we get the story tonight from rehema ellis. >> reporter: after four years as principal of mott hall bridges academy in brooklyn, nadia lopez was burnt out, on the verge of quitting. >> i'm going to be honest. up until this moment i didn't know i mattered. i didn't know anybody cared what i was doing. i didn't know if what i was doing was being validated because this is a thankless job sometimes. as an educator you're always giving. >> reporter: but then a photographer took this photo of student vidal with a caption about how she inspired him saying, she told each one of us that we matter. >> ms. lopez is like my second mom. >> reporter: it's got a million likes on the facebook page humans of new york. >> as much as you feel like ms. lopez keeps talking, ms. lopez keeps talking, i think you are so dynamic and exceptional. i never want you to feel like there's this cap on how far you can go. >> reporter: seizing the moment, she and the photographer asked for money for a field trip to harvard. within days they raised more than $1.1 million, enough for many harvard trips, a summer program and a

rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. >>> that will do it for us tonight on this wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. >>> i was just so happy to get it back. >> right now at 6:00, a spike in stolen cars in san jose but it's what criminals are doing with the cars that has police on alert. good evening, thank for joining us. >> in the last three days there have been roughly 90 cars stole nn san jose. that's just the beginning. we're in one of the hot spots along story road. damien what did you see today? >> reporter: five of the car threats happened right here in joets over the last three days as you mentioned. these cars are just one of several examples of the spike in burglary in san jose. san jose place stormed the avenue today, arresting one man, charge him with stealing this white honda accord. >> i was so happy to get it back. >> reporter: the car's owner showed up 20 minutes later after getting a call from police. his honda was taken on friday. >> i woke up one morning to go to the store and my car was stolen. the

rehema ellis, nbc news. >>> still ahead for us tonight, scandal at the federal air marshal service. the undercover agents aboard planes who are there to protect us. explosive allegations they were moved around because of secret trysts. >>> and later, your lying eyes. why do some people see this dress as white and gold while others see blue and black? the answer so many people want to know. >>> news tonight of investigation into allegations of serious misconduct at the federal air marshal service. they're the undercover agents assigned to protect commercial flights. the investigation centers on whether marshals' schedules were manipulated to facilitate secret affairs. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: outside of washington, the air marshal command center keeps track of potential terror threats every day, determining which high-risk passenger planes will get air marshal protection. but investigators are now looking into whether schedulers changed certain air marshals assignments as a personal favor or so they could later meet up for secret affairs. in one case an air marshal was

rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. >>> that will do it for us tonight on this wednesday night.t. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. >>> lights camera access. >>> hey, taylor hey kanye, i had dinner with kanye. >>> is a collaboration with kanye coming together? i'm billy bush with taylor's nonstop new york blitz, including the jam session with paul

rehema ellis, nbc news new york. >>> that will do it for us tonight on this wednesday night.t. for all of us at nbc news thank you for watching and good night. >>> bruce jenning facing possible man slaughter charges. does new video evidence prove he caused the deadly wreck? >> now, on "extra." >>> bruce jenner's car crash caught on a bus cam the video recreation today. why the new footage could be the smoke gun that puts jenner behind bars. >>> empire star terrance howard targeted with death threats. >> did his ex-wife sends chilling instagram messages that had terrance fearing for his family's safety. >> kendall jenner is the new black. her stunning catwalk. >> adam glassman is our man inside with every major designer

that's where we find nbc's rehema ellis. what can you tell us about the condition of those passengers taken there? >> reporter: what we can tell you, as you pointed out, 12 passengers were brought to this medical center and we're told that ten of them are seriously injured. we're going to pan the camera over so you can take a look at the facility where we went inside and saw some family and friends waiting in this in this facility for wait inging for word that their loved ones are going to be okay. they were waiting inside, and we're hoping we'll hear something a little bit later this morning. this tragic tragic accident occurred. but authorities point out that's important to remember that hundreds of passengers were able to walk away from this accident. let's hear from one of them. >> i felt a big bump and i got shot forward a little bit and then everything went silent and then there was a brief clip statement from the conductor and then everything was silent after that, and then within, seconds or a minute after that happe

joining us now is rehema ellis. explain the very latest and what we know happened on this railroad crossing. the tragedy that ensued. >> reporter: pretty much what you have mentioned, thomas that the train was a commuter train that left new york city in the height of the commuter rush hour making its way, as passengers on that train normally did, then it happened upon this car on the track, there was some questions whether the gate was down or not, but we do know that seven people died including the driver of that vehicle, we're now waiting for the ntsb investigators to arrive on the scene and to really sort out more of what did happened. there were 12 people who were injured according to the transportation authorities. 12 of them were brought here number one trauma center in this area. we'll pan over just a little bit, earlier overnight, i had an opportunity to go inside where loved one of these family members are waiting on word on exact condition. as i said 12 people were brought here ten of them we're told were

