her family. but the alleged kidnapper is still on the loose. police are trying to track him down and investigating whether this is connected to two other incidents. a stranger was escorted off a campus today and at bayside, a stranger offered alcohol to students. if you know anything, you're urged to call the cops. decision 2012. cashing in, in california. mitt romney is in the bay area tonight. romney is raising millions of dollars for his campaign, but here's the twist. he'll collect the money here but will likely spend it elsewhere. donors gathering tonight and jean elle joins us. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. romney supporters say as many as 300 people attended this fund-raiser tonight in hillsboro, some paying as much as $50,000 for a seat at the table. there were also some uninvited guests who greeted romney as he entered the event. >> he focused all on his vision for the country and a five-step economic program for training, getting our education to be the best education. >> reporter: mitt romney supporters leave a private fund-raisers, energized by the talk about getting america back to work. the republican candidate waved to president obama supporters as his motorcade entered the es kate. >> i'm a small business owner and i'm for obama. >> reporter: she came from palo alto to give president obama four more years. >> we need four more years to strengthen the economy for the middle class, for small businesses and all americans. >> reporter: some romney supporters lined the streets, hoping to camp a glimpse of the man they want in the white house. george yang volunteered to help his candidate. >> he has a track record of success in terms of business and government. >> reporter: supporters paid anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000, raising millions. experts say romney will spend it in state where is the race for the white house is close. the 2011 tax return will be a new topic, released friday and reveals the romney paid nearly $2 million in taxes, a rate of about 14%. romney is spending the night here in the bay area tonight and heads to san diego for another event tomorrow. reporting live, jean elle, nbc bay area news. we should add this, a private plane carrying romney's wife was forced to make an energy landing in colorado this afternoon. the plane was flying from nebraska to santa monica when the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. this is a photo tweeted by a romney spokesperson. there were ten people on board. a spokes person says the smoke was caused by an electrical fire. the shuttle "endeavor" is on the ground in southern california tonight. the workhorse of nasa's shuttle fleet took its last night today, landing at lax where it's parked tonight. it will spend several weeks there, undergoing preparations for a slow-speed journey to the california science center. before arriving at lax, the shuttle flew past several carr land marks in san francisco. the crowds lined up to see it fly by the golden gate bridge. stephanie troung has more. >> reporter: a proud and final moment for the space shuttle. >> it flew 135 flights. it had over 800 seats that people went into space. >> reporter: bo was one of those people. he was one of the first. not on "endeavor" but the other four nasa shuttles, saying goodbye to the only one he never flew on was bittersweet for the 74-year-old. >> there are things like that, we're celebrating as much today as saying goodbye to the shuttle as it goes into storage. >> reporter: former astronaut steve robinson watched. a view very different from his last encounter. >> i flew on the second to last "endeavor" mission and i started my nasa career here when i was 19, which i hate to say was a little while ago. so it's full circle for me. >> reporter: today's more than a celebration of the space shuttle, but highlights the power of nasa. >> the people who developed the tiles to allow the space shuttle to come through the atmosphere and not burn up are right here. >> it is so exciting. and now i wanted to see "endeavor" with my naked eyes. >> reporter: this engineer is so proud, he shared the moment with his 89-year-old father who has been in the area sense the 40s. >> it was great being out here with my dad. that he's still a big kid. >> i didn't think i was that big, but otherwise i guess i'm a kid. >> what a memorable day. a lot of us became photographers today, pointing our cell phones and cameras towards the sky. but there's one photographer that really stood out. san francisco's phil magrue became famous for that shot of lightning. so today he was at it again. 