nbc's janet shamlian has the details. >> reporter: this is a photo of a hot air balloon crashed taken by erin gonzalez. >> it seem they had couldn't climb. >> reporter:om plunging to earth killing the pilot and its passengers. the balloon traveled eight miles before striking a high powered transmission line. investigators found what may be the biggest help, a number of passenger electronics. >> the fbi response team was able to locate 14 personal electronic devices including cell phones, one ipad and three cameras. >> reporter: investigators say 500 feet. would you have climbed in 500 feet cloud cover? >> no. >> reporter: why not? >> it doesn't get you get out of it. >> reporter: portraits of the victims including this doctor and his wife of san antonio, they were newlyweds. >> they she was the sweetest thing. >> reporter: scheduled to play in a beach volleyball tournament after the balloon ride. he texted friends about the ride. this has been rescheduled a dozen times because of the weather and i didn't think it was going to happen. soon after his last photo, his last communication,

janet shamlian is there tonight and has our report. >> reporter: this is the last known photo of the hot air balloon at sunrise on saturday, taken by erica gonzalez. >> to me, it just seems they couldn't climb. they were stuck right above the tree line. >> reporter: moments later, the unthinkable. the balloon bursting into flames and plunging to earth, killing pilot skip nichols and his 15 passengers. the ntsb says the balloon traveled eight miles before striking a high-powered transmission line. and investigators have found what may be the biggest help, a number of passenger electronics. >> and the fbi evidence response team was able to locate 14 personal electronic devices, including cell phones, one ipad and three cameras. >> reporter: investigators say there was low cloud cover, about 500 feet. would you have flown with a 500-foot minimum on saturday? >> no. >> reporter: why not? >> because it doesn't give you room to get out of things that are in front of you. >> reporter: this sports balloonist says the power lines, 170 feet tall, can be almost invisible from altitude. tonight,

meanwhile, as nbc's janet shamlian reports, some of the victims have now been identified. >> reporter sunrise on saturday taken by erica gonzalez. >> to me it just seemed they couldn't climb. they were -- they were stuck right above the treeline. >> reporter: moments later the unthinkable. the balloon bursting into flames and plunging to earth. killing pilot skip nichols and his 15 passengers. the ntsb says the balloon traveled eight miles before striking a high powered transmission line. and investigators have found what may be the biggest help, a number of passenger electronics. >> the fbi evidence response team was able to locate 14 personal electronic devices, including cell phones, one ipad, and three cameras. >> reporter: investigators say there was low cloud cover, above 500 feet. would you have flown with a 500 foot minimum on saturday? >> no. >> reporter: why not? >> because it doesn't give you room to get out of things that are in front of you. >> reporter: sports balloonest bruce says the power lines, 170 feet tall, can be almost invisible from altitude. portraits of the vi

nbc's janet shamlian is in durant, mississippi, this morning, following all the overnight developmentsgood morning. >> reporter: good morning. he is a 46-year-old man from the nearby town. he is charged with two counts of capital murder. rodney sanders was a suspect, but after questioning last night, they had enough to charge him. this morning, police say they have their man, 46-year-old rodney earl sanders of kosciusko, mississippi. charged with two counts of capital murder in the killing of two funs in nearby durant this week. >> it's worse than a tragedy within it's devastating. >> reporter: they were well known by their first names. sister paula and sister margaret. in one of the poorest counties, they settled with a wish. to serve. >> we make a difference in people's lives. we never know what that difference is. >> reporter: for many of little means, the nuns, both 68, were the only health care providers some residents had ever known, the nurse practitioners serving as doctors, therapists and friends. >> we just see patients and do what needs to be done. >> reporter: for years, th

janet shamlian shows us how it is shocking the small town where they lived. >> reporter: this morning a community in shock at the deaths of two nuns described as the kindest people on earth. nurse practitioner sister paula merril and sister margaret held. police found them brutally murdered after a supervisor at their clinic about 20 miles away reported the pair didn't show up for work. >> it is extremely odd for a small town. >> reporter: the local archdiocese telling nbc news there were signs of a break-in and their blue toyota corolla was missing. the car was found abandoned late last night less that a mile from their home. father plotta knew the sisters well. >> they came here to outreach to the poor. i'm sure their faith is what caught them through this tragedy and it's going to get us through our tragedy of mourning them. >> reporter: according to the sisters of charity of nazareth website, sister margaret was focused on eliminating racism and poverty in the region. >> this is one of the poorest counties in all of mississippi. >> we make a difference in people's lives and never

nbc's janet shamlian has more. >> reporter: his family says he is a teddy bear who spent two years doingy work. the venezuela government calls 24-year-old holt a well-armed spy. the newlywed is jailed. >> i will get him home. i will do whatever it takes. >> reporter: his mom laurie says he left in june to marry a fellow mormon he met online, planning to bring her and her visas. after the honeymoon, josh and his bride arrested. police claiming to have found two assault rifles and a dp grenade. >> who is the possibility the weapons belong to your son? >> zero. there were five people that are witnesses to it. they're so afraid. >> witnesses to what? >> to the police bringing the weapons in to the apartment. >> reporter: it happened amid venezuela's growing economic crisis. a socialist government criticized by human rights groups for jailing political opponents. in a letter to his family, josh wrote, i have been told i am here because i am american. >> we're a tiny family. >> reporter: josh's family say they can't go it alone, asking the state department to do more. >> now we need the senior

