car was taken away in handcuffs into the back of an ambulance. police will run tests to see if the man ws as under the influence of drugs or alcohol. tracie strahan will have an update ahead at 5:30. two connecticut teenagers were critically injured in a boating accident on long island sound. they were 13-year-old girls and pulled from the waters off jennings beach near fairfield yesterday afternoon. they had been tubing when the driver of the boat towing them lost control. the tubes the girls were riding in slammed into a boat that was moored nearby. there's a town hall to answer questions about a deadly legionnaires' disease outbreak. the number of cases is climbing in the south bronx right now. four people now dead, 71 others sick. health officials warn they expect to see more cases. a town hall will be held tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 at the bronx museum of the arts. all right. we want to check weather and traffic.

we'll start with raphael miranda. raphael, we haven't had a triple digit day in the summer, have we? >> no. haven't had a heat wave. >> it's like 89, raphi. >> kept saying 89. that was the third day of the heat wave. never happened. we've had a string of 90-degree days, though. we're going to get close again today and tomorrow. flirting with 90. you'll see in the weather headlines, the heat does continue. we're turning up the humidity hey bit. it was comfortable over the weekend. that is ending a little bit. chance for storms later tonight, especially north and west of the city. then a cooldown is coming. no 90s towards the end of the week. mostly clear right now. a quiet start in westchester county and rockland county. this is our weather maker later this afternoon. if you live well north and west of new york city, this cold front approaches, sparking off a few showers and thunderstorms. probably just in time for the evening commute. that's well north and west. sullivan county, pike county,

pennsylvania. otherwise, hot and humid with a high of 90 degrees. still hot tomorrow. we have to wait for the cooldown. we'll tell you how cool it will get coming up in the seven-day forecast. right now the cool lauren scala. >> thank you, raphael. good morning everyone. right now, if you're headed to the upper east river crossings, two lanes shut down on the throgs neck bridge. there are some delays as they wrap this up. head over to the whitestone bridge. that's free and clear. delays on downtown 1 trains. that's the only issue on the rails. everything else rolling along nicely. as far as the buses go, seven or eight detours out there. one in brooklyn, the rest in the bronx. otherwise, new jersey transit looks good. the next update on the 4s. malaysian as government wants countries along the western indian ocean to help search for possible debris from flight mm 370. the wing flap discovered is now in france. it will undergo testing on wednesday.

it's believed to be from the missing malaysia airlines plane. some metal was found over the weekend. it's not linked to mh 370. happening today, bobbi kristina brown will be laid to rest in new jersey. she will be buried next to her mother, whitney houston. the only daughter of hit any houston and bobby brown died in hospice care. private service was held yesterday near atlanta. golfers got a shock when a coast guard helicopter landed on the green at the richmond country club on staten island. the helicopter was monitoring a small oil spill in northern new jersey when the cockpit filled with smoke and fumes. the crew was forced to make an emergency landing. no one was hurt. the crew made repairs to the helicopter and it took off a short time later. in our money report, puerto rico expected to default on a bond payment today. it's going to miss a $58 million payment expected.

the government says it cannot repay the entirety of what it owes. that comes to $72 billion. puerto rico, though, is barred from seeking bankruptcy protection. so the commonwealth may be open to a flurry now of lawsuits. now that it's acquired, directv, at&t is trying to lure customers away from the other cable companies. part of the offer is instant access to directv without waiting for the installation. how would that work? people can start watching immediately on a tablet or smartphone. at&t is offering deals to bundle its wireless and tv services for new customers. everything is easy as possible, right? >> that's right. new this morning, research is looking into something every parent can relate to. picky eaters. >> kerry barrett is here with the findings that were just released. everyone goes through this at some point. >> it's the worst. decades later, i still remember the battles that my parents had

with my sister at the dinner table. >> with her. >> not you. >> of course. but i mean, they're epic. that's not what you want your dinner to be about. it's a time that your family, maybe the only time your family has to get together and actually talk. think about what is on the typical kids menu, chicken fingers, mac and cheese, pizza, noodles. most kids do eventually expand pal at. about 3% take it to the extreme and that can be a sign of social anxiety or depression. there was a study published in the journal of pediatrics. researchers at duke university looked at selective eating. kids who are restricted in their diets. maybe limited to four or five very specific foods. they found that those kids were nearly two times more likely to be diagnosed with psychological disorders. they think these types of kids are more sensitive to what's going on around them and ultimately what's going into their bodies. >> these are sensitive kids. they see things more intently,

feel things more deeply, that's in their own internal experience an the world around them. >> so we should clarify. this isn't about kids they like a food one day, don't like it the next. kids who go through phases. all of that is very normal. as a parent, you should understand that extreme picky eating is not your fault. you always think it is. did i not introduce them to enough foods, did i not eat enough different foods when i was pregnant with them. guilt is associated with parenting. what can you do? >> most importantly, you need to make family mealtime a priority. it's hard to do. but it is important to do. number two, don't have those battles about food at the dinner table. try and make your family meals a calm environment and number three, this is interesting, i think. practice trying to introduce new foods at other times of the day, not necessarily like at dinnertime when you know there's a battle brewing and you're already set up for that battle. try to introduce them sporadically through the day. hey mom is trying this.

you want to try a little piece. hopefully that could begin to open up their palate a little bit. as far as like the psychological issues that may go along with it, you need to talk to your mental health practitioner about. >> you know what i find out, when your child goes to a friend's house, whatever they're serving, your child will probably eat because they don't want to be rude and say no. they come home saying i tried shrimp or whatever it may be. >> thank you, kerry. it's 5:09. just ahead, new rumblings this morning. why there's speculation, you look beautiful by the way. >> why there's speculation that joe biden is about to throw his hat in the ring. we'll have more of kerry coming up. we'll take a quick break.

it's 5:13. here are four things to know this morning. city council members holding a meeting at town hall to tackle questions about a deadly legionnaires' disease outbreak in the south bronx.

four people are now dead and 71 others sick. happening today, bobbi kristina brown will be laid to rest in new jersey. the 23 2-year-old will be buried next to her mother, whitney houston. it is the second straight week of fastrack week for r train riders. no service between 95th and 36th streets. you can use the d or n trains or shutting puss. kraft recalling tens of thousands of cases of cheese. they're the singles american and white american. piece of the plastic could stick to that cheese. it could create a choking hazard. for more information, head to our website, nbcnewyork.com. 5:13. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. heading over to the weather center. raphael miranda. good morning. >> good morning, guys. great start to the workweek. nice and dry this morning. it is warm out there. temperatures near 80 already in some spots. they're feeling the humidity a little bit. especially in the city.

a muggy feel over the weekend much here's a live look at storm tracker. quiet, no rain to track this morning. we could see showers in places like northwest new jersey. speaking of northwest new jersey, yesterday was very cool. temperatures in the 50s at this hour. it's not as cool as it was at this time yesterday. now we're in the 50s. 68 in parsippany. mild for you there. 66 mine hill. 58 in califon. there's a cool spot. 64 in high point and 70s from new york city. dry and mild across bridgeport and white plains at 70 degrees. as we take a look ahead, it's only monday. but let's look to the weekend. it gets cooler later on this week and that trend stays with us. temperatures, instead of the upper 80s to 90s, we're talking about low to mid-80s, saturday and sunday. we could start making outdoor plans, maybe another beach weekend ahead. here's a look at future tracker. lunchtime today. you can see a sunny picture here. watch what happens at 5:00, 6:00 p.m. a few showers and storms in places like the hudson valley,

