New, up-close video of an Upper East Side jewelry store burglary shows men in full-face ski masks grabbing cash and valuables after they managed to get into the store through a hole in the wall, police say.

Police have been looking for the three masked men since the early-morning burglary at Torino Jewelers on Feb. 23. Police said they made a hole in the lobby of 767 Lexington Ave. next door and then worked their way into the jewelry shop.

The men managed to steal numerous pieces of jewelry from wall displays and glass counters in the store before taking off on foot.

Police released new video Thursday showing the suspects rummaging around in an office looking for valuables. One man appears to be looking for surveillance cameras, pointing directly into one camera with a flashlight. 

They take a drawer full of cash and take off. 

No one was injured in the burglary. 

Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
 

A form of typhus with flu-like symptoms that can lead to hospitalization if left untreated is popping up in parts of Southern California, and possums are the likely culprits.

Cases of Murine Typhus, an infection spread by either flea bites or contact with flea feces, are being reported in the communities of Altadena, Los Feliz and Pasadena and South Pasadena, which have large possum populations, said Dr. Rachel Civen of the LA County Health Department, who calls it "a niche disease."

Symptoms include high fever, nausea, fatigue and muscle weakness. Forty — six cases were reported in LA County in 2014, three in Altadena, where crews posted notices and launched a possum search.

"Possums have massive proportions of fleas on them," Civen said. "Thousands of them."

That makes them ideal carriers for the disease. Fleas carry the disease from rats, opossums or feral cats, and can infect the family pet.

"It’s a pretty benign disease for dogs and cats," Civen said, but the pet can infect other fleas, which then can bite and infect humans. Murine typhus symptoms are similar to flu, and can be difficult to pinpoint and diagnose.

That’s what happened to Chuck Battaglia, a 74-year old ear, nose and throat doctor who landed in the hospital after his typhus was incorrectly diagnosed as flu.

Battaglia usually walks to work at his practice in Old Town Pasadena three times a week. In late January, the idea of walking became less appealing and he began feeling more tired than usual. And that was only the beginning.

The fatigue became overwhelming.

"I had a fever of about 101 degrees," Battaglia said. Then came the night sweats. And things only got worse. He had no appetite and stopped eating. Dehydration set in. Soon his muscles got weaker and weaker. He lost control of his bladder.

A similar story was unfolding not far away at his son’s house.

Doctors originally diagnosed Brian Battaglia’s illness as the flu. But both men knew it wasn’t as simple as that.

It was a conversation with a friend in Altadena that finally led to some answers. "He told me the health department had passed out fliers about a disease," Brian Battaglia said.

The fliers described symptoms similar to what both men were experiencing. Brian demanded a typhus test, which came back positive. In the meantime, Chuck was bound for a three-day stay at the hospital, where antibiotic treatments started beating back the disease.

Chuck Battaglia says it took him nearly three weeks to recover, "though I’m still having night sweats." He also may not look at his 6-year old cocker spaniel Molly the same way again. Even though he said with a laugh, "she’s staring up at me adoringly right now."

The LA County Health Department offered several tips to keep the disease at bay:

• Make sure your dog or cat has excellent flea control.
• Don’t feed wild animals
• Make sure trash is covered so wild animals don’t make their home around your house.

Two men were killed, another was left in critical condition, after a car plowed into a crowd of spectators during an early morning street racing crash Thursday, Feb. 26. in Chatsworth.

Below is a timeline of the events that happened from the day of the fatal crash to when two men were charged in connection with the men's deaths. 

Feb. 26: Two spectators, including Wilson Thomas Wong, 50, of Torrance, were killed and another was in critical condition after they were hit in a street racing crash during the early morning hours in Los Angeles

Feb. 26: Police seek public’s help to find 21-year-old man suspected of driving Ford Mustang that veered out of control during street race.

Feb. 28: Henry Michael Gevorgyan, 21, turns himself in at the LAPD Central Division station, Capt. John McMahon of the San Fernando Valley Traffic Division tweets. He is arrested and held on $2 million bail at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Jail in Van Nuys.