400 pictures he took and posted them to facebook. they were immediately shared worldwide by hundreds of people and like so many, he felt proud of the bay area and the u.s. space program. >> it's very satisfying, and a lot of my facebook friends are photographers i've met. i came from the east coast, so a lot of them are from east coast, a lot have never seen the shuttle or been to san francisco. so even like high school classmates and people back home that have never seen or experienced some things, it's fun to share with them and with family. >> he says during the last few days he studied climate reports to decide the best place to shoot and his work paid off. we asked for your photos and you had some good ones. these are some of the examples of great images you captured today. if you have pictures you would like to send, you can still do so and post them directly to our facebook page. a sad update on the search for a missing man. the body of 69-year-old charlie dowd was found in nebraska. the retired san francisco firefighter disappeared last week while traveling to chicago by train. relatives say they believe he may have fallen off after becoming disoriented due to his medication. a passenger said he saw him standing near a train door. a statement released on behalf of the family reads in part -- the family of a teenager who died during a spiritual retreat in peru is the victim of a crime here at home. donations made to the family to help pay for the funeral have been stolen. 18-year-old kyle nolan died last month in peru after ingesting a drink during a ritual. jodi hernandez has more. >> all of the girls here decided to do this, and people have been more than generous, dropping off checks and cash and flowers. >> reporter: the staff at blue sky veterinary hospital has been doing all it can to support dr. oswald, as she deals with the death of her 18-year-old son, kyle nolan. he traveled to peru last month to attend a ten-day spiritual retreat but never returned. turns out the shaman confessed he buried him, claiming he died after drinking a hallucinogenic tea. >> he didn't know what he wanted. he was just trying to figure it out. >> reporter: wanting to help, co-workers started a donation drive. but now the family's been victimized again. >> she looked like she wanted to be a friend. she was looking for a new veterinarian. >> reporter: the office manager describes the woman who came in yesterday morning, pretending she wanted to make an appointment for her dog. after chatting for 30 minutes, the woman waited for her to turn her back before she grabbed the donation box and took off. >> i turned around and i saw the box was gone and i freaked out. >> it was a memorial fund that was taken, so it pulls on the heart spritrings and we want tot this criminal. >> reporter: but the victimizing doesn't stop there. someone also used the tragedy to prey on kyle's grandmother. >> somebody posed as her other son, said please don't tell mom, because mom's so upset about my brother and everything that please don't tell, just wire me the money and her mom, out of the kindness of her heart did it and it was a scam. >> it's just sad, it's wrong. there's every shade of wrong. >> reporter: i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. now we have learned that people are stepping forward to help the family again, making new donations. a woman took a flight back to the bay area but she says her golden retriever did not survive the trip. >> someone messed up, because there was nothing wrong with my dog. still ahead, hear her travel warnings to pet openers and what happened when she demanded answers. a tiger mauls a man at the bronx zoo. we'll explain the unusual chain of events that led up to it. and the new research that soda lovers probably don't want to hear. >> and good evening. i'm jeff ranieri. with saturday just around the corner, let's get a look at the saturday forecast. 50s for the south bay and by noon, mid to upper 70s. we'll let you know who will be the hottest and if you're doing any outdoor activities, the allergy forecast is moderate the next 48 hours. as a successful model, she's traveled around the world, but she says she took every precaution to protect her two dogs while flied on united airlines. when she landed, she learned one of her dogs had died. tonight, we have her story and the airline's response. we bring in kimberly terry with the details. >> reporter: maggie riser says she was hysterical when she found out one of her dogs died on that flight over labor day weekend. the dog had flown in the past and she did everything united airlines requires an owner to do to prepare the dog for the journey. maggie riser, the covergirl for brands like calvin klein, now has a new mission. she's become a pet advocate after her dog died on a flight. >> they're part of your family. >> reporter: she says her dog was in perfect health and in special kennels to comply with united's pet safe program. she said when they arrived in san francisco, a baggage worker said one of her dogs was dead. >> i can only say, with every ounce of my soul, that someone messed up. because there was nothing wrong with my dog. >> reporter: she says she was offended by united's treatment. >> i was crying. they were very casually like, he could have cared less. this isn't a guy prepared to deal with people whose pets just died. >> reporter: she said it took a supervisor 30 minutes to tell which dog