western hudson valley, northeast pennsylvania and new jersey. that's where you're running into storms around 6:00, 7:00. overnight, we could see a few pop-up storms. dry by tomorrow morning. this is tuesday, 8:00 a.m. another dry commute. watch what happens during the day. a few more showers and storms pop, especially after 4:00, 5:00 p.m. nothing major. could have a few heavy downpours, especially tomorrow afternoon. for today, all about the heat and the increasing humidity. i know we don't love the mugginess, but it's back today. a high of 90 degrees. overnight, an isolated storm. seven-day forecast shows the heat to contend with for the next three days or so. then we're cooling down on thursday with a high temperature of only 79 degrees. all right, let's take a look at the commute and see if it's above average or below average? >> i don't know what to call it. we only have a couple of problems. maybe above average. downtown 1, trains are running express from the 6th to 42nd

street. it's due to police activity. otherwise, trains look good. on the road, an accident on the 5. that shuts down two lanes. delays aren't too bad. the gowanus expressway, once you get past that belt parkway accident, here's what the gowanus looks like. slow going right now, but not too bad. heading over to the cross bronx expressway, everything moving along nicely. no roadwork today getting in your way. you're in for a nice ride. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect today. the next update on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you very much. donald trump ready to debate vice president joe biden testing the waters. tracie potts joins us live in washington with more. tracie, two major developments over the course of the weekend. >> reporter: exactly. trump still on top and new poll numbers to prove that. but on the democratic side, yes, joe biden, vice president joe biden apparently thinking about a deathbed wish from his son

beau according to reports. he is seriously considering taking on hillary clinton. "the new york times" reports vice president joe biden is quietly testing the waters and could decide whether to run forp president by september. >> if he runs, he runs. >> donald trump is not worried about that or thursday's debate. >> i'd like to discuss the issues. i'm not looking to take anybody out or be nasty to anybody. >> reporter: including texas governor rick perry. trump tops the "wall street journal" poll with 19% followed by scott walker and jeb bush. in the latest national average, perry's just outside the top ten. >> full well expect to be on the stage. >> reporter: he's fighting for the last two spots with ohio governor john kasich and new jersey governor chris christie. >> we'll see what happens. i'd like to be there. >> once you get on the stage, it doesn't matter if you're number one, five or ten. >> i was 1% in the national polls four years ago and won 11 states.

>> reporter: only the top ten will be on stage thursday night. which means the bottom seven will be out. but not completely out, michael. they have a separate debate they're holding earlier that afternoon. >> tracie, thank you very much. today, president obama plans to launch a new effort to fight climate change by cutting pollution. he wants power plants to reduce their use of coal and produce more electricity using -- they have to cut carbon emissions by the year 2030. opponents promise to fight the plan in court and in congress. grief turned to hope for one oklahoma family. they're mourning the loss of a husband and father. this past father's day, sandy siebold along with their daughter decided to release balloons from the grave. it has a message for the finder to call them. when they returned home, they made an amazing discovery. the balloon drifted 25 miles and ended up attached to a fence near their home.

>> what are the chances? i think -- i started crying because it was like a message from him. >> sandy siebold says they're still grieving but the balloons have given them a sense of peace. you always wonder the events that makes something like that happen. >> yes. >> it's how you perceive it and you see how she does perceive it. >> so many people who lost someone will tell you that's a sign. it's 5:19 right now. a monday morning. just ahead, a scary moment at a nascar race. not on the track, in pit row. the strange sight behind home plate at a mets game. why these guys dressed up as umpires. follow the "today in new york" team on facebook and twitter. we'll be right back.

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queensboro bridge. square i video at a nascar race in pennsylvania. brad keselowski was going too fast when he pulled in at pocono raceway. as you saw there, he went into two members of his pit crew. one of them flying on to the hood of his car while they got right back up and actually went

back to work. fortunately, the two crew members have minor injuries. but that's amazing. they got back up. hit by a race car. >> yeah. thank goodness they're wearing the helmets. at least that. >> wow. there's the dashcam video. >> see that one. >> they know how to move quickly. that much they do. it's 5:23. the mets had a big showdown in citifield last night. >> in the midst of the drama on the field, two guys were distracting behind the plate. two fans dressed up as umpires. they mimic all the motions of the umpire. they called foul balls and threw imaginary balls back to the pitcher. now, the fake umpires are actually raising money. it's for a group called ump cares charities. mets won the game. and we're thrilled to say they are tied for first place. i guess that's allowed even though it would be distracting to me as the pitcher.

>> i wonder how the people sitting behind them thought. >> probably annoying. once you find out they're raising money for charity, tolerable then. weather is tolerable. it was a beautiful weekend. >> we had the low humidity, it was sunny. yeah. can we do it every day like that? >> can you? >> yeah, we can. >> today we'll see the mugginess creep back in. i hope you enjoyed the weekend. a decent day. a little more muggy and still hot. 90 for a high temperature in central park. low 90s in linden. you'll see 93. east chester 88 degrees. 85 in garden city. winds are out of the south today. that gives us the more moist flow. the humidity on the rise. 90 in ocean grove. lots of sunshine, 89 in fairfield and sunny with temperatures in the 80s across long island. isolated thunderstorms possible. sort of those warm and humid nights in the city. 74 for a low temperature. 70s in white plains. you have to head deep into the hudson valley to find some 60s.

tonight will be one of those ac nights. you start to feel the humidity building. gets a little uncomfortable. there is cooler weather on the way. cooler weather that we haven't seen so much lately. >> thanks, raphi. good news from the roads mostly. the southern state parkway for the long island commuters. here's eagle avenue. you can see the sun is coming up. pretty pink sky. the one accident cleared out. you are in for a nice ride. then we'll show you the commuter checklist. on the trains, metro-north, long island railroad, new jersey transit and path running without delays or service changes. but we do have delays and service changes on downtown 1 trains. i'll have the details coming up in a few minutes. lauren, thank you. it's 5:25. just ahead, the question president obama sent to someone high above the earth. plus, they're calling him jaws. where the nypd is searching for this gator in the city. >> reporter: we've been crunching the numbers. you may not believe how much

crime is up in one brooklyn neighborhood. i'm brynn gingras. more on what the community is calling for after a weekend of violence. if you're about to head out the door, take us with you. download the "news 4 new york" app on your mobile device right now. we'll be right back.

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right now. enough is enough. call for action following an outbreak of violence in brooklyn. plus, wild scene. several people run down in a chain reaction crash in a local neighborhood. a search under way for a little gator roaming one borough. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. it's monday morning. it's august 3rd. i'm darlene rodriguez. >> i'm michael gargiulo. chris is off. but storm team 4's raphael miranda is here with a look at the forecast as we start a new week and really a new month, raphi. >> good morning guys. first monday of august. nice and driep right now. 76 degrees. it's warm and going to be a hot one later on today. lots of sunshine. a bit more humidity. hazy, hot, humid kind of days. high temperature near 90 degrees. there's a slight chance of a shower or storm popping up as you head home. main lip north and west of town. i wouldn't worry about the um brem as. we'll talk about the cooldown in

the seven-day forecast coming up. lauren has a look at the roads. >> issues on downtown 1 trains. express from 96th to 42 nt street. this is because of police ak tichlt. on the roads, we have two problems. truck route 157bd and 9 northbound. there's one in the right lane. more weather and traffic on the 4s. lauren, thanks very much. several people are hurt, including a police officer. they're all injured in a chain reaction crash on the jersey city street. a speeding car going out of control at myrtle avenue and ocean avenue. "today in new york's" tracie strahan is at jersey medical center with what police are telling us about how this happened, tracie. >> reporter: we're working to confirm reports that as many as 12 people were hurt as a result of this imt. >> the driver that started all

of this put into an ambulance residents were rushing to attend to those hurt including a jersey city police officer. this is at 8:00 last night. a car travel at a high rate of speed struck another vehicle. the impact is so strong, it hit the car -- it hit the officer who was on the sidewalk. after running, trying to escape themselves, residents came back and were in disbelief about what happened. >> really crazy. really, really bad. there was a lot of people screaming, crying and a lot of ambulance. >> reporter: now, here's the video of that driver. he stayed at the scene but was handcuffed before being put into that ambulance. police planned to run tests to see if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash. this morning, we're trying to get an update on the condition. of not only that officer but all of those injured in this incident x michael. we've reached out to jersey city