March 2: Eric Siguenza, a 26-year-old Los Angeles resident, was identified as the second person killed in the crash.

March 3: Henry Michael Gevorgyan pleads not guilty to murder charges and other charges in connection with the deaths of Eric Siguenza, 26, of Los Angeles, and Wilson Thomas Wong, 50, of Torrance.

March 3: Irael Valenzuela, 38, second person to be arrested in connection with the deadly crash.

March 5: Valenzuela was charged with two counts of murder and one count of engaging in a motor vehicle speed contest in connection with the fatal crash.

Both men face 33 years in prison if convicted.

On Oct. 18, 2002, 15-year-old Brenda Sierra was snatched off the street while on her way to school. Her beaten and strangled body was found in the San Bernardino Mountains the next day.

Twelve years later, a friend who was also 15 at the time faces kidnap and murder charges in connection with Brenda's slaying. This is a timeline of events in the live of Brenda Sierra.

July 15, 1987: Brenda Sierra is born in Los Angeles. See more

Oct. 18, 2002: Brenda disappears while walking to school.

Oct. 19, 2002: Her beaten and strangled body is found in Crestline. See more

Oct. 21, 2002: Brenda Sierra is buried. See more

April 4, 2008: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department takes over the case from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. See more

March 31, 2012: Deputies put out a bulletin seeking help to find three men in connection with Brenda's murder. See more

Feb. 27, 2015: Rosemary Chavira is arrested near her home in Lancaster in connection with the slaying. See more

March 3, 2015: Chavira is charged and deputies say they plan to press charges against three other suspects within 30 days. See more http://4.nbcla.com/1EshKbJ

A Riverside County couple pleaded not guilty Thursday, accused of charges stemming from a road rage incident in which another couple was severely beaten with an aluminum baseball bat and left lying on the side of a freeway just feet from their children.

Twenty-year-old Gabriel Bowker sat quietly in a Murrieta courtroom as he and his wife denied the accusations against them.

Guadalupe Bowker Cadena, 29, is accused of helping her husband get away after he allegedly used an aluminum baseball bat to beat a Lake Elsinore couple.

The alleged crime happened Monday night on the northbound shoulder of the 15 Freeway, just South of Clinton Keith Road in Murrieta.

CHP investigators say the Bowkers got into a road rage incident with the victims near Murrieta Hot Springs Road. The victims had their two children with them, a 2-year-old and an infant.

"And they had gone to get a birthday cake for their 2 year old and they were on their way back home to do the birthday celebration when this whole thing occurred," said Officer Ron Thatcher.

Investigators say at the time, Gabriel Bowker was driving and the incident escalated when both cars pulled over.

That’s when the victims got out of their SUV and Gabriel Bowker allegedly attacked them with a bat, striking them in the head.

Both were found bleeding and unconscious on the side of the freeway, with their children unhurt inside the SUV.

"And then the suspects fled north on the freeway and left the victims behind," Thatcher said.

Guadalupe Bowker Cadena is charged with one count of aiding her husband because prosecutors say she drove her husband away from the crime scene.

"There's no indication that she took part in the assault itself," said John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

Both victims suffered severe head injuries but are expected to survive.

Gabriel Bowker remains behind bars with bail set at $1 million. He is facing several charges, including attempted murder. Guadalupe Bowker Cadena’s bail was set at $5,000.

CHP officers said this should be a lesson to anyone involved in a road rage incident.

"You just don't know who you are dealing with," Officer Thatcher said. "Call 911. Let the highway patrol handle it."

The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission will meet Friday for the last time to present the governor with the final copy of a report highlighting school safety, gun violence and mental health recommendations.

The commission released a 256-page draft report last month and made some some final revisions that will be revealed this week. Commissioners voted on the modifications at the panel's final working meeting Feb. 13.

• Read the draft report online

According to a news release from Gov. Dannel Malloy's office, the 16-member panel will meet for the last time at 3:30 p.m. at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

A copy of the full report will be available online following the meeting.

