Because i thought i would only be gone for like an hour or two. Reporter she was gone more than 30 hours. I knew if i fell asleep that i would freeze. Reporter scared and without her cellphone the battery died she stayed awake under a tree. The instinct kicks in, you have to protect your family, you have to just keep moving forward. Reporter when the sun rose, she walked again, finding an empty ranger station. She broke a window with her elbow and waited inside. The first thing i said, officer, im so sorry i broke the window, dont arrest me. Reporter instead those rangers and rescuers gave karen food and water and evacuated her to a hospital. She wants to thank them and to those of you at home she says, shell see you soon. Shes hoping to be back in the area by wednesday. Deanna durante, nbc 10 news. Nbc 10 spoke with karens sister in montgomery county. See more of our interview with her right now on nbc10. Com. She describes getting the news about her sisters rescue and her emotional first phone call to the hospital. Right now a search is under way for a south jersey grandmother and her great granddaughter. Police say the 71yearold woman and her 5yearold granddaughter were heading visit family in the holidays. Here is her license plate, 2014 silver toyota rav4. Anyone who has seen the pair is asked to call police. New at 5 00, a jersey shore family wants to know who killed their loved one on christmas. A car ran into Keith Elliott yesterday morning in toms river and just kept going. Nbc 10 jersey shore reporter Ted Greenberg spoke with elliotts parents and sister. Tonight they have a strong message for that driver who still hasnt come forward had. Its terrible. Its every mothers worst nightmare. Reporter his loved ones were unwrapping Christmas Presents. Instead of Keith Elliott enjoying the celebration with his parents, sister and nieces, the Police Showed up to say the toms river man was dead. Were still numb. We really havent been able to process it. Reporter Toms River Police think the 45yearold was struck and killed by a hit and run driver around 10 30 christmas morning, right up the street from the local bus terminal. Its believed elliott was walking there to catch a bus to his sisters house in leahy township where the rest of the family was already gathered for the holiday. For somebody to hit you and not even have a heart to stop, its heartless. An absolutely animal. Terrible. Thats an animal that does that. Reporter investigators have been checking the area for evidence, including surveillance video. At this point they dont have a description of the vehicle that struck elliott in broad daylight. He wasnt a small guy either. It wouldnt have been a little bump. You would have known if you hit him. I hope the person is found and he gets whats coming to him. Reporter where he lost his life, a small tribute to Keith Elliott. For his family, christmas now forever changed. Im just praying that my brother didnt suffer, you know. I wouldnt want him to suffer alone. Reporter Ted Greenberg, nbc 10 news. Turning to a local professor under fire tonight for a controversial tweet. Drexel University Professor george ciccariellomaher has been summoned to a meeting with School Officials after he tweeted, quote, all i want for christmas is White Genocide. He says the tweet was meant to be satirical. Drexel released a statement saying, this professors comments are utterly reprehensible, deeply disturbing, and do not in any way reflect the values of the university. Nbc 10s Monique Braxton will have more on the controversy and reaction ahead at 5 30. Taking a live look right now at the Christiana Mall in newark. Check out that parking lot. Many people are off work or school, and that is take a look at the cars, driving around looking for a spot. So theyve headed to the mall to spend all those gift cards they get for the holidays. Those postholiday shoppers could see a few sprinkles tonight. By tomorrow, they could be shopping in 60degree weather. Roller coaster weather here. Chief meteorologist glenn hurricane schwartz as more on your neighborhood forecast. Yeah, keith, and a lot of delaware will be well into the 60s during the day tomorrow, especially in the afternoon, its going to be a nice day. Now you can see the traffic, less than usual, of course, coming out of center city on this sort of holiday. Temperatures vary quite a bit. 35 in allentown. Thats up a degree. 47 in vineland and atlanta city. Temperatures are rising tonight, you dont have to worry about precipitation coming in and causing ice or snow. It will be plenty mild tomorrow morning. This is the next area of showers. Most of it by the time it gets here is going to be on the light side. But the temperature jump is not light. Its pretty significant. Were jumping up into the 50s in philadelphia by 10 00 and 55 with those morning showers around at 6 00 a. M. Even the Lehigh Valley, in the 30s at 6 00, up around 50 with some of those showers tomorrow morning. So its a totally different kind of day than what we were seeing. Once again, the clouds keeping in that all night, clouds, fog, a little bit of drizzle, and then some of those morning showers. Well talk more about future rain chances and see if that includes new years eve, coming up. Glenn, thank you. Tonight, the murder of an elderly store owner has the community baffled. No motive has been determined in the shooting death of 81yearold marie buck. Investigators say a man in dark clothing shot her 12 times inside the Grocery Store she owned for four decades on south 6th street. The victims daughter says the murder is beyond explanation. It was murder. She was murdered. And i saw my mother when i went in there. I couldnt believe somebody would do that to her. A memorial is now growing outside the store. Bucks family says she was set to retire next month. A day after his death, memorials to pop icon George Michael are growing outside his home in