gathered to mourn the expectant mother they say was rob to have had chance of ever holding her first child. >> an angel. >> an angel on earth. that's how andrea caruth is remembered by those who knew her. >> she was a very giving person, very, very generous. this is a terrible, terrible -- >> terrible tragedy. >> police sources say the 39-year-old day care owner excitedly awaiting the birth of her own child was found bludgeoned and strangled in a crawl space in her bay chester basement. >> is that why you killed her? >> reporter: wednesday caruth's own father william was arrested and charged in her murder. >> i'm sorry for you. >> reporter: friends and neighbors consoled each other outside the 47th precinct after watching caruth being led away in handcuffs. >> i can't believe it. how could her father kill his own child? it doesn't make any sense. >> reporter: a few miles away, friends and family trying to make sense of it all, released red and white balloons into the night sky. baby girl. i believe they said her name was going to be paige. >> reporter: a family friend who wished to remain anonymous shed light on the stormy relationship between father and daughter. >> issues some time about money. you know, she is a strong headed girl. >> reporter: police sources telling news 4 they believe 61-year-old william caruth murdered his daughter sunday after she discovered he had taken out a second mortgage on their home, which houses the day-care center. this friend says even though she was 39, william caruth tried to rule his daughter's life. >> yeah, very controlling man, very stern, firm man. >> reporter: friends say tragically, he may not have even known he was going to be a grandfather when he allegedly murdered his daughter. >> the boyfriend mentioned that that night he told him that she was pregnant. >> reporter: that friend, referring to andrea caruth's boyfriend and the father of her waiting to see a judge tonight or possibly tomorrow on second-degree murder charges and manslaughter charges. we're live in the concourse village section tonight, checkey beckford, news 4 new york. >> so sad. all right, thank you. new tonight, at least half a dozen fire trucks rushed to the scene of a fire in times square. the blaze broke out on the ground floor inside the kitchen of a japanese restaurant at the trip hotel. that's on 48th street near eighth avenue. the restaurant just opened about a month ago. we're told one person was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation. but they're expected to be okay. nobody else was injured. crews were able to knock out the fire in about 30 minutes. the cause, though, is still under investigation. in other news, the search for a madman who slashed a 24-year-old woman across the face. the attack was captured by a surveillance camera. you can see the woman walking down the sidewalk, and suddenly a man approaches from behind and swings a blade into her face. news 4's brynn gingras talked with the victim about that horrible moment and joins us now from chelsea. amanda morris. she was about a block away from work. that's where she was headed when someone was walking alongside her. she had that funny feeling. seconds later that slashing happened. and it was all caught there on that camera. stitches from the bottom of victim amanda morris's nose down to her mouth, seven in all. the injuries from an unprovoked slashing. surveillance cameras showed the 24-year-old walking on 23rd street in chelsea this morning that man in the orange jacket walking uncomfortably close, and then he attacks. >> it's the walking pace kind of changed. and i noticed it. and my gut instinct told me that something was wrong, but i didn't think anything would happen because you don't think these things happen. >> reporter: morris did not want to show her face when she spoke to our cameras. she told me she isn't even sure if he used a knife or a razor blade. >> it fell like being hit in the face with a baseball. >> reporter: a different angle obtained shows a clearly stunned morris walked into the malibu first seeing night manager ruben garcia. >> she was scared, really scared. she didn't know what to say, shaking. >> i wish i could have reacted better and got a better description of him. but the first thing i thought is i have to get inside of a building. >> reporter: police have released these grainy images of the suspect, who is possibly homeless. so take a good look at the green hoodie, that orange jacket. because it's possible he may still be wearing them. morris's roommate and coworker brad habel says he'll be paying close attention, hoping to catch this suspect. >> you see the footage, and it's just who fight. it's something i would never expect. i walked that path thousands of times. and it's just that incident where you're at the wrong place at the wrong time. >> reporter: as for morris, she is taking some time off from work, letting the cuts heal and a fear from such a random crime go away. for a good portion of the day, police were posted right here outside the malibu diner. they continue to patrol this area. crimestoppers reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest. live in chelsea, brynn gingras, news 4 new york. >> brynn, thank you. man who slashed a 16-year-old girl in the face in queens is now believed to have threatened another young woman with violence. police are keeping a close eye on 