now, for the rest of this week, it does warm up. we're talking about mid-80s , maybe a few spots upper 80s and not much rain in the forecast. we'll take a look ahead in the seven-day and see if any coming up in just a few minutes. back to you. >> all right, janice, weather changes fast and you can count on news 4 to keep you connect would the news 4 app. selespct theereather tab and the latest forecast, interactive radar and a whole lot more. new at 5:00, grieving new jersey father is pleading for helpg inding whoever murdered his son just steps from their home. the 22-year-old was shot over and over again in a parking lot at aberdeen township last night. brian thompson spoke with the victim's tearful father. >> the prosecutor and aberdeen police just released the crime scene behind me after sannding really all night and most of today going over everything they could find in the parking lot and the weeds around it. >> please, that's my son. >> a father appeals for anyone to step forward who might know who killed 22-year-old billy sunday night. >> walked out the door was the last i saw him and police cars street. >> family and friends kept vigil outside the family home. while maybe half a mile away investigators from the moouth county prosecutors's office searched through poison ivy infested weeds. he drove his car to this desert deserted parking lot and was shot as many as nine times. >> we want to know who did this. >> reporter: billy karecki was hoping to become a mechanic. >> he was just a great kid. you know, we spoke nice and -- >> did he ever say he had enemies or anything. >> in a fight over a girlfriend, but it's unclear to the banks of wale creek just blocks away from his home. >> i want to find who did this to my son. my wife is devastated. my kids are devastated. my family is completely devastated. just want justice served to whoever did this to my boy. >> investigators are not advancing any theories at this point. but then, again, they are just getting started. live in aberdeen, i'm brian lthompson, news 4 new york. >> new information about the wildfires raging in california. 23,000 people forced out of their homes and right now the so-called valley fire is only 5% ntained. nbc jay gray is in hard-hit middletown, california, with a look at what is being done to stop it. jay? >> yeah, sibila hardhio bel ve until you look at all of this. everything here in this community gone and missing. playing out across northern california right now. even firefighters battling this blaze along the front lines will tell you right now they're losing the fight. a atfire storm continues to rage across northern california right now. the valley fire, 50,000 acres wide, moving in multiple directions and swallowing everything in its path. >> this fire just moved lik a run away train. n right over everybody. >> reporter: at least one person is dead and four firefighters have been injured and as teams continue an intense fight along the front lines of the blaze, at this point, there's no solid count on the number of homes and businesses destroyed. >> i feel it's going to be several hundred, if not 1,000. >> reporter: there are 13 wildfires burning across more than half a million acres in ca ylifornia. th is one just north of the napa wine country is the most severe. at times the flames so strong firefighters are forced to retreat. >> you see homes and buildings that are igniting on fire and you know you're powerless to try to save them all. >> reporter: even more difficult for those forced to leave so much behind. >> there was no choice and it came like a freight train. and it was not leaping. it was bounding from place to place. >> reporter: and most understand there will be little left when they go home. >> i expected it to ed it to be gone. i expect what we have in our little here what is going to be what we start out with. >> reporter: they plan to return and somehow rebuild. >> when we go back as a community we just have to pull together to, you know, pick up and start over. >> reporter: but getting back will take some time. >> we don't see an end in fire season for the months to come. >> reporter: those resources like so many of the residents, stretched to their limits right now. yeah, now, support is pouring tine the region. fire teams from across the country coming to help those along the front lines. but they also need some help from mother nature and right now they're not getting that at all. winds still gusting 20 to 30 miles an hour. that's the latest live here in middletown, california, chuck, back to you. >> jay, thank you. an mta bus driver won't be getting back behind the wheel of a bus any time soon. after cops on long island caught him using a city bus for personal transportation on his day ,f. investigators say he was also drunk. >> according to the mta, veteran new york city bus driver alexander copeland has