Transcripts For WABC Eyewitness News 20160425

But the letter called on manhattan da cr investigate. Can you unequivocally say that you or any member of your team violated Campaign Finance laws . I can unequivocally say that. After this letter was leaked on friday, the mayors attorney responded with a scathing letter of his own calling in to question many of the facts here and calling this whole process anything but partisan. Well tell you why coming up at 6 00. For now were live in city hall, josh einiger, channel 7 Eyewitness News. In new jersey a Police Officer rushed to the hospital when someone rear ended his car during a traffic stop. Newscopter7 was over the scene this afternoon on route 130 south. The South Brunswick officer had pulled over a tractortrailer for speeding. He was sitting in his patrol car writing a ticket when another the officer and the driver of the car are being treated for nonlifethreatening injuries. Charges against the driver are pending. An emotional day in court in brooklyn. An nypd officer whose partner died in a fire testified against the teenager accused of setting that fire. And the family of officer dennis guererra heard his final words. Eyewitness News Reporter Tim Fleischer was there and he joins us live from downtown brooklyn. As you point out, it was a very emotional trial, especially as the surviving officer took the stand and testified in the trial. They also remembered the fallen officer and then they watched the horrifying pictures as these officers struggled in this apartment fire. Reporter as Rosa Rodriguez and her partner dennis huerra took the floor they were overcome by thick smoke when the cant breathe. Reporter they immediately radioed for help. We were able to walk in the hallway but couldnt breathe well. Dockery is accused of setting a mattress fire and now on trial for murder, arson, and assault. Its a difficult day for every new york city Police Officer in that courtroom. Reporter the officers in the thick choking smoke tried to find the emergency exit. I was holding on to him because i couldnt see. We were calling for help. Then officer guerras haunting last words on a radio transmission. 85. 85. The last call for help. This family had to sit there and watch the last steps of their son. A Police Officer partner had to watch that video as they search for her partner. Her voice barely a whisper. Reporter firefighters rescue the pair from the upper floor as seen in this security video bringing them to the lobby. Injuries. Officer rodriguez toufd i testified i cant breathe well. I cant walk long distances. I cant play with my kids anymore. I lost my voice as well. There were no questions to ask her. She did her job that day and she suffered because of it. Officer rodriguez also testified at some point she may very well have to have a Lung Transplant as she endures her painful injuries. Reporting live in downtown brooklyn, Tim Fleischer, channel 7 Eyewitness News. A man that cops say is responsible for attacking and robbing elderly women in brooklyn is now under arrest. Clarence jones was taken in to custody this morning after detectives received a crimestoppers tip. Police say the 64yearold has attacked and robbed several elderly women over the past few weeks. He has an extensive criminal history and was released from state prison two years ago. Inspectors say a building in is stable enough to remain open. Police say a driver veered off the road on main street and sayreville this morning. The vehicle went in to the sidewalk and inside a building which is home to a korean rice cake store. One person was hurt. More than 50 people escaped with their lives but lost their homes in a fast moving fire on louisiana. The flames broke out early this morning in a Convenient Store in oceanside and quickly spread to four other buildings. Dozens of firefighters battled the flames for more than an hour. At one point they had to pull out after another part of the building collapsed. It was a collapse in the rear of the building which hampered the efforts to try to get hose lines and water on to the fire that was in the rear of the building so we had to attack it from a couple no one was hurt. Some residents were allowed back in to collect their belongings, however, most were left with nothing. New information. Fire marshals say a blow torch sparked a multibuilding fire in brooklyn yesterday. In a garage in Cypress Hills and quickly spread to other buildings. Three buildings were destroyed. Two were damaged. Nine people suffered minor injuries. 