13th avenue and whitestone where a chinese exchange student was slashed with a box cutter last month. on monday, a car parked in front of that victim's home was vandalized. a note was left on the car, apologizing to the victim, saying that she was the unintended target. but the note threatened another young woman at the home. a neighbor who didn't want to be identified woke up to see the damage. >> i was here with the tow truck company. if there was glue on the lox. the tires were slashed. egg. they thought there was maybe acid. but i'm not 100% sure of that. and supposedly there was a note left on the car. >> police have surveillance video from when the car was vandalized. they are still in the process of in the bronx tonight, police have been questioning a man who turned himself in after a deadly stabbing at a kings bridge mcdonald's. 28-year-old adam garcia was the manager of the restaurant. he was attacked monday morning before 4:30. the man in the surveillance video is the man who is being questioned. we're told he spent about eight hours in the restaurant earlier, and garcia had asked him to leave. according to investigators, that man later returned and stabbed garcia in the chest and neck. south korea's latest underground nuclear tests set off shockwaves in asia, and diplomatic shockwaves around the world. the blast so powerful it registered as an earthquake on seismographs. but experts doubt it was a hydrogen bomb as north korea claimed. here is nbc's richard engel. >> reporter: they lined up in pyongyang for the surprise announcement. the news anchor enthusiastically telling them that north korea successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb. tears. >> translator: the united states is waiting to invade our country. so having a hydrogen bomb is the right thing, this man said. in south korea, the blast felt like a 5.1 earthquake. the tremors reached china too, 60 miles away. japan scrambled jets to test the air. the u.s. ambassador to japan, caroline kennedy, called the blast a provocation. north korea's kim jong un signed the order. just a few days before his 33rd birthday. north korea has set off an atomic bomb three times before. but was today's blast something far more powerful and dangerous? a hydrogen bomb? the white house seemed to doubt it. >> the initial analysis that has been conducted of the events that were reported overnight is not con current with north korea's claims of a successful hydrogen bomb. build the most modern survivable and lethal force that they can. so even if this were not a hydrogen device, that is clearly their intention. >> reporter: kim jong un some say seeking attention, thumbed his nose at the world today, reminding everyone he rules a nuclear power. a senior u.s. military official told nbc news washington was aware of north korea's test preparations for two weeks. and even sent drones to collect air samples from near the test site. but as of tonight, it's still unclear exactly what kind of nuclear device was detonated. richard engel, nbc news, london. penn station is getting a major face-lift and a new name. the announcement from andrew cuomo. the governor made a $3 million promise to restore luster to this hub after decades of neglect. he already made a request for proposals from developers due in 90 days. the nation's busiest train passengers daily. many say an overhaul is long overdue. >> it could use a refresh. it's a little tired. >> cleaned up, straightened out, swept. places that smell like urine all over the place. >> imagine being a first-time visitor to new york and getting off in penn station. good thing the vice president flew and didn't take a train. >> referring of course to the time the president flew to la guardia airport and said it was like landing in a third world. penn station will also be renamed empire station when it reopens in 2019. he is widely considered the greatest hitting catcher of all time. and tonight former met mike piazza can call himself a hall of famer. piazza was selected into the baseball hall of fame this afternoon. he is one of just two players that will be inducted this summer in cooperstown, along with ken griffey jr. piazza was hit better than .300 in nine straight seasons. and mets and was a fan favorite everywhere he played. >> grew up watching him. he is my hero. i love mike piazza. let's go mets. 2016. >> i'm not a mets fan, but he was a great player. everybody knows that. >> of course, bruce beck will have much more on piazza's election into the hall of fame, and we'll have reaction from a former met coming up in sports. and coming up on news 4 in new york, $4 million in jewels, five states. the hunt for a brazen jewel thief and why the fbi thinks she is not working alone. then parts of california practically under water. others facing devastating mud slides. but what is being called one of the strongest el nino storms ever and why they're not out of the woods just yet. plus janice has our forecast. >> we're watching that area and tracking rain and warmer temperatures coming our way. maybe even a little bit of winter precipitation too. i'll have the details on your storm team 4 forecast coming up el nino is taking its toll on southern california. for the third straight day, heavy rains from the weather phenomenon battered the region. tonight close to 19 million along the coast are facing flash floodializand parts of the