A driver was arrested after coming off the 5 Freeway and crashing into the back of a hotel early Friday.
He smashed into the Willow Motel at the 8300 block of Glenoaks Blvd in Sun Valley at around 1:34 a.m, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.
The man was taken to a hospital for treatment to unknown injuries. No one was injured inside the rooms.
Investigators were probing Friday whether a contractor improperly accessed a gas line in a basement below a sushi restaurant, setting off a fiery explosion that leveled three buildings, injured about two dozen people and left at least two missing in the East Village, authorities said Friday.
"There is a possibility here that the gas line was inappropriately accessed internally by people in the building," but officials need to get access to the wreckage to explore it further, Mayor de Blasio said during a press conference Friday. He wouldn't say more about why officials believe that's a possibility.
The contractors working on the Sushi Park restaurant did not have permits for gas work, the mayor said Friday.
Investigators are also checking whether the gas line was re-routed so it would not go through the gas meter, sources told NBC 4 New York. The sources said last August Con Ed that discovered what appeared to be an improper piping scheme in the basement and told the building to stop it.
The investigators are checking whether workers may have turned off the gas prior to a Con Edison inspection Friday and turned it back on after the inspectors left, sources told NBC 4 New York.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office has joined the probe into the blast Thursday that shook the lower Manhattan neighborhood, sparked a fire that officials say could smolder for days and leveled three buildings on Second Avenue and E. 7th Street.
Firefighters were still working to put out hot spots Friday, Chopper 4 video over the scene shows, and rescue workers with K9 units were on the scene searching for the two missing people.
Inspectors with Con Ed had been to the East Village building to check on ongoing work to upgrade gas service. The utility said the work didn't pass inspection, so gas wasn't introduced to the line, and inspectors gave instructions and left at around 2:45 p.m. Con Ed said inspectors didn't smell any gas.
But at around 3 p.m., the sushi restaurant owner smelled gas and called the landlord, who then called a general contractor, Boyce said. No one called 911 or Con Ed, however, de Blasio said.
The contractor, Dilber Kukic, and the owner's son went into the basement and opened a door, and then the explosion happened, burning their faces, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.
"The whole area was shaking," said Moishe Perl, who works next door. "We couldn't imagine what was going on."
The building had an existing gas line intended to serve the sushi restaurant; the work underway was to put in a bigger line to serve the entire building, Con Ed President Craig Ivey said. As for whether the apartments were getting gas from the existing line, "That's a great question," he said.
"We'll have to find out, through the investigation, what's going on there," he said.
City records show the contractor, Dilber Kukic, got a permit last June for plumbing, flooring, removing partition walls and other work at the building.
Kukic had tried to help people escape the explosion and had been helpful to authorities, Boyce said.
The contractor -- who's facing unrelated charges of bribing an undercover investigator posing as a housing inspector -- was injured in the blast declined through his lawyer to comment on the circumstances surrounding the explosion.
Kukic is a relatively minor player in a 50-person bribery case that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. and other authorities unveiled last month. They said city inspectors, landlords and contractors formed a network of graft that exchanged $450,000 in payoffs to get safety violations dismissed, procure phony eviction orders and get fast, favorable and sometimes nonexistent inspections.
Kukic is accused of paying $600 in cash to try to get housing violations dismissed at two upper Manhattan properties he owned. He has pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, businesses and residents who occupied the three buildings that were destroyed are trying to pick up the pieces. Dozens of people and businesses were displaced at least temporarily by the blast. Eleven buildings were evacuated following the explosion, though NYPD officers allowed some residents to return briefly to their apartments Friday to grab a few items.
Chelsea Blampied, who lived in one of the leveled buildings, said she'd stopped home to get a work file from her third-floor apartment when she heard and felt the blast.
"I thought a plane crashed into my building. Glass was blown everywhere, and it was just so surreal," she said.
"I just heard a really loud boom," recounted neighbor Justine Miller. "I could feel it in my chest."
