>> he grew up in hayward and began boxing when he was 9. >> there are 17 ike's tonight, several breaking stories as we come on the air. hauled into court. the famous moms, the actresses accused of buying their children's way into college. felicity huffman of "desperate housewives," lori loughlin. and what the former "full house" actress said to the cameras, signing autographs, as well. and what we've learned tonight. also breaking, could it be a major break in the case? a boy missing since he was 6 years old. the surveillance of him with his mother. tonight, has he been found alive all these years later? a 14-year-old boy who claims he escaped a hotel, ran across state lines. > the new video just out tonighat he w says about the won who have come forward. the american woman, a tourist, kidnapped tonight. they are demanding a half million dollars in ransom. the breaking headline
involving boeing at this hour, and those max jets. tonight, what likely triggered that second crash now finally revealed. what happened moments after takeoff? the devastating collision on the streets of los angeles. a truck barrelling into a busy intersection, smashing into several vehicles. people trapped. the fire bomb attack. the same neighborhood targeted twice in 24 hours. the second bomb larger than the first. the college student who died, timothy piazza. who one calling for help for 12 hours. tonight, three young men sent to prison. and the major headline tonight involving your health and the flu. could there be one step to from protect us all? good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a very busy wednesday night. we have several developing stories off the top tonight. and we begin with the scene outside federal court in boston. the famous moms, the actresses accused of paying to get their kids into college. actress felicity huffman facing
the cameras outside, and then a judge inside. actress lori loughlin, as she and her husband arrive. loughlin has been trailed by photographers. you'll hear what she says in the this moment here in just a moment. but tonight, did they pay their childrens' way in, costing other students a place in those schools? abc's linsey davis leads us off from boston. >> reporter: far from the glamorous red carpets of hollywood -- do you plan to fight this? -- today, actresses felicity huffman and lori loughlin hounded by reporters outside federal court in boston, there for a hearing on mail fraud charges in connection with that massive college admissions scandal. a total of 12 parents stood before a judge today. among them, real estate execives, lawya o, all fa criminal charges punishable by prison time. over the weekend, loughlin refused to answer any questions about the scandal. >> lori, do you regret handling the -- the way you handled your kids' education? >> i'm sorry, i can't talk to you.
you can follow me around all day if you want, but i just can't comment right now. >> reporter: after arriving in boston with her husband, designer mossimo giannulli, loughlin was all smiles, even signing autographs. former castmate candace cameron bure from "full house" continues to extend her unwavering support. >> i've already said that we are family and we stand by each other and pray for each other. and we'll always be there for each other. >> reporter: the couple is accused of paying half a million dollars in bribes to get their two daughters into usc, posing them as fake recruits for the crew team. >> this is olivia jade. >> reporter: one of them, 19-year-old social media influencer star olivia jade. also in court today, "desperate housewives" star felicity huffman, who allegedly paid $15,000 to have an s.a.t. proctor correct her daughter's answers. one parent not in court today, marketing ceo jane buckingham, who is in talks with the government about a possible plea deal. >> when your friends tell you to lie on your resume, you 100% do not do it. >> reporter: she's accused of
paying $35,000 to bribe a proctor and have someone else take her son, jack's, a.c.t. test. jack buckingham says he was totally unaware of the scheme, and has publicly apologized for gaining an advantage over other deserving applicants. >> all right, linsey davis with us live tonight from boston. she's been covering this story from the start. and linsey, there are other families we know who are deciding whether to cooperate with prosecutors? >> reporter: that's right, david. abc news has learned that prosecutors are putting some pretty intense pressure on some of these defendants, essentially saying, look, cooperate or face additional charges, including tax fraud. the grand jury has a deadline of april 11th to hand up additional charges. david? >> linsey davis leading us off tonight. thank you. also breaking at this hour, could it be a major break in a national case? a boy missing since he was 6 years old, tonight, has he been found alive all these years later? a 14-year-old boy who claims he escaped a hotel, ran across a bridge, across state lines, and police want to know, is this the boy?