state are expecting 15 inches of rain in 16 days. heavy winds have also toppled trees and ripped roofs off the buildings, despite reaching its peak, el nino is expected to continue to impact california and the rest of the country in the coming weeks and months. a former nypd officer who murdered his wife in their queens home is heading to prison for 25 years. a judge admonished kevin canty in court today, saying he was not worthy of being a police officer. the 44-year-old admitted he shot their two small children nearly two years ago. he told police he thought she was having an affair. he was retired at the time. his sister-in-law will now take care of his children. on long island, a priest is facing drug possession charges. but this case has a strange and sad twist. police arrested father robert lubrano and his alleged dealer outside a bethpage hotel this morning. lubrano told police he began smoking crack after his sister was killed in 2014, gruesomely murdered by her own son who later killed himself. nassau county police cannot confirm that lubrano's drug use began after his sister's death. he has pleaded not guilty and was released without bail. a popular mexican fast food chain chipotle is the target of a federal investigation. the company must turn over all documents according to an outbreak that sickened employees in a location in simi valley last year. the fda and the u.s. attorney's office are conducting the it all a comes as chipotle reels through an e. coli outbreak spanning nine states in late october that was followed by another norovirus outbreak at a boston location. the spokesman says chipotle intends to fully cooperate. a grocery chain is recalling more than a thousand pounds of chicken because the product was never inspected. the usda found that wegman's changed its production schedule, meaning anything produced last sunday wasn't inspected before being shipped to six states, including new jersey and parts of new york. the recall includes three varieties of marinated chicken breast cutlets as well as three-pound chicken roasters. for more information go to nbcnewyork.com and search recall. if you are a minimum wage worker employed by new york city, you're getting a raise. today mayor de blasio announced that the minimum wage for city workers will increase from $11.50 to $15 an hour by the end of 2018. and that will mean a pay hike for about 50,000 employees. de blasio said he would like to make $15 the minimum for the will require approval from albany. macy's is closing dozens of stores and cutting thousands of jobs. the reason? disappointing sales and earnings in 2015 according to the company's spokesperson. macy's harold square store is not closing, but three other macy's in our area are. the one at hudson valley mall in kingston, middlesex mall in plainfield in new jersey and enfield square in enfield, connecticut. clearance sales at those stores are set to begin next monday. what do you say we see if you're a multimillionaire? tonight's powerball jackpot is up to an estimated $5.24 million after nobody won saturday's drawing. here are the wing numbers. 47, 2, 63, 62, 11, and the powerball is 17. >> i haven't heard ed, eddie in the back screaming. >> no. >> i was checking mine. >> you neither? >> that's true. two down. >> they're avoiding the relatives. >> they haven't heard us say a word except the numbers. all right. well, we are still tracking cool temperatures out there tonight. but we also saw warmer readings today. it keeps getting warmer as we go into the weekend. but it will also get wetter. as we look outside right now, it's nice and dry and clear across the area. this is our top of the rock cam review looking south towards lower manhattan. and the temperature is 35. so that's tolerable certainly. above freezing still in the city under clear skies. not a whole lot of wind going on. so no big windchills going on either. and that's great because that means we need fewer layers out and about overnight and in the morning when you're waiting around for bus or the train or you're on your way to work or school. it should not be quite as cold, although it's still a bit chilly across the area. we're back in the 40s tomorrow. and actually, for the rest of this week. going into the weekend, it gets a little warmer still. and some weekend rain is coming up, especially on sunday. now when that rain starts on friday night, early saturday we're not talk about a lot of rain. but there could be some patchy areas of freezing drizzle. that means when the rain hits the cold surfaces, it freezes on impact. and valley areas north and west of the city where there will still be a bit of cold air trapped friday into saturday morning, you may see a bit of that before it starts to warm up. because by the afternoon, it will be warm. and you won't see any frozen precipitation after that. just some light rain showers. the heavier rain is likely to come on sunday at this point. we may actually see some winds developing. some very gusty winds across the area, and possibly as much as an inch of rain. right now, though, it's pretty chilly across the hudson valley. 