Blampied left behind all her belongings and ran through smoke and debris down the stairs to safety as her building began to crumble. She's now staying with friends and is grateful she made it out alive.
"It's so overwhelming. Everyone lost everything," she said.
Gregory Dohdanowycz was in his top-floor apartment in the building next to where the blast happened.
"I look out the window, and I see two buildings south of me, there's smoke rising from the windows and their roof windows," he said.
He only had time to grab his dog before running outside, and was overwhelmed by the horrific sights and sounds when he got outside.
Neighbor Miller said: "There was blood on the ground. There were people laying up against buildings and other people trying to help them."
Naya Jones, who spent the night at the YMCA after being told to leave her building near the blast site, went to the Tompkins Square Library Friday, where the Red Cross and other relief groups were offering financial assistance, food, vouchers and advocacy help.
The Red Cross said it has helped more than 80 people since the blast and gave housing assistance to 30. The Standard Hotel is giving anyone displaced by the blaze three free nights of lodging. Sprint has also donated 25 cellphones.
The ASPCA is also providing pet supplies for owners in the affected area.
"It's a small community," said Bohdanowycz. "I think everyone is trying to help out when something bad happens."
Several long-standing businesses were also affected by the destruction. Pommes Frites, a favorite spot for fries, was destroyed by the blast, and the nearby Orpheum Theater had to cancel performances of the off-Broadway production of "Stomp."
Robert Seniuk, the chef at Stage restaurant across the street, is determined to get back to work.
"We open, we don't give up. This city is 24 hours," he said.
Nevertheless, the frightening explosion has taken a toll on the psyche of New Yorkers everywhere.
"Yesterday was a very scary day. Now all I can do is think about the people who lost their homes and people who've been living here for decades," said neighbor Adam Mashaal.
The explosion comes a week after the one-year anniversary of the East Harlem explosion that leveled two buildings and killed eight people. The blast also injured dozens of people and left many homeless for months.
Since the 2014 explosion, the FDNY has been given a much greater role in responding to reports of possible gas leaks and New Yorkers are now encouraged to call 911 about gas leaks and odors rather than 311.
A San Bernardino woman who went missing for 10 days earlier this month broke her silence Thursday, issuing a lengthy written statement.
In the statement, Sahray Barber, 22, described the days when she was missing, including her stay at two different hospitals in Los Angeles. She said in the statement that she was depressed and had decided to walk away from her life.
Police scoured the area for Barber, believing that she had been the victim of foul play. Some of her belongings were found in bushes near her apartment and she disappeared around the same time as a rash of attacks against women at the nearby Cal State San Bernardino campus.
Thursday morning, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said he believed the department would seek to file charges for false statements that led them to believe the Art Institute of California student was the victim of a violent crime.
He estimated the overtime cost at least $24,000 and that on-duty officers, helicopter and other search-and-rescue costs meant the department spent much more. He didn't have an exact estimate.
While police searched for Barber, she had checked herself into a Los Angeles hospital, where she didn't give her correct name, Burguan said. Barber saw herself on TV but didn't reveal she was the woman being sought.
It was only after she was discharged to a shelter, where workers questioned Barber about her identity, that her family and police were alerted to her presence, according to Burguan.
Barber issued her statement on the condition that it be printed in full. The complete and unedited version is below:
I need to start by thanking everyone.
To my family and friends, the entire San Bernardino Police Department, any and all the government officials and organizations, and everyone that prayed and assisted in finding me. Thank you. Thank you so much for all the love and support, and all the time, effort and resources you put into brining me home. Most of all I need to thank God. I felt God’s protection and guidance the whole way, and I know I wouldn’t have made it unharmed through all I did without it. I ask for every ones forgiveness, most especially my wonderful family for all the worry and long nights I caused you, and all the amazing men, women, dogs and horses that searched for me through so many nights and days.
I was honestly shocked when I learned from S.B.P.D. personnel and my family all that had been done to locate me. I expected to be another missing person’s case and, having not planned to return, I’d chosen not to look back or pay any mind to any searches or investigations related to my disappearance. I never could have imagined any of this, just like I had no clue what the impact of my leaving would have on so many lives.