Malloy commissioned the panel to make recommendations in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that left 20 children and six educators dead in December 2012.

WATCH LIVE: Philadelphia Police will hold a news conference at 11:15 a.m. to discuss more details in the case.

Slain Philadelphia Police Officer Robert Wilson III was getting a gift to reward his 9-year-old son for good grades when he was gunned down inside a GameStop, authorities said Friday. 

"He had done well in school and was just buying him a video game," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey as he arrived at Philadelphia Police Headquarters Friday morning. "What parent probably hasn't done that for a child in recognition of good work and he just happens to be there at the time that these two guys come in there for a robbery."

Wilson, an 8-year veteran with the 22nd District, died from his injuries after he was shot several times at close range during an attempted robbery inside a North Philadelphia GameStop late Thursday afternoon. The 30-year-old father left behind two young children, ages 8 and 1, as well as a grandmother.

"Take a moment and say a prayer for this family," Ramsey said Thursday. "And this (boy) who will now grow up without a father. A 1-year-old is going to grow up without a dad because of what happened."

Police charged both suspects with first-degree murder in Wilsons' death and attempted murder for attacking his partner, said Police Capt. Darrell Clark. The District Attorney's Office later named the suspects as 30-year-old Carlton Hipps and 26-year-old Ramone Williams.

Wilson, who was in full uniform went inside the GameStop at the Hope Plaza Shopping Center on 2101 West Lehigh Avenue around 4:30 p.m. when two armed men suddenly announced a robbery.

Wilson immediately confronted the pair, leading to a shootout. The suspects, who were on both sides of the officer, shot at him several times at close range as Wilson returned fire, officials said.

Ramsey, who watched video of the deadly exchange, said the officer "redefined what being a hero is all about,"

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams also hailed both Williams and his partner, who fired at the suspects as well, as heroes, saying Wilson "was trying to protect all the citizens that were inside of that GameStop."

One of the suspects was struck by the gunfire — police have not yet confirmed whether he was shot by Wilson or his partner — and taken to Einstein Hospital. Officials have not yet revealed his condition. The second suspect who wasn't struck fled the store and tried to blend in with a crowd outside but was quickly apprehended by responding police officers, according to investigators.

Both suspects are no strangers to law enforcement. The 30-year-old suspect is on parole for robbery, while the 26-year-old who is hospitalized has a prior arrest for aggravated assault and a theft that happened outside of Philadelphia, Ramsey said.

Police later recovered the suspects' weapons at the scene of the shooting, a .40-caliber and a 9mm. One of the weapons had an extended clip, allowing the suspect to fire more rounds than usual, officials said. Police also recovered an AK-47 rifle from one of the suspect's homes.

"Those two cowards that took his life were pure evil," said Williams.

Wilson along with his partner were part of the group of 22nd District Officers who volunteered to participate in the trial run of the Philadelphia Police body camera program. During a December interview, Wilson told NBC10 he wanted to work to rebuild trust between police and the community.

"It's less negative reaction from the community," Wilson said. "They're recording us and we're recording them also."

Funeral plans are pending.

Gunshots were reported near dorms at Cal State Northridge on Thursday afternoon, and now police are searching for two men.

Gunshots were heard near Lindley Avenue and Kinzie Street at 1:10 p.m., according to the LAPD.

Two men were seen running from the location, jumping fences in the area, police said.

Aerial footage showed four men detained by officers just south of Lassen Street at 2:20 p.m. Those men were questioned and released.

The university issued an emergency alert to students and faculty at 1:42 p.m. and said police are searching the area. Residents and students are being asked to avoid the area.

The campus is not on lockdown, according to university spokeswoman Carmen Ramos-Chandler.

The reported shooting happened just off campus in a student housing area called University Park Apartments.

A homeless man killed on Skid Row by LAPD officers last week has been identified as 43-year-old Charley Leundeu Keunang, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Keunang’s identity has been unknown since it emerged that he came to the United States more than 15 years ago using the stolen identity of a French citizen.

He was known on Skid Row as "Africa."