police and hospital officials. so far, no response. back to you. >> tracie, thank you very much. a firefighter -- firefighters rescued a mother and five children from a frightening fire in brooklyn. cell phone video shows flames shooting from the windows of the building on 96th street sunday. the family was trapped on the second floor. firefighters pulled them to safety one by one. the cause of that fire is unknown. happening today, city council members holding a town hall to answer questions approximate a deadly legionnaires' disease outbreak. the number of cases is climbing in the south bronx. four people are now dead. 71 others sick. health officials warn they expect to see even more cases. a town hall will be held tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 at the bronx museum of the arts. in the bronx, police are searching for a suspect who took a big bag of cash from an unlocked car. this happened a little over a week ago. but police have just released this picture of the suspect and

the car he was driving. now, police say the victim left his suv unlocked while he ran into a bodega at webster avenue and east 178th street in mt. hope. when he came back out, the bag of cash was gone. he tells police there was more than $20,000 in that bag. >> 5:33. almost 5:34. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. raphi, good morning. >> good morning guys. nice and dry out there. a hot day ahead. we need to plan for the heat and also the humidity. we're turning it up compared to what we had over the weekend. you can see in the headline, the heat is still there. near 90 degrees today just like yesterday and saturday. the humidity is up a couple of notches. not as comfortable as it was. tracking a chance for a few thunderstorms later on tonight and tomorrow afternoon. then we have a cooldown coming our way as we head deeper into the workweek. mostly clear skies from westchester county, rockland county to the jersey shore.

a quiet start to the workweek. here's the cold front. you can see strong storms through the ohio valley. it's going to lose a lot of its punch as it approaches later on today. a slim chance for a shower or storm. a high of 90 degrees. mostly sunny, hot and humid on this monday. take a look at that cooldown in the seven-day forecast. lauren scala is here with a look at your commute. >> good morning. we still have an accident on 78 westbound out by exit 3. this is a tractor-trailer fire. it has been extinguished. that still blocks two lanes. watch oupt for minor delays here. if you're getting on the trains, everything looks great for the major commuter lines. all running without delays or service changes. you do need to move your car today. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect. >> lauren, thank you. 5:35. a call for change. a casket will be placed outside of brooklyn borough hall. part of a week long campaign,

"today in new york's" brynn gingras in east new york where brynn? >> reporter: darlene, another response to the weekend. you're seeing behind me a police car in this neighborhood. just sort of a presence for everything that's happened. overall crime is down, but the community is saying it's not enough at this point. here's one reason why. look at the surveillance video. two shooters caught on camera. the flash of their gunshots recorded. the images look grainy. these two men are responsible for shooting nine people at a house party early sunday morning. over the weekend, a 46-year-old man was killed in ft. green and a 20-year-old man was gunned down on the playground in the bronx. back in brooklyn, another shooting and a mother pleaded for justice for her son killed on saturday. >> i want justice for my son so if you see something, say something as they always say. if you know something, call tips

anonymously. >> reporter: here in the 75 precinct where we are this morning, we were looking at the numbers. initially, they were 120% increase, darlene. now with the shootings from this weekend, they're up 500% in this precinct. that is why the community is calling for dhang and they're going to do a whole campaign this week and we'll talk more about that coming up in the next half hour. darlene? >> all right, brynn gingras, thank you. a tragic accident on long island has spurred calls for change. senator chuck schumer wants new safety standards for stretch lip owes. the move comes two weeks after four friends were killed in a limousine accident in cutchogue. senator schumer says party buses or modified limos lack safety have. >> when secondary manufacturers stretch them thin, add tvs, they end up blocking emergency exits, vehicle. >> schumer wants the ntsb to

take a more active role in limo crashes by sending investigators to the scene of major accidents. another issue for the nypd. police commissioner bill bratton trying to tackle the issue of what to do with the city owes homeless. >> a portion of the homeless problem scare the hell out of everybody. understandably, the behavior is erratic and anti-social. >> telling the radio that 5,000 to 10,000 officers are being trained for people who live on the streets. he believes they should get mental health services and not confinement in city jails. happening today, the queens library getting a financial boost. borough leaders are set to allocate $14 million in cap tam funds. queens is one of the busiest library systems. the money is needed for repairs and upgrades, including security cameras at bay terrace. still on the hunt for an alligator on the loose in queens. a viewer sent us a few photos of this elusive represent time.

they've nicknamed him jaws. it's a little gator and spotted several times in flushing meadows, corona park. hopefully they can find the gator and move it to a safer place. >> get him out of there. just ahead, a robot that relied on strangers, the kindness of strangers. in the city of brotherly love, bot. plus, a dramatic scene. people trying to escape severe weather rmt they were hurt when the tent they sought shelter in collapses on top of them. >> weather and traffic on the it's coming up. york."

quicker smarter earlier fresher harder and yeah, even on sundays. if that's not what you think of when you think of the united states postal service, watch us deliver.

welcome back. looking at the tappan zee bridge. it's mission accomplished for movie star tom cruise. his new film, mission impossible rogue nation, earned $56 million in the opening weekend. that's the second highest opening ever for a mission impossible film. i want to see it. i love those films.

>> you saw it, right? >> not yet. tom did call me about it. >> he did? to teleyou he was looking forward to you seeing it. >> yes. some people at ate floating hospital got a special weekend. >> melissa mccarty, leslie jones met with patients in full ghostbusters attire. they decided to take a break from filming outside when they saw signs spelling out, who you going to call. how great is that? >> can't wait to see this. >> looking forward to it. staten island, it probably looks like something out of a movie. a coast guard helicopter landed on the green at the richmond country club. >> the helicopter was monitoring a small oil spill in northern new jersey. the chopper cockpit filled with smoke and fumes. nobody was hurt. the crew made repairs to the helicopter. they took off a short time later. so it's good that there was open space available for them.

>> we want to fix this real quick and be out of the way. let everybody continue on with the game. coming up on 5:44. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. raphael miranda, good morning. >> good morning. it was a great weekend for golf. i'm sure the golf course was packed yesterday. all weekend long really. we had a beautiful stretch of weather. sunshine. a brief shower north of new york city on saturday. that was really the only problem. trouble-free this morning. outside on the plaza, nice and quiet and warm. temperatures well into the 70s already. it's going to be a hot one "today in new york." not much wind action either. it's a little more muggy. you'll feel that as soon as you step outside. it's quiet for nassau and suffolk county. the heat is with us again today. the average high temperature is 84 for this date. today we're headed to near 90. again, this could be our seventh 90-degree day so far this summer. the above average trend continues as we head back to work.

temperatures in suffolk county mild. 70 degrees in north babylon. 66 in melville. 68 in sayville. 67 degrees in farmingville. all around the tri-state, pretty mild out there. the only exception, sussex and monticello and morristown. in the low 60s and upper 50s. more refreshing as you head west out of new york city. here's a look at future tracker. this is lunchtime today. hot, steamy and sun incompetent. nothing much going on in terms of rain or clouds. mostly sunny for your evening commute. the exception, north and west of new york city. this is a cold front that's going to approach. if you live deep in the hudson valley, a few pop-up storms as you head home. dry in the city. around 8:00 tonight, more of the same. chance for a storm north and west of city. smooth sailing into your tuesday morning. tomorrow afternoon, another chance for a few showers and storms. you can see in time for the evening commute again.

