escaped from a prison outside philadelphia. new audio from the suspect's mother, broadcasting a desperate plea to her son for him to turn himself in. one homeowner telling us the fugitive broke into his home and stole his food. what we've just learned. a record-breaking heat wave in the east. from texas to major cities along the i-95 corridor. one of the hottest labor days on record. and the new threat in the tropics tonight. the new system that could potentially threaten the u.s. rob marciano timing it all out. and tonight, deadly rip currents up and down the east coast. we just learned three people were killed at the jersey shore. multiple rescues over the holiday weekend. the news just coming in from overseas. word of a critical meeting between north korea's kim jong-un and vladimir putin in russia. what the u.s. is saying tonight. our exclusive interview with ukraine's first lady. the brutal toll this war is having on ukrainian children. britt clennett standing by. the new images tonight. the terrifying crash into a packed denny's restaurant. injuring nearly two dozen people. the unofficial kickoff for the race for the white house. republican hopefuls descending on new hampshire, as a new poll shows former president donald trump widening his lead. and president biden taking swipes against his predecessor in philadelphia today. the major new retail involving tens of thousands of popular high chairs. and america strong tonight. the mother/daughter duo kicking off the school year, inspiring a new generation. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >> rachel: good evening, and it's great to have you with us on this labor day. i'm rachel scott, in for david tonight. and as millions of americans return from the last getaway of the summer, tens of thousands at the burning man festival are still stuck in the nevada desert facing a very difficult journey home. organizers asked participants to stay until tomorrow to avoid an epic traffic jam, but at this hour, many are deciding to leave anyway. a line of rvs and campers stretching some three miles long, now creeping its way toward the highway. torrential rain took attendees by surprise, turning the desert to concrete-like mud. campers told to preserve food, water, and fuel. a brief break in the rain on saturday allowed organizers to take some people away in buses. famous dj diplo and comedian chris rock hiked five miles to a road where they hitched a ride in a pickup truck. the festival rain, part of the same system that flooded las vegas, where one person drowned. authorities also investigating one death at the burning man festival. the white house says president biden was briefed on the situation. abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman leads us off tonight. >> reporter: tonight, after a biblical deluge turned the burning man festival into a muddy quagmire, the exodus. >> it was like "mad max." >> reporter: like "mad max?" >> "mad max." no public announcements. no infrastructure. no information. >> reporter: the annual counterculture event typically draws over 70,000 people, turning the black rock lake bed into a self-sufficient metropolis, ending with burning a giant statue of a man. but this year, the desert pummeled with three months worth of rain in just a matter of hours. those monsoonal rains changed everything, turning this lake bed into a mud pit that traps everything. rvs, shoes, people. but now, the roads have dried out enough that that exodus has begun. it stretches across the horizon. trucks, rvs, bikes, cars, it's a mile and a half long. some event-goers duct-taping shoes, others wearing plastic bags, many just going barefoot. >> we walked three miles, i think five more. >> reporter: chris rock and world famous dj diplo hitching a ride in the back of a pickup after walking for miles. siblings jared and carly goldberg documenting the mucky past few days. cars spinning out in the clay, finally, they made it out today, no thanks to the organizers, they said. >> just the cars driving around, no rules. >> no rules, no streets. >> everyone for themselves. >> reporter: the storms part of a monsoonal system that inundated the region, including las vegas, where at least one person drowned. and at burning man over the weekend, officials say they're investigating a death during the storm. rachel, this traffic jam behind me is now three miles long. and it continues to grow. this is why event organizers have asked folks to delay departure until tomorrow, but as you can see, that line stretching all the way there. folks are not listening, they're telling us, they just want to go home. rachel? >> rachel: and only growing. all right, matt gutman, thank you. next, the desperate search intensifying tonight for a convicted murder who escaped from a prison in pennsylvania. police reporting at least four confirmed sightings and say they are closing in on him. and now a helicopter flying overhead is playing the voice of his mother. abc's jay o'brien on the scene with her urgent message. >> reporter: tonight, the desperate plea from the mother of convicted murderer danelo cavalcante -- -- recorded in his native portuguese and played over helicopter loudspeakers, urging the escaped inmate to give up after five days on the run. the stakes only getting higher. >> if he is not actively surrendering, deadly force is authorized. >> reporter: authorities are zeroing in on a two-mile area. police say the 34-year-old, sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in front of her children, was spotted for the fourth time sunday afternoon. >> it was a trooper actually that observed him in some distance, gave chase, but was unable to get to him before he disappeared. >> reporter: tonight, a local resident tells abc news that a man fitting cavalcante's description broke into his home late friday night. he says he heard a noise and then improvised. >> i looked over to my left, saw the light switch, and i flicked it on and off like four times, and then paused. and then he flicked the light on and off a few times below. so i wanted him to know that i know that he's down there. and he responded, saying, "yes, i'm down here." >> reporter: ryan drummond tells us he made sure his three kids were safe, and his wife called 911. he says he's nearly certain it was cavalcante who he saw slip out the door. he says police arrived quickly. >> i was surprised that they weren't able to get him at that point, because they did have the