are leaving a path of death and destruction. they are ripping through neighborhoods, entire towns. the aggressive valley fire north of san francisco valley is one of the most aggressive fires ever to hit the state. it's racing through america's wine country. it's charred now more than 60,000 acres. residents forced to evacuate their homes and cars that are engulfed in flames. an elderly disabled woman has died. she was actually trapped in her burning home. many others are still missing. hundreds of buildings have burned to the ground. more than 11,000 firefighters are battling these flames. 4:34 now. time for weather/traffic on the 4s. some of the firefighters were saying they were surprised by just how difficult this fire is to fight and the consequences that they've seen so far. >> describing it's just rolling in any direction it wants to and quickly unfortunately. what extremes we saw from the horrific flash flooding and not that far away the fire issues. the extremes of nature. we are really sitting in the sweet spot of the country right now. very quiet weather. chilly start. 40s and 50s in the suburbs. 100% of sunshine coming our way today. not as breezy as yesterday. temperatures actually a little bit warmer. we're starting out a little bit warmer this morning. the burbs are cool. 55, at 8, 78. a string of sun symbols from sun up to sun down. let's find out about the commute early on. lauren? >> plenty of road work for the commute. the ga wanis where this new road construction. on the gowanis, it's not posing a delay. northbound from 63rd, 96th street, two lane shut down. more weather and traffic coming up on the 4s. >> we'll see you in a bit. 4:36. the staten island woman killed in a freak traffic accident. police say 21-year-old alexa chof cioffi was killed. a boat detached in front of her and she was crushed. a 22-year-old woman was also hit. she's in the hospital. police are investigating what went wrong. new this morning, a vicious attack in the bronx. a woman mugged and thrown to the ground just as she walked into her building. the whole thing was caught on camera. today new york's tracy strahan is in bedford park with video released by police. we saw it a few seconds ago, tracy. shocked to see this. >> reporter: michael, it really is disturbing, absolutely. police started their day releasing this video. it was released hours ago. not only do you get a clear picture of that violent assault that sent a 40-year-old woman from this neighborhood to the hospital, but you also see the suspect who's still on the run doing whatever it takes to rob her. this is all captured on security camera video. there are a lot on many buildings irre in bedford park. you can see the suspect approaching. he's wearing gloves before the attack. he's described by police as being bald between 5'8" and 5'11" tall and at this point he's walking towards the apartment building's vest stib ibule. the female victim is trying to open the door. he grabs her from behind and tries to take her purse but when she resists he punches her in the face, then he goes back for more. he's trying to rip her pocketbook from her shoulder while she's on the ground but after struggling authorities say he fled eastbound on east 201st street on a bicycle. now just moments ago we saw pictures that are plastered up by the nypd giving to everyone in this neighborhood a clear picture of the man they are looking for. again, he fled on a bike. that female victim was treated for a laceration to the head and a break right in her eye socket according to police. of course, anyone, michael, with any information on who that suspect could be is asked to contact authorities. at least some solace in this, he didn't get away with anything. back to you. >> no, but it was such a violent attack. tracie, thanks so much. 4:38. authorities in pennsylvania have more to say about the charges that are filed in the hazing death of a baruch college student. michael zeng died two years ago. now the fraternity and five other college members are being charged with third degree murder. an additional 32 members are facing other charges including assaults. >> whoever was directly involved, i feel they should be behind bars because someone did pass away in the situation. >> but a lawyer for one of the students that is charged calls this a case of overcharging. he tells news 4 that he believes a lot of these students will be acquitted. 4:39 now. happening today. the bronx woman accused of sicking her two pit bulls on another man is due in court 567895-year-old cynthia oliver faces eight counts of assault, two charges of reckless endangerment. last friday she unleashed her dogs on 62-year-old francesco bover. he was malled for seven minutes. a woman said she, too, was a victim of those dogs. >> they jumped at me and the one bit me. he punctured the skin so i had to go get a tetanus shot. >> they was a time. >> boomer: waiting for something to happen. it was a matter of time. >> right now the dogs are at the animal care center. news 4 has learned that their owner, cynthia oliver, has been arrested 37 times before. >> unbelievable. also on staten island, police say that they've arrested an 18-year-old man in connection to an attempted rape. investigators say that shazim akbar attacked a woman near her home last tuesday. she started screaming and he took off. akbar is charged with sexual abuse and burglary. this morning we're learning more about the arrest of rutgers star receiver. he was arrested 48 minutes after saturday's game. he's charged right now with assault and a domestic violence incident. he was suspended indefinitely. six other rutgers players were kicked off the team in the past two weeks. two charged in home invasions, the other four face assault charges. 