Palo Alto police have released a surveillance image of a man who they say groped another man inside a Macy’s bathroom.

The victim, a man in his 30s, told police the man peeked over the urinal partition and grabbed his behind.

It happened around noon on Wednesday inside the Macy’s department store at the Stanford Shopping Center on El Camino Real, authorities said.

Investigators believe the same man could have taken a picture of a woman inside a restroom a few miles away on Monday. That attack happened at the Cubberley Community Center.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call Palo Alto police at (650) 329-2413.

Everyone hopes that, upon meeting a new friend, a fine companion, and a possible soul mate, words like "joy" and "play" and "chatter" will be expressed by onlookers. If the first meeting can elicit moved and kindhearted reactions, surely the future looks bright.

They're perfect words to meditate on during the days leading up to Valentine's Weekend, and that a pair of rescued spider monkeys making headlines inspired them makes their meeting, and story to come, all the more charming.

Meet Valerie and Pepe, two spider monkeys who definitely needed a pal.

Los Angeles-based Animal Defenders International, which works on "securing animal protection legislation, drafting regulations, and rescuing animals in distress" located the frolicsome simians.

But they weren't located together. Valerie was found in Lima, where she was "being used as entertainment in a restaurant," and Pepe hailed from Cusco, where "the intelligent, playful monkey had been kept alone for eight years and chained by the neck for eight years." His canine teeth had also been removed.

The organization, which also has offices in London and Bogotá, is raising funds to create a habitat in the Amazon for animals like Valerie and Pepe and the indigenous wildlife that volunteers spend time diligently rescuing and nurturing. Animal rights supporter Bob Barker gave a half-million dollars for a center in Peru, but it is described as a "temporary holding" place, not the wilder habitat ADI seeks.

For now, though, Valerie and Pepe are together, chattering and playing. If you need a dose of duo-sweet coming-together-ness, and two spider monkeys making merry, this is the video.

Teachers and parents conducted informational pickets at Los Angeles schools Thursday to demand cleaner buildings and improved staffing.

Some teachers are wasting valuable time cleaning classrooms due to staffing shortages, teacher union leaders said outside Carver Middle School. District officials have said the demands -- more teachers, money and cleaning staff members -- are not in the Los Angeles Unified School District's budget.

Parents and students at Carver Middle School described restroom conditions as disgusting. Language Arts teacher Jose Buenabad said he regularly cleans classrooms.

"We don't mind, we do it at home, we do it everywhere," said Buenobad. "But we were contracted to teach. We signed a contract to be professionals. They're not treating us like professionals."

Picketers marched in front of the school and handed out information to parents.

The district released the following statement Thursday: "LAUSD has been in a negative financial situation for several years. We are in recovery mode from the Great Recession and at the same time, responding to declining enrollment, among other factors. We are working to develop a budget that treats employees equitably."

The pickets are part of an ongoing contract dispute involving the union and district. Those negotiations are expected to resume Thursday afternoon.

The union supports an 8-percent pay raise for teachers. UTLA  President Alex Caputo-Pearl said that without such an increase, teachers will not want  to join or remain with the LAUSD.

The district's most recent offer to the union was for a 5 percent pay  raise, retroactive to July 1, 2014. Superintendent Ramon Cortines said the  offer is comparable to what other districts are offering. He also said starting  salaries for teachers would jump to $50,000 a year, while another $13 million  would be dedicated to reducing class sizes, doubling the district's budget for  the effort.

NBC4's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.

Hundreds gathered this week to say goodbye to a beloved San Jacinto Police K-9 shot and killed in the line of duty last month.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies, officers and their K-9’s lined up on Wednesday to pay respects to Sultan, a K-9 who had been with the San Jacinto Police Department since 2013.

Sultan’s handler, Deputy Mark Wallace, addressed mourners as he fought back tears during the service at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside.

"Jan. 21 was one of the worst days of my life," Wallace said.

That day began with a visit to an elementary school for a demonstration with second graders.

"I told the children that police dogs are trained to use their nose to locate people and things," Wallace said. "I told them that dogs save human lives."

The day quickly shifted when Wallace and Sultan later responded to a call involving an armed man barricaded inside of a home.