timmothy pitzen was just 6 when he was last seen with his mother. the school's security camera capturing this moment right here. abc's whit johnson on the fast-moving investigation tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the stunning discovery. has a boy who made national headlines, last seen when he was just 6 years old, now been found? the call to police in kentucky came in early this morning about a boy claiming he'd just escaped kidnappers who'd held him for years. >> he's with a 14-year-old juvenile, male white, says he was kidnapped from somewhere. >> reporter: the 14-year-old identifying himself as timmothy pitzen, a boy who mysteriously vanished in illinois. that surveillance with his mother in 2011. police say the boy ran across a bridge into kentucky, after escaping his captors, who were staying at a nearby red roof inn. >> he looked like he had been beat up, yes, punched in the face a couple of times. you could see the fear on him and how nervous he was and how he kept pacing and he just looked odd. >> reporter: the boy describing his kidnappers as two white men
built like bodybuilders. one with black hair with a spider tattoo on his neck. the other short with a snake tattoo on his arms. tonight, investigators are working to confirm whether this boy is, in fact, who he claims to be. pitzen's father desperate to find him. >> it's just more devastating than anything else. where's tim at? if i knew where he was, i'd go get him. i'd do just about anything to get him back. >> reporter: his father telling investigation discovery back in 2015 how he and his wife were having problems when she took timmothy away without warning on a three-day trip to the zoo and water parks, where the boy was last seen on surveillance. his mom later checking into a motel alone, where she took her own life. leaving behind a note, saying timmothy would never be found. >> she indicated timmothy was somewhere safe, where people would love and care for him.
>> reporter: for years, detectives searched. this age progression showing what he might look like today. tonight, after eight long years, timmothy's family is anxiously waiting for word. >> i'm very hopeful that it's him and that he's okay and he's been in a good place when he was gone, that he's going to come back to us. very cautiously hopeful. and if it turns out to be him, we'll be thrilled. >> reporter: david, we know the teen is getting medical care while investigators are still trying to confirm his identity. also tonight, the fbi and police in illinois are working together on this case, trying to track down those two men believed to be driving a white ford suv with wisconsin plates. david? >> all right, whit johnson in kentucky for us. whit, thank you. there is also new video just out tonight, a message from former vice president joe biden. what he now says, after four women have come forward to claim he acted inappropriately. here's abc's mary bruce. >> reporter: tonight, after five days of mounting pressure, former vice president joe biden is acknowledging that some of his behavior has made women uncomfortable and is trying to
explain. >> i'm always trying to be, in my career, i've always tried to make a human connection. that's my responsibility, i think. i shake hands, i hug people, i grab men and women by the shoulders and say, you can do this. >> reporter: and now, biden is promising to change his ways, calling it his responsibility. >> social norms have begun to change, they've shifted, and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset. and i get it. i get it. i hear what they're saying. i will be more mindful and respectful of people's personal space, and that's a good thing. that's a good thing. >> reporter: with biden's would-be campaign in crisis mode, president trump is relishing the moment. >> i was going to call him, i don't know him well, i was going to say, welcome to the world, joe. you having a good time, joe? >> reporter: trump himself has denied accusations of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, by more than a dozen women. today, biden didn't apologize, and house speaker nancy pelosi has suggested he should.
>> i think that it's important for the vice president and others to understand that it isn't what you intended, it's how it was received. >> reporter: her advice to biden? >> i'm a member of the straight arm club. i'm a straight armer. just pretend you have a cold and i have a cold. >> reporter: tonight, advice the former vice president seems willing to take. >> the idea that i can't adjust to the fact that personal space is important, more important than it's ever been, is just unthinkable. i will. i will. >> vice president joe biden there today. the former vice president sending out that video message. mary's live on the hill. and mary, the vice president hasn't announced his campaign yet, but the mere fact that he would release this video certainly sends a very strong signal he's about to run. >> reportell gog to run for pre d a urce close to biden tells us that these accusations do not at all impact his decision. and today, biden announced his first public event since all of
this began. he will be speaking to union workers here on friday. david? >> mary bruce live with us again tonight. mary, thank you. and, of course, the other developing headline in washington at this hour, news tonight about president trump's tax return. in a letter to the irs now, the democratic chairman of the house ways and means committee has formally requested the past six years of the president's personal and business tax returns. just moments ago, the president told reporters he is, quote, not inclined to release them, still saying what he said while campaigning for president, that he is still under audit. this could lead to a very heated legal battle. in the meantime, we turn tonight to the american woman, the tourist kidnapped, and they are now demanding a half million dollars in ransom at this hour. it happened during a drive through a popular national park in uganda. here's abc's david wright now. >> reporter: tonight, a desperate search under way in uganda's most popular tourist destination. queen elizabeth national park, seen here in a promotional video from the group wild frontiers. an american tourist kidnapped at
