burkett is live at the hospital now. n.j.? >> reporter: diana, as you know, being a new york city firefighter is dangerous enough without getting shot at. but that is exactly what happened here on staten island this morning. well tonight, i'm told the lieutenant is upbeat and recovering well after what could have been truly tragic. mayor de blasio and the city's fire commissioner visited the lieutenant's bedside this afternoon. officials say the bullet struck james hayes in his hip and just above his ankle. but missed his bones and vital arteries. >> very, very impressive guy. cool, calm, collected. making light of his injuries. thank god, thank god his injuries were as limited as they are. >> reporter: the lieutenant was shot while leading his engine company into a home in mariner's harbor where federal marshals has arrived to arrest garland tyree for a parole operation when smoke billowed from the home, they called firefighters to pull it out. >> there was no evidence that he was armed. there was evidence that there was a he

burkett is live in bethpage n.j. >> reporter: outside the crash scene you can see they are working to repair damaged crossing gates and damaged track. the goal tonight is to have a morning. but this crash was devastating. service has been suspended all tonight. the pilot was killed in the flaming wreckage of his single- engine plane moments after investigators say he tried to make an emergency landing on south oyster bay road. instead, the plane missed the street and crashed in the middle of the main line of the long island railroad. but the desperate maneuver saved his passenger pulled to safety by an eyewitness to the crash. >> my coworker saw a plane -- the plane upside down. he said that plane is going down. at that point he ran out. he said call 911. by the time i got out here, i saw him pulling out the passenger. >> according to the faa, the plane was a four seater beach craft be 35. according to flight aware, registered to a charter pilot in westhampton beach, long island. >> the plane left the airport in suffolk county en route to morristown and reported to farmingdale airport

burkett has their story. >> reporter: national grid says two-and-a-half years is long enough. homeowners who have not disconnected and reconnected their natural gas service out here will be charged for it. you can't elevate your house without doing that. and tonight, critics say the utility is kicking homeowners while they are down. >> it is going to go over here. >> reporter: frustrated he told his wife to write the check. a check for $2,300. >> i wrote the check because we had no choice. >> reporter: no choice because their utility company national grid refused to reconnect their natural gas service without it. >> we shouldn't have to go to any more horror. we did it with sandy and i feel like they are making us relive all these things. >> reporter: after the superstorm, national grid waived disconnection and reconnection fees for struggling homeowners. but, this summer, quietly reinstated those fees. ms. willy says it is adding insult to injury. >> all the people here, it is long. from new york rising. >> reporter: it will affect hundreds, perhaps thousands of homeowners wh

burkett, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> n.j., thank you. >>> a developing story now. we are learning more about the suspect from the weekend train attack in europe. french prosecutors say that he watched the jihad di video that encouraged violent acts before boarding the train. he apparently viewed it on you tube from his phone found by investigators on the train. after pulling a machine gun in a passenger car, train riders including three americans hailed as heros tackled the suspect. >>> a rash of attacks on subway motor men in new york. the mta says three subway train operators were attacked saturday night. in the first attack, a rider punched a motorman in the face. less than a hour later a rider was assaulted with a bear can. then a rider spat in the face of a motorman at the court square station. no arrests have been made in any of the incidents at this time. >>> new at noon, as city bike ex pants in new york city, the number of stolen bikes are going up. 476 of the blue rental bikes have been stolen so far this year up from 300 in all of 2014. that is an increa

in beth page, nj burkett, channel 7 eye witness news. >>> another prisoner escaped police custody in east harlem. police say officers arrested austin stevenson on trespassing charges. they were escorting stevenson in handcuffs to the station house when police say he shoved an officer and ran away. stevenson is the third prisoner to escape from officers in upper manhattan since june 23rd. the other suspects were eventually caught by police. >>> dozens of yellow cab drivers took their anger against uber to the street. an alliance of workers protested their decision to abandon the plan to limit the size of the fleets of new car service companies. companies like uber take businesses from traditional taxis. it gives them the exclusive rights to pick up street hails in exchange for following set safety and rules. >> yellow cab driver, rain, shine or snow, we're there in the streets. the mayor's office says the city is studying the impact of for hire vehicles on traffic and the rights of passengers as well as drivers. >>> a cruise ship on its way to new york has abandoned the search for a m

