while democratic front-runner hillary clinton believes the senate has an obligation to ensure a qualified candidate is confirmed: "...that obligation does not depend on the party affiliation of a sitting president,

an exception to that duty in an election year." president obama addressed detractors in his nomination announcement. "i have fulfilled my constitutional duty. now it's time for the senate to do theirs. presidents do not stop working in the final year of their term, neither should a senator." since scalia's death, the court has been operating with 8 justices -- four appointed by democrats, four by republicans. garland's nomination -- if confirmed -- would shift the balance of the court's ideological leaning for the first time in decades. you might not know... merrick garland actually has ties to the current president of n-k-u geoffrey mearns. back in 1997, mearns was on a team of prosecutors in the second oklahoma city bombing trial for terry nichols. today we caught up with him to talk about how the two met, and what he thought when he heard the news this morning. "he was in a senior leadership team in the united states

principal leaison between the attorney general of the united states, janet reno, and the trial team that was working out in denver." butted to "he is somebody who is thoughtful, very intelligent, well prepared he is on an interpersonal level, a modest softspoken and humble person." in his time as prosecutor, garland also worked on the unabomber trial. as many in the south continue to deal with severe flooding like this in deweyville texas... a local organization is now stepping in to help. today volunteers at matthew 25 ministries packed up their gear... and began their trip down to louisiana where they will help residents near shreveport. after that... they'll be going to other cities around the area. some sad news to report tonight.... the newport aquarium has lost its oldest and most iconic animal. you're looking at thunder, the alligator snapping turtle that passed

150! she was discovered in a louisiana seafood market in the late 90's and rescued because of her size. after that, the aquarium took her in when they opened in 1999... and she's been there ever since. for some quick math... thunder was born in 1866! so thankfully she had a good long life. steve weather the gusty winds will settle down this evening and

for 10 o'clock. district facing allegations of discrimination... we'll detail that tonight at 10. your safety when you go for a jog by yourself? introduce you to the "booby trap bra." renting vacation homes just added steep new fees! we'll show you a

tonight on fox, check out new episodes of rosewood at 8, followed by hell's kitchen at 9... then we're right back here at 10. just now, we have video into the newsroom of new cath at the state tournament. let's check in with jeremy rauch... how'd the breds do? jer cam 4 new cath trailed by 9 early, wait until you see what they did next. sweet 16 highlights up next. sot "sports animation" myles davis: "hopefully we can get a good group of xavier fans to come out and support

amazing. everybody can get the experience of finally having a game that's close for xavier fans to go to." jer hplaz gfx last year in the tournament, xavier flew down to jacksonville, came home for a minute, then flew to l-a. lot of blue this weekend at the scott-trade just five hours away from the nati. let's go to rupp... louisville trinity in the sweet 16 -trinity came out on fire, opened up an 11-2 lead on ncc in the first quarter -the breds

gets 2 of his 19 points. also had 13 boards. -then it's austin neff driving lane and dishing out to of his 13 points. new cath went on a 28-2 run after trailing early to win it 48-33, they face murray on friday jer hplaz gfx note on the bengals, pat sims re-signs on a two-year deal. when we go off air, the news doesn't stop. here's a look at what's trending now... to see. home reunites with her 13-year old dog... and the whole thing is caught on camera. out of canada escape via helicopter! and of course... we can't forget about the polar bears! twitter has been blowing up with comments about berit and little even creating

apparently he was heading to skyline, eli's barbeque... you name it! recap of all the front page of fox19 now dot com... we will see you tonight at ten.... tricia 4shot don't forget wheel of fortune and jeopardy are

from sony pictures studios, it's america's game. wheel... of... fortune! ladies and gentlemen, here are the stars of our show, pat sajak and vanna white. that would be she and me. hello! thank you, jim. thank you, everybody. appreciate that. you have a wonderful show. get all the letters right. hi. good to see you all. well, let's do it. we're here. might as well win some money. $1,000