today, don't worry about the um brem brel as. everyone is worried about the heat. we're feeling it today. humidity is up compared to the weekend. a little bit of the sticky factor is back. 74 tonight. could have a pop-up storm. the heat stays with us and lingers this week. 89 tomorrow. 85, a little better with the humidity on wednesday. then there's the cooldown. thursday's high temperature only 79 degrees. let's see if things are heating up or cooling down on the roads. lauren scala has more with that. >> i'd like to say cooling down. quite a few accidents have cleared with the exception of one. the one on 78 westbound by exit 3. 173 and also route 22 out here. two lanes still shut down for the cleanup of an earlier tractor-trailer fire. take note of that. eastbound, no rubber necking delays. that's good. a live look outside at the lincoln tunnel where cars and buses and trucks are coming around the helix nicely. no delays getting into the tolls at nif any of the hudson river crossings.

the grand central parkway out by laguardia airport where it's smooth sailing here as well. the van wyck and the l.i.e. too. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect today. it's 5:46. a second american is now suspected of illegally hunlting a lion in africa. investigated. so far, he's not charged with any wrongdoing. zimbabwe is suspending all hunting of wildlife. the dentist killed cecil the lion and sparked protest. a man is under arrest in memphis, tennessee, for a man who shot a police officer in a routine traffic stop. >> checking. you are advising that the officer is down or the suspect? [ inaudible ]

>> neighbors used the radio belonging to the officer to call for help. but the marine corps veteran died at the hospital. tramayne wilborn is the man who shot the officer multiple times. he's believed to be armed and dangerous. festival in chicago. killed one person and injured another. two dozen people. people that crowded into that tent apartment the wood dale prairie festival yesterday afternoon to take refuge from the hailstorm. but the 60 mile an hour winds collapsed the tent and killed a 35-year-old man. three people were seriously injured and about 20 others had to be treated at local hospitals. thousands of homes in the path of a ferocious wildfire north of san francisco. thousands of people remain evacuated. the rocky fire has burned 71 square miles so far. it's destroyed more than 50 homes and other structures. it's one of 21 large fires burning in northern california.

the governor there declared a state of emergency. if you wonder about life on the international space station, you're not alone. so does president obama. he surprised astronaut scott kelly during the question and answer session. president obama tweeted, do you ever look out the window and just freak out? kelly responded, i don't freak out about anything, mr. president. except getting a twitter question from you. have you ever heard of a space peanut? that's what nasa scientists are calling this astroid. the lobe-shaped asteroids came closer to earth than any asteroid is expected to until 2054. it was 4.5 million miles away from earth. about 19 times the distance from the earth to moon. nasa says it places high priority on tracking asteroids to protect the earth from them. >> not that we can do anything about them. evacuate us. 5:49 now. the end of the road for robot trying to hitchhike across the

united states. we told you about hitch bot a few weeks ago in boston. went to a red sox game, found its way to new york city. it fell into trouble in philadelphia where a group of vandals decapitated it. the team behind hitch bot said in a statement, sometimes bad things happen to good robots. >> i didn't expect to happen that there was so many people happy to root for hitch bot, to talk about it, to think what it likes. that's wonderful. >> hitch bot last week read in part, my love for humans will never fade before trying to hitchhike across the u.s. it did make successful trips across canada, germany and the netherlands. it's a shame something happened. >> it was successful in other countries and right away something terrible happens here. it was a big weekend for horse racing fans along the jersey shore. >> much anticipated and a packed monmouth park to see the first triple crown winner in 37 years.

>> it's american pharoah and he's coming into the final furlong and he is all by himself himself. >> all by himself. american pharoah making it look easy at the haskell invitational. 61,000 people, record crowd. could have been a larger victory but the jockey eased up with the race well in hand. people so psyched to say they've seen -- maybe they couldn't get to the belmont stakes. now they got to see american pharoah. >> champion. it's 5:50. still to come, a notorious road about to get a lot smoother. plus, a couple says i do once again. there's a touching reason why necessity recreated the memory of their wedding day. don't forget. follow us on facebook and twitter. michaelg4ny, tar lien darlene4ny. you're watching "today in new york."

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beautiful view up and downtown. last year, new jersey repaved its part of palisades parkway. now work is set for sections in new york according to the journal news. the stretch from bear mountain circle south to the rockland county border will be repaved in the fall. then next spring, the work

shifts south and it will go to stony point and to haverstraw. >> i know that circle. into the woodbury commons outlets. >> shopping. >> i do it quite often actually. >> paved by the gucci. >> the repaving in new jersey, that road is so smooth. >> see? >> when it goes well, it's great for everybody. >> i love a paved road. >> freshly paved. >> are we doing weather and traffic or shelters? >> news 4 and telemundo 47 working with shelters to clear the shelters. on august 15th. dozens of shelters agreed to cut the cost of adoption for a special one-day event. to find one near you, head to nbcnewyork.com. we want to see your photos of the shelter pet that you brought home. send them to share@nbcnewyork.com. >> going to be a great event. >> we can't wait. looking forward to it. >> i have two shelter cats and i

love them. >> it's a good thing. >> they're the best. so grateful. we're grateful for the weather. it's beautiful. it's dry right now. we like that on a monday morning. the humidity is coming back. i'm seeing anger on social media about that fact. it's true. >> not toward you, raphi. >> i like to know what they're thinking. it's going to be hot. high temperature near 90 degrees. so the shore will be a great place to be to escape the heat. put full beach day. temperatures in the 80s at the rockaways. long beach island up to 88 degrees. water temperature near 80 in some spots. lauren scala verified it's not as cold in the water. winds out of the south 10 to 20 miles per hour. we have to watch out for rip current. there's a high risk for rip current for new york city and long island beach. raphi, thank you. >> good news from traffic as well. no major problems on the roads. starting with the rails, no

major problems there. all moving on or close to schedule. a live look outside at the bqe by the brooklyn bridge, it's congested but moving along better than it normally does at this hour. you can enjoy that. no major problems heading into 6:00 a.m. good news for the commute. 5:56, we have a heartwarming story about second chances. a virginia couple tied the knot for a second time hoping to leave a lasting impression. after getting married a year ago, justice stamper was in a terrible car accident and suffered amnesia. about five weeks of memories were erased, including the memories from her wedding day. this weekend, justice and her husband jeremy said i do again. >> the first time. anything that happens, nothing will ever tear us apart. >> friends, loved ones and strangers helped to pay for the second wedding through a go fund me account. >> that's fantastic. >> wonderful bride and groom there. coming up next at 6:00, the

problem with picky eaters. we'll tell you why researchers think this quirk could be the sign of a more serious problem in some cases. get ready for another presidential contender. why vice president biden may try to take on hillary clinton for the democratic nomination. if you're about to head out the door, take us with you. keep watching "today in new york." download the app on your mobile device right now. we'll be right back. you don't need a magician to fix these things. you need fios internet. get fios 50 meg internet, tv and phone now for $79.99 a month, price guaranteed for 2 years. or, double your speeds for just 10 dollars more a month. and only fios gives you uploads speeds as fast as your download speeds. the 100% fiber optics network is here. get out of the past, get fios. because 100% whole grain oats are incredibly good for you. because they're heart healthy because they're good for kids.