gunpoint, a 35-year-old woman identified by the tour group as kimberly sue endicott. authorities say that four armed men also abducted her driver and guide. ugandan police say the kidnappers, using the victim's cell phone, demanded half a million dollars in ransom. they say the abduction took place tuesday evening at dusk during a game drive. the kidnappers taking the keys to the group's vehicle and leaving behind an elderly canadian couple who reported the kidnapping. ugandans say they have blocked off all the park exits near the border with neighboring congo while security forces conduct a search. >> mr. secretary, are you concerned about the american kidnapped in uganda? >> reporter: today at a photo-op with the congolese president, secretary of state mike pompeo declined to answer the question. the state department says it is aware of the reports, but for now, u.s. officials won't comment. just yesterday, speaking in
general terms, not about this case, secretary of state pompeo reiterated the u.s. position that the u.s. does not pay ransom for hostages, and the reason is simple -- u.s. officials worry that if they did give into ransom demands, it would only encourage more kidnappings. david? >> all right, david wright reporting in from london. thank you. and next here this evening, we have new reporting about the final moments of the doomed ethiopian airlines flight. abc news has now learned that the boeing 737 max hit something shortly after takeoff. that strike damaging the lone sensor on the jet controlling that automated system. abc's david kerley and what sources have now revealed to us. >> reporter: two aviation sources telling abc news tonight that a sensor, damaged at takeoff, started a chain of events that led to that second 737 max crash in ethiopia. that one angle of attack sensor, a vane outside the cockpit, was hit by a bird or foreign object, according to those familiar with
the investigation. like in the first crash, lion air in indonesia, bad data from the sensor engaged the anti-stall system, mcas, which nosed the jet down dramatically. as we learned in a simulator, the procedure for pilots is to use a thumb button to electronically nose up the plane. it's called trimming the aircraft. if that fails, boeing's emergency procedure calls to shut off power to the motors that nose up or down the plane. the sources say the ethiopian pilots did not trim the airliner before shutting off the power. one source says they did try to manually trim the jet, but then turned the power back on, leading to the mcas system misfiring again, nosing down the jet again and the pilots unable to maintain control. >> it's inexplicable that they would go through the emergency procedure, but then re-engage the very motors, the very trim system that was causing the problem. >> david kerley with us live again tonight on this story. and david, we know the ethiopians are set to present their preliminary findings from
those black boxes tomorrow, you're reporting they're already coming in tonight. and in the meantime, in an effort to calm the flying public here in the u.s. and around the world, boeing's ceo took a test flight with that new software fix today? >> reporter: yeah, so, boeing has a software fix, but they also have a public relations problem, so, the ceo got into an aircraft with that new software and took a flight to prove that it is safe. it's still going to be a couple of weeks before it's submitted, david. it may take up to six weeks before these planes are flying again. david? >> david kerley with us again tonight. david, thank you. in the meantime, to the horrific crash in los angeles we were following today. a pickup truck plowing through a busy intersection, slamming five cars. helicopters hovering as they pulled people from their vehicles. abc's will carr is on the scene tonight. >> reporter: tonight, an lapd commander is calling this crash one of the worst he's ever seen. watch that stolen truck fly across a busy intersection next to a school. >> he had to be going 80 miles an hour. he had to be going 80 miles an hour through that intersection.
>> reporter: authorities say the pickup truck sped away from officers conducting a traffic stop when it slammed into five cars, launching this gray honda down the block, leaving the 25-year-old female driver critically injured. >> at one point, the victim did stop breathing, however, paramedics were to able to revive her. >> reporter: at least three people were trapped and had to be freed by rescuers. all three suspects were rushed to the hospital, but not before the driver took off running inside a mcdonald's. the suspect didn't give up easily? >> they had to use some force to get him in custody. >> reporter: authorities say there was a gun inside of that stolen truck, and when officers found it, it went off. luckily, nobody was hurt. david? >> will carr in los angeles. thanks, will. there is new political pressure pushing for the release of the full mueller report tonight, without redactions. the house judiciary committee has voted to authorize its chairman to subpoena the unredacted report and all the underlying evidence. the chairman says they will wait, though, to give attorney general william barr, quote, time to change his mind and hand the report over voluntarily. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this wednesday.