k-9 units, and there was a large number of police officers with flashlights in the backyard. >> reporter: drummond says cavalcante just stole food -- snap peas, peaches, and apples. a shaken community now waiting for this escaped inmate to slip up. >> i intend to stress him. i want to push him hard. he'll make mistakes. he is desperate. he does not want to be caught. he has very little to lose at this point. >> rachel: and let's get right to jay o'brien, he joins us live from west chester, pennsylvania. jay, officials warning residents to stay alert. school is back in session tomorrow after the labor day holiday. what are officials saying about whether it's safe for students to go back to school? >> reporter: rachel, local schools will open tomorrow with an increased security presence. as for this prison behind me, from where cavalcante escaped, the d.a.'s office says the facility is aware of its vulnerabilities and taking efforts to address those, but it's been five days, rachel, and officials have still not said exactly how cavalcante broke out. rachel? >> rachel: still so many questions. all right, jay, thank you. next tonight, this is one of the hottest labor days on record. for minneapolis, detroit, washington, d.c., and philly. new york city will see the hottest week of the year so far. after hurricane idalia, the threat of rip currents remains high along the east coast. and now a new tropical system is brewing. so, let's get right to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano, tracking it all for us. hi, rob. >> reporter: hi, rachel. the heat is surging now as we wrap up the unofficial end of summer. d.c. hit 98 today. they hit it yesterday. might hit it again tomorrow. and the next day after that. everything you see here circled in red, that's a potential record high temperature. as you mentioned, this could be the longest stretch for some folks here in the northeast. all right, leftovers from the tropical systems giving those rip currents, but we have a 100% chance of this system in the atlantic turning into our next tropical cyclone, directing itself north of the caribbean. but our computer models say, a week from now, it could be anywhere south of bermuda to potentially taking aim at the u.s. rachel? >> rachel: all right, rob, thank you. and millions heading to the beaches this weekend, trying to escape that heat. but the dangerous rip currents up and down the east coast prompted desperate rescues and at least three deaths. here's abc's phil lipof. >> reporter: tonight, the dramatic rescue along the jersey shore. a surfer paddling out to help a man struggling in a rip current. the rescue caught on video. that man among more than half a dozen swimmers caught in rip currents along the jersey shore this weekend. three of those people dying, including a 24-year-old man. watch as lifeguards and swimmers form this human chain, struggling to save him. a helicopter hovering overhead. >> people started yelling, "help, help!" that's when everybody started to run off the beach, calling for the lifeguards. >> reporter: a rip current is a strong, narrow, fast-moving flow of water from a beach back out to the ocean or a lake. it can be up to 150 feet wide and faster than an olympic swimmer. beach after beach along the east coast currently under high or moderate rip current alerts. these waves, remnants of tropical storms and hurricanes in the atlantic. the red cross says if you find yourself caught in a rip current, the first thing you need to do is perhaps the hardest. don't panic. don't swim directly toward the shore. rather, swim parallel to the shore or just tread water until the rip current naturally takes you out of it. rachel? >> rachel: phil, thank you. we turn now to overseas. a u.s. official says that north korea's kim jong-un is set to travel to russia to speak with vladimir putin to sell him weapons of war. tonight, details on what kim might want in exchange. while in ukraine, many children are returning to makeshift classrooms because their schools have been destroyed. abc's britt clennett with an exclusive interview tonight with ukraine's first lady. >> reporter: tonight, a white house official saying the u.s. believes north korean leader kim jong-un expects to meet with president putin in russia. with moscow desperate for more weapons to use against ukraine, "the new york times" reporting in exchange, north korea wants advanced technology for its satellites and nuclear submarines, adding the meeting could happen as early as next week. putin tonight taunting ukraine, saying their counteroffensive is a failure. casualties are mounting. unicef now saying more than 1,000 ukrainian schools have been destroyed. children starting the academic year in subway stations converted to classrooms. other schools refurbishing basements. makeshift classrooms like this are set up all across the country, because it's just too dangerous to be above ground all the time. only one-third of ukrainian children will be returning to a physical classroom. >> online study is easier, but there, it's more fun, and you understand more when you study in school. >> reporter: this war taking a heavy toll on the mental health of children, a topic close to the heart of ukraine's first lady olena zelenska, who sat down with me today for an exclusive interview. is mental health something you discuss often with your husband, president zelenskyy? "i would honestly like to discuss it with him more," she says. "he belongs to that category of people who try to deal with things on their own until the end." zelenska voicing concern that the west's attitude to this war is shifting. >> we see that sometimes people become reluctant. people talk about ukraine fatigue. this is the topic of our existence. we can't stop fighting for ourselves, so, my message is, please don't stop to help us fighting. >> reporter: do you feel like the world is turning away? >> i'm afraid of it, but i hope it will not happen. >> reporter: rachel, on that potential meeting between kim jong-un and putin, the state department says u.s.