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now at 6:00, new calls for action following a bloody weekend across new york city. a chain reaction crash sends a car flying on a new jersey sidewalk leaving a police officer and several other people in the hospital. plus, joe biden for president? why the vice president may be jumping into the race for the white house. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. it's monday morning, it is august 3rd. i'm darlene rodriguez. >> i'm michael gargiulo. chris has the morning off.

storm team 4's raphael miranda is here with the forecast. first, raphi, the humidity is coming back? >> yeah, that is unfortunate. it's going to be a hot one. temperatures near 90 degrees. if you like the hot stuff, you'll love today. 75 already outside. it's warm and sunny and a look at your first forecast shows temperatures back to 80s by lunchtime. hazy, hot and humid in the afternoon. a slight chance for a shower or storm west of new york city. it's all about the heat and the increasing humidity today. i'll take a look at the seven-day forecast in a few. here's a look at the commute with lauren. >> because of mechanical problems, 2 trains running on the 5 line to nef yins street. the belt parkway, we're getting reports of an accident westbound past lefferts boulevard. this is just before lefferts boulevard. you can see delays starting to build in this area. as i get more details, i'll have it to you. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you. now the calls for change

following a violent weekend across new york city. today a week-long gun violence aware campaign kx off in brooklyn. it comes on the heels of a house party where nine people were shot. brynn gingras is in east new york where the search is on for the gunman. >> reporter: that campaign is going to begin at 11:00 outside borough hall in brooklyn. it will feature an open casket and activists say it's to get the conversation started about how to stop all of the violence. some of that violence, as you mentioned, happened here in east new york. this is surveillance video and it shows the moment police say two men gunned down nine people at a house party that happened early sunday morning. if you look at the numbers from the weekend's violence, seven shootings in which three people have been killed. 16 others injured. nine of them from that house party alone.

>> where is our mayor? why are you not denouncing what's in the community? we've been fietding for an opportunity to sit down with you and give you a plan to act with us on this. >> reporter: here is one of the things the mayor and the commissioner have been calling for. more police presence as you're seeing this patrol car here in the 75 precinct. just in this precinct alone, we are doing the numbers darlene and the crime is up from this time last year by 500%. unbelievable numbers. >> staggering numbers. brynn gingras in east new york. thank you. several pedestrians are recovering after a wild multicar crash in jersey city. i'll show you exclusive video obtained by news 4. investigators say a speeding car slammed into vehicles. went flying on to the sidewalk, hitting a police officer there. we're told everyone will recover. but tracie strahan is going to have a live report from the scene coming up later this hour. two connecticut teenagers

were critically injured in a boat accident. the 13-year-old girls were pulled out of the water near fairfield yesterday afternoon. police say they were tubing when the driver of their towboat lost control. the girls crashed into a yacht that was moored nearby. happening today, bobbi kristina brown will be buried next to her mother in new jersey. the 22-year-old will be laid to rest at fairview cemetery in westfield. the only daughter of whitney houston and bobby brown died last week in hospice care after spending six weeks in a coma. a private funeral service was held yesterday near atlanta. happening today, city council members are holding a town hall to address a legionnaires' disease outbreak. four people are dead, 71 others sick from the outbreak in the south bronx. health officials warn they expect to see more cases. a town hall will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 tonight at the bronx museum of the arts. 6:04 right now. time for a check of weather and

traffic on the 4s. the kids are now counting down each day they have left in summer vacation. >> they can't wait to go back to school, right? >> some of them. >> we've got great summer weather. a great day to hit the pools and beaches again. it's hot but the unfortunate thing, we're turning up the humidity a little bit. not as comfortable as over the weekend. tracking a chance for a few showers and storms tonight and tomorrow afternoon. then a cooldown is coming, we could say goodbye to the 90s later this week. a live look at storm tracker. around the tri-state, lots of sunshine for you. a cold front is approaching. it's sparking off showers and storms. it's going to lose a lot of punch as it approaches later on today. well north and west of new york city, the best chance of rain. a high of 90 degrees today. this will be president seventh 90-degree day this summer. let's look at the commute lauren scala. good morning. if you are getting on mass

transit, we have a whole bunch of detours on the buses. in brooklyn, the b 43. the bronx, the bx 3, 5, 11, 13, 15, 35 and 36. that's all because of roadwork. if you're getting on the subways right now, downtown 2 trains running on the 5 line from 149th to nevins street. >> this is all due to mechanical problems. the major lines moving fine. the next weather and traffic update on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you very much. countries along the western indian ocean are on the lookout for possible debris from flight mh 370. that's after last week's discovery of a wing flap. malaysia airlines verifying that it's from a boeing 777. they're meeting with french investigators today to see whether that flap is, in fact, from that missing malaysia airlines plane. some metal was found over the weekend, but that was determined to be part of a house ladder and not connected to this crash.

now to decision 2016. speculation building now that vice president joe biden could be entering the presidential race. this comes as hillary clinton debuts her first campaign ads. "today in new york's" kerry barrett is here with the headlines from the campaign trail. good morning. >> hi, darlene. so much was going on thursday. the first republican presidential primary debate. new polls, a run maybe by joe biden. as you mentioned hillary clinton is rolling out her first tv ad. let's start there. >> she helped get health care for 8 million kid. you probably know the rest. the senator who made sure and heroes and families inform 9/11 got the care they needed. >> she's spending in the early voting states of iowa and new hampshire. they'll focus on her work with families and the relationship with her work with her late mother. to reintroduce her as the

average american. there is new speculation that vice president joe biden may challenge her. she's the front-runner. but she showed weakness. favorability numbers are down. biden has focused on his views of wall street regulations. he may make a decision as soon as next month. of course, he's talked about it several times in the past. just days before that first debate, donald trump surged into the national lead. there's a new "wall street journal" poll showing that trump is the first choice of 19% of gop primary voters. wisconsin governor scott walker following with 15% of the vote and then it is florida governor jeb bush with 14%. all of the other republican candidates have single digit backing. since announcing his candidacy in early june, only 1% of gop primary voters that called him their first choice. however, here's the fine print,

he also has the highest unfavorable rating of any candidate. as far as the debate, there are three candidates who are battling it out to get a spot on the stage. chris christie, john kasich. the polls suggest that christie will make the cut. it is perry who might not. darlene? >> kerry barrett, thank you so much. the "today" show is following all of the developments in the presidential race. they'll have the latest in a live report ahead at 7:00 a.m. today, president obama should announce an ambitious new plan to fight climate change. it could run into resistance. ep wants power plants to reduce coal and use more solar and wind power. power plants would have to cut carbon emissions. they are prochlsing to fight it in court. >> puerto rico's economic crisis crisis. landon dowdy joins us with more. >> we focus on greece and puerto rico, huge crisis.

$72 billion owed and the commonwealth says they have no way to pay it back. >> that's right. good morning, michael. puerto rico is set to default on the debt today after the government missed a $58 million bond payment this weekend. a government spokesman telling reporters we have no money. puerto rico is trying to restructure $72 billion in debt. government officials med with creditors in new york urging them to renegotiate. it would be the highest profile since detroit which missed a $1.5 million bond payment in 2013 before filing for bankruptcy. it's estimated more than half municipal bond funds which you can buy from a broker has some exposure to puerto rico. the island's bonds offer relatively high returns and tax advantages. it's exempt from federal, state and local taxes. >> it's going to be interesting to see how they do it. it's a big crisis. >> absolutely. coming up next, we all know

at least one picky eater. new this morning. >> broccoli. >> it could be a sign of something more serious. and then later an emergency landing. why a coast guard helicopter was forced to land right on a local golf course. your weather and traffic on the 4s is coming up. you're watching "today in new york." come to sesame place before little kids become big kids. and celebrate our 35th birthday with our new neighborhood birthday party parade. save $10 on admission and get a free 2nd visit at sesameplace.com sesame place. go before they grow.