4:40. we're going to turn to presidential politics right now. donald trump planning a big rally today in los angeles. that is on the eve, of course, of the next gop presidential debate. last night he fired up nearly 17,000 supporters. this is at the a thrown in dallas. he not only called for tax cuts for corporations and the middle class but he renewed talk of building a wall along the mexican border. >> it's disgusting what's happening to our country. we are a dumping ground for the rest of the world. >> outside the arena protestors marched for a dump trump. there are new recommendations adding to the debate over a pill that some people take every day. plus, an unexpected stop for people in a packed plane? look at that. what police say one woman did that forced these pilots to land so quickly. also, we're going to have a check of weather and traffic on the 4s as we look at the hamilton bridge right there. you're watching "today in new york." back on a tuesday morning. four things you need to know. utah, flash floods blamed for eight deaths and six people are missing as well. we'll update you on the search efforts throughout our morning. a little commuter news. expect some gridlock in manhattan today. the united nations against. pope francis is addressing the general assembly when he visits next week. police are looking for a person who threw a bike in front of a moving train. it just left the station on fordham road in the bronx. it caused delays for hours. also still no deal on long island following hours of federal mediation. school bus drivers on buses would like higher pay and better benefits. a dozen school districts in nassau and suffolk county will be impacted by a possible strike. >> 4:44. weather and traffic on the 4s. chris, it may coincide with the holy father's arrival. the mets have won eight straight games. >> eight straight. the magic number is ten. imagine if they clinch while he's here. >> forget it. >> forget it. >> just lay down and forget it. they're out of it, indeed. another big one tonight and the yanks, too. meantime, it feels pretty comfortable again this morning. looking at 40s and 50s in the suburbs. city, in the 60ed. yesterday morning we dipped to 59 degrees. first time we have done that since the end of june. back at 64 right now. the sky is clear. this will be a little bit of a warmer day but still very comfortable. lots of sunshine headed our way. start north and west near perfection. the next several days, sunshine, low humidity. no rain in this dry pattern and we do need that. in the meantime, put it into perspective, warm but not humid. normal high 76. slightly above normal yesterday. more significantly so today and over the next few days as well. 58 in hoboken, 57 in staten island. cool spot, morristown, 46. poughkeepsie, danbury, in the 40s, low 50s right now. most of long island is in the 50s. in pine baron's it's in the 40s. this map, there's nothing to look at which is the bottom line. the high pressure is centered here. it's not moving anywhere. very, very slowly eastward over the next several days. that will keep us looking like that, in the clear. in the tropics watching a couple of disturbances coming off the coast of africa. this one has 40% chance of developing and this one we'll watch for 60% chance. even the tropics relatively quiet. sunshine, cool morning, nice warm afternoon. it will feel good out there, 84. not as breezy as yesterday. nice clear starlit sky. temperature 66 in mid town. the temps are a little bit higher every evening. as we move into tomorrow, another warm day. how about 87 degrees? again, the humidity stays low. it's a dry pattern for us with lots of sunshine. this is just some perfect september weather. what about the weekend? looks pretty good. a slight chance on sunday of a brief shower, but wouldn't cancel any plans there. saturday looks nice, too, with sunshine in the lower 80s. sunday's our only day really on the seven day forecast with that chance of a shower in it. we climb from 84 to 87 wednesday and thursday. back to the lower 80s over the weekend. cooling off early next week back to the 70s. 76. >> blizzard. if you're getting on the roads right now, a lot of road work out there. we'll start with a live look at the brooklyn bridge. the manhattan side of this span is shut down this morning. right now things look pretty good. if you're getting on the buses, a few detours out there, have you detours on the bx 5, 24 and q 50. as far as the trains go right now we do have delays on queens and bronx d and n trains. fasttrack maintenance on the f train overnight. no f trains between jamaica 179th street and prior briarwood. we have more overnight traffic with suspensions. parts of the 3 line, a and l completely suspended but that should all be wrapped up in about 12 minutes. alternate side of the street parking are suspended but meeter rules still in effect. more weather and traffic ahead on the 4s. 4:48. new this morning, police say the man wanted for gunning down a college professor in mississippi has died from a self-inflicted gun wound. 45-year-old shannon lamb fatally shot himself while being followed by police last night. police have been searching for him all day after professor ethan schmidt was killed in his office at delta state university. lamb also suspected of killing his girlfriend in their home. that was 300 miles away from the school. the reward is now more than double for the arrest of the arizona freeway sniper. officials under that award to $50,000. there have been 11 shootings along i-10 in phoenix. a 13-year-old was cut by shattered glass that shattered after it was hit by a bullet. no one was killed. this weekend three 18-year-olds were arrested in a copy cat using sling shots. 