. >> nina pineda has just arrived at the scene there. she is there live for us right now. nina? >> reporter: it came down fast. it came down furious. before they knew it, on this street, they were in weight high water. that is route 22 eastbound. you see traffic heading east. traffic on route 22 westbound is closed in many areas between westfield and scotch plains because the water level is high. it's starting to drain now but it was just -- you could not drive a car through it. one of the drivers that lives on the street was driving to get home in it. todd, you said you haven't seen it this bad since hurricane irene. >> it was unbelievable. the water was so deep. there wasn't a major rainstorm called for. >> how fast do you estimate it was coming down and how long did it last? >> lasted about two hours but it came down like 3 to 4 inches an hour. >> reporter: you said it got to the point where you couldn't see out of your windshield, you had to pull over. >> i had to pull over at a restaurant. this wouldn't work. it was dangerous. >> reporter: when we turn to tur seat, i will a

nina pineda is in scotch plains. she continues our coverage. >> reporter: liz, we are talking flooded basements, ruined cars. i will show you how the force of this water behaved here on route 22 eastbound. look at that. that is the pavement just buck ltd under the force of this day -- buckled under the force of this deluge. they are talking 3 to 4 inches they thought an hour. it came down the hill and actually up the highway and took the street with it. we have cars stopped on the way. they are coming eastbound on route 22. police have this area blocked off. we will show you viewer pictures that they sent in of their house. byrd avenue is off route 22. they had high water, weight high in some places -- weight high in some place -- waist high in some places. they had to take buckets to bail out the water. here is what she had to say. >> it was raining for a while. we saw it kept coming up and up and up. then all of a sudden it went from, like, the sidewalk to up here in a very short period of time. >> up four steps? >

eyewitness news reporter nina pineda is in herold square tonight hanging with the folks there. nina. >> reporter: liz, eight fewer trains an hour, that's what we can expect during this track work and the mta says on its own, that's like three to four minute delays but add to that express trains running on local tracks, well, that is a whole different ball game making for a hot and sticky commute. >> it's crazy because there's already delays so imagine them announcing there's going to be delays. it's crazy. >> reporter: riders on the e, f, m and r subway lines will eventually. the track work requires trains to run at slower speeds, translation, longer waits on unbearably hot platforms. >> it's really hot down here and i really hate it. >> i think i waited about 45 so -- >> reporter: these delays >> yeah, it is. i will be taking the bus. >> we selected essentially the three slowest weeks of the year where ridership is at its lowest to do this work in the hopes of minimizing the impacts to our customer. >> reporter: e line repairs no trains from jamaica to 179th street, riders usin

if you ever have an issue, go to 7 on your side. >> reporter: in trenton, nina pineda, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> i'm glad officials stepped up in making that process a lit faster. >> a big help. >>> a good samaritan stopped a man from raping a woman in the subway. find out what makes this selfless act so special. >> and the hefty price tag to hunt down two escaped killers in up state new york. plus this. >> closed for nearly five months after the east >> you're watching new york's number of one news. channel 7 eyewitness news. >> news copter 7 remains over big backups with water in the roadway causing big delays on route 17, southbound. someone struck a fire hydrant causing bumper to bumper traffic and route 17 southbound are closed and it is causing quite a mess there. and now, our top story this half hour. >>> i was the only one that did something. you see something like that, you are supposed to help. >> a hero humbled over his selfless act. the good samaritan jumping into action to save a woman when he sees a man trying to rape her on the subway. i'm diana williams. >> and i'm sade

nina pineda has the results. >> reporter: clenching your -- quenching your thirst become complicated. some drinks claim health benefits. want to boost your vitamin intake or feel the power of cactus? there is a drink for that. consumer reports looked at 20 different beverages to help you decide which to sip and which to skip. >> you might be surprised at what's in this stuff. some are packed with calories, sugars, including high fructose syrup and they are pricey. >> reporter: many people turn to them to replace sodium. some gatorades have 12 -- high fructose corn syrup as the second ingredient. they are probably unnecessary except after intense lengthy workouts. water with vitamins may sound like another smart health move but this vitamin water has 32 grams of sugar. >> also no need to replenish vitamins just because it's hot out. you don't lose vitamins when you sweat. >> reporter: plant waters are trending. this claims to reduce inflammation and for almost $3 a bottle the makers of artie artichoke water size artichokes -- say artichokes increase metabolism. >> ignore the claims. co