"(Sultan) went under the house without me telling him to," Wallace said. "He was following his nose and doing what he was trained to do. When Sultan came out from under the house, he was bleeding profusely from his neck."

By the time Wallace rushed the K-9 to the vet, it was too late.

"I pulled Sultan’s limp body from the back seat of my patrol car," Wallace said, his voice cracking. "He was gone."

The wanted felon who shot Sultan was later shot and killed by deputies, sheriff’s officials said. Sultan is the first K-9 killed in the line of duty in the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"I know without a doubt that Sultan saved my life and several other officer’s lives that day," Wallace said. "He died a hero."

But believing Sultan died bravely didn’t make his death any less painful for Wallace, who kept replaying the incident in his mind and trying to understand why it happened.

"I thought of all the time and effort I put into getting him and all the effort it required after I got him, just to lose him that quick," he said. "After much thought and much prayer, I have come to realize how selfish I was because I know if it wasn’t for Sultan it would have been another dog on our team ... All of our dogs would have acted and done just as Sultan did that day. And I wouldn’t want any member of our team to go through an experience like this."

Wallace thanked his colleagues and the community for their support, noting the flowers, cards, pictures, and poems he’s received every day since Sultan’s death.

He and Sultan were partnered in September 2013 and started patrolling in November.

"They say dogs are man’s best friend," Wallace said. "Sultan wasn’t man’s best friend. He was my best friend."

A school bus matron was arrested for allegedly grabbing the throat of an 11-year-old Bronx boy, scratching him and pushing him into his seat, leaving him with scrapes on his arms and a red ring around his neck, according to court documents and authorities familiar with the case.

Melanie Evans, 35, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Jan. 15 attack on the boy aboard a moving bus near Webster and Tremont avenues after school.

Photos obtained by NBC 4 New York (above) show redness around the boy's neck and cuts on his arm.

According to a criminal complaint, Evans, who is not an employee with the city's Department of Education, allegedly told the boy loudly to sit down in his seat, then put her hand around his neck and squeezed, causing him to have trouble breathing. The boy told authorities he put his arm up in self-defense and the bus matron scratched him, the complaint says.

Evans was arraigned Wednesday on charges of criminal obstruction of breathing and acting in a manner injurious to a child. Information on an attorney for her wasn't immediately available and it wasn't clear if she entered a plea.

She will not be allowed to work with the education department in any capacity pending the outcome of the investigation.

"This alleged behavior is alarming. While Ms. Evans is not a DOE employee, she has been removed from her position and will no longer be a bus matron," DOE spokeswoman Devora Kaye said. 

Some paddleboarders have all the luck.

Just a month after a close encounter with a couple of killer whales, Rich German got to paddle alongside some other ocean dwellers — two dolphins lazing alongside German's standup paddleboard off the coast of Laguna Beach.

The moment was "totally peaceful, blissful," German said in an email.

He got the close-up show on Wednesday — which he said isn't rare — not far from where he came across the whales in early January, said German, who shared the footage with NBC4.

There appear to be two dolphins, which surface and dive next to the board and leading German alongside kelp beds — one seemingly shoots a rainbow out its blowspout.

"My hope is that one day we will have zero marine animals in captivity and all animals will live free like these dolphins," German said.

See the full video on German's Facebook page.

Inglewood's plan to build an NFL stadium in hopes of attracting a pro football team to Southern California took a step forward Thursday with the verification of petition signatures needed to place the project before voters.

The 80,000-seat stadium is part of Hollywood Park Land Co.'s proposal, called City of Champions Revitatlization Project, for a development at the site of the old horse racing track. The Los Angeles County registrar's office verified about 11,000 signatures, more than the required number, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited Inglewood city officials.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts told NBC4 Thursday that a total of 22,000 signatures were collected in less than three weeks.

"The council could have taken it up to the planning commission, which would take about two to three years, or people could put out a petition," Butts told "The Fred Roggin Show" Wednesday.

The city clerk will forward the resolution to the council at its next scheduled meeting, set for Feb. 24, Butts said. That meeting will include public comment on the plan, Butts said, adding that the city has ordered environmental reviews and other reports on the project.

Butts told Roggin it's not likely the council will take action Feb. 24, opting instead to hold over the issue until its March 3 meeting. 