6:13. here are four things to know. a casket will be placed outside a brooklyn borough hall, part of a campaign in response to on outbreak of violence. nine people were shot at a house party over the weekend. that gunman is still on the loose. city council leaders holding a town hall about a deadly legionnaires' disease outbreak in the south bronx. four people are dead, 71 others sickened. it is the second straight week of fastrack work for r-train riders. there's no overnight service

between 95th street and 36th street. >> kraft recalling tens of thousands of cases of cheese. these are the kraft singles american and white american. a piece of the plastic could stick to the cheese and create a choking hazard. more information on the website. nbcnewyork.com. >> 6:14. time for weather and traffic on the 4s this monday morning. we're checking in. i'm going to get that grammar correct. we're checking in with raphael miranda. >> good morning guys. checking in with another hot day. like we had over the weekend. temperatures near 90 degrees both days. today the humidity comes back. as you step outside, a live look at storm tracker. lots of clear skies. temperatures are mild. in the 70s in the city. the hudson valley, a warm and slightly muggy start. 73 stony kill. looking at 67 degrees in kingston. 70s on long island. 60s heading west of new york city. a bit cooler into the hudson valley.

it's going to be hot today. we cool downey vently. by the weekend, we're looking at temperatures slightly below average. haven't seen a lot. 80s saturday and sunday. even though it's early. the forecast does look good as you start to make the outdoor plans for saturday and sunday. can we have another beach weekend. >> lunchtime today, lots of sunshine heating things up. temperatures into the 80s and low 90s in some spots. by 5:00 today, dry in the city for your commute. >> well north and west of new york city. a couple of isolated showers and storms possible there around 8:00 tonight. mostly clear skies. hit or miss shower or storm in the hudson valley. tomorrow morning, heading back to work, 7:00 a.m. a dry commute. again in the afternoon tomorrow. talk about afternoon, you start to see the hit or miss showers and storms forming for your tuesday. having a better chance for rain tomorrow or today. do not worry about the umbrellas. a high of 90 degrees. you're feeling that mugginess.

it's back after it was gone all weekend. 74 overnight. isolated storms possible. hot again tomorrow. sticky for tuesday. wednesday the humidity drops and the temperatures dropping on thursday. thursday's high temperature 79 degrees. it's been over 2 1/2 weeks since we've had a below average temperature day. looks like we have to wait for thursday for that. lauren scala has a look at the roads. >> good news from the roads and the rails. issues on downtown 2 trains. those are cleared out. all the rails running on or close to schedule. still out there from an earlier tractor-trailer fire. on 78 westbound by exit 3. route 173. two lanes still shut down. one getting by. delays minor through here. a live look outside at the holland tunnel where you have no wait here. same thing at the lincoln. no delay at the george washington bridge right now. we'll take a look at the long island expressway in queens. things are usually more parkway.

heading towards manhattan, smooth sailing out here. you're in for a nice ride. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect today. the next weather and traffic update on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you. the national baseball congress plans to honor the bat boy whose life came to a tragic end in kansas. he was struck in the head by a baseball bat last night. a minor league player was taking a practice swing just as carlisle was running past. they huddled in prayer and expressed their condolences. right now the bjs are competing in the national baseball congress world series. round of extreme weather blamed for the death of a man at a festival in suburban chicago. when the hail came down, people crowded in a tent. the 16 mile an hour winds brought the tent down on them. a 35-year-old man died. three others were seriously injured and 20 other people had to be treated at local hospitals. a ferocious wildfire in

northern california is threatening thousands of homes and thousands of people remain evacuated. rocky fire has burned 71 square miles north of san francisco. it's already destroyed more than 50 homes and other structures. firefighters are battling 21 large fires in california. the governor has declared a state of emergency. coming up on the "today" show, live report from the fire zone in california. that's ahead at 7:00 a.m. news for your health. all parents deal with their children being aater at some point. it could signal trouble in a small percentage of kids. in a study by duke university, researchers looked at selective eating. those are kids who are extremely selective and only eat four or five specific foods. they found those children were nearly two times more likely to be diagnosed with a psychological discord such as depression and anxiety. >> they see things more intently

and feel things more deeply. that's in their own internal experience and the world around them. >> extreme selective eating was found in 3% of the children studied. to help get past picky eating, families should make mealtime a priority. not to argue over food and let kids try new foods at other times during the day when less likely to put up a fight. >> the stakes are not that high at that point. >> at the dinner table, you want it to be a nice, pleasant experience. >> 6:19. an odd sight behind home plate at the mets game. gator hunt. an elusive reptile my be cruising waterways in our area. follow us on facebook and twitter. we'll be right back.

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welcome back. 6:23. it's 75 beautiful degrees on a monday. american pharoah, the haskell invitational was not a walk in the park but he did make it look easy. >> it's american pharoah! he's coming into the final furlong and he is all by himself. >> by himself. american pharoah won by more than two lengths with a packed crowd at monmouth park. he could have won by much more but the jockey eased up with the race well in hand. the horse is the first triple crown winner in 37 years. >> that was a great time there. pair of fake umpires had fun at citifield, they sat in the first row, just behind home plate. they mimic every move by the real umpires. they called balls, strikes,

threw fake pitches back out to the pitcher. it was for a good cause. they were raising money for a group, umps care. a charity for children. the mets won that real game 5-2. they swept the nationals. two teams now share first place. you think of the people sitting behind them. >> look at the people. not amused. >> we've got six more of these. >> right. >> but for a good cause. >> for charity. it makes it all worth it. >> the mets were winning. >> good morning, raphi. >> good morning, guys. >> you can see out the window, beautiful start. staten island pretty good too. it's going to be hot and hazy. we're going to lose a little bit of that visibility. the humidity will crank up april couple of notches. 90 degrees your high in the city. 88 the high in east chester. sunny, breezy, 85 in garden city. back to 91 in franklin lakes. overnight tonight, 74 for a low temperature.

watching out for a couple storms mainly dry. it's muggy. a sticky night ahead. we have the heat to deal for the next couple of days and then cooling down by the end of the week. we'll look at that in the seven-day forecast. all right, raphi, thank you. we have problems on the roads. take a live look out there. a disabled vehicle on the inbound lower level. all the delays to the right of the screen. it blocks the right lane. delays are at least 10, 15 minutes there. they're building on the upper level as well. i'll keep an eye on that. 10 minutes at the lincoln and the holland. sawmill. northbound between lawrence and ashford avenue. the left lane remains closed. otherwise, moving well. >> lauren, thanks. chaos in new jersey. >> a chain reaction crash lands several people, including a the hospital.

tracie strahan live in jersey city with more on what happened here. that's coming up. if you pass by brooklyn borough hall later this morning, you might see an open casket in front. i'm brynn gingras in east new york. more on that coming up. keep watching "today in new york." download the app on your mobile device now and we'll be right back.

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now at 6:30, a chain reaction crash sends a car into a new jersey sidewalk leaving a police officer and several other people in the hospital. outrage amidst tragedy. new calls for action following a bloody weekend across new york city. plus, a new road project that could make part of your commute much smoother. "today in new york" starts now. it's always good to hear. good morning everybody. 6:30 a.m. on this monday morning, august 3rd. i'm michael gargiulo. >> i'm darlene rodriguez. chris has the morning off. storm team 4's raphael miranda is here. >> again, been on this hot stretch of weather through july

and it continues in august. it's sunny. it is going to be a dry day for the most part. lots of sunshine. it's a hot one. up to 87 by lunchtime. flirting with 90 through the afternoon. a very slight chance for a shower or storm heading north and west in new york city. the one difference today from over the weekend, the humidity is back on this monday. a little bit of a muggy monday as you head out the door. take a look at the seven-day forecast. lauren scala is here with a look at your monday commute. >> good morning. two problems at hudson river crossings. a live look at the george washington bridge. we have a disabled vehicle on the inbound lower level. that's about mid span. it blocks the right lane. a ten-minute wait. that's congestion. avoid the lower level for now. it will continue to get worse. if you're headed to the holland tunnel on the turnpike extension, just after it, exit 14. there's an accident in the center lane. there are delays on the turnpike into this area as well as 78 heading eastbound. more weather and traffic coming

up on the 4s. >> right now, police officer and several pedestrians in the hospital following a chaotic crash in jersey city. a speeding car went out of control on myrtle avenue and ocean avenue. jersey city medical center with the latest. tracie. >> reporter: still no word on that officer's condition here. but we do know that the driver that struck the officer and possibly as many as 12 others in the custody of police. show you exclusive video obtained by news 4 of the moments immediately after that crash on ocean and myrtle avenues here in jersey city. this shows residents rushing to tend to that police officer that was hit just after 8:00 last night. so far jersey city local lawmakers are telling us that a car traveling at a high rate of speed on ocean avenue struck another vehicle. that was a chain reaction crash because the impact of it was so strong, it hit the officer and several others standing on the sidewalk. witnesses who had to run to safety themselves describe the scene.