burkett, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you. >>> new at noon, a robbery suspect that escaped from police in newark is back behind bars. officers arrested michael majet at his home this morning. he was arrested yesterday on robbery and weapons charges. he told officers he was injured and was taken to the hospital for examination. that's where officials say he got away from officers guarding him. >>> in new jersey, police need the public's help identifying two people wanted for robbery. surveillance video shows them taking a woman's pocketbook at the food town supermarket august 20th. the woman's credit cards were used shortly afterwards. investigators know the two women were driving a large black s.u.v. >>> a young firefighter in new jersey is free on bail after being charged with calling in more than a dozen false alarms himself. 18-year-old justin tran joined the volunteer unit this summer. investigators say the fake calls began last month. as for a motive -- >> when he was interviewed by our detectives, he said he was looking to -- he was a probationary fireman, new to the depar

burkett is in nassau county with the story. m.j.. >> reporter: that's right. in long beach long island the new er opened at 9:00 this morning and in the first hour they had their first patients. patients who would have had to travel up to 20 minutes to get to the nearest trauma center. this has been going on here for 3 years. people were worried about it. whether you were on the beach or the board walk, having a medical emergency in long beach is something people here really worried about. no, they are not so worried anymore. the emergency room is being staffed 24/7, operated by south nassau community community hospital on ocean side. it's a distance away. the new er replaces the older er damaged in the super storm sandy. one of the er's first patient today was a woman with dizziness, happy to know she didn't have to drive dozens of smiles. >> you're feeling better? >> very better since being here. a lot of nice doctors and nurses as well. >> we start ed with an urgent care center and one year later it's a full service emergency department that can receive amb

burkett joins us now with new information and new video in the case that was just released today. >> reporter: diana, two speeding cars, one horrific crash. prosecutors revealed today that two drivers were apparently racing one another when one of them plowed into the back of another motorist, one of several new allegations in this high-profile case. prosecutors say this man was the linchpin, 25-year-old shian richards who admitted driving up to speeds of 95 miles per hour. investigators say he did not cause the fiery crash on the southern state parkway but when he blew past his friend, oneil sharpe, prosecutors say sharpe stepped on the gas to try to catch him. >> i guess oneil sharpe figured let me catch up to this guy because i have the bmw, same year as his. we will have fun. they are weaving, cutting in and out of traffic. >> reporter: the result was horrific. investigators say sharpe's car slammed into the victim's car at 75 -- 75 miles per hour. the crash killed 37-year-old ancio ostane along with his son andy and daughter sephora. sharpe and his cousin, who was his passenger,

burkett has more from suffolk county. >> reporter: that's right, dave, suffolk police headquarters, jap hank where police -- yaphank where police will take questions this afternoon. he expected to get arrested. he knew he would get arrested and he was arrested. why? because he posted a video on you tube showing people how to disable red light traffic cameras. all at this time takes, dave, he says is a long extension pole and guts although he used a different word, slightly different word than guts. nonetheless, he says traffic cameras are a problem because they are a standard for right turns on red lights is too strict. he is sick and tired of getting $80 tickets because he doesn't stop long enough before making a right turn. he said nudging the camera to point it in the sky was an act of civil disobedience and he insists that the county needs to make changes. >> you approach the intersection, look left to make sure you are clear, make your right and you get a ticket. i can understand if you blow a red light you should get a sitting. but a right on red after making a full stop and you r