13 people lost their homes. We turn now to vote 2016. Today a team effort to team up against donald trump. Both john kasich and ted cruz announcing theyre going to join forces to prevent donald trump from getting the delegates he needs to win the republican nomination. Will they hold on to this new alliance . Shirleen allicot here with the latest. Were at the home stretch of primary season and cruz and kasich are choosing to lose states. It sounds like a rusky move and a very critical time, and late today some sides of the new partnership is not all that strong but they thunk joining they think joining forces is exactly what will stop donald trump. Reporter dividing the vote kasich agreeing to bow out of indiana while cruz steps out of new mexico. If you collude in the stock market they put you in jail but in politics, because its a rigged system, because its a corrupt enterprise, in politics youre allowed to collude. Reporter the strategy could block trump from gaining the 1237 delegates necessary to claim the gop nomination. I dont see this as any big deal other than the fact that im not going to spend resources in indiana. Hes not going to spend them in other places. So what . I think thats allocation of resources that makes a lot of sense and its devoted to the principal of beating Hillary Clinton in november. Reporter both trump and Hillary Clinton are expected to pad their leads in tomorrows plate of five primaries. Today the two rivals continued their attacks on one another. I will beat Hillary Clinton, crooked hillary. I will beat her so bad ly. Dont just fly that big jet speech and insult everybody you can think of. And then go back, get on that big jet and go back to your country clubhouse in florida or your penthouse in new york. I somehow dont think that kind of puts you in touch. Meanwhile clintons rival Bernie Sanders is campaigning in pennsylvania today. His Campaign Manager said no matter what happens in tomorrows primaries, hes going all the way to the convention. Tom brady benched by a federal Appeals Court in new york. It looks like the patriots quarterback will be sitting on the sidelines after all when the new season begins. Sports anchor rob powers is here with more. Anything but simple. The football story that simply wont go away rears its head once again. A federal Appeals Court overturning a Lower Court Ruling siding with the nfl saying yes, patriot Quarterback Tom Brady but serve a fourgame suspension. Its all about the use of those deflated footballs and the roll out of those balls. This comes from a threejudge panel in the Second Circuit court of appeals in manhattan voting 21 in favor of the league, basically saying commissioner Roger Goodell did not overstep. The nfl then in a statement, pleased todays ruling backed the commissioner and his authority under the collective bargaining agreement. The Players Union reasserting its opinion that the commissioner was wrong and bradys rights were violated. And we may not be done. This ruling can be appealed as well. The nflpa would have to decide if that would be worth it. Jets fans probably upset they wont catch a possible break with brady set to miss games against arizona, miami, houston, and buffalo. President obama is urging european allies to increase their efforts in the fight against isis. As more u. S. Troops head to syria. The president says up to 250 u. S. Military personnel will be deployed to the region, up from forces that are currently there. President obama met with the leaders of the united kingdom, germany, england and france. The United Nations is delivering desperately needed aid to places sieged by isis. About 200,000 civilians are trapped in a government held area of the city. Still ahead on Eyewitness News, she was behind the wheel when the car crashed nearly running in to a woman. Tonight the driver speaks exclusively with Eyewitness News about why she lost control. Students sing at the 9 11 memorial then theyre ordered to stop. And meet the nypd officer in the bronx whose game on the Basketball Court is scoring big sweet move. Im meteorologist lee goldberg. Nice night to shoot around, pickup game outside. Were in the 60s, dry. Not as dependable as we go through the next couple of days. Theres a front off to the north, going to bring rain, finding colon cancer early gives me the best chance for treatment. We got screened because i know colon cancer doesnt always come with symptoms. I was worried about the cost but got screened when i learned there are options. My doctor helped me find the right test for me. We got screened when we turned 50 and were so glad we did. If youre 50 or older talk with your Healthcare Provider. Theres more than one way to screen for colon cancer and its easier than ever. If youre 50 or older youre hearing middle School Students from North Carolina. Theyre singing the National Anthem at the 9 11 memorial until Security Guards tell them to stop. Tonight the museum changing its tune, especially after the eyewitness News Reporter Michelle Charlesworth talked with the students and shes live in Lower Manhattan with more on what they had to say. These kids are from wainsville, North Carolina. Theyre middle School Students. They were up here on a trip. Most had never been to new york city and none of them had been born on 9 11, 2001. So when they got here they were really shaken and moved and wanted to do something they do best, which is sing. The teachers and parents say what they did was turn this in to a teaching moment that will never be forgotten. Reporter this North Carolina middle school choir broke in to song, the starspangled banner, out of respect at the 9 11 memorial and got a quick civic lesson in bad decisions. Not one but two Security Guards ordered them to stop singing, calling it a demonstration for which they needed a permit. Western North Carolina up to washington and new york city, sing everywhere they went. When the Security Guard told us to stop singing, i was confused and discouraged because we had to stop our national song. Reporter the entire group wore these tshirts for the trip