thousands of dollars worth of jewelry designer purses and sunglasses all since november 2014. eyewitness news reporter mallory huff is in port washington with the lead story. >> reporter: joe, sandra, good evening. some of those cases took place in this neighborhood. investigators say what this man was looking for was of the high-end variety. the 31-year-old server at an upscale manhattan restaurant is charged with 17 counts of burglary. >> it's great to know he is caught. >> reporter: it includes jewelry, sunglasses, high-end bags, electronics and credit cards. together they are worth more than $300,000. >> we got a dog because we heard what's happening. my wife said let's get a dog. i said sure. >> reporter: the accused february 20 charged with three counts of burglary. after investigators obtained a search warrant for his brooklyn apartment, they found stolen items that connect him to 14 more cases. he was out on bail when he was taken back into police custody. today he was arraigned on the additional counts of burglary. >> this defendant has been charged with 17 counts of burglary second-degree. a c felony for each charge punishable up to 15 years in jail. he entered through a rear door or window. of your homes. we urge people to secure their property. he is the sole provider for child. he is due back in court county, mallory huff, channel 7 eyewitness news. new at 6:00 allegations from a teenaged girl from the bronx that she was sexually assaulted by a classmate. the 16-year-old told investigators she was raped field trip to the pine grove family dude ranch in ulster field trip. the students go to a prep school in mott haven. the girl said a group of boys grabbed her and one raped her. state police are investigating. hundreds of mourners gathered at a church in new jersey for the funerals of a teacher and his young daughter. tim and bridge o'donnell were -- bridget o'donnell were killed in a crash on the new jersey turnpike hit by a man high on drugs. aj ross is in bayonne. >> reporter: sandra, an overwhelming outpouring was shown here this afternoon as friends and family paid their respects two people died in a tragic accident that shook the community. >> reporter: a somber bell tolled and bagpipes expressed what words could not outside this cathedral in bayonne saturday. [ music ] [ amazing grace ] >> reporter: an unrelending heartache and emptiness following the sudden jarring passing of 48-year-old timothy o'donnell and 5-year-old daughter bridget. he and his child were traveling on the jersey turnpike monday afternoon when they were rear-ended at a toll plaza by 36-year-old scott officers he was high on adderall at the time of the crash and had been awake for more than 24 hours. >> that guy killed two innocent people. [ crying ] >> that were just on their way home. i really feel sorry for the family. >> reporter: a loving husband, father and teacher and county prep hundreds gathered to mourn a great man they say touched countless lives and a bright little girl with limitless potential who were both so loved. >> i know he had a kind heart. very sad >> he was a fantastic person. >> reporter: while the weight of grief will undoubtedly take time to heal, and between tears and long embraces many say they will be holding on to precious memories, the powerful legacy o'donnell now leaves behind. he leaves behind a loving wife and 6-year-old daughter. hahn is facing two counts of manslaughter and two counts of vehicular homicide. aj ross, channel 7 eyewitness news. we stay in new jersey where police are investigating a murder at a sneaker shop. 21-year-old jamal gaines was shot at the store on irving street in rahway last night. he died. no suspect and no word from authorities on a motive. three people have been accused of attacking a teenager on long island. suffolk county police say two men and one woman stabbed and they say they lured him into their car where during a struggle they stabbed him in the back and slice him on the neck. they also stole $750, a cell phone and a debit card. some of that has been recovered. a busy day on the campaign trail. voters in south carolina head to the polls in the democratic primary there. candidate from both parties are crisscrossing the country super tuesday. abc's marci gonzalez joins from us columbia, south carolina. >> reporter: hi, joe. right now clinton only has a one delegate lead over sanders and hopes this is the night she starts to widen that gap. >> thank you for voting. >> thank you. >> reporter: primary night for carolina. >> democrat all my life. >> the democratic party gave me some good options. >> reporter: even as voters cast their ballots today. >> i'm happy with my choice, absolutely happy. >> i think she will be a good >> reporter: the candidates are looking ahead to super tuesday. campaigning in texas, minnesota and alabama. >> hillary hillary! >> reporter: confident they are moving forward. >> if all of you come out to vote and you bring your friends and your neighbors and your coworkers we are going to win in texas. >> reporter: and watching the republican race closely. donald trump campaigning today with former gop rival governor chris christie who endorsed the front-runner yesterday. >> the only person in this race that's created jobs is the guy standing right there! >> reporter: the pair focusing their attacks on marco rubio. >> he is a very nasty guy. and i actually thought that ted cruz was a liar but rubio is worse! i mean, he's worse! >> donald trump will never be the nominee of the party of lincoln and reagan. >> i don't think it's a good thing to see presidential schoolchildren bickering. >> reporter: and both clinton and sanders went after trump today too saying if he is the gop nominee they are confident he could be defeated but first they are focused on winning here in south carolina where the polls close in about an hour. we're live in columbia, south carolina, marci gonzalez, channel 7 eyewitness news. we are going to turn now from real life pretty soon to, um, the countdown to hollywood's biggest night. well, it's on. >> let's take a live look now at the dolby theater in hollywood. they are putting the final touches on the red carpet for tomorrow's