burkett, channel 7, eyewitness news. >>> there's still much more ahead including major train woes. why there's so many problems. >> eyewitness news at 6:00 starts right now. >>> this is new york's number 1 news, channel 7 eyewitness news with bill ritter and liz cho, rob powers with sports and lee goldberg with the exclusive accuweather forecast. now eyewitness news at 6:00. >>> it was definitely the most intense fire i've ever seen in my life. >> new at 6:00, he rushed into a burning home to save a neighbor's life. tonight we hear from this local hero. >> two more deaths from city. the mayor now insisting the worse of the worse legionnaires out break in city history is now behind us. >> a warning about new jersey transit. as bad as delays have been it could get worse if a new tunnel under the hudson isn't added. >>> good evening. i'm bill ritter. >>> a blent warn -- a blunt warning coming from am e -- from amtrack. a huge push for a second tunnel to double the number of available tracks. anthony johnson is in newark [000:59:58;00]

burkett is at the scene with the latest for us. >> reporter: as you can see, the scaffolding is up and huge steel beams are being put in place. inspectors are hoping that that will be building from toppling over. until they know for sure, it's all locked down which is bad news for people here who want to get on with their lives. more than 24 hours after the crash, workers are still struggling to stabilize the building where the skidmarks tell the story. the bus slammed head long into the building in a blast of bricks, glass and dust. neighbors and bystanders joined firefighters to guide the stunned passengers to safety. the wreckage. >> i saw the driver covered with bricks up to his neck. >> reporter: george was the first bystander to reach the driver. >> with that pressure, i breathe. but he opened his eyes. when i asked him, he did that a few times. he was going in and out, in and out. >> reporter: investigators say the driver lost control after he was cut off by another motorist. this woman watched it happen. >> he tried to avoid it at all costs. it was not his fault at all. >> repo

burkett is there. >> reporter: outside the athletic field, the football field where the boy collapsed shortly after practice. that was five days ago, and yes, as you said, tonight, he remains in critical condition. when he was carried off the field, liz, his body temperature was 108 degrees. that's 10 degrees, of course, above normal. he had a potential relief threatening case -- potentially life threatening case of heatstroke. he came off the field telling well. heatstroke. he was rushed to university medical center in stoney brook where his doctors struggled to keep him alive. he has suffered can i seeny and liver -- kidney and liver failure. doctors say his condition has not worsened in the past several hours, and he is now expected to recover. here is what the head of his medical team hold me just this afternoon. >> as of right now, his liver appears to be improving. his kidneys are being supported by dialysis that we provide burnout going to know for days or even weeks whether his kidneys will ever come back. >> reporter: nicholas' family released a statement earlier this week th

burkett has the story in ronkonkoma. >> reporter: ocean avenue at the south service road in ronkonkoma, one of two intersections where the red why? because stephen ruth took a long pole and took matters into his own hands. >> it's abusive. it has to stop. >> reporter: stephen ruth said he fully expected to get arrested. >> i will show you how easy it is to take the power back. >> reporter: especially after he posted this video on you tube showing people how to disable suffolk county's red light cameras, by pointing them in the clouds. >> take your extension rod, place it under the camera and you point it out. >> reporter: ruth admits to disabling two cameras on the expressway service road in ronkonkoma, cameras that should have been recording this, instead recording this. ruth says he is fed up with getting tickets for what he claims are legal right hand turns. >> you look left to make sure that you are clear, make your right and you still get a ticket after making a stop. i can understand if you blow a red light you should get a ticket. but when you make a right on red after making a

burkett in riverhead with much more on this story. n.j. >> reporter: of course, dave, we hear of young athletes suffering hearts a-- heart on tacks on the athletic field -- heart attacks on the athletic field but heat strokes are not common of young people. it is a result of dehydration and warning the body's classic warning signs that the body is red lining. the field was -- carried into an ambulance with a potentially life threatening case of heat stroke. nicholas had a body temperature of 108 degrees, 10 degrees above normal. he has been hospitalized in the intensive care unit at university medical center in stony brook where doctors have struggled to keep him alive. this is the head of team. >> as of right now his liver appears to be improving, his kidneys being supported by dialysis that we provide, but we are not going to know for days or even weeks whether his kidneys will ever come back. >> reporter: experts say nicholas' case of heat stroke was caused by extremely hot temperatures and dehydration. james pacey is the team phys