that read start spreading the news but they ended up making the news when video of what happened posted on grandmas Facebook Page went viral. She already has about a half a million views. I felt like we was doing the wrong thing even though we were honoring. Reporter the kids who were on this trip sent us video messages from North Carolina of their reaction. I did not know what was going on at all until we left and somebody explained it to me. I called the 9 11 memorial, talked to a spokesperson who says no question these guards did not respond appropriately. In fact the memorial welcomes performances just like that. No word on whether or not the guards were disciplined though. Little retraining will do it. Overall, it made for a more memorable trip that was still once in a middle school lifetime. I talked to the principal a little while ago. He said they called him and said what happened was wrong, we apologize, and we want to invite all of you want. Some of the kids said theyll definitely take him up on it. But they said most of the new yorkers they met were absolutely lovely and their trip was amazing. So definitely a teaching moment. Were live in Lower Manhattan, Michelle Charlesworth, channel 7 Eyewitness News. A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of tamir rice has been settled for 6 million. The city of cleveland has agreed they shot and killed the 12yearold mistakenly, thinking rices toy gun was real. Rices mother said they did not give him first aid. No charges were filed against the officers involved in the shooting. The pennsylvania Appeals Court has ruled the Sexual Assault case against bill cosby can resume. Cosbys lawyers tried to prevent the case from Going Forward by arguing the former District Attorney greed not to prosecute cosby. A woman said cosby drugged and molested her in his home in 2004. No date has been set for the trial to resume with the preliminary hearing. Here at wabc were teaming up for the annual citizenship now immigration hot line. This is a live look at the phone bank at gutman community college. Volunteers are providing free and controversial citizenship and immigration information. That hot line is up and running from 10 00 in the morning since the kickoff this morning, callers have received more than 800 calls. Lots of questions from people out there. Assistance is available in a variety of languages as well. The numbers, you can see them on your screen. We also have them on our website, abc7ny. If you have a question, call. Welcome back. Good to be back. All this sunshine. You got a little bit, didnt you . Looking like summer. Nice and healthy. Outside we have some of our own in the tristate area. But we do have clouds to talk about and rain in the forecast. Outside we go now where mass transit is an option today but also nice to walk especially when tomorrow you might want to think about taking the bus because youll be dodging raindrops especially in the morning then again in the late day. Were at 67 now. The humidity is at 40 . Pressure is on the fall. And the high today in the upper 60s. So a couple degrees above the there are your sunrise and sunset times. We look at temperatures in places like toms river, 72. Montauk at 54. Islip, 60. Your temperatures tomorrow anywhere from 48 to 54 degrees. Northern suburbs and northern west in to the 70s, a mild day tomorrow but theres going to be a huge range across the area. High clouds through 7 00. By midnight a couple raindrops may be moving through but overallthink clouds are thickening. Tomorrow morning there could be a cluster of heavier downpours, even a rumble of thunder early on. Middle of the day the coverage of showers should be less then well see it rev up again during the afternoon hours. Just clouds spilling in now. Theres the boundary were looking at. One thing screams out at you. Theres snowflakes across eastern canada. Of us were going to have a monster range across the area where were looking at 40s north and east to maybe near 80 south and west. Theres also a thunder threat. There might be one in the morning and another in the afternoon. A little downpour and thunder and lightning. The front does push to the south wednesday. Although i think the clouds linger south of the city. Looking at temperatures tonight, mid 40s to mid 50s but look at the difference tomorrow. 48, montauk. Could be 78 in toms river. 59, poughkeepsie. 67, white plains. 67 on islip. A lot to take in here. Ive posted the temperature map on social media so you can see where you are in terms of temperatures. Mainly cloudy and dry. Rain develops, 55. Tomorrow, 67. Showers and thunderstorms, more book end early and late. Midday we could see thin spots in the clouds but clouds definitely dominate. Mostly cloudy. A lot cooler at 45. At 5 30 were working on the wednesday forecast. Are clouds going to linger south of the city . How about thursday, will the rain stay south . Is the weekend just right in terms of timing . Accuweather forecast in the next half hour. Hope that rain stays south. We havent had this years Olympic Games yet but in japan theyre already looking ahead to the next games in four years. Today organizers unvoled the new official logo unveiled the new official logo. They opted for a more colorful design. The winning design features three varieties of