mallory hoff at st. patricks cathedral with the coverage. mallory. >> reporter: the cardinal did he welcomed two refugee families but said he would not stand. take a look at the video from midnight mass here overnight. he welcomed siblings from el salvador, the brothers 17 and of retribution. he also welcomed a muslim family, a mother, father, and coast. cardinal dolan discussed the pope's visit to st. patricks which was three months ago parishioners explained that midnight mass at st. pats is something to experience. >> it's magnificent, the music is great and dolan is terrific. >> i was born in brooklyn, and we never have been before. >> first time. >> it was very special. i've been coming every year with my brother. it was great. as a catholic it's been very special for me. >> reporter: there you heard from people who have been coming year after year, and those here for the first time. throughout the day. live from st. pats, mallory hoff channel 7 eyewitness news. from st. pats we go everywhere else around the world. pope francis deliverin

mallory hoff outside st. patrick's cathedral in midtown where worshipers in our area celebrated mass at midnight and of course there will be another >> bill, there certainly will be. parishioners telling us that overnight just a really beautiful experience here at st. pats. some come back year after year because they say this is something they look forward to all yearlong. cardinal dolan welcomed refugees to this service but did not identify them. both families have received help from catholic charities. he welcomed siblings from el salvador, the brothers 17 and 19 fled terror and the threat of retribution. he also welcomed a muslim family, a mother, a father, their three children from ivory coast. >> i think you would unite with me as we celebrate this night when jesus was born away from home into a family that would soon flee as refugees for safety from an oppressive king into egypt, i think you would join me in welcoming those two families. ] applause ] the pope's visit here took place exactly three months

eyewitness news reporter mallory hoff live at the scene with an update for us. good morning to you mallory. >> reporter: ken, good morning. that's right, unfortunately those problems probably will stretch through the weekend. 1st avenue shut down between 62nd street and 64th street. again, that is expected to be take a look at this video. the closure will stay in place as crews work to secure the brick facade of a 30-story building. this morning dozens of people can't go home. last night the building's department ordered evacuations at a five-story building on east 63rd street. that building is right across the street from the building where bricks came crashing down on monday night. now inspectors are worried another section of that building's facade could potentially collapse. that could damage the buildings across the street. >> we had two and a half hours to evacuate our building. it's been crazy. >> hope that they fix this as soon as possible. >> reporter: the traffic problems will continue this weekend. the closure has led to traffic jams and problems for a

here's mallory hoff. >> reporter: young children became the victims of two shootings over the weekend. a 5-year-old is being treated at university hospital after being struck in the lower leg. this after shots were fired near morris avenue and springfield avenue before 9 sunday night. a man was struck in the arm in the same incident. in jersey city on bergen avenue, an 18-month old boy is recovering after being shot in the bullet was removed and today he was seen leaving jersey medical center. he's expected to be okay. >> he was bleeding on his face and on his body. >> reporter: the toddler was in a parked car with his dad when gunfire erupted saturday afternoon. a bullet struck their car shattering the window and hit the toddler in the cheek. police say they do not believe the car was the intended target. >> i'm scared to stay in my bedroom. i want to go to your room. she's scared >> reporter: jersey city's mayor weighed in on the situation. >> very tragic situation and thankfully the little boy is okay. gun violence is a national epidemic. it's not unique to jersey city. >> reporter

that's where mallory hoff is live for us now with more details on this. hi, mallory. >> reporter: rob, disturbing it the family lived on this 17th floor of this apartment building. now police camped outside, trying to figure out what led to this gruesome crime. take a look at the video from the scene last night. evidence suggests that the 53- year-old shot and killed his wife and daughter before investigators believe that 49- year-old melissa stasko and the daughter were killed with a .45 caliber weapon. police got a call from a man who were concerned that the sister and family had not arrived for the planned visit on christmas day. he couldn't reach them on cells so police did a welfare check on the apartment. what they found was devastating. they believe the shots were fired on the evening of the 22nd or the morning of the 23rd. a towel may have been used in front of the weapon and music may have been playing. neighbors didn't hear the shots. inside the apartment, unopened >> all three of them are or were within the bed in the couple's bedroom. it is def