I have always striven to do my best in school. In High School, like a lot of people, I felt the all expectations and pressures that came with achieving and maintaining a high GPA. I graduated High School with Honors. Since I started my Associates in Graphic Design, I’ve had my share of easy and tough classes, and good and bad quarters, some of which I felt I barely made it through. I’d received some scary low grades in one quarter but I felt good going into my final quarter.
Really good actually, I felt I had a great recipe for a successful conclusion to my first leg of college.
Unfortunately, I tried to keep myself standing tall as I was hit by the various stresses, pressures, class deadlines, and life challenges I was inexperienced in such as: losing my vehicle in a traffic accident and having to rely on friends and family for transportation, my computer equipment and software needed to complete my assignments becoming inoperable and having a hard time keeping up with my class work as a result, and through all of this the ever looming portfolio show and end of my job.
By not reaching out to family or even school officials, I created a recipe for disaster. I was supposed to be graduating, but instead of having my perfect quarter, things fell apart. I was scared and it felt like the whole world was pressing down on me. Things got so bad that I didn’t know what to say or HOW to ask for help. I had dug a hole so deep, that I felt entirely hopeless. That Monday morning (March 9, 2015) when I reached the gate, I felt I needed to lighten my load. I didn’t intend on ever coming back or being found so I dropped my stuff over the wall and walked away with just a bit of cash. Eventually public transportation and God’s guidance took me to Los Angeles.
During the 10 days I was gone, God brought me in contact with many people in Los Angeles. I could feel his guidance and protection through them. Some of them were like angels, helping me stay alive, or teaching me the things God had brought me there to learn. To everyone I met in L.A. who helped me in even the smallest way whether you know it or not, I would like to thank you all very much as well.
The majority of my time in L.A. was spent in two different hospitals under a fictitious name. On the day I was released from the second hospital, I was blessed by making the acquaintance of another angel. She had no idea who I was, she just realized I wasn’t where I belonged and wanted to help me. She convinced me to open up to her and then to let her call my dad. She was like God’s messenger telling me my journey was complete and it was time to return home.
In closing, I know what I did was incredibly dumb and that I am only here by the grace of God. But I am not at all ashamed of what I did. I know that I did what I had to do, and went where I needed to be. Now I know I am back where I belong and I have a new appreciation for myself and for all of the amazing people that I have in my life. I have and am getting the help and support I need as I now work on getting my life back on track.
God Bless with Sincere Love and Many Thanks,
-Sahray Barber
A magnitude-4.1 earthquake was reported Friday morning in Fresno County.
The earthquake occurred at 6:30 a.m. about six miles north of the Central Valley community of Coalinga, 70 miles south of Fresno. Weak shaking was reported in Coalinga, Huron, Lemoore, Visalia and Santa Rosa.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
The quake was initially reported with a magnitude of 4.2, but later revised to 4.1.
The map below displays the largest earthquakes in California since 1900.
App Users: Click here to view map
A hospitality ambassador for the city of Berkeley was fired and his partner suspended after a video unearthed last week shows the employee - whose job it is to "create a more welcoming downtown" - beating a homeless man on the street.
Berkeley police had arrested the two homeless men, but ended up discovering the YouTube video this week , showing two ambassadors - identified in court documents as Jeffrey Bailey and Carmen Francois - on March 20 dressed in neon yellow caps and shirts telling two homeless people, Nathan Swor, 23, and James Cockereese, 29, to move along and out of an alley behind the CVS on the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Bancroft Way.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that each homeless man pleaded no contest to a single count of misdemeanor battery. Both men were sentenced to probation, prosecutors said. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office is now reviewing the video and it's unclear what effect, if any, that will have on the homeless mens' legal fate.
The scene was captured by Bryan Hamilton, who filmed the event from a balcony above the street, posted the video on Sunday, according to Berkeleyside, which first reported the story.