"I can say that there has been overwhelming support for this motion. The residents of Inglewood are excited about the jobs and revenue this would create."

Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced plans to build the stadium on the site, which would include the stadium as part of a sprawling complex that includes homes, offices and entertainment venues. Kroenke also owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and a majority stake in English soccer team Arsenal.

It's the latest in a string of stadium proposals in the Los Angeles area since the Rams and the Oakland Raiders abandoned Southern California after the 1994 season. City officials extended an option with the owners of Staples Center to build an 80,000-seat stadium to be known as Farmers Field downtown, next to the 10- and 110-freeway junction, provided a team commits to moving there.

The Rose Bowl and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum also could host a team, at least temporarily.

The NFL has expressed an interest in a Los Angeles franchise, but the league has no plans for expansion, meaning an existing team would need to move to Southern California.The NFL has ruled out any team move for the 2015 season, but leaves open the possibility in 2016.

Officials with the Jackie Robinson West All-Stars said Thursday the team is still Little League World Series national champions, despite the league's decision to strip them of their title over allegations of residency violations.

The team’s attorney, Victor Henderson, said he advised the boys and the team not to relinquish their title, as Little League International has not provided the team with anything in writing informing them of their decision or the circumstances surrounding the investigation.

"I'm taking the position, and I think they should take the position, that they are still champions,” he said.

Henderson said the players, parents and the team’s leaders were unaware of the league’s decision Wednesday until they saw it in the media.

Little League spokesman Brian McClintock announced the news of the vacated title Wednesday morning, saying an investigation revealed that coach Darold Butler and Illinois District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly knowingly violated rules by using a falsified boundary map for their 2014 tournament and used players who didn't qualify because they lived outside the team's actual boundaries.

Henderson acknowledged Thursday that the team did have some boundary changes, but said he couldn’t comment on the circumstances surrounding those changes.

"Until we know that the process for attacking the title was fair, was transparent, the story's not over yet,” he said. "We're going to give the league the benefit of doubt, and simultaneously we're going to ask you to give the team the benefit of the doubt."

Officials said the players did not play together at the beginning of the season, instead coming together at the end to be a part of a so-called “all-star” team.

"Any suggestion or belief that this was a team put together solely to win a championship just doesn't hold water,” Henderson said. “There was no intent on anybody’s part to put together some master human race team."

While team officials say they don’t have any immediate plans to file a lawsuit, Henderson said they do plan to ensure the rules applied to JRW are applied to other teams in the league.

“We’re not raising the race card. We’re not raising claims of unfairness,” Henderson said. “I want to make sure any rules or regulations that are applied to Jackie Robinson West are applied to every other team."

Following in the steps of arguments from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other city leaders, officials maintained the boys shouldn’t be punished for the alleged actions of adults or parents.

"As long as we stay focused on the young men, that part of the story shouldn't change,” Henderson said.

The team’s director Bill Haley also spoke Thursday asking supporters to stand by the team as they have “one battle to face.”

"You were not wrong for sticking with our boys then, and you are not wrong for sticking with our boys now,” he said.

Twenty-two Marines were injured in a training exercise on the base in Twentynine Palms on Thursday.

Marines and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, were participating in Integrated Training Exercise 2-15 when a fire extinguisher system in their assault amphibious vehicle inadvertently discharged, officials said in a news release.

Base hospital officials said the service members suffered from "inhalation exposure" during a large-scale, combined arms exercise.

Those requiring medical treatment are receiving care at local medical facilities and are currently in stable condition.

On Jan. 24, a helicopter crashed during a training exercise on the base, killing two Marine Corps officers.

When the Democratic National Convention descends on Philadelphia next year, it will bring with it thousands of delegates, press from around the globe and possibly the next leader of the free world.

The quadrennial political gathering could also bring a bigger boost for one of the country's most formative cities: a multi-million dollar injection of cash into the region and its local businesses.

“Our hospitality community is on fire," Mayor Michael Nutter said Thursday, shortly after the pick was announced. "We do have this opportunity literally to make history again with hosting this convention."

Organizers and party officials estimate that the July 2016 convention will generate an overall economic impact of between $170 and $250 million in direct and indirect spending. That includes everything from hotel room rates and restaurant tabs to security details, infrastructure upgrades and construction jobs.