london. Fans are also remembering the singer at his home in the town of goring, where he died suddenly christmas day. George Michael First reached fame in the 80s as half of the singing duo wham. He even went on to have a successful solo career with hits like faith and freedom. Michaels sudden passing has left fans in disbelief. Devastated. As a teen growing up, i idolized him. George michael was 53 years old. Authorities are calling michaels death unexplained but not suspicious. Theyre waiting on an autopsy to reveal more information. Russias Intelligence Agency says it hasnt found anything pointing to terrorism as the cause of yesterdays crash of a Defense Ministry passenger jet. Divers have recovered fragments of the plane from the black sea. It was carrying 92 people from sochi to syria. Dozens of them were members of the russias world famous military choir. Today mourners gathered at this Church Service in sochi to remember those killed. Russian Officials Say pilot error or a technical fault are likely to blame for that crash. New details tonight about that plane crash in colombia last month that killed dozens of members of a brazilian soccer team. Colombian aviation Authorities Say the plane ran out of fuel before it crashed. The conclusion of the investigation based on the planes black boxes. The plane was trying to approach an airport in medallin when it went down. January 1st, new jersey is joining other states that allow Adult Children who are adopted to have access to their original birth certificates. Birth parents of as many as 300,000 children who were given up for adoption in the state have until saturday now to have any identifying information removed from their childs birth certificate. Otherwise adult adoptees can get it. Today marks the beginning of the 50th year of kwanzaa. Its a weeklong celebration of African Heritage with an africanamerican culture. Each day the celebration carries a core principle such as unity and responsibility. Today nbc 10 talked to naisha sullivan, who worked with the man who created kwanzaa. She said the holiday brings millions of people together. People of african descent are disbursed around the planet. It has united us across land, across water. Its one of the only holidays we have that does that. Kwanzaa runs until january 1st. The celebration to mark the holiday will also be held at city hall tomorrow. Many of us are still trying to recover from this christmas. We found some people getting a head start next year. Nbc 10s lauren mayk has their story from the Christiana Mall. Reporter it takes discipline to stay on tap for deals here. These shoppers are looking for things they wont even use for another year. Well break down their strategy. Plus read the fine print. See how stores have changed their regular return policies just in time for the holidays. And talk about a white christmas. Parts of the country are getting more snow than they can handle. Announcer this is nbc 10 news. Christmas may be over. But that has not stopped the crowds from showing up at malls across the region today. Nbc 10 at Cherry Hill Mall in camden county. We spotted shoppers returning and exchanging gifts. Others were exchanging some of that christmas cash. A similar scene at the kohls at andorra. A lot of people online at the service department. We found others taking advantage of postholiday deals, picking up something that wasnt under the tree this year. Other shoppers have started planning ahead for next year. Nbc 10s lauren mayk found them at the cries tea hristiana. It takes a lot of dedication, lauren. Reporter it certainly does, but gifts, even wrapping paper, this is a strategy that can really shave some money off your budget for next year. You could look at this bargainhunting muscle as the day after christmas, or maybe if you look closely at these shopper selections, 364 days until next christmas. David is ready to wrap next years gifts. Were trying to be proactive. The wrapping paper is only 2 a roll. Reporter jenny is getting paper and bows at target. Thats what i usually do, the day after. I dont go and get it that year. These are all for next year. Then next year ill get more for the following year. Reporter an especially shrewd move, when youre wrapping gifts for the kids, who may not take in the time to soak in the artistry of the perfectly wrapped present in the fancy paper. They destroy it. Reporter the bargain hunting here ain in delaware has an exta deal that could convince some to cross state lines. Its taxfree here. It was like a Christmas Present for me that im getting after christmas. Reporter while for some, finding bargains is a strategy, others like Jason Williams luck into them. You had to grab something. Reporter he got some discounted decorations. You may see the results at his home next christmas. We want to do it bigger next year. Reporter i even talked to two families who told me they were using these postholiday sales to replace their christmas tree, a bargain they can enjoy next year. Live in newark, im lauren mayk, nbc 10 news. And i cant believe all the people behind her in that shot right now. The Christiana Mall is packed. Thank you so much, lauren mayk live from delaware. Guys, did you get a gift yesterday that wasnt quite world . According to consumer world, millions of americans will be returning gifts this week. Keep this in mind. Stores not as lenient as they used to be. Some major retailers such as macys, kohls, and costco are scaling back openended return policies. If you received a drone this christmas, stores like target and walmart have shortened their return periods. Today is the last day this year to park and shop for free in newark, newcastle county. The city is offering free parking at meters and lots downtown. They hope to encourage residents and visitors to shop and dine local to support small businesses. After today, the free parking will return for new years day