academy awards. sandy kenyon is there now. >> reporter: joe, sandra, it's looking busy on this red carpet one day to go. and coming up on eyewitness news, i'll answer the question i get asked most by viewers. coming up. but first, i want to give you a look. apologies, jeff smith, it's [ laughter ] >> not quite the 70s that you guys have in hollywood. but we have a nice warmup here in the tri-state area during the next several days. the problem is, as we head into this time of i always heard fios was a lot faster. but i thought it'd be a hassle to switch. turns out it wasn't. it's true. it is better. i'm here to mow the lawn. it's february, curtis. maybe i should change some other things around here. switching is easy with our switchers guarantee. we'll arrive when promised and set up your devices to your new wi-fi. switch now and get 100 meg speeds, plus tv and phone for just $69.99 a month online. ar can you hear it? that's the countdown to oscar the red carpet is out. the final flurry of finishing touches is under way. with so many attention this year on the firestorm over a lack of diversity within the academy, many wonder who actually decides which stars will take home the coveted golden statue? eyewitness news entertainment reporter sandy kenyon joins us from hollywood. sandy. >> reporter: sandra, joe, as i mentioned, this is the question that i get asked the very most in good years and in years like this where there have been complaints about the lack of acting nominees who are black. and the question is this. who gets to determine who wins at the oscars? there are roughly 6,000 academy members eligible to vote. a relatively small group given the big impact of their decisions. the membership is divided into branches. >> birdman. >> reporter: one for each largest with more than 1100 voters is the actors branch. >> last year, the academy brought in more new members than we have in our history. and the most diverse group that we have ever brought in. >> reporter: only a few hundred new members are invited to join each year. the total number of voters just over 6,000. and even some big stars aren't eligible. >> the ultimate acknowledgement of -- of hard work in film is, you know, the little gold guy. i don't think that's going anywhere. >> reporter: christian stewart is not a member of the academy for is one of this year's nominees, brie larson. would you like to be at one time? >> is that a trick question? [ laughter ] >> i mean, yeah. of course. that's, like, that's to me that's like being an adult. that's like being an adult in my field. >> reporter: actually, most academy members are older adults because getting into this most prestigious organization requires a body for a lucky few. >> thank you. >> reporter: the tv rights to the oscars support a variety of worthy projects including the research library we visited before. and a new academy museum being built behind an art-deco facade on what was once known as l.a.'s miracle mile. and the miracle here is how many press can fit in one city block. now, if that was interesting to you, and if you need kind of a scorecard about who is up and who's not, next evening, may i suggest shameless plug here for my road to gold special that begins less than an hour from now. it's a complete look at the oscars and simple point of view. if you haven't seen the films and you don't know who is in the running, give us some time you'll know enough to really enjoy tomorrow's oscars. reporting from the red carpet, i'm sandy kenyon, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> i love it here. >> we can tell. we're looking forward to road to gold. see you later. thank you. and we invite you to stay with eyewitness news for continuing coverage at the academy awards. tomorrow the red carpet coverage begins at 5:00 followed by eyewitness news at 6:00. then more of the red carpet before the big show gets under way at 8:30. stay tuned for eyewitness news and then a special edition of jimmy kimmel live after the oscars. it's a little cool right now. it was so sunny we thought it was going to be warmer today than it was. >> this is sunshine that's deceptive and ineffective. that's exactly what it was today. tomorrow, the sunshine is going to be very effective getting our temperature back up to 60 degrees if caubelieve it after such a winter like chill today. it's still winter. i mean, they still have a few more weeks here. live look right now down toward the empire state building. 40 degrees. that southwest wind coming in at 8 gusting up to 22 miles per hour. so making that feel more like about freezing. to 41 after a morning low of 26. that's below normal. 449 normal high. record high 72 in 1997. here's what we're looking at though. much milder day shaping up for tomorrow. right through monday and tuesday, all three of those days will be within earshot of about 60 degrees especially tomorrow. watch for downpours and perhaps even a rumble of thunder early wednesday. that looks like a quick hitting storm. but it could come down heavy for a little time especially right around wednesday morning commute and then, i can't believe i'm saying this again, the potential for accumulating snow by the end of the week by friday. 39 morristown. 38 sussex. 30 montecello. you stayed in the over long island islip an montauk 35 and 33 respectively right now. you have a flood warning for the passaic river at pine brook until tonight when it spring-like tomorrow. high pressure off to the south. return flow behind it from the southwest. we have southwest wind out there now. it hasn't warmed up that much. tomorrow we're looking at least 50s and probably 60 plus from new york city and points south and west. tonight, tonight we are down to about 35 in the park. you will go below freezing in many of the northern and western suburbs. 