And while economists and others caution that figure won't necessarily translate fully to cash in the coffers of the city and its businesses, local backers say the lasting economic impact could extend beyond the dollars spent heading into and during the political production.

“First and foremost, landing the DNC for us is huge, huge visibility for the city," said Julie Cocker Graham, executive vice president of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in an interview Thursday. "It puts us on an international and national stage in terms of visitors and convention attendees coming to Philadelphia, and it really does prove what we’ve always known — that we are the city that offers the complete package."

Projections for how much Philly could take in during the convention are comparable to figures reported by other recent host cities, including 2012 convention host sites Tampa, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa injected $214 million directly into the local economy, with the bulk of that going to infrastructure upgrades and security reinforcements, according to local reports on a study commissioned by the host committee. Taxable sales in the region increased by $363 million year over year in the month it was held, even though organizers shortened the convention by one day because of a storm.

In 2008, when Denver hosted the Democratic National Convention, the convention translated to a regional economic impact of $266.1 million in the city's metro area, its host committee estimated. Visitors spent more than $42 million during the convention, according to a report released by the committee, including $15.6 million on lodging and $19 million on food and drink.

But Dr. Dan Murrey, who was executive director of Charlotte's host committee in 2012, said the effect there went far beyond the roughly $170 million in economic impact they estimated that the event generated.

“Before the convention, we had people who had asked where in South Carolina Charlotte was, when we were in North Carolina," he said. "So that was a big plus for us. Since then, there is a sense that people get more of what Charlotte’s about.”

Murrey said the city sought to make the effects of the convention bump last, dispatching volunteers to work on projects like community gardens and installing new recycling baskets to benefit residents long after the delegates had gone. They also used the convention to make a pitch to businesses, foreign representatives and others who might make return visits or investments.

Charlotte Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Morgan said that while a convention might not necessarily transform a city's economy, it's still significant. His city, he said, was able to treat the 2012 convention "like a debut" for national and international audiences.

"It was an opportunity to spiff things up, to tell the story of Charlotte as a New South kind of city that’s on the rise, and we had just unprecedented opportunity to do things," he said.

It paid off, he and Murrey said, with business deals and roughly 25 ambassador visits coming out of conversations and connections made during the event.

Philadelphia, already a major convention hub, is hoping to see its profile rise even higher with the Democratic convention and a visit by Pope Francis this fall. One major winner of the convention will likely be the region's hospitality industry, which Cocker Graham of the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau said employs 120,000 workers.

In 2000, when Republicans flocked to Philly to nominate George W. Bush, attendees spent $24.9 million on hotels, according to a tourism report cited in local media. This time around, a top Democratic National Committee official cited "proximity of their arena and venue to the hotel rooms" as a major factor in the decision to award the contract to Philly over rival cities Brooklyn, New York, and Columbus, Ohio.

"The fact that there are 18,500 hotel rooms within a 15-minute walk of the arena, the Wells Fargo arena, the fact that you would have an opportunity for delegates to be coming back and forth and interacting very cohesively in Philadelphia was a big strength of theirs," DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz told reporters in a conference call.

Still, economists and veterans of conventions caution that even with the major investment, the actual impact can be mixed for local businesses and residents. The economic impact on Tampa varied, its committee report found, with some businesses near the convention site taking a hit because of too few workers at local offices and increased security.

Murrey, who headed Charlotte's host committee in 2012, said his city's convention wasn't a boon for all, either. "Some restaurants won, and some didn't," he said. "I wouldn’t say that every restaurant and every venue would say it was a home run."

The events also come with significant price tags — an estimated $85 million in Philadelphia's case — and economic impact projections don't always reflect the full picture.

Marc Stehr, a professor of economics at Drexel University, said that while Philadelphia "probably going to make some money on this," the actual revenue that is both generated and kept at the local level is "nowhere close to the full amount that would be spent."

“When people are tallying up sort of the benefits of bringing up a big convention like this they tend to count benefits, but not cost, and they tend to ignore things like substitutions," he said.

For example, workers from the suburbs might decide to stay home instead of brave traffic to go to a favorite restaurant, even if it's off the beaten path of the convention crowd. Or a family might decide to change their summer plans once they learn about the convention.