As the pair of hospitality ambassadors approaches the pair of homeless men on the sidewalk, Cocklereese is seen yelling expletives at the ambassador, such as "Back the f--- up." Cocklereese then tells Bailey to get off his property - meaning the sidewalk.
That's when Bailey is seen grabing Cocklereese with his left arm, holding him to the ground, as he strikes him with his right hand 10 times as his female partner watches. Swor then picks up what looks like a pole and waves it at Bailey, who aggressively follows him down the alley. They shout at each other but no more punches are thrown.
"Clearly unacceptable and egregious behavior -- can't be tolerated," said Downtown Berkeley Association CEO John Caner, who fired Bailey and put his partner on suspension.
The ambassadors did tell their supervisors about the confrontation, but said it was self defense.
The nonprofit Downtown Berkeley Association said the Hospitality Ambassador program helps keep the streets clean, give tourists directions and respond to property owner calls about people trespassing on private property. The program was started in April 2012 and currently has 20 ambassadors, according to Block by Block, a program paid for by property owners.
After Berkeley police arrested the two homeless men on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and making threats against the ambassadors, they found the video on YouTube on Wednesday, and took it to the District Attorney for review. Neither homeless man is in custody, Berkeleyside reported.
The video has prompted authorities to increase training at the Ambassador Program. It will also review procedures for background checks.
NBC Bay Area's Lisa Fernandez contributed to this report.
A magnitude-3.6 earthquake reportedly shook an area near Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County Friday morning.
The USGS reported the shake, whose magnitude could be revised, at 8:36 a.m. Its epicenter was 14 miles south of Twentynine Palms and 17 miles northeast of Indio, and occurred at a dept of 2 kilometers.
A 4.1-magnitude quake hit Central California earlier Friday.
A vehicle crashed into a South Los Angeles building, severing a gas line Friday morning, officials said.
People were being evacuated form the immediate area, in the 3200 block of West Jefferson Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Passersby reported the smell of gas after the vehicle crashed into the building. The crash was reported shortly before 6 a.m., police said.
A grocery store confrontation Thursday evening ended when a man hit a woman with his car in the parking lot and took off, San Diego Police said.
The victim was at a store near College and University avenues at about 4 p.m. Thursday.
She told NBC 7 she and a friend were shopping and accidentally left a cell phone behind inside a grocery store hand-basket. A man picked up the basket and allegedly tried to keep the cell phone, she said.
The victim and her friend confronted the man in the store, got the phone back and left.
As the women got into their car, they noticed the man in the parking lot. He happened to be parked right next to the women and they got into a verbal confrontation once again.
The victim said that's when the man started hitting her with his fists. In an effort to flee the parking lot, he then got into his car and struck her.
Police said the woman was forced up onto the hood of the car upon impact. The suspect drove away and has not yet been arrested.
Police are investigating the incident as a hit-and-run.
The victim told NBC 7 she suffered contusions to her head as well as leg injuries, but will recover. She said the suspect was driving a green car and had tattoos on his chest.
The San Diego Police Department has not yet released a full description of the suspect or his vehicle.
An unexpected sight in Mountain View — a sea lion pup nicknamed "Glicker" was found stranded on a popular trail Wednesday, Mountain View police said.
Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority's Officer Morris rescued the pup from the Stevens Creek Trail with help from the Marine Mammal Center. Officials say sometimes marine mammals make their way deep into the San Francisco Bay, and then into creeks. A few years ago a porpoise was rescued from the San Tomas Aquino Creek in Santa Clara.
Hundreds of sick and starving sea lion pups are washing up on California beaches, and scientists say they don’t know when it will end. New numbers released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week show that an unprecedented 1,800 California sea lions have been admitted to rehab facilities across the state this year.
If you want to see how Glicker is recovering, visit the Marine Mammal Center.
A $250,000 Ferrari was wrecked after crashing into the side of an apartment building during an alleged Hollywood street race with a Porsche.