here's nina pineda. >> there's us. >> we were there? >> not too bad, barely. >> reporter: it was their daughter's wedding and jeffrey and susan hunter had five days to scramble for a new place to host 250 guests after their original venue wound up under water. >> we were getting through said, "like everybody -- through sandy like everybody else in the city. >> we agreed to cancel the wedding. >> reporter: the restaurant was destroyed and never reopened but its owners quickly agreed in writing to refund the hunter' $29,000 fortunate and the frantic parents moved the reception uptown. >> it was amazing. >> like two stories. >> reporter: they pulled off the wedding for joanne and daniel. >> that's the restaurant up there. >> reporter: at a midtown hotel instead. the hunters got back 11 grand but now almost three years later they are still waiting for the remainder of their deposit, 19,000. >> they have our money. we aren't asking them for money that was theirs. it's our money. >> at the time of the wedding he said i'll pay you when we get

live in herold square, nina pineda, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> no question, nina, thank you very much. >>> new jersey transit commuters are hoping the evening rush will be better than the morning commute. a train became disabled on the hudson river tunnel this morning. 200 people were on board but no one was injured. because of the disabled train there were 60 minute delays in and out of manhattan. then because of an incident in the long island tunnel, buses were diverted to the secaucus rail station but with the disabled train there was nowhere to go. >>> on staten island police are investigating a nasty crash involving a van and a car. newscopter 7 over the scene in port richmond section. you can see the car wound up going up onto a lawn and the van smashed into a telephone pole. three people were hurt, one seriously but everyone is expected to recover. >>> meanwhile hundreds of families in new jersey and jersey city still without water after a water main break. the main burst open on warren street. right now 300 families will not have water until that main is repaired. emergency cr

often the service is just as helpful but a fifth of the price. >> reporter: nina pineda. channel 7 eyewitness news. staycations. that's a lot of information. couch! >> coming up on eyewitness news sunday morning, what could have been a stinky situation turned out okay thanks to the help of a transit worker and a police officer who helped shuffle two baby animals out of a bronx subway station. >>> and meteorologist amy freeze is back with -- >> be [sfx: bell] [burke] it's easy to buy insurance and forget about it. but the more you learn about your coverage, the more gaps you may find. [burke] like how you thought you were covered for this... [man] it's a profound statement. [burke] but you're not even covered for this... [man] it's a profound statement. [burke] or how you may be covered for this... [burke] but not for something like this... [burke] talk to farmers and see what gaps could be hiding in your coverage. [sfx: yeti noise] we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum >>> welcome back. it's 7:40. you will find all sorts of things in the subways, but skunks

nina pineda has results. >> reporter: an ultra lightweight laptop may be the lightest in your backpack, lighter than a textbook and lighter than this water bottle. around 2 pounds, the mac book ways less than the mac air. >> these light weights did well in the performance test and portability test. if you take the laptop with you free quintly in a backpack or carrying case you will notice the difference, even a few ounces. >> reporter: you pay a premium. samsung $1,100. apple 1300. len novo is 1500. aside from weight, battery life is important. to test, "consumer reports" cycles through a series of web pages until the battery dies. the mac book has a life of 16 hours. the samsung 10 hours and lenova 7. >> laptops are great if you carry them around. if it's sitting on a desk it won't matter. >> reporter: if price is more important than portability, the 14-inch lenova at $650 the 15- inch as ser aspire at 5 -- aces aspire at $500. >> the lenova flex 3 has an eight-hour battery life. it is fast at office tasks and photo editing. >>> a fixture in the community dealt a deadly hand. coming u

those stories and more beginning on "first at 4:00" and nina pineda fixes it because she fixes everything. >> she does. don't you hate it when that happens, that kind of a thing. >> get nina on the case. >> thanks a lot. >>> this is a story we have been following all day long. we want to recap that breaking news. the search for the gunman who shot and killed a tv news reporter and photographer police are saying is over. this is in virginia. >> this is a live look at interstate 66 in virginia. police say the suspect, vester flanagan ran off the road and crashed. that is when they discovered him with an apparent self- inflicted gunshot wound. there is no word on his condition. we will keep you updated on that. they believe he shot and killed reporter alison parker and photographer adam ward this morning during a live tv report. a third person was shot in the independent and was taken to the hospital. we are told she is now out of surgery and is in stable condition. >> now, we expect local authorities to be providing a press conference sometime throughout the day. when we learn more about th