janet shamlian, nbc news. >>> pope france sis back at the vatican after a five-day trip to poland.ff oversaw an outdoor mass as part of the catholic church's world youth day celebrations. and the trip included a visit to the nazi death camp in auschwitz. organizers believe about 1 million pilgrimed travelled to the polish city to take part in the festivity. >>> back here at home it was an afternoon of art and music in center city today. ♪ the african episcopal church of st. thomas choir performed gospel songs. and lunch attendees got a front row seat for the performance reviving a tradition from the 1920s. >>> going for gold. a look at how south jersey's own soccer superstar carli lloyd is preparing for the 2016 olympic games. >>> plus, a death-defying stunt. we'll show you the rest of this daring free-fall that landed a man in the history books. >>> as we fast approach the 2016 lrchls, olympics, we have a lo at carli lloyd. she sprained her knee back in april but appears to be a full go for the games. jacqueline london went inside a workout before the injury to see her hard work.

for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news, north carolina. >> that was crazy. >> crazy amazing. so impressive. >>> let's do "trending." it's 8:12. we love science here. this one is about men. here we go. no commentary at all. scientists discovered that balding does reduce the perception of attractiveness. researchers at johns hopkins university -- i did not call for the split screen. here we go. researchers found that shall we say folicly challenged men were rated as more youthful, successful and approachable after they had a hair transplant. >> that's ridiculous. would you ever consider getting a hair transplant? >> not for a moment. by the way, dwayne johnson not sexy? >> michael jordan. come on. >> i'm not saying this to butter you up because you know me i always look for a reason to not do that, i think you both look great if not better than you ever looked before. >> also, we could grow hair any >> look at you guys. it's how you own it. >> matching outfits today. >> we talk about it all the time, best things we did was shaving our heads. do you have a dress code at work? if

nbc's janet shamlian is in lockhart, texas, with the latest. on today? >> reporter: kristen, good morning to you. the ntsb now confirming that, in fact, the balloon did hit those lines. they're 170 feet tall, before it crashed to the ground. it had only traveled eight miles from a nearby air field. the question really for them now is, did it ever maintain an altitude that you would usually see a balloon at? or was it for those entire eight miles at this low altitude? and if so, what was the problem? to that end, today the ntsb says it will be questioning three members of the ground crew, including the balloon's mechanic. representatives spoke to them informally on saturday, but a more formal interview will happen today and they're hoping to get some answers on that. in terms of the physical investigation here, the ntsb says it is sort of wrapping things up. not the investigation, but what's happening on-scene here. they will be moving the wreckage of the basket to a secure location in dallas later today. they will be continuing to look at that e

nbc's janet shamlian h >> reporter: his family says he is a teddy bear who spent two years doing missionary work. but the venezuelan government calls josh holt a spy. this morning, the newlywed is jailed in caracas. >> i will get him home. i will do whatever it takes. >> reporter: his mom says he left in june to marry a mellow u.s. soon after he arrived, he was arrested. claiming to find two assault rifles and a grenade. >> what is the possibility those weapons belong to your son? >> zero. there were five people that are witnesses to it. they are so afraid. >> witnesses to what? >> to the police bringing the weapons in the apartment. >> reporter: it happened in t crisis. a socialist government criticized by human rights group for jailing political opponents. in a letter to his family, josh wrote, i am told i am here because i am american. >> a tiny family. >> reporter: josh's family says they cannot go it alone. asking the state department to do more. >> now we need the senior level of our government to step up and help us. >> reporter: venezuelan officials did not respond to an josh a u.s.

be done. >> reporter: two women driven to help others, victims in their own home. >> that was janet shamlianeporting. >> announcer: now your nbc 10 first alert weather. >>> hot and humid conditions have returned this morning. this is a live look at cape may, where it will be sticky by the sea. but will the uncomfortable weather stick around for the weekend? nbc 10 first alert meteorologist bill henley is here with the forecast and the answer. make it a good one, bill. >> no shortage of those steamy conditions around our area today. there will be a proven condition in the weekend. but there's a warm breeze blowing the flags on top of the boathouses and boathouse row. the temperatures are still climb agent this hour. we're headed for the 90s this afternoon. 88 in philadelphia. wilmington is 89. and we are running above yesterday's numbers. 90 now in westmont. look at rittenhouse at 90 degrees. . 88 in torresdale. and with that, plenty of humidity, which is going to make it feel like 100 degrees this afternoon. in fact, this is the heat index projection. this is for 4:00 this afternoon. 100 for