indigo blue. They represent different countries, cultures, and ways of thinking. On wall street stocks slumped today as Energy Stocks took big losses. Companies including xerox fell after reporting disappointing earnings and lowering their expectations for the year. Nasdaq lost 10 points. S p 500 dropped more than 3 points. Still ahead, a mothers message after two weeks worth of breast milk was seized at the airport. Also, priests assaulted inside his church in new jersey and tonight another priest who out. And hear from the opera singer who found out five minutes ahead of time he was it has been a day filled with rallies at the state house in North Carolina over the states so called bathroom law. Nearly 200,000 people signed petitions seeking to repeal the law. Demi lovato and nick jonas joined the performers who have canceled concerts in North Carolina because of the law. Reporter protesters made clear the battle over North Carolinas socalled bathroom bill is not over. This bill advocates hate. Reporter opponents gather at the state house where lawmakers returned today delivering boxes of petition signatures to the governor who signed to law that curtails protections against job discrimination for lgbt people and forces transgender people to use the bathroom of their gender at birth. In to the mens restroom. It doesnt make any sense. Reporter the states democratic lawmakers say theyll try to repeal the law and say the economic consequences, dozens of companies now boycotting, and the nba considering moving next years all star game from the state will force their republican colleagues to reconsider. Governor mccrory, speaker moore and senator berger are going to be in the position where they must repeal house bill 2 in the short session. Reporter but the republicans are getting their own show of support at another rally near the state house insisting the new law will stand and the controversy will not distract them. Were not afraid of transgender people. Were afraid of the sexual predators who will prey on the weak and the defenseless. Democrats may have a hard time repealing the law, given the states republican controlled legislature. They hope some will bow to pressure in this hotly contested election year. Johnny manziel is expected to be indicted tomorrow for attacking his exgirlfriend. Manziel is accused of hitting Colleen Crowley at a dallas hotel. Hes since been cut by the cleveland browns. Hes spent time in rehab for drinking and drugs. Jury. Manziel could face up to a year in jail. A wild crash. Island. Camera. Tonight we hear exclusively from the man who caused the driver to lose control. A community in new jersey remembers a trailblazing mayor after her sudden death. And imagine making your opera debut in a worldwide stage with ki slams in to a deli in nassau county. A woman nearly run down. The crash all started with this car right here. Now at 5 00, were hearing exclusively from that driver. Two people were hurt in this accident but everybody is expected to be okay. The video already viewed thousands of times on our Facebook Page. Kristin thorne with the exclusive interview. We spoke with the driver who says he accidentally hit that it coming. That forced the car right in to the deli here. The damage, it looked like somebody would be killed. Reporter this woman almost was as the car came up on to the sidewalk and through the front of the deli. It happened around noon on babylon turnpike in roosevelt. 57yearold kevin butler didnt escape so easily. He suffered injuries to his legs from flying debris. We spoke exclusively with him the hospital this afternoon. Talking to the guy at the counter, we heard this loud boom. Looked out the window, she lost control of the car. Just came straight for him. Reporter we also spoke exclusively with this man who said he accidentally hit the womans car as he was trying to make a lefthand turn. He said he couldnt see her car behind a bus. I saw the traffic was slowing down and then all of the sudden this car was going fast and i hit the front of it. Deli owner Miguel Medina said he was in the back of the store when he heard the crash. Make sure everybody was okay, checking to see if the person was alive. Then i call and say send an ambulance. Reporter medina says the woman here in the video as well as a teenaged boy walked away from the scene. He doesnt know how they are doing. He figures theyre okay. Hes thankful he has insurance to cover the damage. Loss. Main thing is life. No life is gone so we okay. The female driver who drove through the deli was also taken to the hospital. She is expected to be okay. Live in roosevelt, kristin thorne, channel 7 Eyewitness News. The manhattan da and nypd announcing today the indictments of six people accused of running an illegal gun sales operation here in new york city. The defendants accused of allegedly selling 82 firearms and ammunition to an undercover cop posing as a gun dealer. Da says 1,000 illegal guns have been taken off the streets since 2010. The nypd is doing an amazing job keeping violence down. Fact of the matter is this just cant stand and we need to do more. Cy vance wants the legislature to increase 68 pistols, eight revolvers, five assault weapons and two shot guns. Funeral roungements announced just a short time ago for the mayor. Parker