the developing headline coming in about a serial rapist, 12 cases in an american city. there is news on this. also, the fire bomb attack. this is the video. the same neighborhood targeted twice in 24 hours. the second bomb, larger than the first. the major health headline tonight involving the flu. could there be one step to protect us all? and we have news on that hit and run arrest. the little girl struck in that front yard. she survived. and tonight, what one of the suspects in that car is now claiming. a lot more news ahead. ation. a wealth of perspective. ♪ a wealth of opportunities. that's the clarity you get from fidelity wealth management. straightforward advice, tailored recommendations, tax-efficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. fidelity wealth management.
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26 former students to be sentenced. luke visser, michael bonatucci and joshua kurczewski will spend one to nine months in jail. they pleaded guilty to hazing and conspiracy to commit hazing. it was more than two years ago when piazza died after falling down a flight of stairs at an alcohol-fueled frat party. surveillance video capturing the brothers serving him more and more alcohol. and, after the fall, waiting 12 hours to call 911. piazza's parents say only one former frat brother has shown any remorse. >> everyone else just seemed to want to move on with their life and no one has reached out to us or apologized to us. >> reporter: and david, piazza's parents hope that these sentences will lead to greater change at fraternities all across this country. meanwhile, many of the other frat brothers have already pleaded guilty. david? >> gio, thank you. when we come back tonight, news on that serial rapist, 12 cases, and what we've learned now. and news on the flu tonight. could there soon be one step to protect us all?
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to the index of other news tonight. there have been two fire bomb attacks in davie, florida. police say surveillance shows a driver tossing a bomb under a vehicle. the next morning, another device. a large fire ball destroying two vehicles. no motive and no suspect revealed. an alleged serial rapist has been arrested in spartanburg, south carolina, tonight. gregory frye is accused of a dozen sexual assaults, kidnappings and break-ins dating back to 1995. investigators used dna evidence to find him. to the hit and run arrest near atlanta tonight. a 9-year-old girl was struck and injured in her own front yard. she survived. one of the men is now in custody. he claims the other suspect in the car was trying to carjack him. police are still trying to search for that second person. and they are now testing a new flu vaccine. the national institutes of health is beginning the first human trial of what's called a universal vaccine, designed to combat multiple strains of the flu. scientists hope it will lead to less frequent flu shots. we'll see.
when we come back tonight, the old elvis song, the baby and the violin. heumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened. as have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, low blood cell counts, higher liver tests and cholesterol levels. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. your doctor should perform blood tests before and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you've been somewhere fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. needles. fine for some things. but for you, one pill a day may provide symptom relief.
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like me. ♪ finally tonight here finally tonight here, america strong. and this was quite the moment. do you remember hearing a violin for the first time? it was music to his ears. tonight, the story of a baby boy hearing the violin for the first time. thomas, just 11 months old here, transfixed, walking straight toward the violinist. studying her and her sound. he was at a music class for babies in new york. taken by laura zawarski as she plays "can't help falling in love." standing before her, then
walking in to hold her. >> is that okay? sorry. >> reporter: a smile from laura as she looks down at her newest fan and, perhaps, a future violinist. and tonight, thomas and his mother, rachel, sending us this. >> hi, david! this is thomas and rachel. he can't talk yet, he can only say da-da, but he showed her in his own way how much he loved the music. it was a beautiful moment of connection and joy when, in this world we could feel so separate. >> reporter: tonight, her son and the violinist, a video seen more than 3 million times, proving thomas isn't the only one moved. thomas can't talk yet, but what he did said it all. i'll see you tomorrow night. good night.
embattled and about to bring on a new leader. the news of a new pg&e ceo is going to be in details on 6:00. a debate over a proposed homeless shelter is starting now and we are there live. i'm just wondering if you know you are double parked? >> i don't want to talk. >> we are building a better bay area, this week, we are talking rideshare realities and how this up start industry is disrupting transportation for all of us. >> live where you live. this is abc7 news. facing $30 billion in wild fire losses, and another wild fire season upon us now. pacific gas and electric is charting away forward, but the governor thinks they are going in the wrong direction. good evening, and thank you for joining us. >> just about an hour ago, pg&e
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