A three-year-old El Cajon girl died Saturday when a car driven by her mother crashed into a utility pole. Now, the child's mother is in custody facing criminal charges.

Police said Brandy Teague, 31, may have fallen asleep at the wheel when her small sedan drove off Broadway between First and Second Streets. The car veered off the road, struck a curb and hit a power pole, police said.

Resident Lee Tharp heard the sound of the crash and then withnessed what happened immediately after the accident.

"I seen [the driver] freaking out ,running around the car and i knew it was bad," Tharp said. "There was a child on ground outside car."

A two-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy were taken to Rady Children's Hospital with what were described by officials as non-life threatening injuries.

The three-year-old was later pronounced dead.

On Sunday, flowers, stuffed animals, balloons and cards appeared near the crash scene. Some of the cards wished the 3-year-old a "Happy Easter and special day in Heaven. "

Teague is in jail awaiting arraignment, arrested for driving under the influence of drugs and suspicion of felony gross vehicular manslaughter. She's being held at Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility.

The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the company that may have sprayed a potentially lethal pesticide, poisoning a Delaware family of four while they vacationed in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Steve Esmond and his two teenage sons remain hospitalized in Philadelphia after suddenly falling ill March 20 in Cruz Bay, St. John. Esmond's wife, Dr. Theresa Devine, has been was released and is now recovering.

"Stephen Esmond is improving and stable," a family spokesperson said. "The minor boys remain in critical condition. They are confident in their medical professionals and are hopeful for a full recovery." 

The Esmond family had stayed in a luxury villa that was located directly above a property that was recently sprayed for bugs, according to the rental agency Sea Glass Vacations. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a March news release that the presence of the highly toxic chemical methyl bromide may have sickened the family.

Now, the Justice Department is looking into whether a branch of Terminix, the company responsible for the fumigation, used the toxin, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. 

The use of the pesticide, which can cause damage to the central nervous system and respiratory system, is illegal indoors in both the U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“No one in this day and age should be using methyl bromide indoors,” Judith Enck, EPA regional administrator, told NBC's "Today" show.

Terminix expressed its concern for the sickened family and vowed to cooperate with the government in the investigation. 

“First and foremost, the family is in our thoughts and prayers,” a Terminix spokesperson said in a statement. “We're cooperating with authorities in their investigation, and we're conducting our own thorough internal investigation.”

Final test results in the investigation are expected next week.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the family was vacationing in St. Martin. It was in St. John.

A multi-lingual Long Island high school senior who moved to New York from Nigeria when he was 8 and wrote his primary college essay about the tribulations of adjusting to American life has earned the prestigious honor of being accepted to all eight Ivy League schools, according to published reports.

Harold Ekeh, a 17-year-old aspiring neurosurgeon who plays the drums, directs a church youth choir and founded a college mentoring program at his Elmont Memorial High School, where he was the salutatorian, has a 100.5 percent grade point average and scored a 2270 on his SATs. According to CNN Money, Ekeh was a semifinalist in the national Intel Science Talent Search earlier this year for his research on how the supplement DHA can decelerate the advancement of Alzheimer's disease.

Ekeh's grandmother was diagnosed with the disease when he was 11.

"When other kids would say, 'I want to be a superhero or police officer,' I would say, 'I want to know what is on the inside of us,'" Ekeh told CNN Money. 

Ekeh credits his parents, former employees at a Target store in Queens, according to The New York Post, with cultivating his drive for success and ultimately helping him achieve it.

The teenager, who speaks Spanish and his native Nigerian language, Igbo, told CNN Money he had trouble adjusting to U.S. culture and customs when he first arrived in the country; U.S. history classes were particularly challenging. 

"We had a fairly comfortable life in Nigeria, but they told me we moved to America for the opportunities like the educational opportunities," Ekeh told the website. "I'm very humbled by this. It's not just for me, but for my school and community. We can accomplish great things here." 

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania all sent acceptance letters to Ekeh's home. Few students even apply to all eight ultra-selective universities, college counselors say, because each school looks for different qualities in their freshman classes. Each college accepts fewer than 15 percent of applicants.

Ekeh told the Post he never expected to get into all eight of the Ivy League schools -- or the five other colleges that accepted him, including MIT, NYU, Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University and Stony Brook University.  Ekeh found out he got into all of them Tuesday -- and went to Chipotle -- after Bible class -- to celebrate, the Post reported. 

He told CNN Money he is leaning toward Yale, where he competed in a Model UN event and met people offered him college application advice -- and fueled his desire to give back to others. Yale is also the school chosen by Long Island's Kwasi Enin, the former William Floyd High School student who accomplished the Ivy League sweep last year.

Two juvenile hikers were stranded on a cliff near Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura County Monday afternoon, officials said.

The hikers were making their way down a hill near PCH just south of Sycamore Cove when they got stuck, according to a Venutra County Fire Department spokesman.

A ladder truck was at the scene to rescue the pair.

Rutgers University is banning all fraternity and sorority parties for the remaining three weeks of the semester.