Still, local boosters say they still believe the city will come out ahead in what would otherwise be a slow month for convention business, especially given the lasting impression the city will be able to leave for an international audience.

"You’re at the center stage for three nights for the world," Nick DeBenedictis, a former Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce president who helped work on the 2000 convention, said. "It basically puts you in the big leagues."

A police dog was quarantined Thursday after attacking the 4-year-old son of his Rialto police officer handler in the high desert, leaving the boy with injuries were so severe that doctors had to amputate his left leg.

That boy was taken to Loma Linda hospital after the attack at his family’s Hesperia home on Sunday, and he remains hospitalized.

Neighbor Jeff Houlemarde broke down the house’s fence because on the other side, he could hear horrifying screams coming from the young boy, who was getting mauled by the K-9, who has been with the boy’s father for two years.

"I run up to the dog and kick him, and I kicked him in the back hind quarters and he still didn't release the boy," Houlemarde said.

The dog was Jango, a highly trained police K-9 whose handler is veteran Rialto police officer Mike Mastaler. The officer’s image is not being released because he works undercover.

"So I jumped on top of the dog and had to pry his mouth open," Houlemarde remembers.

Another neighbor pulled the boy away from Jango., and Rialto police say at that point officer Mastaler rushed outside and put Jango back in his kennel.

"This all happened within a two minute time frame," said Capt. Randy DeAnda.

DeAnda said prior to the attack, Officer Mastaler had released Jango from his kennel into the fenced in backyard to let him stretch his legs. The officer then went upstairs to change his clothes. His son was downstairs and went looking for his mom.

"It appears he went out the back sliding glass door and screen door," DeAnda said.

For some unknown reason, Jango attacked the boy. Since the dog was left unsupervised, Mastaler could be disciplined by Rialto police.

DeAnda said the whole incident is a double tragedy, and refers to Mastaler as one Rialto’s finest veteran officers.

Not only is Mastaler dealing with the loss of his son’s leg, but he may also lose Jango.

"And ultimately there has to be a decision made as to whether or not the dog has to be put down," DeAnda said.

According to police. Jango has never showed any signs of aggression toward people he is familiar with.

Air Force One touched down at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday evening, so that President Barack Obama can raise cash for the Democrats and deliver the keynote address at Stanford University regarding cyber security.

The president arrived aboard Air Force One, which touched down about 5:15 p.m. at San Francisco International Airport.

On Friday, his entourage heads to Palo Alto, where Obama will address the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection. President Obama is expected to announce an executive order to encourage information-sharing between the private sector and the government, NBC News reported Thursday.

It's the first time a sitting president will speak at Stanford  since 1975, according to Stanford. That's when then-President Gerald Ford dedicated the Crown Quadrangle at the Stanford Law School.

President Herbert Hoover addressed students at Stanford in 1932, according to Stanford Report, and President Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the elite private university in 1903.  President Bill Clinton was a visitor to campus during his presidency, but in his private capacity as a Stanford parent to daughter Chelsea Clinton.

"We are honored to host this White House summit at Stanford University and are excited to play a pivotal role in convening experts from government, industry and academia," Amy Zegart, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution said in a statement. The summit will be livestreamed here.

The White House said the summit will help shape "public and private sector efforts to protect American consumers and companies from growing cyber threats." Afterward, Obama will host a roundtable with Silicon Valley business leaders. Friday evening, he will speak at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in San Francisco.

The president is then departing from SFO on Saturday and flying to Palm Springs in Southern California.

Los Angeles apartment tenants are blaming their landlord after their homes were burglarized while the building was being fumigated.

Burglars hit four units in the six-unit building last October.  Tenants said they had asked their landlord to provide an overnight security guard, after hearing about burglars targeting tented buildings in the area, but say she refused.

"She expected everyone to move out, two nights in a hotel," recalled artist Fernando Linhares.  He says the landlord provided $100 to pay for their stay.

"She said if you would like a security guard, you can pay for a security guard," said fellow tenant Joe Wilson.

Wilson was so worried about the threat of theft, he took all his computer equipment with him to the hotel, while the other tenants left their valuables behind. When they returned two days later, their homes had been ransacked; their treasured possessions were gone.

"There’s a ladder up against the building to a second floor window," he remembered. "There’s screens hanging off, glass broken."