what i was looking at, i saw people on the floor, i saw the cars crashing. it looked really crazy, really, really bad. there was a lot of people screaming, crying and a lot of ambulance. >> reporter: that driver did remain at the scene. police planned to run tests to see if he was under the influence of drugs or any alcohol at the time of that crash. again, we're hearing as many as 12 people. including that jersey city police officer. may have been injured in that chain reaction crash. so far, no response from jersey city police or officials at the hospital. back to you. >> tracie, thank you. in connecticut, investigators in bridgeport identified the victim of a bizarre drowning accident. 42-year-old wayne bentley and another man were fighting when they both fell into a creek. the other man fled the scene. bentley's body was recovered later from the water behind chubby's pub. his cause of death has not been confirmed. police are looking for the other man involved in the fight. people who live on the

streets of new york city are getting the attention of police commissioner bill bratton. >> a portion of the homeless problem scares the hell out of everybody. it's because their behavior is erratic and anti-social. >> he told a radio station that 5,000 to 10,000 officers are being trained to deal with the homeless population. he believes they should get counseling and psychiatric help, not imprisonment. happening today, book lovers in queens are getting new financial support. borough leaders are set to allocate $14 million in capital funds for the queens library. queens has one of the busiest library systems. the money is needed for repairs and upgrades including security cameras at bay terrace. last year, new jersey repaved this side of the palisades parkway. now work is scheduled for a part of the new york side. according to the journal news, the stretch from bear mountain circle to the rockland county border will be repaved this fall. then in the spring, the work

will shift to the south and stony point and haverstraw. however, no work is scheduled for south of exit 13 to the new jersey border. 6:34 right now. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. lauren has traveled the paved portion already and gave it the thumbs up, raphi. >> that means something, too. let's take a look at the weather headlines. many of us will give it an approval despite the higher humidity. it's hot but dry on this monday. we like to hear that. it's more humid, especially later this afternoon. tracking a chance for a few thunderstorms later on tonight and tomorrow afternoon and we're also tracking finally cooldown with below average temperatures by the end of the week. here's a live look at storm tracker. no um brem as needed today. nassau, suffolk county in the jersey shore, sunshine. it's going to boost the temperatures. a cold front will approach north and west of new york city. hudson valley, sullivan county, pike county, pennsylvania, you may run into a couple of storms heading home. otherwise, dry on this monday.

a high of 90 degrees. you're feeling the mugginess back on this monday. flirting with 90 again tomorrow and then it gets much cooler by the end of week. we'll look at the seven-day forecast in a few. right now, lauren scala has a look at your commute. >> an accident after the new jersey turnpike tolls. a disabled vehicle at the george washington bridge. kai simonsen is live over the bridge where you can see mid span, this disabled vehicle with blinkers on in the right lane. it looks like there is a tow truck on the scene out there. but it is causing delays into the tolls. kai, if you could show us what they look like. things are moving nicely on the span. but it is causing, as i said, delays heading into the toll. another 10 to 15-minute wait at the upper inbound level and also at the lower level this morning. thank you for that, kai. we'll continue to keep an eye on it. major commuter lines look good. new york light rail commuters,

by passing the atlantic street station, that's because of some mechanical issue they're having out there. otherwise things are rolling along nicely. alternate side of the street issues. >> more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> thank you very much, lauren. now to the calls for change following a violent weekend across new york city. today a week-long gun violence awareness campaign kicks off in brooklyn. it's on the heels of a house party where nine people were shot. brynn gingras is in east new york where the search is on for brynn. >> reporter: that shooting plus moran the commissioner says that crime is actually down. but the community says it's not and it's not enough what has been going on and they want change. here's one reason why. take a look at this video. surveillance video shows two shooters caught on camera. the flash of their gunshots even recorded. the images are kind of grainy but these two men are responsible for shooting the nine people mentioned at a house party early sunday morning.

over the weekend, a 46-year-old man was killed in ft. green. a 20-year-old man gunned down at a playground in the bronx. back again in brooklyn, a mother pleaded for justice. >> i'm tired. but i'm knot going to let my son's death be in vain. because they shot him down like a dog in the street. that i'm not standing for. >> reporter: in the 75 precinct alone, violence is up 500% from last year. there's going to be an open casket outside of the brooklyn borough hall and get the conversation going how to make change in the area. >> brynn gingras, thank you. it's 6:38. firefighters pull off a remarkable rescue in brooklyn. cell phone video shows the flames shooting from the building on sunday.

that roaring fire trapped a woman and her five children on an upper floor. firefighters got them to safety one by one. the cause of the fire still unknown. senator chuck schumer is calling for new safety standards for stretch limos. this happens two weeks after a limousine killed four friends. modified limos or party buses lack safety features that other vehicles have. >> when secondary market manufacturers tear limos apart, stretching them thin, they end up blocking emergency exits, weakening the structure of the vehicle. >> schumer wants the ntsb to take a more active role by sending investigators to the scene of major accidents. in staten island, it's not what you expect to see on the fairway. a coast guard helicopter landing on the green at the richmond country club. the helicopter had been monitoring a small oil spill in northern new jersey when the

cockpit suddenly filled with smoke and fumes. crew had to make an emergency landing. they have found the golf course. they made repairs to the helicopter and took off a short time later. a second american is being investigated for possibly breaking hunting laws in africa. a pittsburgh doctor is suspected of killing a lion in zimbabwe. so far officials are not charging him with any wrongdoing. zimbabwe is suspending any wildlife hunting after the international outrage sparked by the killing of cecil by a minnesota dentist. we'll tell you where another alligator may have been spotted in our area. adventure over. a hitchhiking robot, his travels come to an unfortunate end. more weather and traffic coming up. you're watching "today in new york."

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beautiful view of a tugboat in new york harbor. police are helping to track down an alligator on the loose in queens. these photos were released. he's been named jaws. he's been spotted in flushing meadows, corona park. see the picture of the two officers. they were like, do we go in and get him? >> probably not. >> who do we call for this? marine you unit. >> time for weather and traffic on the 4s. is the water temperature attractive for the reptiles? >> maybe they think they're in florida. >> i don't know what they would eat that would be alive in our -- >> a pigeon? a mouse? it's new york.