live on the upper east side, mallory hoff channel 7 eyewitness news. >> wow, all that traffic behind mallory already. thank you. we learned overnight that police arrested a homeless man police used this surveillance video to track down velazquez. the 39-year-old is accused of attacking a man last week in williamsburg. he punched a man in the head while yelling anti-white statements. >>> 6:36. a murky pond a few miles from the site of the san bernardino shooting massacre is now the focus of an intense fbi search. divers with the fbi began searching a pond where syed farook and his wife tashfeen malik used to spend time. the couple may have gone to the pond after the shootings last week. 14 people were killed. >>> it is 6:36. new this morning, more than 160 syrian refugees have arrived in canada. take a look at this video of a military flight that's landed in toronto late last night. the group was then greeted by prime minister justin trudeau, canada's newly elected liberal government has agreed to accept 25,000 syrians by the end of february. another flight is expected to >>> hundreds

live in suffolk county, mallory hoff, channel 7 eyewitness news. >>> a home health aide is accused of assaulting a renowned architect. his aide grabbed him and twisted his arm on december 13th. his arm was bruised and bleeding after the attack. he's known for the jfk library and the java center here. this person was apparently released without bail after being arrested on a charge of felony assault. >>> the driver is charged with road rage on the queensboro bridge. him when his suv hit a van on the bridge. the damage was minor and he pulled one of the guns on the driver before he took off. >>> a flight to newark airport diverted because of a cracked windshield and it is now due to arrive in just a couple of hours. the united flight was headed from scotland to newark when the crew reported the crack. the boeing 757 landed in canada and everyone got on a new plane. the flight is scheduled to land at newark at 7:43 tonight. >>> and the texas teen known for using the affluenza defense will spend time in a mexican jail while his mother is back in the u.s. she's charged with hindering the a

right now out to mallory hoff. she had the difficult task of talking to people about the warmth in union square. >> reporter: we have seen shortsleeve t-shirts, crop tops and sandals. we are not seeing earmuffs, wig winter jackets. just not needed now. tis the season. people are going to enjoy the weather for as long as they can. when we asked how it feels, the answer was not fright full. the weather outside is -- >> amazing. >> springtime. i am enjoying it. i will take my citi bike and take a ride. come out and enjoy the outside. everyone is eating outside, walking outside. it's great. who would have thought? >> reporter: really incredible. folks plan to enjoy every moment of this and then some. live in union square, mallory hoff. >> thank you very much. >>> in other news, amateur video of a police shooting in california is sparking questions about use of force. >> this video shows los angeles county sheriff's deputies firing at a man on a street in the community of lindewood yesterday. they continued firing even

mallory hoff, channel 7 eyewitness news. >>> british fighter jets have carried out a second round of air strikes on isis targets in syria. the british defense ministry released this video of hitting oil fields should group. they've been hitting them in syria as well. after getting approval from parliament earlier this week. >>> authorities in camaroon say the nearly 1,000 hostages freed from militant extremists are being reunited with their families. camaroon's defense minister says that 900 people were rescued from a boko haram strong hold near the nigerian border last week. it's unclear if the 200 girls taken from their school last year are among those freed. authorities say troops killed about 100 boko haram fighters and took another 100 prisoner in the joint military operation. >>> the disputed crimea up electric pile ons in ukraine leaving them without power. >>> president and foreign ministers from countries around the world are in paris tonight as they work out the final points in a blueprint drafted to fight climate change. the draft was completed this morning just before the

our mallory hoff was there. >> thousands attended christmas morning mass at st. patrick's cathedral, cardinal timothy dolan quoted a holiday favorite. >> it's a wonderful life. i think of that legendary christmas movie with jimmy stewart, and i say to you it's a wonderful life. >> visitors took in the christmas moment. >> the cathedral is breathtaking. >> it's magnificent. >> it is so beautiful. >> a police presence surrounded the cathedral as people of all ages made their way inside. for some christmas mass at st. pats is an old tradition, for others a new one. >> me my girlfriend woke up really early like 5:00 in the morning to get down here, and you know we're just really glad that we got to see it. it was great. >> hours earlier more than 2,000 people attended midnight mass. cardinal timothy dolan welcomed refugees to the service but did not identify them. he welcomed siblings from el salvador and a muslim family from ivory coast. >> i think you would unite with me as we celebrate this night when jesus was born away from home into a family that would soon fle