. >> rehema ellis, thanks so much for that update. >>> to jar dan's payback. the country executed two convicted jihadists hours after a fighter was reportedly caged and torched by isis. here is correspondent richard engel. >> reporter: locked in a meddle cage doused in fuel the young jordanian pilot moments before being burned alive. the most savage act yet from the group known for its shocking brutality. in jordan relatives could not contain their disgust and grief and fury. the pilot was first lieutenant mu'ath al kasasbeh 26 just married in july an elite member of jordanian society. he was captured the day before christmas after ejecting from his f-16 on a mission to attack isis in syria, part of the u.s.-led coalition. joe dan's king abdullah a close u.s. ally at the white house before cutting short his washington visit. earlier on jordanian television he called the murder cowardly terror by a group with no relation to islam. president obama says the killing intensifies his determination to fight isis. >> should in fact this video be authentic, it's just o

rehema ellis, nbc news. >>> still ahead for us tonight, scandal at the federal air marshal service. the undercover agents aboard planes who are there to protect us explosive allegations they were moved around because of secret trysts. >>> and later, your lying eyes. why do some people see this dress as white and gold while others see blue and black? the answer so many people want to know. to meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil. because hydraulic fracturing technology is safely recovering lots more oil and natural gas. supporting millions of new jobs. billions in tax revenue... and a new century of american energy security. the new energy superpower? it's red, white and blue. log on to learn more. i have the worst cold with this runny nose. i better take something. dayquill cold and flu doesn't treat your runny nose. seriously? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms plus your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is. something entire

here's nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: manny spent most of his saturdays like this. practicing for hours with the marching culvers of new york a drum line and dance troupe that he says has redefined him. >> my mom was always getting constant phone calls. your son is doing this. your son is doing that. and then one day i just said you know what i got to start getting my act together. >> reporter: the culprit of beating bad influences and going places they never dreamed of. performing for the nfl, college basketball games. and a brief appearance in the movie "bird man" after the director saw them performing in a park. you're in it. >> i don't even know what to say. >> reporter: the band recruits at-risk kids from all around the new york city area. >> stay together in one line. >> reporter: terrell saurs who used music to change his life started the band to give back. 45 are members, dozens are on the waiting list. since it's free students have to commit to good grades community service and a positive lifestyle. >> we're building a future of ceos here possibly. future m

we greatly appreciate rehema ellis.ust the latest problem for metro railroad. here's the recent decline of what was once considered one of the nation's safest rail line boy, that's changed. >> reporter: metro north's decline has been rapid, the string of accidents starting in march, 2013 a. metro north electrician is struck by a train. on may 17th two months later, a broken piece of track causes a derailment and collision between trains in bridgeport, connecticut. 65 people are injured. >> it's one of those kind of jolts that really sent people flying. >> reporter: also in may, a track form struck by a train. two months later, a 48 train derails while traveling over metro north tracks. no injury but millions in damage. five months pass and then the deadliest accident in metro north history occurs when a metro north engineer fell asleep behind the controls causing the train to fly off the tracks at 80 miles an hour while rounding a curve in the bronx, four passengers are killed. 70 injured. >> our mission is to understan

i want to bring in nbc's rehema ellis at the westchester medical center.t can you tell us about the injured? >> according to the metropolitan transit authority, about ten passengers brought here to the westchester medical center as the number one trauma center in this region close to the accident site and some 24 25 miles north of new york city. we were told that ten of those passengers were seriously injured. but we do not yet know the exact condition of them. we should pan over a little bit and you should see the building. i was inside just a short while ago and i saw some loved ones of these passengers in the waiting room. you can imagine there were looks of anxiety and anxiousness on their faces waiting for word of the condition of when's happened to the people that they care for the most. this is very difficult time for them understandably because when you get on a train at the start of the evening commute, you have every expectation that you will arrive at your destination safely but that did not happen for hundreds of passengers tonight. 12 of them