The university said in a statement the decision came "in light of a number of alcohol-related incidents this year involving Greek organizations." 

The 86 recognized fraternities and sororities are still allowed to host formals and other events where a licensed third-party vendor is used to serve alcohol, the university said, but they won't be allowed to host parties in their houses. 

The presidents of the fraternities and sororities learned about the decision during a meeting with university officials in New Brunswick, NJ Advance Media reported.

Most of them seemed to be on board with the ban because they wanted to avoid risking further negative publicity that's surrounded Greek organizations on campus and across the country this year, the website reported. 

Sophomore Caitlyn Kovacs died of alcohol poisoning last fall after attending a fraternity house party. Last month, the Rutgers chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon was shut down because of an underage drinking incident.  

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs "will use this time to continue and reinforce its dialogue with the leadership of the university's 86 recognized fraternities and sororities about greek life at Rutgers and their responsibilities to the campus community at large," the university said in the statement. 

A California Highway Patrol officer came to the rescue of a young owl in Napa last week.

Officer Ray was waved down Friday afternoon on the Napa-Vallejo Highway by a person who spotted an owl that couldn't fly. Worried about its safety, the man had placed the tiny bird in his pickup truck.

According to Officer Ray, the owl was still too young to fly so he brought it back to the CHP's Napa office and put it in a crate, from where the owl was safely transported to the Silverado Veterinary Hospital.

Veterinary staff will be taking care of the owl until it's big enough to fly.

A feathered friend gets helping hand from @CHP_Napa! Owl too young to fly gets help from #CHP! http://t.co/ehwjw6yTSP pic.twitter.com/KvSYQU9lpU

— CHP Golden Gate (@CHP_GoldenGate) April 6, 2015

A Mercedes driver’s wrong turn left her stranded on the sand, wedged between a bluff and a stone wall just a few feet from the ocean.

Encinitas lifeguards say it was around 8 a.m. when they found a woman and two cats inside the car parked at the bottom of a beach-access road used by surfers and others to get to the sand.

It appears the woman drove off South Coast Highway 101 just north of San Elijio campground, realized she had driven onto the sand and tried to turn around.

The driver, who told NBC 7 her name was Lisa, blamed her GPS for providing wrong directions.

"I was going five miles an hour in the dark and I ran out of real estate," she said.

She said she was on the way to the state campgrounds nearby when GPS led her astray.

No one was hurt -- not even the cats who stayed the night in the car with her. Lisa told NBC 7 she slept like a baby.

The Mercedes suffered minimal damage - just a few front-end bumps and some scratches on the back passenger side.

She said she was unconcerned about fixing it or the incident in general.

"You know, if you're going to go wrong.... I ended up on the beach. It was beautiful. I got out. I decided to wait for the sun to come out so I went to sleep in my car," Lisa said.

She told NBC7 she was not intoxicated or under the influence when she went the wrong way. She said she would not be going camping anymore.

Tow company drivers were able to drive the car back up the access ramp without incident. California park rangers were the only authorities present as the scene was cleared up, and it does not appear the woman will be in any legal trouble over the incident.

The asphalt path to the beach can be accessed through the San Elijo north day use parking lot.

A firefighter tackled a woman allegedly trying to set a person on fire in Mill Valley, and investigators are wondering if she might be responsible for a number of other crimes.

Nai Feuy Saelor, 24, of Richmond was booked Sunday on charges of arson, assault with a caustic chemical and vandalism counts, according to Marin County jail records.

Officers said an off-duty Marin County firefighter saw a woman throwing lighter fluid on a 50-year-old woman off Panoramic Highway on Mount Tamalpais. He then tackled the woman before she could set the victim on fire.

"The sheriff's department took its samples and will see if there is a tie between the assault and the fire at the bottom of the driveway," Fire Battalion Chief Bill Roberts said. The Marin County sheriff tweeted that the woman is "believed to have set a number of fires in Mill Valley neighborhood. Deputies trying to determine motivation for Easter morn (sic) attack."

Not only was there a fire on the property, but the house was also vandalized with "rapist" and "murderer" scrawled in red spray paint.

Investigators think she may be also linked to several other fires in the area.
 

Right when the Monday morning rush was gearing up, a baby rushed into the world.

A woman was walking toward a hospital when she went into labor in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Lincoln Heights at 7:37 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

A good Samaritan offered her blankets and gave aid, an LAPD spokesman said. A spokesman earlier said an LAPD officer helped deliver the baby, but later corrected that information, saying an officer did not assist with the birth.

The baby was born near the intersection of Main and Daly streets, a LA Fire Department spokesman said. Paramedics were dispatched to the location.

The mother, 25 years old, was well and conscious following her baby's birth, police said. Police and fire officials didn't provide the condition of the baby.

An 8-year-old boy was in critical condition Monday morning after a stray bullet struck him in the head as he was sleeping at his family's home, police said.

About 10 rounds were fired from inside the home just before midnight in the 1000 block of Wagner Street in the Del Rey area, sending the boy to surgery, Los Angeles Police Department spokesmen said.