died yesterday at the young age of 44. Today the Community Came together to remember the woman who blazed a trail for herself and her town in Bergen County. New jersey reporter Anthony Johnson has the story. Lizette barkers sudden death left many stunned and saddened. Her passing at just 44 makes it hard to say goodbye. Beautiful person. Beautiful mayor. Its a big loss. Reporter she was elected mayor by the full council in 2014. Her colleagues say she was a unifier in a community with a diverse population and competing interest. She was a very positive person and even when things were very negative she stayed above the fray. Anybody who knew her will all know her and she was the best of the council. She brought us together. Reporter the flag outside of town hall is at half staff. The traditional black and purple bunting has been placed around windows as a mourning period begins. And council chambers, her name plate remains on display along with the gavel she used to call the meeting. She was seen as a champion for the towns youth. She was a very nice person, very kind and also liked to have the youth involved. Reporter as an active member of the coalition of 100 black women, parkers selection as the first African American woman mayor in Bergen County was a matter of pride. I think truly lizette was a role model for teenagers and adults as well. Reporter mayor parker transported to the hospital sunday where she died of a respiratory illness. Now she leaves behind a young daughter and grieving husband. She was a young leader who as well as politically. The final arrangements have now been set. The wake will take place on friday. The funeral on saturday at the Mount Olive Baptist Church in hackensack. Anthony johnson, channel 7 Eyewitness News. Here are more details about the funeral arrangements. The wake will be held this friday from 2 00 to 4 00 and 7 00 to 9 00 p. M. At the Mount Olive Baptist Church in hackensack. The funeral will be held saturday at 10 a. M. Also at the same church. Theres now a law in new york state. Insurance Companies Must pay for depression screening for new mothers. Insurers have six months to start offering the coverage. The American Psychiatric association is praising the move, saying women struggling with maternal depression deserve screening and care for whats an all too Common Health cushion. Billy palmer, best known for jones, has died at the age of 80. Paul won a grammy for the song back in 1973. His career spanned more than 60 years. During it the if you during it he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Tonight a mothers angry message. And a priest attacked in his own church. Well hear from his colleagues who helped chase down the suspect. I hear somebody yelling my name. It was joe running out of the park with a basketball in his hands saying he was ready to go. I knew what it meant. She was ready to go. Meet the nypd officer who was knocking down baskets and scoring big. Got the moves. Im meteorologist lee goldberg. Hazy sun over the harbor. Pretty afternoon. Right now. But there is a front just sitting off to our north here. Very chilly air off to the north. Were on the warm side. Eventually were on the stormy side of the front. vo the Health System with a history of delivering world firsts in patient care is now delivering. Convenience. And with our expansion into westchester and the hudson valley, stateoftheart healthcare is this one goes out to all the allergy muddlers. You know who you are. Youve lost your game. Literally. Your family outing is magical for all the wrong reasons. And your sneezes are a force to be reckoned with. Well, allergy muddlers, muddle no more. Try zyrtec for powerful allergy relief. And zyrtec is different than claritin , because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. Try zyrtec. Muddle no more. And childrens zyrtec takes care of your childs allergies take a look at that. Sparks are flying. A power line short ignited a cable. A tv newsroom was happening to do a live shot right nearby and caught it all on camera. This happened south of houston. Officials say bad weather may be to blame. No one was hurt but a whole lot of businesses did lose power. A priest who was assaulted in newark said he knows his attacker and believes the man may need mental help. Police say 33yearold Shawn Swinton entered st. Marys they were able to flag down a passing patrol car. We followed him down to broad street and a couple times we yelled at him but we kept our distance. I had 9 11 on the mind. Took him all the way down to broad street before i found a cop. The priest who was attacked says swinton used to be a student at the prep school. He was charged with simple assault and being held with no bail. The nypd has busted a man for selling counterfeit tickets for last saturdays Bruce Springsteen concert at the barclays center. The tickets look pretty real. The 19th precinct says they were bought on craigslist. It tweeted out this photo with the caption he may have been born to run but not from our crime team. To avoid becoming a victim, police say buy tickets with a credit card. That way you can dispute the charge. A mother in california angry after she was forced to give up Jessica Martinez wrote an open letter. She was on an eightcity, 15day business trip. She pumps whenever she can and freezes that milk until she can get back home with her baby. Shed already passed through security in four countries. But officials at heathrow seized the milk because it was more than 3. 