burkett, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thank you n.j. >>> a spokesperson confirms mayor de blasio went to the gym in park slope 80 minutes before he visited the wounded firefighter. the mayor spoke to the fire commissioner half a dozen times on the phone while at the gym and had been reawe assured the injuries were not life threatening and likely to be minor. the mayor was asked about why he wasn't at the hospital sooner and was not happy about it. >> we are briefing you all on a very serious situation and that is not a serious question. >> the president of the sergeant's benevolent association said if true, i'm yorkers as to the lack of leadership from city hall. >>> right now, we are following breaking news in new jersey. delays are up to eight miles southbound after a vehicle hit a fire hydrant. the water flooded the road and one lane remains closed right now. >>> and some scary manhole explosions in manhattan causing big time traffic delays. news copter 7 was just over the mess at hell's kitchen where one lane is closed at 46th to 44th street. the roadwork is backing traffic up to

burkett is there in times square live for us with more. n.j. >> reporter: that's right, diana, the classic movie line, there are 8 million stories in the naked city, well, this is one of them, bare breasted women in times square. as you know, times square was not always a family friendly place, but it is now and critics say that's the problem. everyday occurrence in new york city? >> yeah. >> reporter: for first time tourists it's a shock. topless women working the crowds in times square, posing for pictures and walking away with a fist full of dollar bills. torrez, who speaks only spanish told us it's fine because her breasts are painted. [ speaking foreign language ] >> a naked woman showing her body painted, i don't see anything wrong with it. i consider myself a decent woman. for this, you shouldn't judge me. >> reporter: it's not illegal for women to go topless in new york city, but times square has become a major attraction for families. many with young children. >> look around now. look how many people are here with kids including m

virtues schools of thought -- with two schools of thought they don't work perfectly the financial burkett shows to pay attention to the one that was convenient the politicians chose for the ones that were compensated. that brings us back to why it is so important because it was setting the rules to allow them to do the stains with the enormous effect is the biggest economic event of 75 years. and you can separate that that allows this to occur and that intellectual doctor in. >> now we are out of the crash moment where the question is not financial stability but just to be shed and growth and there is also a and economic debate whether or not in a quality is acceptable under the rubric of what is supposed to matter openly witches gdp growth and finally i think of it of a shift to understand the relationship that we cannot have these levels of inequality of the growth that we want to. can you talk about that evolution? now is is the inhibitor not just the natural outcome of positive growth? >> this is one of the major shifts of our understanding of economics. a used to be thought there was

burkett, channel 7, eyewitness news. >> thank you. our coverage continues right no -- right now with a look at traffic. let's check in with shannon stone. >> reporter: this is going to be a prolonged operation. you can see the fire department activity right there on 63rd avenue. the top of your screen is wood haven boulevard. you need to know that's 63rd avenue will be shut down between wood haven boulevard itself and carlton street. here's where the big problem lies, if you look up and down wood haven boulevard it's a traffic nightmare. we will take you first to show you where the closure is in place. it is on the northbound side retaining here with the intersection of 63rd drive. this has been in place for the duration and we're expecting at least this closure to last through the rush hours. these delays take you back towards saint jones avenue. you can see the traffic going in the other direction. that's changed in the last hour. they did have the southbound side of wood haven boulevard completely shut down by dry harbor road. they