-imposed sanctions mean russia is going rogue by advancing arms deals with north korea. rachel? >> rachel: britt live in ukraine tonight. all right, britt, thank you. back here at home now, to that mass casualty event near houston. an suv crashing into a crowded denny's restaurant, injuring nearly two dozen people, ranging in age from 12 to 60 years old. abc's mireya villarreal in texas tonight with new details just coming in. >> reporter: tonight, terrifying moments in texas at this denny's right before lunchtime. a crowd of people inside. >> i have a mass casualty incident at denny's, car versus a wall. >> reporter: police say this red suv crashed into the south wall of a denny's in rosenberg, texas, just outside houston around 11:22 in the morning. >> we do have just a large amount of subjects with injuries, if you can let the task investigators know. >> reporter: nearly two dozen inside injured. >> it stopped short of their table. >> reporter: sylvia flores' parents were inside the restaurant. >> they were here eating lunch, and when i saw them in the hospital, at the emergency room just now, he said he heard a big bang, and then all of a sudden, he saw the hood of the car. >> reporter: her parents among the injured, but now on the mend. >> you could see in a lot of their faces, they're all shaken up. no one expects something like this to happen. >> reporter: rachel, all of these injuries were non-life threatening. and as for the people that went to the hospital, we understand that they were all conscious at the time. we also understand the driver of the suv is around 30 years old and did not have any major injuries. the cause of this accident, however, is still unknown, and there is an investigation under way. rachel? >> rachel: just terrifying moments in houston. mireya, thank you. we turn now to politics. on this labor day weekend, the presidential race is heating up. several republican candidates in new hampshire today, as former president donald trump widens his lead. and president biden in campaign mode, too, taking on trump over the economy. abc's elizabeth schulze on the campaign trail in new hampshire tonight. >> reporter: tonight, with former president donald trump dominating the race for the gop nomination, republican presidential candidates descending upon new hampshire, hoping to sway its first in the nation primary voters. >> best president ever! >> reporter: a new "wall street journal" poll shows 59% of gop voters rank trump their top choice, up 11 points since april. trump noticeably not on the campaign trail today. his former vice president hopeful he can break through. how are you feeling about your chances, given this poll showing trump is the very clear front runner nationally? >> i feel great. look, it's very early in this campaign. >> reporter: mike pence tasting barbecue at a church picnic in concord -- >> i'm just here for the barbecue. >> reporter: -- pitching himself as a candidate for change. >> we need new leadership in the white house, and i believe we need new leadership in the party. >> reporter: over in milford -- political newcomer vivek ramaswamy, glad-handing along their labor day parade, still polling in the single digits, but gaining traction after last month's republican debate. >> we have a lot of ground to cover, and there's no doubt about that, but we also have a lot of time ahead of us. >> he says he wants to be like donald trump, but without the chaos. >> reporter: and today, president biden touting his economic track record at a labor day rally in philadelphia, sharpening his attacks without mentioning his predecessor by name. >> when the last guy was here, he looked at the world from park avenue. i look at it from scranton, pennsylvania. i look at it from claymont, delaware. >> reporter: that "wall street journal" poll puts president biden in a dead heat with trump, showing he faces an uphill battle with his bidenomics message. 59% of voters say they disapprove of biden's handling of the economy. rachel? >> rachel: a top issue for voters. elizabeth schulze on the campaign trail. elizabeth, thank you. and on his way to that labor day rally in philadelphia, president biden was asked about the possibility that nearly 150,000 union auto workers could strike on september 14th. the president said he did not think a strike will happen. well, that drew a sharp response from the united auto workers president, who marched in the labor day parade in detroit, saying he was shocked by the president's words, and that the president must know something we don't know. when we come back, the dramatic images just coming in. dozens of people sent tumbling into a wisconsin lake when a pier collapses. and the star pitcher for the l.a. dodgers arrested and accused of domestic violence. s . in 99% of people over 50. it's lying dormant, waiting... and could reactivate. shingles strikes as a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. and it could wake at any time. think you're not at risk for shingles? it's time to wake up. because shingles could wake up in you. if you're over 50, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about shingles prevention. doors can lead us toward what's important. your dedicated fidelity advisor can help you open those doors. by working with you on a retirement-income plan designed to balance growth and guaranteed income. because doors were meant to be opened. 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"gma" in the morning, and david will be right back here tomorrow. good night. getting closure on westbound 80 ended hours earlier than expected and that it has warmed up for labor day. >> are you ready for more days like this? i'll have the accuweather forecast in just a moment. abc seven news at six starts right now. >> building a better bay area moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc seven news. >> one less traffic problem for the bay area westbound 80 reopened hours ahead of schedule after being closed all weekend long. good evening. i'm ahmed daetz. >> and i'm karina nova. caltrans is planned on it, taking 104 hours to shut down and repave a0 between 780 and vallejond highwa in hercules. the road closed thursdht. it wasn't expected to reopen until tomorrow morning, but drivers are on it right now. abc seven news reporter cornell bernard joins us live. and cornell, that is a welcome relief for so many people because we know they've been stuck in traffic there. >> yeah, you better believe it. call it a holiday gift for drivers really across the bay area, folks who are coming back into town. caltrans says this major repaving work is now complete. way ahead of schedule . and we were here just about an hour ago when the first cars rolled through with the chp escort at 5:00 pm. these drivers are the first to roll over the fresh pavement. the four mile project that started on friday, re