" reminds you that cooking to 160 degrees fahrenheit is the safest temperature for your meat so nina pineda, eyewitness news. >>> a man tries to break up a himself. his family remembers what they call a good man, a good man friend. >> do you have a cop coming? >> and for the first time we hear a father's frantic call for help as his wife gives birth stuck in jersey shore traffic. >> and new york city officials now cracking down on k 2, the synthetic marijuana. >>> we continue to follow breaking news that we first told you about at 5:00. a search is underway in the sandy hook channel in new jersey for a capsized boat. >> chopper 7 is the first on the scene. 4:30 tonight another boat captain saw another boat go down. the coast guard and divers, nypd and fdny on the scene with others. it's unclear if anyone was on the vessel. we will bring you new details as they come in and more on "eyewitness news at 6:00." >>> now to the top story this half hour. >> loving and caring. he was always warm. people love him. >> tonight a family in mourning and speaking out about their brother who died days afte

people done even know about is also costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars. 7 on your side's nina pineda is here with more. this is quite a story. >> reporter: it really is. it is because of a property line putting them in a protected fish and wildlife zone. they feel handcuffed to their homes unable to sell with no end in sight. >> do you feel like you are prisoners of your own land? >> reporter: absolutely. >> reporter: rich and janna say they are stuck in a home they can't sell. >> i spend a lot of sleepless nights wondering how to get this fixed. this is happening. >> absolutely. >> reporter: five of the neighbors on the site find their homes are protected by u.s. fish and wildlife falling within this shaded area labeled coastal barrier resources. >> because it is in a cobra area, we can't get any federal assistance at all. >> reporter: that includes federal flood insurance. so ... >> the mortgage companies won't lend money to people who can't get flood insurance. >> reporter: residents say that is making it impossible for them to sell their homes. >> how many buyers pulled out? >> s

when she found out she owed thousands in storage fees, so,ing she turned to nina pineda. >> reporter: we spent nearly a month investigating this mystery going to the nypd and several city agencies trying to help a woman whose car she thought first vanished then was at a tow yard with a stack of charges she and we didn't think was her responsibility to pay. you have been walk wearing no car for how long? >> over two months. >> reporter: this expectant mother was stuck taking the subway to her job after her car vanished from 235th street where she parked it may 31st. you came here, it was gone. you called the police. >> i called the police. >> reporter: no it wasn't towed. >> they looked in the system, drove around with me for over an hour. they said it's not in the system. it's a grand larceny. >> reporter: officers filed a stolen car report on june 4th. >> if i report it and the police can't find it and they are the police, what am i supposed to do. >> reporter: where was the car? the day she parked it it was ticketed and towed by crown towing. leslie didn't find this out until they g

. >> nina pineda has 7 types we can learn from. >> reporter: most people plan on flying. 3 to 6 weeks in advance that's it. with the last minute planning it's easy to forget important checks when it comes to your own and wallet's health. >> americans have a tendency to overspend. >> reporter: as a seasoned travel, ross says vacationers overshoot their budgets 20%. >> you want to have a separate account for your vacation fund even if it's just a little savings account. that way you are not charging your vacation on your credit card. >> reporter: but what you have charged on your card could help your budget. remember to use or lose those points before they expire. >> try to cash in on rewards, miles or loyalty programs. >> when it comes to booking airfare, sign up for low fare alerts on travel web sites then lock in a cheap fare before officially booking. >> you can secure the fare for often 24 to 72 hours. >> reporter: ross warns by a new growing epidemic, bogus hotel web sites. scammers snagging your credit card. >> 25% of people are booking hotels on mobile now. the screen is so smal

nina pineda has some tips to keep you ahead of the apartment hunting game. nina. >> it is a landlord's market. they can pick and choose the renters that are the least risky and the most qualified and with the best apartments gone within 24 hours, we asked two real estate experts to give their advice to give you the . >> nina, this is our common space. >> reporter: before you fall in love with that luxury listing. >> pool table here. >> reporter: it's important to figure out what your must-have amenities are. >> top of the line dishwasher, full sized fridge, all of these are expensive. >> reporter: as the ceo of apartment search website naked apartments.com, joe says make a wish list, then slash it. >> if that's a washer drier, a dishwasher, a doorman or an elevator. come up with a full list and then cut that list in half because you're not going to get everything you want at your budget. >> reporter: just know what your maximum budget is first. >> it's whatever you make pretax each year divide that by 40. >> reporter: that's the minimum landlords required but

. >> before you pull out your school supplies and equipment for your kids, 7 on your side's nina pineda here with back-to- don'ts. >> some back-to-school items at their cheapest prices of the year but others are going to drop to better discounts if you wait a month or two so don't get scorched on some sales or you may regret it later. let's begin with what to buy. >> august is the month for summer, summer is on sale in august. >> reporter: dan's website dealnews.com is chock-full of summer steals, this is the time to stock up on staples, swimsuits, flip-flops, shorts and tanks will all be slashed, the same atrue for summer decor. >> patio furniture is one of the big things that's on sale in august at pottery barn, at sears and at target are three of the stores that have the best deals. >> reporter: deals also abound on beds this month. >> august is the biggest month format tresses. >> reporter: your favorite brands won't be this cheap any other time of the year. >> the heirloom thousand dollars off, we have sterns and fosters $250 off. >> reporter: also seeing best of the year rock bott