60 in thomas river. rest of the region middle to upper 40s. cooler on long island. the warm suppress breeze across much of our region tends to cool off long island. low 50s at islip. then the rainmaker late tuesday night into early wednesday with a storm moving off to our west and north. we are on the warm side of things so that's in the form of rain and not snow. accuweather forecast for tonight partly cloudy not as cold down 35. it's warmer tomorrow. there will be a gusty wind at times but the high up to 60 a mainly clear mild tomorrow night down to about 45. here's your accuweather forecast seven-day forecast. a spotty morning shower on monday. and then we clear out 59 for a high still mild with a mix of sun and clouds on tuesday still up near 60. and then we look at that morning rain situation on wednesday maybe a couple of thunderstorms mixed in the bag there. 53. much cooler thursday 42. there will be a storm on the east coast friday. the question is, where exactly along the east coast will it be? if it's far enough north we'll be talking about accumulating snow around here with highs only in the 30s by then. so we have 60 and snow potentially in the same accuweather seven-day forecast. >> what else is new? >> it's heading into march. laura behnke up next with sports. >> it may not seem like a very big deal but the mets were pretty excited about one of their pitchers making ten throws today because that pitcher just happened to be zack wheeler who took a step in his tommy john surgery rehab. when we return in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state, the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in buffalo, where the largest solar gigafactory in the western hemisphere will soon energize the world. and in syracuse, where imagination is in production. let us help grow your company's tomorrow - we are waiting to see if wes the wheel deal. sorry. [ laughter ] >> i'm going to take it so we can pretend that didn't happen. it may not have been a real wheeler stepped on the mound even just the front slope of it making a major step in his rehab process. for the first time since tommy john surgery last march today wheeler threw from an incline. the rightie tossed just 10 pitches but was pleased with his progress. aftermath harvey returned from the same surgery last year, the mets are taking a similar cautious approach for wheeler so he should return around july 1. >> as small as it was it's a big milestone sort of what you're working toward to get back on the mound. even if it was like 7 throws off the front of the mound. it's still, you know, feet on the dirt. getting back off the slope a little bit. it's a long process. >> the yankees are in tampa after a couple of days now of full squad workouts the team season going but at this point it'sing about getting back into the -- it's about getting back into the swing of things. >> i don't expect a lot of guys to take swings. pleased with the strikes that the pitchers are throwing. so i think the work that we are getting in is quality. >> carmelo anthony, kristaps porzingis sitting out the workout today. anthony's reason was undisclosed. status uncertain tomorrow against miami. new york will head in with some momentum after taking care of business against the magic last night at the garden. a rare win. all five starters finishing in double figures. in the double digits victory. >> think as we all got involved we were able to find good opportunities for to us score and it was a team effort. >> anytime you can get 7 guys in double figures a lot of those games you're gonna win. thursday night henrik lundqvist became the third goalie in nhl history to win but this year, he is hoping for a little more than 30. today going for 31 as the blue shirts met the stars in dallas. a lot of rangers fans there. scoreless until the second period. rangers on the power play make it count. tied at one blue shirts. later in the period the equalizer to the third period. ryan mcdonough getting a little lucky. he will take luck. the backhander from the net goes in. it's right now 2-1 rangers up in the third. after winning 8 of 9 last week not kind to the syracuse men who lost twice making today an important bounceback opportunity. the orange hosted nc state. they looked strong from the start. a few seconds left in the period what a game for michael he hit eight three-pointers under the weight of a career high 34 points. 75-66 syracuse in the win column and would rutgers finally get the first big ten win today at northwestern? spoiler alert. one. trey with 4 points. wildcats led by 30 at halftime. lindsey throwing down the dunk for the 41-point lead. 98-59 is your final. rutgers now 0-16 in the big ten. it's getting harder to say that. >> that's losing bad. >> all right. thank you. that's the news for now. thank you for joining us. i'm joe torres. >> i'm sandra bookman. we are coming back after basketball tonight. you should, too. [email protected] all across america families are coming back to time warner cable for a whole new experience. that's because we've been working hard to give you better service, and it shows. we came back for internet speeds so fast even the kids are impressed. oh she's impressed. we're catching up on movies and shows on demand just as fast as we can watch them. for $89.99 a month you'll get 100 meg ultra-fast internet, popular hd channels and unlimited calling. twc's home wifi is so strong we can use all our devices at the same time. so we can all watch whatever we want. and that's kinda cool. call now. for $89.99 a month you'll get internet, tv and phone. there's no contract, no risk and our money-back guarantee. come back today and we'll give you free installation with our exclusive one-hour arrival window. feels good to be back. come back today. you'll get free installation, tv equipment and epix included. and now get a $300 reward card. welcome to "world news tonight." the showdown in the south. south carolina up for grabs as democrats cast their votes. hillary clinton looking for a big win over bernie sanders, while her husband goes on offensive against a heckler. >> if you'll shut up and listen to my answer, i'll answer you. >> so, what set him off? a new republican tag team hits the trail. chris christie and donald trump the frenemies now doubling down on marco rubio. >> rubio stole from the republican party. >> the schoolyard taunts. and tonight, the new comeback line. artist to become the head of the party. face-to-face with the gunman, a man he thought was his friend. what that shooter told him right before he opened fire.