>> jaws kind of cute. at that size, he's cute. for an alligator. the weather has been pretty nice the past few days. the weekend temperatures near 90. it's a dry start in times square. you see folks moving around. a nice quiet start to the workweek. it's dry but getting more muggy. you'll notice the humidity is creeping back into the picture after a fantastic weekend with the low humidity and sunshine and warm temperatures. we've got sunshine and warm temperatures, but now higher humidity for your monday. see on storm tracker. looks good from the hudson valley down the jersey shore. temperatures are mild, though. you probably had the ac on in tribeca. it's 76 degrees. 71 staten island. low 70s in jersey city. middle 70s in middle village. temperatures generally are mild out there. all around the suburbs as well. 71 danbury. cooler in monticello. holding steady at 61 degrees. we've been on this stretch of

hot weather from really july, the second half of july through august. that's not going to change today. the average, 84. headed towards 90 today. that should be the seventh day that we've seen 90 degrees so far this summer. here's a look at future tracker. it shows a dry picture around lunchtime. you don't need to worry about the umbrellas today. lots of hazy sunshine. this is 5:00 as you head home. the only place with showers and storms, well north and west of new york city. places like sullivan county, pike county pennsylvania and maybe northwest new jersey. that's after 5:00, 6:00 p.m. 8:00 tonight, still mild if you're having dinner outside. heading back to work tomorrow. tuesday, 8:00 a.m. another dry commute for you tomorrow afternoon. after lunchtime, we start to see more of the same popcorn storms popping after 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. you may want to have umbrellas again. 90 degrees for a high temperature. it's hazy, hot and sticky out there. watching out for the isolated storms overnight tonight. temperature of 74 degrees.

a mild night ahead. seven-day forecast shows the heat continues for a few days. tomorrow near 90 again. still hot on wednesday. thursday, that's our day. cooler temperatures, 79 degrees. we stay cool as we head into the weekend. let's see what's waiting for us on the road. lauren scala a look at that. >> there's no popcorn popping for the commute. only the storms. we have good news to start with. we'll look at the george washington bridge. kai simonsen is live. it was on the inbround lower level. everything is moving nicely again. no issues there at this point. pretty heavy delays to get into the tolls. the lower level, of course, should lighten up a bit. the upper level, congestion up there. we will will head over -- if you're headed to the holland tunnel, the holland and the lincoln, you have to get past an accident on the newark bay extension. after the turnpike in the center lane, on the turnpike northbound

getting into the area, that's on the shoulder. delays because of both of these accidents. we have downtown a-trains running local to broadway junction. then delays on downtown c trains. otherwise, subways moving along nicely and for light rail commuters on the newark light rail, that's skipping atlantic street today due to signal problems. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect. back to you, darlene and michael. >> lauren, thanks very much. 6:47. a robot's mission to see the u.s. while using the help and trust of strangers ended tragically in philadelphia. >> hitch bot was found in the city of brotherly love destroyed beyond repair. vandals apparently decapitated it. hitch bot started its journey two weeks ago in massachusetts and even made it safely through new york city. the team behind hitch bot says sometimes bad things happen to good robots. >> i didn't expect to happen but there was so many people rooting for hitch bot, to talk about it.

to think what it likes. that's wonderful. >> hitch bot's last tweet read in part, my love for humans will never fade. before trying to hitchhike across the u.s., hitch bot made successful trips across canada, germany and the netherlands. but we couldn't get it done here. >> it's really disappointing. >> it is disappointing. up next, see what topped the weekend box office. >> follow us on facebook and twitter. michaelg4ny. darlene4ny. you're watching "today in new york."

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open the door.

>> it's mission accomplished for tom cruise's new film mission impossible, rogue nation. it made $56 million in its opening weekend. the second highest opening ever for a mission impossible film. some people at the floating hospital for children in boston got some very special visitors this weekend. >> melissa mccarthy, kristen weeg, kate mckin none and leslie jones. they're wearing the ghostbusters attire. that's the cast of the new film. they were filming outside and they decided to take a break when they saw signs in the window spelling, who you going to call? it's the new ghostbusters is the answer. >> looks great. >> what a great visit that probably was. the "today" show coming up. we check in with savannah and carson. >> good morning guys. >> come pg up on the show this morning, strong storms headed our way after slamming the midwest. dylan will tell us what to expect. a second american accused of

africa. we'll have the latest and talk to a woman in idaho sparking hunts. rossen reports, a new crackdown on toy guns that look very real. could you tell the difference? could police tell the difference? the bold demonstration you need to see. a parade of stars this morning. meryl streep and if that weren't enough, the cast of fantastic four will be here. looking forward to seeing them all when we get started in a few. >> this is the young hip cast of the new fantastic four. >> yes. >> i aged out of that cast. >> you did not. carson, savannah wears glasses, i wear glasses. sometimes. what's your deal today? you look very nice. >> i always wanted to be just like you, darlene. there it is. >> he said should he do what darlene usually does is tear them off and news up his hair? >> i think you should.

>> they're real, i tell you that. >> you look very handsome. >> thank you. up next, raphael will tell us where storms may pop up later on today. >> you're watching "today in new york."

they make little hearts happy and big hearts happy too because as part of a heart healthy diet, those delicious oats in cheerios can help lower cholesterol. cheerios... how can something so little... help you do something so big. today an anti-gun campaign kicks off following a bloody weekend for the borough. >> brynn gingras is in east new york. >> reporter: michael and

darlene, crime is up 500% here from last year. some of that violence happened right here in east new york at a house party. police are looking for these two suspects. surveillance video from a nearby deli shows the moment two gunmen opened fire injuring nine people. shootings happened -- the campaign lasts all week to get the conversation started about ending violence. back to you. >> brynn, thank you. now to tracie strahan in jersey city. several people recovering following a chaotic chain reaction crash. tracie? >> reporter: one of those injured in the crash last night was a jersey city police officer. officials confirmed this all happened at ocean and myrtle avenues just after 8:00 last night. the car traveling was at a high rate of speed and it struck another vehicle. the impact was so strong it hit the officer on the sidewalk. we're hearing as many as 12 people were injured as a result of this. no word on their conditions this morning. back to you. >> tracie, thanks very much.

a commuter alert on the george washington bridge. kai simonsen is over the scene in chopper 4. we see a problem there on the lower level, kai. >> absolutely. michael and darlene. we had an earlier problem. this is pretty much the same spot. vehicle blocking a lane much that's been cleared. here's problem number two. an accident blocking the middle lane. both the upper and the lower inbound right now. i would stay away from the lower level. we will continue to -- what's the rest looking like, lauren? >> jfk airport, they've had overnight power issues. you could see possible check-in delays. get there early. not reporting how bad. leave yourself time to check in this morning. if you're getting on the subways, a suspension on the l train between union square and 8th avenue. wear comfortable shoes. you can walk that. we have downtown a-trains running local to broadway

junction and delays on downtown c trains. >> thank you. hot and humid again today. >> comfortable shoes, i love it. >> want to wear comfortable clothes so you don't sweat too much. it's 90 degrees. lots of sunshine. we could see a storm late this evening. most of us -- a high of 89 degrees. wednesday 85 and sunshine. there is a cooldown coming. it's been above average. we have to wait until thursday to get there. temperatures will be in the 70s. hot stuff is here. enjoy it if you like it. another few days. >> raphael, thanks so much. the "today" show is coming up next. that's what's happening "today in new york." good morning. festival tragedy. a violent and fast-moving storm causes a tent to collapse at an event outside chicago.

one person killed, more than 15 others hurt. the same system that fired up a series of tornadoes. >> that's nuts. >> one of them ripping the roof off of a high school. biden for president? how real is the speculation that the vice president wants to jump into the race? can he take on hillary clinton? or is it too late? and as the countdown is on for the republican debate, our new polls, big numbers for donald trump. in the cross-hairs. another american accused of illegally killing a lion in africa, while a woman from idaho proudly posts images of herself on big game hunts. we'll talk to her. and end of the road. the little robot on a cross-country journey to san francisco. the goodness of strangers supposed to get him all the way. then, this happens. how the happy little life of hitchbot came to such a sad end today, monday, august 3rd, 2015. from nbc news, this is "today," with matt lauer and

savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. you look so different, matt, with your glasses. >> well, thank you very much. >> matt is off this morning. we've got carson here and breaking news at the top this morning. it's our top story. the severe storms moving east now, after producing dangerous hail, high winds and tornadoes across the midwest. here's nbc's john yang with the latest. >> reporter: severe weather turned deadly over the weekend when high winds caused a tent to collapse at a small festival in suburban chicago. >> we had one fatality, three serious injured and 17 to 20 minor injuries. >> reporter: john anderson says his van, southern jack, was just minutes away from performing at the wood dale prairie fest, 25 miles northwest of chicago, when the storm hit, sending festival-goers scrambling for cover.