burkett in the newsroom with the details. >> reporter: driver fatigue, victims that didn't wear seat belts and botched emergency response. those are the troubling re -- findings of the safety board investigation. it begins with the crash itself. the trucker was awake for 28 straight hours. according to the ntsb's reconstruction, was barreling into a construction zone at 65 miles per hour. he jammed on the brakes less than two vehicles before impact and the five back seat passengers were tossed like rag dolls. tracy morgan and his entourage were not wearing seat belts. james mcnair was killed in the crash. what is more, the volunteer first responders from heights town, new jersey, took 19 minutes to reach the scene and because of the severity of the crash, it took another 37 minutes to get the victims out. >> as they got them out they didn't have enough basic life support units on scene. that delayed the further delivery to the hospital. >> the fact that during the response to this crash emergency medical personnel moved injured individuals who were not appropriately i am mobilized is

burkett is at the scene. >> reporter: outside the crash scene here in rego park where the fdny just conducted a news briefing. the news somewhat better. six injured, not seven as first reported. one of those injured was actually inside the building. amazingly nobody on the street was injured. i say amazingly because witnesses are telling us that this all happened in an instant. the impact was severe. the bus slammed head long into the side of the building. blood and bricks everywhere and a blast of bricks, glass and dust. firefighters took no chances with any of the injured though, strapping them onto sketchers and rushing them to area hospitals. none of the gyrocopters are life-threatening. it was a casino bus taking passengers to and from the gaming sites in queens. nypd investigators are on the scene. how it happened not yet clear. the driver may be the most seriously injured of them all. the buildings department is also here as you would expect because it's not clear whether the building is structurally sound. >> five people on board the bus, one person in the house were taken to the hosp

burkett is live with information. >> reporter: we all know the residents and police have exactly is tame goal. safe streets but of course in so in neighborhoods in the city, there's mutual mistrust. well, tonight officers here are working to change that. dancing with cops. laughing with cops. even dunking the cops. it's the people of the northern bronx and the officers who protect them could have this much fun every day. they wouldn't need the 47th precinct. but the fact is, it's in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city. crime is high and gangs are rampant. residents need the police more than ever and they know it. >> we want do get to know them and this is the way to know them to get to know them. >> this has been -- this event is about giving back. >> reporter: inspector stephenson is determined to make that happen. at today's back to school block party, his officers gave away hundreds of backpacks and school supplies. and the message is obvious. >> i hope that when they grow up and they can remember one thing about the police, they can remember that these doors opened up for t

burkett joins us live with the latest on the search and time line of how all of this unfolded. n.j. >> reporter: that's right, sade, this is on staten island where police are now canvassing the streets for tips. the original arrest of this man was for trespassing after he was found wandering through a family's home at 2:30 in the morning. now the little girl who lived there says he actually did more than wander through her home. he sexually assaulted her. officers from the 121st precinct cruised streets of staten island all afternoon determined to find him. the 32-year-old man wanted for the alleged rape of a 7-year- old girl. danielle nieto was arrested and taken to the precinct 11 days ago for press tasking -- trespassing in the victim's home. he was arraigned and later released to the street. but police are searching the streets again, now that the young girl who lives in the home has told special victim detectives that nieto raped her. danielle nieto is hispanic, 32 years old, 5'2", 125 pounds with short black hair wearing a white t-shirt, a black vest, brown pants and brow

hot weather in the financial district it will be 81 in san francisco it will be harder than that as burkett down we have 66 in concord mid-60s and san jose the wide use satellite radar it will be like that all they in fact a lot of sunshine this afternoon means really high temperature particularly in the east and south bend in all seriousness brace yourself for a very hot one we have really nice mild weather so far this week what today is going to be the house we seem in a little while 9:00 '60s by the bay shoreline some of its inland awarded a little warmer than it was yesterday by three this afternoon mid to upper 90s for some of the deeper inland valleys like the livermore valley and in the south is to get out for more the hill are looking at for castanet about a hundred 204 degrees 92 expected in san jose out to the east in 97 for concord and the more with brett would probably pushing will close to 100 degree mark normally it is nice and mild to that we're looking at 85 and oakland 90 in san sale. >>james: people live there and the house do not have air conditioning do what you need to