died. her vet found that the dog died of heat stroke. but what happened on the plane could not be determined. we contacted united airlines, which released this statement to us -- >> reporter: she says she doesn't plan on suing the airline, but wants to warn other dog lovers about the dangers of traveling with their pets. she says she would like to see changes to the way pets are allowed to travel on planes. kimberly terry, nbc bay area news. we'll have more with maggie riser. she'll be on the "today" show right here on nbc bay area. he lost a leg, but officials at the bronx zoo say a new york man could have lost much more after he jumped into the tiger den this afternoon. he appeared to deliberately jump from the back seat of the wild asian monorail and right into the tiger's den. before zoo workers could get to him, the tiger attacked him, biting his arms, legs and shoulder. >> it's safe to say if the tiger really wanted to do harm to this individual, he simply would have had the time to do that. >> why he jumped in is still a mystery. but tonight, he's had his condition upgraded to serious. the san francisco zoo had its own tiger attack on christmas day in 2007 when tatjana the tiger escaped after being taunted by three men. one was killed. the tiger was shot to death. the west nile virus might be spreading near a local college. the warning was issued by health officials after the discovery of a dead bird infected with west nile here san francisco city college. this is only the third bird to test positive sense 2007. there have been no human cases since 2005 in the city. everyone is urged to eliminate standing water to avoid mosquito breeding. so far six people have died across the state this year from the virus. it appears to be another hit for apple. the iphone 5 hit store shelves this morning. lots of clapping and high fiving as people rushed in to touch, see and dial on the new phone. it has a faster processor and larger screen than previous models and apple stores were parked with customers, many of whom camped out for up to three days to get a good to the in line. in the end, most say it was worth the wait. >> one, i like it because it's fun. i have my friends with me. and i don't know, people are just kind of all here for the same thing. so we all wait in line. so i can't complain. >> it's a party. so far most reviews about the device have been mostly positive. some say apple could sell 10 million more iphone 5s this weekend alone. online orders placed are not expected to ship out for three to four weeks. in you're hoping to snag one soon, you'll have to brave a retail line. the only criticism is there may be a little glitch with the mapping service. >> and the iphone 6 comes out next wednesday. no, i'm just kidding. let's bring in jeff ranieri. >> i don't even have the 5 yet. and that guy made it so much fun standing in line, but you've got to pay for it at the end. winds right now from 5 to 10 miles per hour. very weak winds and it's slightly offshore, so that's helping to give us much more comfortable temperatures at this hour. right now 65 in livermore and colder in the north bay. let's go outside and we always like to look at this to check out where the fog is and is not. and there is no fog here across downtown san francisco tonight. just a lot of lights shining. if you are headed out here as we head throughout tonight, saturday is a day you probably do not want to sleep in on. we have this low pressure pushing across northern california and the northwest. earlier this week, it looked like it could produce showers, but this warm air is nudging up from the south and looks like we're going to stay dry on saturday and sunday. but it's going to bring us a wide mix of temperatures. 50s and 60s at the coastline. and back to the interior valleys from seths to 80s and by sunday, slight cooling but definitely not looking at a cold forecast. here's a rare event for september in the bay area. tomorrow morning, not looking at any kind of widespread low cloud cover from the north to the south bay. even 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 on saturday, looks like a sunny forecast. saturday is the better day. as we head throughout sunday, we'll get the changes in here. plenty of upper 40s and low 50s in the north bay. 54 in concord and daytime highs on saturday will not disappoint in the south bay. 84 in san jose. 86 in morgan hill. 86 in evergreen. 79 in palo alto. east day, the hottest back in the try valley. 86 in livermore. near the day, we'll have 80 in hayward and 75 in alameda. san francisco, 71. 