The driver smashed his Ferrari 458 Italia into the side of the complex at the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Averue at around 10:45 p.m. Thursday, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.
The Porsche then stopped nearby, then the driver got out and got into an argument with the other man before speeding off.
The crash is being investigated as a hit-and-run. The Ferrari driver suffered minor injuries, and hurt his wrist. The building sustained minimal damage.
According to witnesses, the two men seemed to know each other, police said.
A high-profile hospital CEO killed his wife and then set fire to their bedroom in a bizarre murder-suicide, according to a report released Friday by investigators in Somerset County, New Jersey, nearly six months after their deaths.
Firefighters found Cooper University Health System CEO John Sheridan Jr, 72, and his wife, Joyce, 69, in the burning master bedroom of their Montgomery Township, New Jersey home on Sept. 28.
The much revered CEO stabbed his wife multiple times in the face and once in the chest, perforating her aorta, which ultimately caused her death, according to the report.
He then doused the room with gasoline, trapping them inside, police said.
"Somebody's tapping on the window," said a neighbor in a chilling call to 911. "Somebody's trying to get out."
That somebody could very well have been Sheridan's wife of 47 years.
Initially, it was reported that Joyce Sheridan was alive when she was found by firefighters inside the couple's bedroom, but following the six month-long investigation, it was determined that the retired schoolteacher was dead before her husband set fire to the room.
John Sheridan was pronounced dead at the scene by fire officials. He died of "sharp force injuries" and smoke inhalation, said investigators. Two knives were found in the master bedroom.
Sheridan joined Cooper in 2005 and is credited with helping transform the health care system, including adding a cancer center and medical school. Mrs. Sheridan was a teacher at South Brunswick High School who had a passion for helping students in need.
"The death of our parents has left a hole in our hearts and family that can never be filled," the family said in a statement following the deaths.
People hoping to take advantage of the heat wave gripping Southern California have been warned to take extra care at the beaches due to due to dangerous currents.
Huge numbers are expected to flock to the coastline over the weekend as temperatures soar due to a high pressure system. But it is important to also be cautious, as there is a risk of dangerous rip currents and high waves.
"If you’re not an experienced swimmer stay out of the water," NBC4 meteorologist Crystal Egger said.
A beach hazard statement will be in effect in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties from late tonight through Sunday afternoon.
"The warm March weather means great beach days for Spring Breakers, but there’s a warning along the coast," Egger said, "A long period South swell is bringing rough surf and sneaker waves to our local beaches. Biggest waves are expected along South facing beaches through Sunday."
While the surf is dangerous, forecasters have said a stronger sea breeze is likely to develop Friday afternoon, making it slightly cooler than expected along the coast. Warmer weather is possible in the Antelope Valley.
Long Beach will reach into the high 80s Friday, and could break the record of 86, according to the National Weather Service.
More cooling is anticipated on Saturday as the system moves east, but temperatures ``still will be well above normal,'' the weather service said.
The NWS urges SoCal residents planning to perform strenuous outdoor activities to wear light-colored, light-weight clothing and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids.
City News Service contributed to this report
Prosecutors filed charges Friday against three people accused of the January kidnapping and murder of a baby girl from Long Beach and the attempted murder of her mother, father and uncle.
Just three weeks old, Eliza De La Cruz was taken from her home by assailants who shot the three adults, none fatally, on Jan. 3, police have said. The infant's body was later found in a trash bin near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Giseleangelique Rene D'Milian, 47, of Thousands Oaks, was arrested with two alleged accomplices in connection with shooting and kidnapping, Long Beach police said Wednesday.
Originally scheduled to enter their pleas Friday, the group's arraignment was postponed until April 30. Attorneys for the defendendants didn't answer interview questions.
D'Milian is accused of orchestrating the attack in order to acquire two babies because she had told her boyfriend she was pregnant with twins, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors also suspect the three attempted on Feb. 6 to kill a woman and kidnap her four-month-old boy in an El Segundo motel, according to the statement.