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for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news. >>> and now to some new video this morning of a new jersey hero. >> a split second decision that saved a life but this morning he tells us he was just doing his job. an act of higheroism just in the nick of time. victor ortiz putting his life on the line saving a man laying on the tracks seconds between life and death. >> i was bracing for the worst, oncoming train. its headlights approaching fast. >> in my mind, i said this is not going to happen. not while i'm here. i'm going to do what i can to pull this guy through. >> reporter: ortiz admitting it was a struggle. the man significantly larger than him wasn't cooperating but ortiz found the strength to pull him off the tracks with no more than two seconds to spare. >> that last pull had it not worked we already know what would have happened. >> reporter: this morning police are calling ortiz a hero >> if i had done nothing, i wouldn't be able to bear that thought in my mind. >> reporter: a humble and proud cop, ortiz says the man later apologized and thanked him. >> i didn't mean to do what i di

janet shamlian has more. >> reporter: a community in shock as the death of two nuns described as thekindest women on earth. police found them brutally murdered in the home they shared in the durant. after a supervisor at their clinic about 20 miles away reported the pair didn't show up for work. >> it is extremely odd for a small town like durant. >> reporter: the local archdiocese saying that there was a sign of a break-in and their blue toyota coralla was missing. >> they came here to mississippi to outreach to the poor using their medical services and expertise. sister margaret from wisconsin was focused on eliminating racism and poverty in the region. >> this is one of the poorest counties in all of mississippi. >> we make a difference in people's lives and we never know what that difference is. >> reporter: sister paula, friends say, has been helping more than 30 years. >> we just see patients and do what need to be done. >> reporter: two women driven to help others victim in their own home. >> now, because the vehicle was found nearby, police believe the killer may be someone l

nbc's janet shamlian is following the developments. good morning. >> sheinelle, good morning.e is a 46-year-old man from a nearby town. this morning, he is charged with two counts of capital murder. authorities say that rodney sanders was a suspect very early on, but after questioning last night, they had enough to charge him. >> reporter: this morning, police say they have their man. 46-year-old rodney earl sanders of mississippi has been charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the killing of two nuns in nearby durant this week. >> it's a tragedy. devastating. >> reporter: they were well-known by only their first names. sister paula and sister margaret. in one of the nn' know what the difference is. >> reporter: for many in the region, the nuns, both 68, were the only health care providers some residents had ever known. the nurse-practitioners serving as doctors, therapists and friends. >> we see patients and do what needs to be done. >> reporter: for a year, they had given tirelessly. ultimately, they gave their lives. >> a double homicide. this is about

for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news. >>> and now to some >>> now to some new video this morning of a new jersey transit officer being hailed as a hero for a daring rescue and tamron has this incredible story. >> good morning, guys. this is one you will remember today. victor ortiz made a split decision that saved a life. new jersey transit cop victor ortiz putting his life on the line, saving a man laying on the tracks, seconds between life and but hoping for the best. in my mind i said, this is not going to happen, not while i am here. i am going to do what i can to pull this guy threw. >> ortiz saying it was a struggle, and ortiz found the strength to pull him off the tracks. >> that last pull, had it not worked we know what would have happened. had i just stood there and done nothing, i would not have been able to bare that thought in my mind. the man later apologized and thanked him. >> i didn't mean to do what i did, and i told him that is my job, my job is to protect and serve. >> the man's identity and condition have not been released. right now officer ortiz is on a well-de

here's nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: this morning a heartbroken community remembering two selflessservants. sister paula merrill and sister margaret howl. >> they were always doing something for others. >> reporter: sunday night friends and family turned out for an emotional wake at the church where the nuns taught bible class. >> there's a reason for everything. we may not understand today. but we will understand. >> authorities say rodney sanders who lived in the area has been charged with two counts of capital murder after confessing to killing the women. the motive still unknown and no word on how sanders was implicated. at the time of the killing he was on probation. he served six years after being sentenced for armed robbery in 1986. police say sanders became a person of interest early in their investigation following tips from the community. >> it hurt me in my heart. i love these two ladies. >> reporter: the nuns were found stabbed in their home after failing to show at the clinic where they work as nurse practition practitioners. for some in this improverished region, they

here is janet shamlian. >> reporter: this morning a heartbroken community servants, sister paula merrill and sister margaret held. >> they were always doing something for other people. always helping others. ?? >> reporter: sunday night friends and family turned out for a wake at the church where the nuns taught bible class. >> there is a reason for everything and we may not understand today but we will understand. >> reporter: authorities a man in the area charged with the two the motive still unknown and no word on how sanders was implicated. at the time of the killings sand ares was on probation. convicted of felony drunk driving last year. he also served six years after being sentenced for armed robbery in 1986. police say sanders became a person of interest early in their investigation, following tips from the community. >> it hurt me in my heart but i stabbed at their home. >> this is one of the poorest counties in all of mississippi. >> reporter: for some in this region, they were the only source of medical care. >> the likes we'll never see the same. health care will never be the