The boy was listed in critical but stable condition at noon Monday. His father had tried to shield him from the gunfire, after the gunman entered the residence just before midnight Sunday and began arguing with family members, police said.

The father "went to his son's room, sheilded his son, and unfortunately his son was struck by gunfire," Sgt. Frank Preciado, who described the injury as "heartbreaking."

It was unclear what the argument was over or if family members who were in the home knew the gunman, Preciado said. The suspect fled the home and has not been caught.

The boy's father told police the gunman had his face covered, possibly with a bandanna and hooded sweatshirt.

The shooting left neighbors on edge.

"It's uncomfortable to know that there are guns and gunshots and killings in your own neighborhood," Diane Smith said.

NBC4's Asher Klein contributed to this report. Refresh for updates.

A Nordstrom at the Westfield Santa Anita mall in Arcadia was being evacuated as police investigated a bomb threat Monday.

The department store reported receiving the threat about 4 p.m.

Police were assisting mall and Nordstrom security. A bomb squad had not been called in as of 5 p.m.

Refresh this page for updates on this developing story.
 

A 2-year-old Delaware boy is back home safe after he was found wandering alone in the streets as his family slept, according to police.

Brittney Jones, who works for a roofing company, told NBC10 she spotted the boy walking in the middle of Colony Drive Monday morning in Dover.

“I said, ‘buddy, where you going?’” Jones said. “I leaned down to him and pointed to both directions. He was holding our hands. He was talking to us. He walked right into the house without crying or hesitation.”

Jones and her co-worker knocked on neighbors’ doors to figure out where the child came from but no one knew. They then called Dover Police.

Police officers then posted a photo of the child on the Department's Facebook page asking anyone who knew who he was to come forward. The boy’s parents then contacted police an hour after the Facebook post went up.

Investigators learned the child woke up as his family slept, got dressed, unlocked the door and then wandered the streets by himself. Fortunately the child was not hurt, thanks in large part to Jones and her co-worker.

“He could’ve been hit, somebody could’ve taken him,” Jones said. “I wanted to help. I’m out here and nobody else was.”

Police say they don’t plan on filing any charges.
 

A late-season storm out of the Gulf of Alaska will move into Southern California Tuesday and generate some rain and snow as well as high winds, but there is little danger of mud slides over slopes made bare by wildfires, National Weather Service forecasters said.

A cold front associated with that cold, low-pressure system is expected to bring three to six hours of steady rain -- in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties Tuesday morning, then in Ventura and Los Angeles counties in the afternoon, according to an NWS statement.

But there could be showers six to 12 hours before and after the passage of the cold front, it said, adding that "significant rain chances should end by late Tuesday night."

Total rainfall amounts are expected to be between a quarter-inch and a half-inch in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, half the volume expected in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, although up to one inch of rain may fall in the mountains and foothills, and between a quarter-inch and a third of an inch of rain per hour could come down when the rainfall reaches a peak, according to the NWS.

The snow level is expected to remain above 5,000 feet, although a dusting is possible at the 4,500-foot level, the NWS statement said. Between two and four inches of snow are expected above 5,000 feet, although up to six inches is possible in some spots, forecasters said.

Nonetheless, no weather-related difficulties or road closures are expected in the Interstate 5 Corridor as of this morning, they said. Along with some precipitation, the approaching storm will generate high winds characterized by frequent gusts of between 30 and 40 miles per hour, with the occasional 50-mph gust in some mountain areas, according to the NWS.

"This storm should bring localized ponding of water on low-lying streets and highways due to clogged drains," warned the NWS statement.

"Wet oil-slicked roads due to the first significant rainfall in a while will impact the morning and afternoon commutes" Tuesday, it added.

The threat of mud and debris flows over slopes denuded by wildfire "is low," although it should be monitored, the statement said.

Tuesday's temperature highs are expected to be in the low 60s before they rise by a few degrees on Wednesday, back to today's levels.

Seven children and one adult have been killed in Princess Anne, Maryland, in what may be an incident of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Police in Princess Anne confirmed the deaths and that seven of the victims are juveniles, ranging in age from 6 to 16 years old. They were all related, and foul play is not suspected, police said.

The website Delmarva Now reported that carbon monoxide is suspected to be the cause of the deaths. Police did not immediately confirm that report.

The deaths were discovered when police heard from a concerned citizen that a co-worker seemed to be missing. When police came to the home, they found it secure and undisturbed, according to a police press release.

Princess Anne is a town in Somerset County, near Salisbury.

Check back for more on this developing story.

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A three-year-old boy may have drowned after being left under the supervision of underage relatives Monday night, police said.

The child was found unresponsive in a residential swimming pool near the intersection of Grandview Drive and Woodfield Place at around 7:30 p.m., a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

The initial call that came in said the boy was supposed to have been watched by other family members, and that he may have been left unattended for about 30 minutes.

After being taken to the hospital the boy was declared dead.