Among the items stolen from Linhares’ apartment:  several pieces of his artwork, a safe, and his most cherished mementos.

"I lost tapes that I’ve been taping of my kids for the last 20 years. Things you don’t want to lose."

The landlord, Kaaren Kurtzman, refused the NBC4 I-Team’s request for an interview, but released this statement:

"I feel very bad that the tenants in four of the six apartments had to suffer from the actions of these criminals. I did everything I was supposed to do when the property was fumigated. I followed all rules and guidelines with regard to the tenants and even provided a little more compensation than required. I was not required to provide a security guard.”

Wilson said some of the tenants are considering lawsuits. According to Magda Madrigal, an attorney with L.A.’s Eviction Defense Network, they might have a case.

Madrigal told the I-Team that a tented building amounts to “a welcome sign” to thieves. The fact that tenants requested security, were denied, and then were burglarized means “the tenants may have a cause of action against the landlord for negligence,” Madrigal explained. “The tenants need to be made whole for the property that was stolen from them.”

Linhares said financial compensation can’t replace what he's lost.

"It’s so much stuff, I’m trying to forget."

If you’re a renter with a legal concern, you can contact the Eviction Defense Network at www.edn.la or 213-386-8112.

If you have a tip on this story — or anything else — the I-Team wants to hear from you. Give us a call at 818-520-TIPS or email nbc4iteam@nbcuni.

A dog missing for two years has been reunited with her owner thanks to the help of a neighbor, animal control and an unfinished breakfast sandwich.

Annie, a black and tan mixed terrier, was reunited with her owner June Nicolaus this week after disappearing in November 2012. She ran away from her owner's Manchester Township, New Jersey, home three months after being adopted, police said.

Manchester Township Animal Control officers believe Annie survived in the woods near Nicolaus' home for two years before being discovered. Apparently a homeowner had been feeding the dog since June 2014, police said.

But it wasn't until Tuesday when they called animal control. Officer Margaret Dellapietro came to the neighborhood and was able to lure Annie into a cage using a half-eaten breakfast sandwich.

Annie had lost her collar, was dirty and had matted hair, but a microchip allowed Dellapietro to reunite the dog with Nicolaus.

"In the back of my mind, I always held out hope," Nicolaus said in a police release. "Miracles do happen. I was over the moon."

Despite living in the elements for two years, Annie is said to be doing well.

There was a bit of disorder in a South Florida court when an 80-year-old woman facing charges of resisting arrest and violating an injunction called a judge "sweetheart" and asked if he would take her out for breakfast Thursday.

Dolores Sheinis had Broward Judge John Hurley cracking up after he ordered her to wear a GPS ankle bracelet for violating an injunction to stay away from her ex-husband.

"I don't particularly feel like keeping an 80-year-old woman in the jail who has no criminal record, but this is your second warning: Don't go around him again," Hurley said.

"I haven't bothered him for 31 years, why would I bother him now?" Sheinis cracked. "I swear to God and all that's holy on a stack of bibles, I will never go near him, talk to him, call him or even look at him."

"Ma'am, have you ever thought of doing a stand-up routine?" Hurley asked.

"If you pay me good money, sweetheart, I'll be there. I'm really short of funds," she replied.

"Ma'am, I have to tell you something: You seem like you have a great wit about you," Hurley said.

"I do, sir. Sweetheart, that's the only thing I have," said Sheinis, who records showed was arrested Wednesday in Coconut Creek.

"I haven't been called 'sweetheart' in this courtroom since I guess Mr. Miller took over," Hurley said.

"Does that mean you're taking me for breakfast?" Sheinis asked.

"Let me ask you something, ma'am. How have I done as a judge today? So far, how am I doing?" Hurley asked.

"Not bad, but you could do better," Sheinis shot back.

"You brightened my day, ma'am," Hurley responded.

"That's what the last guy said," Sheinis said.

A man missing since a pontoon boat crash at the Jersey Shore last summer has turned himself into authorities after allegedly faking his death.

Andrew Biddle, 45, turned up at Atlantic County Superior Court with his attorney on Thursday afternoon to surrender to authorities, Egg Harbor Township police tell NBC10.