4 ounces. Airport Officials Say the staff was only following british law. Making your debut at the metropolitan opera is a big deal. So why did this singer do it in a tshirt and jeans . Hes going to tell us why. Plus this. A long island family is days away from foreclosing on their home after disabled dad cant get his Social Security benefit, 67,000 in backpay. Great to be back with you. Coming up on world news tonight, the plane crash right in to a residential neighborhood. The pilot reportedly in training. Critically injured on the scene. Weather of the season. Millions warned tonight, could hey what are you here for . You getting poked, prodded or pinched . . Uhhh yeah, colon cancer screening. Hey me too, second time. Its a piece of cake that sounds good right now. Its no big deal. Thats what everyone tells me. Today there is more than one way to screen for colon cancer and its easier than ever. If youre 50 or older talk with your Healthcare Provider and choose the best test for you if youre 50 or older from the green room to center stage. Meet francesco, he stepped in during the last act of saturdays performance after the actor playing the title role lost his voice. He was given just 5 minutes notice. No time to do his warmups or get in to costume. He put in a black cape and his jeans and went on stage. But you must be ready to have this big emotion. People be surprised for me. He had rehearsed the opera but never performed for an audience of the mets. Sounds good to me. What a moment. Great for him. Rip that bandaid off. Youll stand in. We need the umbrella tomorrow. First of all, filtered sunshine out there. Pretty evening. Sunset about two hours away. Were at 67. West wind turning east now about 8 miles per hour. Its off of 55degree ocean water and thats why its definitely chillier along the coast. Numbers this evening are pleasant. Just some clouds rolling in. Evening but if youre after midnight then you have to have the umbrella. Mets, reds, no problem. Even though there are storms in the forecast tomorrow i think theyre moving out prior to first pitch. At worst maybe a little delay. Tomorrow morning at 7 a. M. , showers and storms over parts of the area, especially from the city on north and east. Middle of the day not as much going on. Clouds could break a little bit at times. Maybe well to the north and west. Showers are starting to return again. Then as we head in to the evening commute, areas of shower, downpours, rumble of thunder not out of the question moving out during the evening hours and partial clearing coming in tomorrow night. Watch the temperatures and the rain as this comes in. Number one, there could be couple rounds of shower as the humidity picks up and this front settles down in the area. Might be one in the predawn hours. You can dodge showers from the city on north. Look at the numbers here. 48, montauk. 73 at toms river. 50 in poughkeepsie. During the midday. But i think at that point the clouds could actually thin out. We hit our highs for the day. Huge rain. 30 degrees. As we go in to the evening commute, another line of showers and storms that will exit during the evening hours and cooler air will over spread the entire area as we dry out. Rainfall amounts, we could get a half inch in some of the storms. Some places could finish 3 4s or an inch. Heavy downpours could cause standing water but im not expecting any big winds. Air quality is good tomorrow. Uv index a low 2. Maybe a little higher than that. Pollen count gets knocked down. Abundant sunshine returns on wednesday. On thursday, looking at new information here. I do think there will be city from the city on south, especially across southern and Central New Jersey during the midday and afternoon hours. Cool day in the 50s. Friday, probably mostly cloudy skies. Were in a sweet spot in between storms. 60s both days. Then it looks like another soggy stretch will start early next week. So we need our rain chances now after getting through this nine, tenday dry stretch. I think well get them. But not on the weekend. If you work, many of us would rely on Social Security disability benefits to kick in and pay the bills. Thats what happened when one dad suffered a heart attack. Years later theyre struggling to get the benefits they deserve until they got nina pineda and 7 on their side. Theyre in danger of losing their home. Social security said this hardworking dad was owed yet he couldnt get the check he was promised at christmas. Have you ever been in this position before . Never. Absolutely not. Reporter mitch is talking he and his wife raised two now grown girls. Now theyre days away from foreclosure. May 1st theyre going to put it up for sale. Reporter mitch, a successful electrical engineer, whose projects included the freedom tower, suffered a debilitating heart attack. I cant walk and i dont have that much stamina. Reporter he said his doctor ordered him to only work parttime but the boss of his company they say well, youre fired. Reporter mitch embarked on a fouryear battle to get it. He was granted back ben fetes benefits of over 60,000. He got nothing but mounting bills and more stress. Im terrified im going to get a phone call, oh, your dad is in the hospital again because he had another heart attack. Security and one phone call later. He worked a miracle. Reporter mitch got the news hes been waiting for. Hell finally get his disability benefits in a lump sum. Actually i started to cry. Its such a relief. Reporter now they can save their home from foreclosure almost 62,000 deposited in to his account. Its amazing. It took the right person looking in to it. Dug through all the red tape and got it released right away. Im so grateful. 