21 degrees in beacon. poughkeepsie, you're at 22. a few teens on the map. danbury, sussex, westhampton. it's 18 in bridgewater and 25 degrees in islip. some clouds offshore. a few clouds moving through the ohio valley and the great lakes. we'll see a few form. still no precipitation coming our way. but there is rain off the southeast coast there is this storm system near dallas in houston with the rain. and the next storm system in on the west coast. we're watching all of that. together and bring us rain for the weekend. in the meantime, it's a nice day tomorrow. we're back up above 40 degrees once again in the city. and as we good into the weekend, friday we're in the 40s. saturday, we start to see a few 50s on the map coming our way. future tracker shows, as we jump ahead to early saturday morning, some of that light precipitation coming through. but you can see it's very light. it's not a washout on saturday. but it looks like it will be on sunday, with a high of 54 to go along with that. we'll drop back to the 30s the rest of next week. but not the brutal cold that we have seen. however, we might get a few snowshowers coming in on wednesday. how much? we don't know. yet. we'll let you know. >> tantalize us. >> it may not be much at all. >> i thought you said earlier they were light. >> right now it's light for us. >> bruce, mets fans are chipper. >> they are. mets fans are smiling. and for good reason. mike piazza is headed to coming up in sports, the former 62nd round draft choice receives baseball's highest honor. and he should be wearing a mets cap. and break up the knicks, who are fast becoming road warriors following impressive back-to-back wins. highlights are just ahead. and here is what jimmy fallon has coming up tonight. >> hey, guys, billy joel is my guest tonight. he is here to talk, perform. we have jk simmons and it's a a serial jewel thief is getting an awful lot of attention tonight from police across the country. >> she is also getting a loft facetime from security cameras. the alleged thief is a woman. apparently makes no effort to conceal her identity. >> her face is exposed. and so that's very unusual to be that bold. >> investigators say the woman has robbed at least half a dozen stores in five southeastern states. she appears to be working with a male accomplicement we're told that couple has already stolen more than 4 million worth of jewelry. >> incredible. we'll be right back with bruce beck in sports. >> incredible. for the girl scout meeting... okay. for the soccer team... for the girl scout meeting... how many meetings are you having?! p at stop&shop, prices are down. savings are up. pwhich makes the checkout lane, victory lane. i guess you can call it a win for east coast and the west coast. fans have been waiting for some time. >> not bad. after four years on the ballot, mets legend mike piazza is finally headed to the baseball hall of fame. all time received 83% of the vote, clearing the 75% hurdle for induction. he is an all star who belted 427 home runs and won ten straight silver slugger awards. the 16-year veteran played seven and a half seasons with the mets and gave the team instant credibility upon his arrival in 1998. piazza led the amazins to the world series in 2000. their first appearance since winning it all in 1986. this is a major statement by the hall of fame voters. because while piazza has never been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, he has been caught up in the tangled web of rumors and innuendo. still, none of that matters tonight. >> what an amazing life that i've had in baseball. the memories to me, i just almost can't capture. so it's truly a blessing. and overwhelming. and i'm a huge student of the game as far as history of the game. so this is just something for me that really words can't describe. >> ken griffty jr. was elected with 99.3% of the vote, the highest percentage ever. mike mussina received 43%. in the nba, the knicks made it three straight tonight, dispatching the heat in miami. robin lopez had a season high 19, including this one-handed putback after a porzingis miss. the nets win over the heat, 98-90 with their 18th victory of the season, they have surpassed last year's win total. the nets hosted toronto. and early in the third, uses the pump-fake to perfection and throws down the monster dunk to straight home loss, 91-74. called it a facial, a foreign facial. on the ice, the devils were in montreal, trailing 1-0 jersey in a power play late in the second. but turn it over, and paul byron makes a slick play and sets up torrey mitchell on the doorstep. the canadiens win it 2-1. in college hoops, rutgers got crushed at maryland. seton hall lost at villanova. st. john's lost at home to xavier. and finally, this is the mike piazza moment mets fans will always cherish. the first sporting event in new york after 9/11. >> lopez wants it away. and it's deep to left center. andruw jones on the run. this one has a chance. mike piazza and the mets lead 3-2. >> mike calls his game-winning two-run homer against the braves a moment that transcends the game. escape the horror and take a small step towards normalcy. the emotion in shea stadium that night was powerful. the meaning of that mike piazza homer will not soon be forgotten. what a moment. >> that says a lot about sports too and the power. >> it brings people together to rallying cry, especially when things are really going bad. >> thanks for reminding us. very nice. thanks. >> special moment. we'll be right back. no way. savor an egg mcmuffin any time you like. a fresh cracked egg, canadian bacon and an english muffin with real butter. mcdonald's all day