been suspended without pay after being arrested on drunk driving and other charges here in nassau county yesterday. apparently the 52-year-old from medford was off duty when he took a bus that was parked outside of jamaica. he then began driving that bus eastbound on the northern state parkway in a very erratic fashion, prompting a number of calls to troopers. now, eventually, the bus was stopped in the westberry area and a trooper apparently smelled alcohol on copeland. he was given a breathalyzer test and according to state police registered a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit. now, why he took the bus and where he is going is unclear right now. copeland is due back in court later this month. we're in hempstead today, greg cergol. growing pains at new york's first subway tation in more than two decades. one day after opening an escalator broke down and probably w 't b fixed until wednesday. still, the far west side of manhattan is now a little easier for commuters to get to. the train station opened yesterday after years of construction. coming up a little later, a look at how commuters fared during the morning rush. >> $2.4 billion, the escalator ought to work. also ahead as we continue on new z s 4 new york at 5:00, the prison worker admits to help two prison workers escape splines why she did it. a man accused of burglarizing a woman's home during her own funeral wait until you hear when the suspect wife was while it was happening. well now we have a commuter alert for you affecting new york bound traffic on the george washington bridge. there is kind of a double whammy here. an accident in one set of lanes eastbound and a disabled vehicle westbound. that is causing a 30-minute bridge. coming into the city from the bridge isn't a whole lot easier because the accident on the lower level is blocking traffic in the right lane. little confusing, but safe to say, it did pass. >> i'm not the monster that everybody thinks i am. i'm just somebody that got caught up in something that she couldn't get out of. she says she was only trying to save her family. the seam em strst is telling her side of the story. more on that emotional jailhouse interview. >> it is quite compelling. joyce mitchell talking candidly to matt lauer. she was scared, not following her heart when she decided to help the inmates. we have to warn you this conversation is graphic at times. >> i deserk ve to be punished, but, you know, people need to know that i was only trying to save my family. >> reporter: her fears would come later. choice mitchell said her relationship with david sweat and richard matt began with flirtation. >> i didn't feel like y husband ved me any more and i guess it was just me. i was going through a depression. weakness. sm l things like food. the request would later turn to tools and mitchell smuggled them in in hamburger meat. >> i would give them four full-size blades and i'd give them chisel and that's all i would give them. >> reporter: as the convicted mu rderers were making progress, richard matt would update her. >> he told me at one spot they had found a tool box and mr. sweat picked the lock and they found power tools in it. >> reporter: still, mitchell says she was acting out of fear. she claims that matt threatened to her kill her husband. >> mr. matt even asked where my mother and son lived. >> reporter: speculation that she was involved with matt, mitchell denied. but talking through tears, she further explained there was never any consensual contact. >> he wanted me to perform oral sex on him and i said no. and when i said no, he grabbed my head and pushed me down. she also deny ied any sexual contact with david sweat. mitchell could face seven years in prison when she's sentenced later this month. coming up this friday the second part of that candid and emotional interview on "today" show starting at 7:00 a.m. friday night at 9:00, see it all in a special two-hour "dateline" right here on nbc 4. kentucky clerk failing to issue same-sex licenses went back to work today. she would not interfere with her deputies doing so. that's what one did today.ial ial don't want to be in the spotlight. i want to serve my neighbors conscious. >> davis is an apostolic christian. she stopped issuing marriage licenses altogether after the supreme court legalized gay marriage. a wild scene off the coast of california between a hump back whale and a kayak. oh, my. first and foremost the kayakers are okay. captured during a whale watching tour this weekend. video shows the tandem kayakers paddling through a large pod of humpback whales when one suddenly launches into the air when it appears the whale landed on top of the kayakers there. they were so lucky. they were thrown from the boat just before impact. >> the first thing they said is, we need a bigger boat. >> yeah, you know. >> oh, man, yeah. that's the kind