Keunang was fatally shot by LAPD officers on Skid Row, in an incident caught on cellphone video that prompted community outrage.

Keunang was a Cameroon national, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He served 15 years in federal prison under his assumed name for bank robbery before being paroled in April 2013.

He was initially to be deported, but France rejected travel papers after he was found to have false documentation. Cameroon reportedly ignored requests for travel papers to that country.

Harrison Ford's family says the actor is "battered, but OK" after crash landing a single-engine vintage plane onto a Venice golf course shortly after takeoff Thursday.

Ford,  an experienced pilot, was hospitalized and expected to undergo surgery for some injuries. His family said he is in stable condition.

"He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man. Thank you for all your thoughts and good vibes for my dad," Ben Ford, the actor's son, posted on his Twitter page.

Ford reported engine trouble shortly after takeoff and tried to return to the airport, according to the NTSB. His publicist said he was flying a World War II vintage plane at the time.

"He had no other choice but to make an emergency landing, which he did safely," his publicist said in a statement. "He was banged up and is in the hospital receiving medical care. The injuries sustained are not life threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery."

Dr. Sanjay Khurana, a spinal surgeon on the course, braved a potentially explosive situation to help the actor.

"I did a brief exam and I smelled the fuel and I didn't want it to ignite," he told NBC4.

As he was examining the pilot, the doctor realized he was looking at a familiar face.

"I watched 'Star Wars' as a kid. I think we all did, right? 'Raiders of the Lost Arc' ... iconic films.

"I wanted to do my best. I tried my best to help someone in distress."

Aerial footage of the minutes after the crash showed the small single-engine vintage World War II trainer plane crashed on the ground at Penmar Golf Club. One person could be seen being treated by paramedics.

Fire and NTSB officials said the emergency landing was handled skillfully, and no one else was injured.

Firefighters described his injuries as "moderate."

In a 2008 interview with National Geographic, Ford talked about his love of flying.

"I fly myself everywhere. I like all kinds of flying, including practical flying for search and rescue. And I also like to fly into the backcountry, usually the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho," the "Indiana Jones" actor told the magazine. "I go with a group of friends, and we set up camp for about five days and explore little dirt strips and canyons."

He also recalled helming a helicopter when it was forced to crash.

"Well, there was a mechanical failure while we were practicing power recovery autorotations. It was more or less a hard landing," he recalled. "Luckily, I was with another aviation professional and neither of us was hurt — and both of us are still flying."

The cause of Thursday's plane crash is not yet known.

Witnesses saw the plane clip a tree before coming down.

"We saw this beautiful plane. It looks like a plane I see often, leaving from Santa Monica Airport," said Howard Teba, who was at the golf course when the plane crashed. "Must have hit the top of a tree."

Teba said it appeared that the pilot was the only person on board the plane. Two men who are apparently doctors were golfing at the time and came to the actor's aid, Teba said.

The plane crashed on the golf course just west of the airport shortly after takeoff from the Santa Monica Airport, according to Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Ford's career in Hollywood took off after he starred as Han Solo in "Star Wars" in 1977, but it was his role as the adventurous protagonist in the "Indiana Jones" movies that became his most iconic.

After six decades of acting, the actor still stars in blockbuster hits like the baseball sports drama "42" and has signed on for another film reprising his futuristic thriller "Blade Runner."

A public charter school in San Bernardino admits it had a policy in its student handbook that required students to maintain a minimum grade-point average of 2.0. When the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California caught wind of the policy, it fired off a stern letter demanding the school make immediate changes.

"They were very public about the fact that they were excluding students based on their GPA," says ACLU Staff Attorney Jessica Price. "We heard about this happening elsewhere but this is the first time we've seen it done so blatantly. Because charter schools are public schools, they're required to serve all students, including students who are struggling."

The policy was allegedly printed on the school's website and in the school's handbook, but not part of the school's official charter, which was first approved in 1999 when Public Safety Academy officially opened. The school touts its strict regimen of good character and good grades and the principal says the GPA policy was written with good intention.