77 in san mateo and 75 in berkeley. on your three-day forecast, temperatures in the low to mid 80s saturday and sunday. monday, temperatures in the mid 80s. but gradual cooloff here as we head throughout next week. so nothing too cold. as we head into sunday, we'll get a little of that morning fog coming back. but so far, looks like a very excellent forecast. and by the way, fall begins 7:49 a.m. tomorrow. >> i can't believe that. >> it's here. >> and i have be sleeping in. just ahead, one what are th gorillas so interested? good morning! wow. want to start the day with something heart healthy and delicious? you're a talking bee... honey nut cheerios has whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol. and it tastes good? sure does! right... ♪ wow. delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. the proof is in the pudding according to a new study that says staying away from sodas is essential if you don't want to gain weight. during a one-year time period, teens who replaced sugary drinks gaped -- gained four fewer pounds. we had a 10th inning thriller for the a's and the giants' magic number is dwindling. [ female announcer ] every day, there's a new reason not to make a home-cooked meal. work, errands, a greasy bag of deep-fried easy. ♪ fortunately with hamburger helper's 40 varieties a home-cooked meal is never out of reach. hamburger helper. help is on the way. progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. the giants' magic number is down to two, after an impressive performance to start their series weekend against the san diego padres. let's take you to china basin and at&t park. the night began with buster posey receiving the willie mac award as the most inspirational giant. posey, tie game in the fifth. the rbi single to bring home scutaro. giants take a 2-1 lead. it was bottom of the 6th, this time it's scutaro with the base knock. giants up 3-1. next batter, pablo sandoval, who suddenly is on fire. launches this over the wall in right. fourth home run in the last three games. the giants win 5-1 over san diego. >> i've said this, this club has done a great job, not worried about what's going on, on the other side, watching the scoreboard. it's in our hands. and when you're in this situation, you want to go out there and take care of business. you want to do it through the front door, not the back door and hope somebody gets beat or whatever. that's the way you have to look at it. these guys have done that. we still have baseball left, we had some work ahead of us. so that's the way we have to keep our focus from this point on. >> big news earlier in the day from melky cabrera. thanks to an unprecedented deal between the league and the players union, melky has disqualified himself from consideration for the 2012 national league batting title. he said he didn't want a tainted award. a's taking on the yankees. what a game in the bronx. tied at 1-1, top of the ninth, brandon moss, pinch-hit home run, no doubt about it. his 19th of the subpoena to tie it at 1-1. but in the 10th, martin breaks the hearts of green and gold fans, the walkoff home run and the yankees win 2-1. one final note, espn is reporting the st. mary's basketball program is under investigation by the ncaa for possible recruiting violations. that will do it. the news continues after this time-out. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? yes, ma'am. 100 calories. yea...i'm goa need some proof. we get that a lot... let me put you on webcan... see? hearty vegetables... lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth that tastes indulgent -- but isn't... so feel free to enjoy a bowl anytime. mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. [ eves ] years ago, i hurt my shoulder drag racing. that's when i decided to take it easy, so i took up hang gliding. [ female announcer ] a grandpa who refuses to grow up. [ eves ] the pain was bad, but the thought of not being a hang glider pilot was worse. [ female announcer ] that's when eves turned to sutter health's palo alto medical foundation. [ eves ] the doctors that i dealt with, they got it, that this old guy wanted to return as a hang glider pilot. they got me flying again. [ female announcer ] palo alto medical foundation, and sutter health -- our story is you. while gorillas are intelligent and live in complex social groups, these primates seem a little too fascinated with this one little particular caterpillar seen here. you could call it gorillas in the midst of a trance. the video has caught the attention of lots of people. it's up to 50,000 views on youtube. >> first full day of fall tomorrow. >> we're going to get close to fall temperatures, but it could be a little cooler this time of year, but we'll have 80s inland. >> enjoy your weekend. bye-bye. i'll get a build your own burger with something cheesy... but not just cheese - mac and cheese. then i wanna add some oomph. and... top it off with a little kick. and... napkins. it's build your own burger. now at denny's. [ rain pattering ] [ heels clicking ] [ female announcer ] yoplait light tastes great now... ♪ ...and feels great later 20 delicious flavors of yoplait light, now at 90 calories each. yoplait, it is so good! >> announcer: it's "the tonight show with jay leno," featuring rickey minor and "the tonight show" band. tonight, jay welcomes -- from "new girl," emmy-nominated zooey deschanel. from the new nbc series "guys with kids," anthony anderson. the music of zz top.