7 on your side just got it done. A rep from Social Security told us it resolved the problem and issued the payment immediately after our call and it regretted any inconvenience this problem may have called. As for much, hes already putting that money to good use, getting his house out of foreclosure, paying off his remaining debt and trying to get current. An nypd officer showing off her basketball skills. Check her out. Tearing it up on the court tonight. Well hear from her about how and what it means for the community. Im liz cho. New at 6 00, a community stung with a sudden death of a 7yearold girl. School administrators and Health Officials are trying to reassure concerned parents. Do they have something to be worried about . Bill de blasio denies any wrongdoing after the state board of elections claims he broke Campaign Laws to help democrats win races for the state senate. We take a closer look at the all across new york families are coming back to time warner cable. Join them, and switch right now. We have trucks standing by, and we can install as early as today. We came back for internet speeds so fast even the kids are impressed. Oh shes impressed. Were catching up on movies and shows on demand just as fast as we can watch them. For 89. 99 a month youll get 100 meg ultrafast internet, popular hd channels and unlimited calling. Twcs home wifi is so strong we can use all our devices at the same time. So we can all watch whatever we want. And thats kinda cool. Call now. For 89. 99 a month youll get internet, tv and phone. Theres no contract, no risk and our moneyback guarantee. Come back today and well give you free installation with our exclusive onehour arrival window. Feels good to be back. Installed as early as today. At no extra cost plus get tv equipment and epix included. And get a 300 reward card. Most of the time when you see an nypd officer on duty theyre on patrol and probably arent doing this. Check this officer out. Shes really got the moves on the court. This pickup game of basketball is also bet helping her score big points in one bronx community. Eyewitness News Reporter mallory hoff spoke with the officer tonight. Reporter bronx native joe houston has played basketball on his Neighborhood Court hundreds of times. But in this cell phone video gaining attention online, he takes on a Police Officer who would become an opponent on the court and his teammate off of it. Did he know what he was in for . I think he underestimated me. Reporter now theyre hitting the court again for houston whos so good at the game, neighbors call him the legend. After Christina Baxter schooled him in their first game of pickup. I beat him 52. His response was what . I want a rematch. And you said . Any time. Few weeks back when baxter was patrolling the area. They hit it off, talking about basketball while she and her partner were doing a community visit. You see these officers walking up the court. Intimidation. What are you out running for . We just want to talk. Started talking about how he had a really good jump shot. You had a lot in common. Reporter she has game. So much so that her skills earned her a full ride to college. Shes extremely talented. Reporter baxter won again today but both agree the real winner is the neighborhood. If young kids see me and joe having a conversation and joe speaking to me, i think theyll do the same. A lot of them look up to him. Were trying to make a change. Were not trying to keep this violent environment around here. None of that. Were trying to be at peace with reporter before we left, the pickup game of oneonone became a game of five on five. As they shook hands, a relationship continued to grow, a bond they say will not be left on the court. Mallory hoff, channel 7 Eyewitness News. Shes really got game. Theres dancing in the streets at this hour in harlem all to remember prince. Eyewitness news at 6 00 starts right now. A 7yearold girl suddenly dies and tonight a community stunned. This as School Administrators and Health Officials are trying First Political troubles in new york city. Its outrageous and i dont know whats motivating it. Blasting a unique internal memo from the new york state board of elections accusing him of breaking campaign state laws. Im liz cho. Im bill ritter. The mayor tonight denying any wrongdoing. The allegation is he helped avoid Campaign Finance laws so the new york senate races could receive tens of thousands of dollars. Mayor de blasio says bloomberg and others have done the same thing. If the investigation has been going on for months, why was this memo just now leaked to the press . The mayor tonight is calling in to question the motivations behind releasing this document but first he told me hes done