4:49. hungary is threatening to arrest anybody who crosses its border illegally. that border sealed very tightly this morning. refugees struggling to beat a midnight deadline. that is when a new anti-immigration laws went into effect. meanwhile, european ministers continue to discuss the crisis. they cannot agree on how to share and disbeers these migrants. 4:49. a flight from miami to chicago had to make an emergency landing in indianapolis. it was due to an unruly passenger. cell phone video shows the woman being escorted off of american airlines flight 1284 last night. she had allegedly hit another passenger, then struck a member of the flight crew while she was being restrained. nobody was hurt. the flight did continue on to chicago just about an hour later. the kentucky clerk who was thrown in jail for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses she is back on the job. kim davis still not issuing licenses to same-sex couples but says she will not keep her deputies from doing so. in fact, one of them did in front of swarms of media and protesters yesterday. davis said the licenses are not legal but they say they are, in fact, legal. davis says she is tired of all the attention. >> i don't want to have this conflict. i don't want to be in the spotlight and i certainly don't want to be a whipping post. i just want to serve my neighbors quietly without violating my conscience. >> davis is an apostolic christian and stopped issuing licenses after the supreme court legalized gay marriage. on long island a thief is accused of taking advantage of a grieving family. police arrested jonathan hoffman on sunday. he broke into that family's home back in valley stream in march. stole cash, jewelry, checkbooks. at the time a homeowner was at a nearby chapel attending his wife's funeral. she lost a seven year battle with lung cancer. >> he figured in his warped mind funeral. he was exactly correct. his wife went to the funeral. >> hoffman was caught after trying to cash a $10,000 dplek that stolen checkbook. hoffman's attorney says his client suffers from mental health issues. it's 4:51. still to come, it's going to cost millions of dollars. how technology is being used to try and help with new york city's truck problems. then an unusual hunt o is taking place. why time is running out to find this little gaiter, a gaiter that's apparently hiding in queens. you're watching "today in new york." 4:54. time for a check on the weather and traffic. right by laguardia airport. laguardia. >> laguardia. >> laguardia. >> that's all right. >> we class it up. >> lga. >> lga. that's right. nobody dealing with any wet roads this morning, and that's the good news. probably not for the next few days. you can't blame the weather for any traffic issues. lots of sunshine heading our way. maybe some sun glare issues. 84 the expected high the temp. cool start. starting out in the 60s. a lot of 40s and 50s. it warms up nicely. today warmer than yesterday. 66 with the low and 40s and 50s in the suburbs. we stay on this pretty good weather roll for the next few days. >> feels nice out there. >> it is. >> i was a little cold this morning. i told my over to turn the ac off. crack a window. things are moving along. crack the window this morning. sitting in any delays, nice breeze on the cross bronx expressway. there it is in the blur. things moving along nicely. we don't see any brake lights which we like. then heading over for a live look at the belt parkway, things movi along nicely. >> there's the hamilton inn right there. >> there it is. new york city will become the testing ground for the future of making cars safer. about 10,000 cabs, buses, and trucks will be retrofitted with a smart device by 2017. now this technology warns drivers not just of dangers but also congestion. allows cars to communicate with each other to avoid crashes. the city gained some $20 million to help develop this kind of technology. hethey'll use it in mid town and parts of brooklyn. 4:55. ny ur nyu released a new study. the tiny particles in the air that we breathe and absorb it's linked them to an increased risk of death. that included a rise in heart disease as well. now researchers are planning to look more closely at the source of the particles to see if they're coming from car exhaust or factories. also this morning, new recommendations adding to that aspirin debate. a government task force says daily low dose aspirin could help people in their 50s or 60s prevent heart attack or stroke. the group says it could even help prevent against colon carsncer, but some doctors are very quick to point out that sudaily aspirin does carry risks and you should speak to your doctor about whether it's right for you. one of the american heroes who stopped the terror attack in france is going to get a rare military honor. the purple heart. air man spencer stone nearly lost his thumb when he and two friends took down a gunman on the train. onou thursday he'll receive the medal at the pentagon. his buddy, national guards man alek skarlatos, will get the army medal for combrt not with the enemy. >> e> three workers had a shift. that was thanks to a painy girl who could not wait to meet the world. sophie elizabeth. she was born on the parkway sunday. her parents had to be rushed to the hospital a little bit earlietain the day but they were told at that point that the babo wasn't