The professional boater has been missing since July 20, 2014, when a pontoon boat he was piloting collided with an unlit buoy right off Longport, New Jersey. Biddle and a passenger were thrown into the water. The passenger was found ashore, but Biddle went missing.

Within weeks of the crash, police told NBC10's Ted Greenberg they didn't believe it was an accident and suspected that Biddle was still alive.

Egg Harbor Township police had charged Biddle with several counts of theft by deception months before he disappeared for allegedly defrauding customers during boat sales. They sent out a flier to other law enforcement agencies asking them to be on the lookout for Biddle.

The boat involved in the crash didn't belong to Biddle. Rather, it belonged to a Douglasville, Pennsylvania, couple who say the man and his company stole it from them.

Biddle's attorney Mark Roddy said he's unsure where his client has been since disappearing.

Biddle was arraigned Thursday afternoon and was granted $50,000 bail.

A sheared fire hydrant sent a geyser of water into the air outside a San Fernando Valley Wendy's drive-thru Thursday.

The water gushed near Tampa Avenue and Sherman Way in Reseda after a car struck the fire hydrant, officials said.

Aerial video showed fire trucks blocking the intersection as water poured into the road. A white car could be seen making a U-turn and driving directly underneath the hydrant's waterfall.

Firefighters stopped the leak just before 11:20 a.m.

Additional details were not immediately clear.
 

 

When this driver spied a huge geyser of water coming out of a sheared hydrant in Reseda, they must have seen an opportunity: free car wash!

A video posted by NBC4 Southern California (@nbcla) on Feb 12, 2015 at 12:35pm PST

Two women claimed they were drugged by comedian Bill Cosby when they were young models, they said at a press conference in Los Angeles Thursday morning organized by prominent attorney Gloria Allred.

One of the women, Linda Brown, said she after Cosby gave her a drink in a Toronto hotel room in 1969, she came to to find Cosby sexually assaulting her but felt paralyzed and unable to stop it.

"He flipped me over and sexually assaulted me. I felt like a rag doll," Brown said at the press conference.

Cosby's attorney did not immediately respond to the most recent claims, but he has denied similar allegations.

Brown said she was in a Wonderbra commercial that same year, when she was about 20 years old. She said she had trusted Cosby when he asked to take her up to his hotel room, apparently to give her a gift before bringing her home from a meeting arranged by her agent. She said the comedian gave her a soft drink, which was the last thing she remembered before the alleged assault.

"I had no idea how my clothes came off or how or why I was in his bed," said Brown, now 66.

Brown and Lise-Lotte Lublin, 48, who said she awoke at home after accepting a drink from Cosby in a hotel room 25 years ago, are being represented by Allred. She represents others who have accused Cosby of sexual abuse over the years.

More than a dozen women have come forward with allegations against Cosby. Some say he drugged and sexually assaulted them, others say he tried to force himself on them.

The accusations, which surged in October when a comedian called Cosby a rapist, spiked plans for a Cosby standup special on Netflix and an NBC show, but Cosby said in a January statement he was "Far From Finished," meaning that he would continue to work and tour.

He released the statement after a show where he joked to a woman at a performance in Canada that "You have to be careful about drinking around me."

Cosby's attorney, Marty Singer, has denied allegations against the 77-year-old comedian, including some specific instances he claims he can discredit. 

So far, statutes of limitation have prevented any of the allegations against Cosby to go to court, though he did settle a molestation case brought against him in 2005 by a Temple University basketball coach.

Lublin said she is pushing to create a law in Nevada that would abolish statutory limits on rape accusations.

"Bill Cosby appears to think that rape is a joke," Lublin said. "Well let me tell you something, Bill: I'm not laughing."

Cosby's Thursday night show in Bakersfield, Calif., was postponed, according to the theater's website, but he has performed at other venues recently.

Bomb squad personnel responded to an Orange County bank Friday morning to investigate what authorities described as a suspicious item.

The "cylinder object" was found outside a Chase Bank near Orangethorpe Avenue and Euclid Street in Fullerton. The intersection, just north of the 91 Freeway, was closed for the investigation, but reopened just before 7 a.m. when authorities determined the object was not a safety threat.

The report was received at about 5 a.m. before the bank opened for business. Investigators deployed a bomb squad robot at the location, a strip mall that includes restaurants, a drug store and other businesses.