of thing i want to do on a bigger boat. definitely. all right, so, maybe a lot of boaters out there today, although it was a rather breezy this afternoon. if you have a sail boat that might have helped you out. the winds are pretty strong today across the area and the temperatures were chilly this morning. little taste of fall. here's a live view outside right now. now, this picture is crystal clear. i have not seen one look this beautiful. that's because of the fresh air mass that we have and all that wind. that is a great view from our top of the rock camera. temperature in central park 77 degrees. today's highs stayed in the 70s most of the day. delightful from the mid-70s in ice lp to islip. so, it was great. little on the breezy side, though. winds gusting up above 30 miles an hour in most spots. 36 36-mile-per-hour gusts in newark today. the winds will gradually calm down a little bit later on tonight. it will be another cool night. more 50s in the forecast and a few more 40s north and west. it does start to heat up tomorrow, but nothing too crazy around here. some 80s. right now, readings are in the 70s. newark, bloomfield, newburg 72 and islip 73 and 60s right now in monticello with a nice, cool breeze there. winds still gusting up above 20 from monticello out towards long island and then even at the jersey shore, we're seeing some gusty winds. as we mentioned the winds die down tonight. looking south of the city, temperatures falling through the 60s in midtown and then you would need long sleeves the later you stay out tonight. most of the clouds rotating around that big low pressure system that brought the rain this weekend is now up in new england. we'll track temperatures for you because no rain in sight for a while. dropping to the 50s by 9:00 in monticello and newton and by tomorrow morning, same deal. temperatures will be in the 50s and low 60s. another beautiful day and a warmer day with readings in the 80s and that lasts all the way through the weekend. a high of 84 on saturday. little bit cooler on sunday, but still sunday. sunny with temperatures in the 07s. and that's when we'll see the cooler, daytime highs next week. but not until then from tuesday all the way into the weekend, we have more 80s coming our way. guys, back to you. >> all right, janice, thank you. you're fired may soon become you're terminated. the new host of the "celebrity apprentice." the movie star and two-term governor of california will head the show when it returns next year. donald trump was booted from the program after his controversial comments about mexican immigrants. coming up, how republican presidential hopeful donald trump is acting to the rement replacement. how neighbors and businesses cope without the power. and coming up at 6:00 -- >> these two dogs are outside attacking this man. >> caught on camera, two pit bulls go on a vicious attack in the bronx. news 4 speaks with another victim who says she was bitten in the past. i'm michael douglas, and new york is my home. there's no place like it in the world. and there's no time to see it like the fall. take metro north to take in the beautiful fall foliage from high above the hudson. swing a club at one of america's greatest courses... see spectacular sights underground... ...or thrilling sights above it. there's so many incredible ways to experience the fun of fall in new york state. plan your trip at iloveny.com. there's something for everyone. okay. so everyone is saying, "hey! you gotta get fios!" but why? why fios? well, fios is a 100 percent fiber optic network to the home, so you can get 100% out of all your devices. and access to the fastest internet and in home wi-fi available. with big capacity too, so everyone in the house can be online all at once. only fios has 500 meg download speeds, with equal upload speeds. so you can upload your favorite videos up to 5x faster than cable. and with the fios mobile app, you can view your entertainment at home, or on the go. but the main reason to get fios? we're rated number 1 in customer satisfaction. why fios? ultimately, that's why. right now, get 50 meg fios internet, tv & phone starting at $79.99 a month, guaranteed for two years. plus get $300 back with a two year agreement. call or go online today, hurry this offer ends september 19th. get out of the past. get fios. the power is back on tonight for hundreds of apartments and businesses on the upper west side. >> manhole explosion knocked off electricity in two buildings and didn't come back until after 1:30 this afternoon. tracy srahan spoke with frustrated workers. >> reporter: sunday man hole fires were pulled above ground in daylight but it took longer to restore than expected. >> i was really freaked out. >> reporter: catherine's car was just inches away from one of the manholes that exploded on 107th street and moving it forced her to drive through even