before we take a drop tomorrow. let's take a look at temperatures around the area. as you can tell, cooler temps to the north and west. but the change comes over the next several hours when we drop tomorrow into the 40s and 50s. then it's right back up as we head into sunday. but then right back down as we begin to workweek, look at that. monday morning, temperatures at 39 degrees. that is still typically about where we should be as highs this time of the year but it will feel like a shock to the system. we'll tell you if we're done with the warm temperatures for good when we see you for a full forecast in a couple of minutes. >> keep on eye on the weather on the news4 news4 new york app. you can see the interactive radar and how to submit your own weather video. a yonkers firefighter is being called a hero tonight. risking his own life to save a young girl trapped in an apartment. this happened in yonkers this morning.

that firefighter and joins us now from outside his station house. michael? >> reporter: well, natalie, that teenage girl is alive and with her family this christmas thanks to the heroic efforts of firefighters. we just spoke with one firefighter, an iraq war veteran who took off his own oxygen mask to save that young girl ears life. lieutenant danny knee wasn't thinking that it was christmas. he was doing what he does ever day. >> we got that girl home to her family. it's a good christmas. >> christmas morning firefighters were called to this high-rise. a 16-year-old girl was trapped in this third floor apartment, screaming for help, surrounded by flames and smoke. lieutenant nee and his fellow firefighters rushed in. >> you want to get her home to her family. >> they found her in the bedroom, suffering from smoke inhalation. that's when lieutenant nee

>> you took your own mask off and gave it to her. >> i was confident i could get out of the apartment in five to ten seconds. she had been inhaling smoke for a while. >> nee knew to act fast. before he was a firefighter he was a marine. it's likely his quick thinking saved that girl. >> i'm happen. . it's nice to be able to do your job like everybody on this department does this job for a reason. we're here to help people. >> you suffered some smoke inhalation yourself? >> yeah. >> lieutenant nee is going to spend the rest of christmas recovering. >> i love my job. >> reporter: and the cause of the fire appears to be accidental but it's being investigated. the teenage victim is suffering from smoke inhalation but she's going to be okay. michael george, news4 new york. and we are getting new information on breaking news we

we have learned this house fire in so caucus is now under control. flames were shooting out of the roof on murthel avenue earlier this evening. extra firefighters were called in to douse the flames. the town's mayor says everybody did escape the fire. lots of people spent the day helping those in need so it's not a surprise that the mayor of new york city did the same. his mission came with a message as andrew siff reports. >> reporter: hundreds of people packed this room today and lined up outside to get served a mayor. >> you came at the right time. >> it's political meat and potatoes, serving meals to the needy on christmas. mayor bill de blasio did his share, scooping out mac and cheese alongside his daughter and the reverend al sharpton. but the mayor also got served a healthy dose of skepticism.

longer approve of his job performance. >> he haven't kept his promises. >> what specific promise would you like him to keep? >> there's so many. the homeless thing he said he did not know there was so many homeless. how could you not know. >> that's where sharpton proved invaluable to the mayor today. >> thank god that we have better than we were. >> telling a huge crowd, including the sons of eric garner, the city is better off under some of the mayor's signature changes, universal pre-k and reduce stop and frisk. >> after 20 years of going backward within we've turned the boat around to the right direction. >> a message the mayor quickly echoed. >> we're moving the city guard together. count your blessings that change does come when people demand it. >> and so the mayor turned his attention to children, his own daughter -- >> here's one of my most wonderful blessings right here.

and homeless families. this 11-year-old posed far picture that matched her new gift. >> i got a selfie stick. >> this 8-year-old. >> i got a soccer ball. >> but whatever people got, jasmine camer from brooklyn and waited an hour to line to show her kids they're not alone in being poor. >> there are people in need and do not have or there are people who do have but don't have enough. >> reporter: mayor de blasio spent an hour here and delivered this message. it's not about what you get, it's always about that you can give more. the spirit of christmas was alive throughout the tri-state. brian thompson visited a restaurant that closed its doors to make this day special for

>> santa was just part of a cast of many at the lounge, a boardwalk restaurant focused on one thing this day, bringing christmas cheer to hundreds in the community who are lonely, in christmas cheer. >> i love how everybody around here is eating and enjoying themselves. >> it feels more like the christmas spirit? >> more like a family, like we're all family here. >> i spoke with several here who tell me they could be having a traditional christmas dinner at home with family and yet -- >> it's nice seeing other people out. the spirit of christmas. the way they help others in the community. >> most of all, this is all about helping people in need. >> merry christmas to you. >> hundreds of donated gifts make sure that no child who comes here goes away without a gift to put a smile on their