eyewitness news reporter valerie hoff is in union square. mallory? >> sandra, goes people went holiday shopping in short sleeves today. a lot of folks we have spoken with say it doesn't feel right for this time of year but they are not complaining. the weather outside is -- >> springtime. >> amazing. >> in union square, people were in shorts, t-shirts and flip- flops. then i buy my first coat. >> one man said a -- >> feels like spring. spring has sprung early. >> reporter: when it's this nice, who needs to get away. >> sneakers, shorts, t-shirt underneath. in the middle of december, this is wonderful. what a beautiful time of the year. i don't have to go to florida now. >> reporter: they want to enjoy as much time outside as possible. live in union square, mallory hoff, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> thanks. >>> now to new details about a police shooting in california. los angeles county sheriff's deputies responding to reports of shots fired in linwood. armature video shows them shooting at man after he fell to the ground. we are not going to show yo

live in brooklyn, mallory hoff, channel 7 eyewitness news. >>> new information on an investigation into a deadly explosion in brooklyn. authorities now say the fire was intentionally set by one of the women who died in the blast. s fdny officials say a manpowerred gasoline that triggered a blast, in the a natural gas leak. figueroa was on the brink of being evicted from her apartment. >>> as we continue with eyewitness news at 6:00, it's a very busy thursday night. caught on tape, a woman accused of stealing toys from a collection bin for sick and needy kids. >> what's really surprising is where that bin is located. >>> i'm meteorologist lee goldberg. it's the holidays. and of course, everyone wants to get online at once. to watch things. buy things. but slow internet makes it hard. that's why it's time to get fios. it has the fastest internet and wifi available. with speeds from 50 to 500 megs. and right now, you'll get 50 meg fios internet, tv and phone for 79.99 a month online for your first year. and with a 2 year agreement, so go online or call now. get out of the past. get fios. >

in monmouth county new jersey mallory hoff channel 7 eyewitness news. >> hope that happens for him. coming up on eyewitness news this morning, a man shot several times and left to die on a long island roadway. six years later finally charges in his murder. >> also ahead, tempers flare at a dmv office in florida when a woman attacks an officer. sha? abc7 and your tri-state ford dealers thank you for helping protect our children. >>> a woman's wild tantrum was caught on camera at a florida dmv office. a florida state trooper was trying to get a woman to leave peacefully after she got upset. she fought back as you see here. the officer took her to the ground. the woman spent several minutes kicking and screaming before he got her into handcuffs. she is charged with resisting arrest. >> what is that about. >> yeah. scary. that'll shake you up. you're never more than 7 minutes away from weather and traffic. >> sometimes at the dmv. >> well, yes but you have to have that meter on. >> the control meter. >> correct. >> me, i have a governor on me when i go over there. there's always somethi

. >> mallory hoff is on the upper east side with the story. >> reporter: today the teen said for the first time he understands and recognizes the fact he'll have a normal life. this is before and after a the 18-year-old had a facial growth that covered most of his to eat, sleep, talk and breathe. it was considered to be a ticking time bomb. it could have ruptured due to a flight facial injury causing him to bleed out. the doctors here in new york did the work pro bono over the last eight months. today they gave them the gift of a stunt bike and helmet. it is his passion. now he'll be able to do it without fearing that growth could rupture. >> when you put on that helmet and jumped on this bike how did you feel? >> translator: he feels so great. now he can start his life and he feel like he just was born. >> reporter: the teen and his mom will fly back to. back to school. he'll have to come back here for more surgeries. from this point forward he is no longer living with a ticking time bomb. city. >>> radio shock jock and former co-host of the opie and anthony show is accused of abuse

mallory hoff, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> those kids are so cute. it underscores the importance of what small business saturday, after black friday, packing the malls all night, those are the kind of businesses that we need to keep alive and successful as well, you know. >> that resonates for you, then vote with your pocketbook. i don't think the prices are stores. >>> super cat saturday. how you doing, apparently. >> get your paws up. cat saturday. we start with a cute cat. that you for sending that in via twitter. sometimes you are caught unexpectedly but you have your red and green ready to go. romeo dashing in the red bow tie. socks has it down right. phil! oh no... (under his breath) hey man! hey peter. (unenthusiastic) oh... joanne? is that you? it's me... you don't look a day over 70. am i right? jingle jingle. if you're peter pan, you stay young forever. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. you make me feel so young... it's what you do. you make me feel so spring has sprung. i'm