and january 2nd. Right now, a chanukah celebration is lighting up the streets of philadelphia. This is a live look, look at all those folks out there. This is at Independence Mall. Hundreds of cars topped with men or i cants h orahas have made their way there, the music, the dancing, the fun is under way. Tonight is the third night of the jewish holiday of chanukah. Well keep going back to this live picture later in the show. You can get in live this new years eve. The North HamptonTransportation Authority is offering Free Bus Service starting at 6 carbon monoxide, encouraging riders to leave their cars at home and celebrate without the hassle of driving. Now a live look at the blue cross river rink in penns landing. Were inviting you to celebrate the new year here with us at nbc 10. There will be two fireworks shows that night, one at 6 00, one at midnight. If you cant make it to penns landing, nbc 10 will be broadcasting the earlier fireworks live during our 6 00 news. Glenn is keeping track of your new youreears eve foreca. Were hoping for no rain. The pressure is on, glenn. What do you think . I dont think there will be any kind of rain or snow for new years eve. Somebody is moving the camera as we speak. Getting a little dizzy out there . We had temperatures in the 30s in northern parts of the area, getting close to 50 in parts of south jersey. Its cloudy everywhere. Were going to have a little fog tonight, a little drizzle. These temperatures are going up. You dont have to worry about any kind of icing or snow or anything like that. West bradford township, 41. Malvern, 41. Chatsford, 44. Farther north, collegeville, warrington, all at 38 degrees. Milford township, only 35. Thats going to be their low. Why . Because of the wind. The wind is going to be coming up from the south. Look what the wind has done to pittsburgh. Its 60 degrees there. And if you think thats warm, how about 70 in cincinnati . Now, its not going to stay warm around here. Its 19 in minneapolis. Theres colder air thats going to be moving in eventually. But at the same time, theres that warmup for tomorrow. The coldest of the arctic air is going to miss us to the north. Its going to be cold for new years weekend. But nothing unusual for this time of the year. More typically. But as we go into early january, this arctic air mass is going to build, i think. And by perhaps the second week in january, were going to start getting some really cold weather. We have clouds around now. A few light showers in western pennsylvania. More significant showers back in western ohio. Theyll be with us tomorrow morning. As you can see on the futurecast, we may get a couple of sprinkles here during the night. The temperature going up. A little bit of drizzle. You get fog in situations like this. And some showers coming through. The allentown temperature in the morning, 54 degrees. Then potentially getting up into the low 60s from toms river to mt. Holly to philly, wilmington, dover, mehlville, all over the place. That is pretty warm. In the middle of the afternoon, its still warm by 7 00. Thats not too cold. Tomorrow afternoon, things looking pretty good if you want some warmer weather and dry air. As we go through the day tomorrow, youll find these showers are in the morning. Voorhees, for example, up to 61 degrees. Avalon at 59. Egg harbor township at 61. Newark, delaware, at 64. And Rehoboth Beach at 62 degrees. Its not going to be anywhere near that warm. As we head to new years eve, once that cold shot comes in. The first fireworks, 42. Right around average for this time of the year. Midnight, 34. Pretty close to average. Again, i expect dry conditions all across that region as we go through new years eve. New years day, most likely looks dry as well, as youll see here in the tenday. There is the coldest weather on friday. By sunday, were up to 48. We do have some clouds come in, especially in other parts of the area. Stay tuned for your local forecast. You can get them at any time at the bottom of your screen while we do the weather. Hurricane, thank you. For a second day, nothing is moving in parts of north dakota. A different scene, look at that. A blizzard dropped more than a foot of snow in bismarck, making travel impossible. Snow drifts are three to four feet high, burying cars. People are advised to avoid travel in many parts of the state. This guy couldnt believe how bad it was outside. I was in a lot of shock, thought to myself, how the heck am i getting out of here . A blizzard warning is in effect until late this afternoon. Who would give up free pizza for a year . Why a Lehigh Valley man decided someone else needed it more. Plus you can celebrate the new year with a furry addition to your family. How cute is that . See how one local shelter is making it easier and cheaper to adopt, thats next on nbc 10 news at 5 00. An entire years worth of free pizza is going to a local food bank thanks to the generosity of a North Hampton county man. 36yearold josh katrick won a raffle for the free pies at his favorite restaurant, marios pizza. He just completed his eighth round of treatment for colon cancer and said he wanted to give it to those who need it more. Marios is now supplying double the prize to the food bank. There are still plenty of pets in need of a new home. Look at this, this is alona. Shes with the animal care and control team of philadelphia, one of many pets looking for a forever family. Acct says this is a really great time to adopt a pet. People like to focus in the new year on bettering themselves and leading healthier lifesty s lifestyles. Having a pet is actually a big part of that. They increase your social life. You meet a lot of new people. And they encourage you to be healthy. The animal care and control team is holding an adoption event all this week called bark in the new year. There are new special offers on every day. On wednesday, pick your own adoption fee