"Our intention behind having that minimum 2.0 GPA was simply to hold our cadets to high standards, make sure they're succeeding academically," said Principal Jennifer Stickel. "We never want to be perceived as being discriminatory so we have definitely removed it from our handbook."

In December of 2013, PSA sent 23 letters to parents that states:

"A review of our semester grades indicates your student's grades have not improved. To that end we are remanding your student to his/her home school. Please deliver his/her books to the school office on January 6, 2014 and we will then release transcripts."

Stickel says the San Bernardino Unified School District forced her to rescind the letters, although the ACLU says many of those students had by then already moved to other schools. Another set of 17 letters were sent to students in 2014 but the principal says those were written as "possible" remands to the students' home schools. Stickel says the 2014 letters were intended to bring parents in for meetings with the school to discuss how they could work together to improve the students' grades.

One mother who spoke to NBC4 on the condition of anonymity says her daughter was kicked out of the school just before beginning her senior year.

"Suddenly the principal called and said she could no longer come to the school," the woman told NBC4, "because of her grades." She said her daughter's grades have since improved and requests to return to Public Safety Academy were also denied.

"I didn't know it was illegal," the mother said. "Otherwise I would have argued for my daughter to stay." That was she says she hopes other parents learn from the ordeal. "We have to investigate. I didn't investigate enough."

Part of what that mother says made it more difficult for the family to understand was that most of the paperwork sent home from the school was written in English. It's another issue the ACLU brought up in its demand letter to the school, claiming the students were not getting equal access to education if their parents couldn't understand the letters the school was sending. Stickel says the school has hired additional translators to help with parent correspondence.

Stickel says some students the school attempts to work with parents of students who don't want to go to school at Public Safety Academy. She says those who don't put in the effort to keep their grades up to par often find themselves unhappy, saying that often times they are better suited within a regular school system.

But she adds that losing the GPA policy may send a bad message to students.

"We don't want to send the message that it's OK for them to get D's and F's and slide under the radar," Stickel says. "We want them to work hard."

PSA's President of its board of directors, Rich Lawhead, says PSA tries to offer a private school environment for a community that can't afford it. He says the charter itself was approved by the San Bernardino Unified School District.

"Everyone went over this a few years ago and everything was fine," he says. "Now all of a sudden it's brought to our attention. As soon as we know there's an issue, obviously we want to change it."

The GPA policy, though, is not part of the charter, only part of the student handbook. The ACLU is asking the school to change the charter to reflect the lack of a GPA requirement to attend the school but that would take approval by the SBUSD.

The ACLU says it believes illegal practices like GPA minimums are happening at many more charter schools in southern California, but says parents are too afraid to speak up. Price says parents need to put their children's education and future ahead of any fears, adding that she believes some charter schools are skewing their academic achievements to appeal to state and federal programs for grant money.

Public Safety Academy Charter School recently received a $600,000 grant from the State of California it says it will use to improve programs to bridge the gap between high school and the real world, where many of its students hope to become public servants as police officers or firefighters.

A passenger sitting in the first row of the Delta plane that skidded off the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport during landing on Thursday said she knew something was wrong as soon as the plane made contact with the runway and she couldn’t feel the brakes take hold.

“It started to really shake and bump and oxygen masks were falling and it’s at that moment your mind starts going, ‘this is really not the way it’s supposed to happen,’” Jaime Primark Sullivan, star of the Bravo reality show "Jersey Belle,” told NBC’s “Today” show on Friday.

The jet with 127 passengers on board crashed into a fence during snowy conditions, resting on an embankment just a few feet from the icy waters of Flushing Bay. About two dozen people reported minor injuries and three were taken to the hospital, officials said.

Primark Sullivan, who’s a frequent flyer and feels safe on planes, said as the jet "was sliding for thousands of feet" she was terrified it might slam into another jet or the airport. Once it stopped she saw the rocks and the water.

“It’s at that moment that you think what happens if the plane goes into the water? Do planes sink? Do they float?” Primark Sullivan said, her voice breaking. “Will I ever see my kids again?”