ready. >> that's bad. >> i know that's bad. when they went home and they got home stephanie's water bretoke. they went back to the hospital, this time in an ambulance, but as it was racing there, little sophie couldn't wait any longer. >> seeing the father's face when we got to the hospital and i said, congratulations. he was like, what? >> they were very professional and very calm and they kept us calm. thank you from the bottom of our hearts. >> honestly both mom and baby are doing great. look at her. she's a cutie pie. >> oh. >> i know. 4:57 now. in queens a hunt is back n for the baby reptile. the baby alligator was once ag n spotted in flushing meadow park by a jogger. ea-uier they nicknamed the critter jaws. they went back in the water to try to find him. commercial fisher men and advocates are trying to hook it. they want to try th bri it to shore. >> they can't ak climate to this weather. it's definitely going to die off. >> the gaiter is about 2 feet long. people bring them into our area. unfortunately what happens, they're too big, it's not fun anymore. they release them. they put them in really harm's way there. you don't want to do that. >> can't do that. no. it is coming up on 5:00. if you're about to head out the door, take a look. >> keep watching new york by the news 4 app on your device. our next hour starts right now. we have new details this morning about security plans for pope francis's historic visit. this as the united nations general assembly begins. plus, breaking news out of utah. a wall of water sweeping people away. this morning we're seeing some of the dramatic video of the rescues. also new this morning, police releasing the name of the young woman killed in that freak accident on a local road. "today in new york" starts now. good morning, everybody. 5:00 a.m. on this tuesday, september 15th. i'm michael gargiulo. >> i'm kerry barrett. darlene will be back tomorrow. >> chris cimino here with the forecast. beautiful weather. chris, thinking hoping we can hold this pattern in for the holy father's visit. >> long stretch to go. we'll see. so far so good. cool again this morning particularly in the suburbs, places like jackson, new jersey, down to 48 degrees. 50 in howell, 40 in hillsboro. 40s and 50s. red banks, 54. the city held the warm spot, 63. farming dale at the 60 degree mark. you can see april hint of autumn in the air. but today unlike yesterday a little bit warmer. we'll have a good deal of sunshine much like yesterday. 78 by noontime. forecasting a high temperature of 84 degrees. lauren scala, how are things ving along on my favorite day of the week so far? >> your favorite day of the week. of course we'd have a subway suspension. service is suspended on the f train between 2nd avenue and 4th avenue. some problems at j street metro tech. this is our only subway suspension. ifdc you're getting on the roads, northbound we have road work from 63rd street up to 96th. that shuts down two lanes this morning. more weather and traffic coming up on the 4s. thanks so ch, lauren. this morning we have new information about the security plans for pope francis's visit to new york. it is a massive challenge, and adding to that the security challenges of the u.n. general assembly, which starts today. new york's katherine creag is here. kat, security wise it will start with the u.n. general assembly and go through the entirety of pope francis's visit? >> rep ter: exactly, michael. today you could call it a regular day at the u.n. the general assembly start. it gets more intense next week with meetings, but today even on a regular day you see a police car ycere. there are other police cars up and downusifth avenue across the u.n. the city and the mayor acknowledge that it's an enormous task to keep world leaders safe and then you have thn e pope visiting. we talked to mayor de blasio, commissioner bratton, they were meeting with officials from the nypd, secret ervice and fbi yesterday to talk about security. to also show the members of the media the types of weapons and protective gear that will be used to protect the pope. the public and all the world leaders will be here next week. e pope arrives next thursday. also in town nearly 200 world leaders including president obama for the 70th th a session of the -- session of the united nations. a reporter asked police commissioner bratton knowing the pope is a man of the people, he likes to mingle, what if he takes a subway ride. the commissioner didn't say no to that, he said, he hopes not. >> we could keep him inside as tight a bubble as we can. this pope has made it quite clear as he's traveled around the world that that's not what heo does. >> reporter: there are processions up and down fifth avenue, through central park. some of the offices, my friends who work over by "30 rock" can he fell ler, not just at nbc or in that building, some of the other surrounding buildings, they've already got memos not to have meetings on the 25th of september when the pope is here, not to have surprise guests or even visitors at all because traffic and security will be so intense. back to you, michael. >> all right, kat. thanks very much. just getting underway. we appreciate that. 5:02. following some breaking news this morning out of utah. eight people are dead and a search is underway for five more who are missing. it includes mothers and their kids. they were swept away in two cars by a sudden wall of rushing flood water. we can show you this. the daring rescue of people in one of those cars. that water is moving so quickly. stranded in deep water all because of very heavy rains in southwestern utah.