Prosecutors planend to a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to set her bail at $5 million at a 1:30 p.m. hearing, the same amount they sought for the bail of Oceanside resident Anthony Ray McCall, 29.
They will ask for Todd Damon Boudreaux, 44, to be held on $1 million bail, according to the statement.
All three face life in prison if they are convicted on the charges filed Friday, the statement said.
Prosecutors did not indicate if charges would be filed against D'Milian's daughter, Charisse Shelton, who was also arrested on suspicion of allegedly assisting in the scheme after the fact.
NBC4's Kim Baldonado contributed to this report.
A sea otter that was being tracked by researchers for more than six years was killed by a shark in Monterey, California, on Sunday.
Biologists found a large, jagged tooth from a white shark in the open wounds of the otter’s body, according to a news release from the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Shark bites are currently the leading cause of death of sea otters and have increased in the last five years.
The sea otter was first discovered by the CDFW back in 2009 after she was found on a beach in Monterey covered in oil, which would give her the name, “Olive the Oiled Otter.”
She was rehabilitated through the CDFW, the Marine Mammal Center, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab. Olive spent her recovery in a pool of warm, softened fresh water. This method was being tested by researchers and helped bringing Olive’s coat and weight back to normal. Olive’s recovery became a point of interest to the public and gained her a Facebook page with more than 5,000 likes.
Because of Olive, researchers were able to develop the new washing method for sea otters. After her initial rescue in Feb. 2009, she was released into the wild in April with a very high frequency transmitter and colored flipper tags to keep track of her.
Scientists successfully captured her for a health evaluation in July 2012 in which she appeared very healthy -- and pregnant. Olive gave birth to three otter pups, which was a great contribution to the endangered sea otter population.
“She showed us that oiled sea otters can go on to live normal healthy lives, have healthy pups, be good mothers and then die of natural causes,” said David Jessup, a CDFW retired veterinarian who oversaw Olive’s recovery, in a news release.
Although shark bites are the leading cause of death in sea otters, CDFW wants people to remember that land and sea pollution is also a contributing factor. Fatalities in sea otters can be lowered if people take care of the habitats they live in.
Before her death, Olive was most recently seen on Feb. 15. Nearly 400 likes, shares and comments on Olive’s Facebook page expressed condolences for the sea otter’s lost life.
A mother hospitalized after a Long Beach apartment fire Thursday morning has died, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office.
Monica Del Rio, 47, and her 4-year-old daughter were hospitalized Thursday after the fire in the 1000 block of Stanley Avenue. Del Rio died Thursday afternoon and the girl remained hospitalized Friday in critical condition.
Two dogs also were found dead at the scene.
The fire broke out in the three-story complex just after 12 a.m., and was confined a single apartment on the top level.
Firefighters found the mother and daughter inside a bedroom. Two other people who live in the apartment were not inside, fire officials said.
A neighbor rushed to the apartment when he saw flames from the balcony to the living room, he said.
Details regarding a cause were not available Friday morning.
Five people were hospitalized after firefighters responded to a report of an explosion Friday at a Riverside County middle school.
The explosion was caused when a student lit a firework inside of a trashcan in the main campus quad, according to a statement from Ethan Chase Middle School in Menifee.
Thirteen additional people suffered minor injuries after the fireworks explosion, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The explosion was reported just after 10 a.m.
The driver of a vehicle with a message on its rear window that read "We Support Our Local Police Dept" drive the wrong way in traffic and slammed into shopping carts in a parking lot before surrendering to authorities in Anaheim.
Police pursued the stolen car on Orange County freeways and city streets Friday afternoon near Disneyland, officials said. The pursuit began in Buena Park, said the California Highway Patrol.
The Toyota Corolla was rammed by a police car in a shopping center's parking lot, but evaded immediate capture. The vehicle slammed through shopping carts before exiting back onto the street.
After racing through red traffic lights and making a U-turn around a street median, the driver and passengers surrendered in the middle of a street just after 1 p.m.
Refresh this page for updates on this developing story.