The plane smashed through the fence and passengers had to climb out onto a wing to exit the plane to safety.

“The pilots did everything they could but it’s not different than a car losing control on ice, except we were going hundreds of miles an hour,” Primark Sullivan said.

Primark Sullivan said she held her emotions together until she saw the pilot walk out of the cockpit.

“I looked right at him, and he looked right at me and I sort of came unglued at that moment,” she said. “His only concern was for his passengers. He walked right up to me and put his arm around me and said I’m going to get you off this plane. And he did. "
 

A video shows Seattle Aquarium's giant octopus "Ink" trying to crawl out of his tank, prompting online speculation as to whether he was attempting an escape or simply exploring his new surroundings.

Ink didn't get too far. An aquarium staffer helped the animal back into its enclosure. LiveLeak posted the footage Wednesday, which immediately became fodder for online blogs and sites. The Huffington Post and Gawker wondered whether there was a "worldwide octopus uprising" going on.

Just a few days ago, another octopus grabbed a camera from a researcher and turned it on him, and the post went viral on Reddit. 

There were also reports about an octopus that jumped out of the water to snatch a crab.

As for the Seattle octopus, Reddit commenters wondered what could have prompted it to scale the tank. 

Seattle Aquarium officials told the local Seattle Fox affiliate the "video has been blown out of proportion." “It’s a new octopus 'Ink' in a new exhibit exploring his boundaries,” officials said. “In the video that’s been shared by the public it’s one of our staff members helping Ink bank into his exhibit after exploring the edge.”

The aquarium holds daily octopus feedings, where visitors can watch the giant Pacific octopus consume crabs, clams and even other species of octopus. 

The confrontation between a homeless man and cops on Skid Row is an example of how more incidents with law enforcement are being recorded.

A new phone app has been designed to catch every second of a police stop in case there is a question about the cops actions.

The creator of the app says he got the idea after a routine traffic stop where he admits he felt no racial or other bias but thought he might not come home.

The 29-year old African American man from Alabama behind the "hands up" app said he created it to hold police accountable for any wrong doing.

"Always good to be on the safe side," Lacey Henry said.

Some who declined to be named can relate to feeling distrustful at times with law enforcement.

"I have friends in law enforcement and I feel bad for them because they try to do the right thing," Barbaree Hardy said.

Recording videos on cellphones is nothing new.

But video recorded on this app is uploaded to a persons preset "dropbox" and can also be sent to an emergency contact.

The app creator says the idea is not to accuse all officers of misconduct but to give people access and control.

"You need to record us you bet we are very comfortable with that," said Lt. Tracey Ibarra, of the Pasadena Police Department.

Ibarra says it's the public's right.

"People are looking at, "Will that hold the officer in line?'" she said. "I'm with the other side ... Will the person also conduct themselves above board?"

Pasadena police are testing about a dozen body cameras for their officers.

Ibarra says no matter who is doing the recording the primary focus should be on cooperating with police. Just like it says in more direct terms on the app site.

Karen Durall is a single mother of two and teaches her son about proper conduct but will encourage him to be ready to start rolling.

"Being able to record, I'm grateful for that now because if it wasn't for that then how would we know," she said. "A lot of the things we wouldn't be made aware of."

City Attorney Mike Feuer announced plans of a major lawsuit after a contractor for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power mismanaged customer billing, costing the city millions in damages.

Feuer is expected Friday to detail the major lawsuit that involves overcharging customers.

NBC4’s I-team investigated customer complaints of inflated bills and demanded answers from the LADWP.

"We've been advised by the city attorney's office not to speak on camera about this," DWP spokesman Joe Ramallo told NBC4 in February.

The email response from the DWP stated that billing estimates "can occur for a variety of reasons."

One mathematician, Nathan Wells, tracked and calculated his bills to discover he was left with a bill three times what it should be.

"I think the LADWP is worse than the mafia," Wells told the NBC4 I-Team in a previous report. "It's impossible to deal with them."

Feuer was expected to speak to the media at 10:30 a.m. Friday with details on the suit.

Refresh for updates.