mallory hoff, channel 7 eyewitness news, brooklyn. >>> to orlando for star wars -inspired entertainment. this is hollywood studios, attraction. it offers fans unique experiences, including a place for fans to celebrate all things star wars. there's also a nightly light show called the galaxy spectacular. >>> the seventh installment of weeks. but this weekend, another fantasy franchise dominated the box office. the hunger games. for the third straight week, mockingjay part 2 took the top the new holiday horror comedy crampus took second place, followed by the rocky-inspired creed. >>> coming up at 5:00, the best is yet to come. if you're trying to give yourself the gift of the sale, that is. >> a tricky daredevil catches people's attention while evading capture of authorities. how long did he manage to stay at the top of this construction crane? >> is it really december? i mean, look at these temperatures. we got well into the 50s today. we have warmer days ahead in your accuweather holiday season's just like football season... you got your big games... ...and regular games. get it all a

mallory hoff, channel 7 eyewitness news. >>> one of the reactors at indian point tonight shut down. entergy says an electrical disturbance caused the reactor in unit 3 to shut down automatically. no radioactive was released. this is the second shutdown in less than two weeks. >>> the man accused of six- year-old etan patz 36 years ago will hernandez is facing retrial for the 1979 kidnap and murder. his first trial ended with a hung jury. hernandez confessed to killing the boy after luring him into the bodega where he worked in 1979. >>> a big development in the nearly three dozen muslim majority countries forming together to fight terrorism. the group, led by saudi arabia, includes muslim countries from several continents. >>> calls for tolerance from the brooklyn borough president about accepting refugees from syria. eric adams returned from visiting a refugee camp in turkey. he called on others to embrace those in need, particularly the victims of war. >> courage is found in every generation. every so often courage skips a generation. courage will not skip our generation. we will

eyewitness news reporter mallory hoff has the story. >> reporter: the housing authority has failed to learn lessons from superstorm sandy and is unprepared for the next major emergency. that's what controller scott stringer says an audit of nycha discovered. >> the storm was terrible. but nycha's response was worse. fast forward to today, i am nycha is prepared for the next big storm. and the answer, sadly, track tragically and unbeliever -- tragically and unbelievably, no. >> reporter: no emergency contact information for 80% of tenants that use wheelchairs. no emergency plan in place and no one designated to be in charge in an emergency. >> it's scary. >> nycha's response to this audit is truly pathetic. >> reporter: if a disaster happens tomorrow are you pee paired to deal with it? >> yes. we have people in place. we have partnerships in and plans in place. >> reporter: nycha says stringer is cherry picking data and paints an out did it picture. >> we have proven that we are able to respond to things like legionella or hurricane joaquin. >> do you have the contact information for t

mallory hoff has been updating this story on abc7ny. she has more on how a chance encounter helped put this shop on the map. >> reporter: force awakens, and so will your taste buds. the dark side ice cream and the light side ice cream will tempt fans of both persuasions. >> the light side is a bright marshmallow ice cream with coco crispies peeking through. the dark side is a deep, rich dark chocolate ice cream with fudge espresso brownies and little while chocolate pearls. >> reporter: and you don't have to go to a galaxy far, far away to get it. jackie and brian smith started brooklyn in 2011. disney ceo bob ikeer liked what -- disney's ceo bob eiger liked what he tasted. >> he fell in love and we then pitched him the idea of maybe making star wars ice cream. >> reporter: the family owned business is using the force for g. >> the creamery has brought in extra hands to meet the anticipated demand. they're prepared to ship out 20,000 pints of the dark side and another 20,000 pints of the light side. >> i saw them start up from where the

. >> the 18-year-old from iraq undergoing seven major surgical eyewitness news reporter mallory hoff is on the upper east side outside of the hospital with much more. mallory? >> reporter: this man tells me he is incredibly grateful. he says he feels like he has a second shot at life. take a look at these incredible before and after pictures. they were taken here, at the hospital. phenomenal. this young man saying now, he could never have expected his life would change for the better. 18-year-old had a facial growth that covered most of his face. it made it hard for him to eat, sleep, talk and breathe. it was considered a ticking time bomb. it could have ruptured due to a slight facial injury, causing him to bleed to death. it started out small, when he was born, an then grew. dr. milton wanier and the team saw pictures and knew they could help. and his mother to morocco to new york, and they have done months. >> it is work from the heart. it is very, very important to me. this is why i became a doctor. to be able to help people. >> what do you say to this team of doctors. >> translat