more danger. >> were you coming back around? there was another explosion and then another one as we got closer and there was blue flame coming out of the manhole. >> reporter: the blue in the street shows just some of the flames fire crews had to tackle on both 107th and 108th streets. but even after they were brought under control, residents in this 15-story building were left in the dark. for some, it was just in time for russia for rush shawna. but the wait for restoration is affecting businesses in the area, as well, including a book store keeping its fingers crossed for power. and this grocery store who actually sent back deliveries without any refrigeration to keep them cold. now, all eyes are on the blue hats to get things back online. >> two huge trucks, they were pulling cables. it was a real nice scene. >> the good news is no injuries were reported as a result of that manhole fire. the question as to what may have sparked it remains unanswered. on up thor west side, tracie strahan. david is here with a look at what's coming up new at 5:30. >> a cops facebook rant goes viral. what he says he wasn't allowed to do at starbucks. plus, this -- >> how an accused thief allegedly took advantae of a family he knew for years on one of the worst days of their lives. i'm greg cergol in valley stream. coming up, a story that might make your blood boil. everyone is saying, "hey! you gotta get fios!" well, fios is a 100 percent so you can get access to the fastest internet and in-home and fios gives you big capacity too. so everyone in the house can get online. but the main reason to get fios? we're rated number 1 in customer satisfaction. ultimately, that's why. get 50 meg fios internet, tv & phone starting at $79.99 a month. plus get $300 back. hurry, offer ends september 19th. get out of the past. get fios. right now on "news 4 new york." a man accused of robbing a woman's home during her funeral. for months the family tried to figure out who would steal from them on one of their worst days of their lives. >> a man they knew for a long time. greg? >> shiba, david, the grieving family suspected for months that they had been victimized by a long-time acquaintance and that man was finally brought to court today to face charges in an alleged crime that is really hard to believe. six months later and harvey richmond is stim fume ll fuming. his home, his family had been betrayed by a guy they knew for years on the worst day of their lives. >> a real low life. despikt c despicable. >> reporter: jonathan is the object of his anger. the man was arrested sunday. he's charged with robbing richmond's valley stream home last march as richmond's family was attending the funeral at this nearby chapel. richmond's wife, carol pines, had just lost a seven-year battle to lung cancer. >> what he did, like i say, is beyond words. he really, for lack of a better word, violated us. >> reporter: nassau police say hoffman walked into a home he had visited countless times before as housekeepers were preparing for a gathering after the funeral. he made off with cash, jewelry and a checkbook. >> he figured in his warped mind that everybody would be going to the funeral. he was exactly correct. his wife went to the funeral. >> reporter: that's right, richmond says hoffman's own wife was at the funeral while he burglarized the home. she's not suspected of any involvement. more pain came eight days after carol pine's funeral. police say that's when hoffman tried in vain to cash a $10,000 check from the dead woman's bank account. >> when he is in jail and they tell me they threw away the key, perhaps i'll feel better. jonathan hoffman's lawyer told me by phone just a short time ago that his client suffers from mental health issues and those may have played a role in any of his alleged actions. we're live in valley stream tonight, greg cergol, news 4 new york. new tonight, a message of hate found at fordham university in the bronx. the student found the racial slur etched on to his dorm room door yesterday at the residents' hall. the student wasn't home for most of the day so it is unclear when the slur was written and the nypd now treating it as a possible bias crime. why two pilots lost control of this plane that ended up on a sports field in new jersey. the ntsb said the engine of the small aircraft stopped producing power about 2,000 feet above the hudson river. the pilots of the coast guard auxiliary plane were on patrol. they managed to steer the plane away from people in the park and both pilots were seriously injured. one is still in the hospital tonight. an update now on decision 2016 with the next republican presidential debate just days away, surgeon ben carson is climbing in the polls. at the same time on the democratic side, hillary clinton appears to be digging herself out of a hole. eduard lawrence joins us from washington with threat last