>> i'm a single mother and a little gift and plate of meal helps. >> it take as well orchestrated effort to make this run smoothly, even coordinating the line outside and for the maestro owner. >> it's not about the presents and scrambling. it's about just giving from your heart and i think -- >> this is your christmas gift? >> yeah, to myself and the world. >> reporter: they posted a slogan here, happiness is contagious. clearly so is the spirit of christmas. brian thompson, news4 new york. nbc nightly news looks at how people across the country celebrated with a special look at this important year for the rocket rock ets as well. >> chris christie is endorsing the recommendations of a panel

called new jersey's strict gun laws. the governor is focusing the bulk of his campaign efforts. a serge is under way for this woman, a shoplifting suspect who allegedly attacked a store worker with a gun. the suspect is a 33-year-old. she allegedly tried to steel some merchandise from a target store late yesterday afternoon. but when an employee tried to stop her she used a stun gun. coming up here as news4 new york at 6:00 continues, one man spent his christmas morning helping to rescue the woman who was trapped up side this overturned car. his story is coming up next. plus this -- thousands of people decided to fulfill their holiday traditions by visiting the rockefeller tree and other sites around manhattan. we'll have all of that coming

i only buy solid gold staples. because, um, sometimes regular staples, they just don't capture the richness of what you're stapling. like, um, like this illuminated page from medieval monks and this original sketch by leonardo da vincis. eh, separate they're fine... (vo) a new york man buys $80 gold staples to staple expensive things. see the gold staple, it just looks right. probably worth more now. (vo) you'd make a way better rich person. lotto. making more new yorkers

behave for uncle pete. bye, see you guys later. [boys screaming] now time warner cable makes your internet go faster. up to 300 megs. are you having fun? yeah it's ok. it's good. in-home wifi powered by the latest equipment available to cover all your devices. so when you need more from your internet, it's there for you. discover how much more is included. get 50 meg internet for $39.99 per month. call 1-855-want twc.

joey and his wife were driving on the cross bronx expressway when he suddenly heard a loud boom. look at that. saw the car flipped over on the road and a woman trapped inside. joey helped the driver out of the car, waited for the ambulance. the woman wasn't injured, refused medical attention. in jersey city tonight, a memorial service for two police officers who died on christmas

officer sean carson and robert wynn plunged off the blij that night on the way to a call because of heavy fog much like we've had today. they didn't realize the drawbridge was open. that bridge was later renamed in this officers' honor. coming up when news4 at 6:00 returns, this reenact of the cross of the delaware. natalie and i will be back

meet the moore's! we're the moore family, and as you can see, we need an internet that can do more. we do more games, and more streaming. so we need more speed. that's why we switched to time warner cable. you can too. call now. now we can connect more devices, at the same time. the wifi in this house is amazing. so is my guacamole.

ha, look at that! [laughs] time warner cable even has an internet plan for us. get the internet speed that's right for you. from 3 megs to ultra fast 300 megs they even made it easy to switch with a one-hour arrival window. why settle for less, when you can get more! get 50 meg internet for $39.99 per month. call now. you could get free installation, no data cap, and access to over 400,000 twc wifi hotspots with select plans.

well santa claus making a stop in queens to visit some of new york's newest arrivals. there you go. for more than 30 years, the human resources specialist has

cheer to the hospital oes youngest patients top today she suited up and spraining ng into action. we want to wish you a merry christmas >> it's unbelievable to just see the people and how much it means to them, the employees and the patients. it just lifts their spirits. >> hernandez says she plans to keep the tradition alive as long as she can. very cute. thomas roberts is in for lester holt tonight joining us to see what's ahead on nbc nightly tonight. >> we have a lot to talk about. millions are safely celebrating the holiday at home. it's a different story with the christmas chaos in the tri-state area for mississippi, arkansas an tennessee. the death toll rising to 14 as the series of massive tornadoes swept through. there could be some wild weather headed that way this weekend.

impact it could have for the people traveling home. america. many folks may have received one under the tree today. the faa scrambling to get those registered. we're going to show you how it's happening. plus the rockettes, we love the rockettes and they have been delighting audiences for the past 90 years. we have a behind the scenes look at why those high flying kicks keep packed houses coming back year after year and keep us from getting home from work at night when they let the show out. close. >> i saw people outside today. anybody selling tickets? >> they've become synonymous for so many. we have a fantastic look at why everyone loves them and they're a tradition for new york city at christmas time. in many of our towns and cities, not a creature were stirring with many spending the

but not so as brynn gingras reports in manhattan. >> reporter: an an unusually quiet fifth avenue, these little legs were in a hurry. full of anticipation. couldn't wait to see us >> that one is my favorite. >> her favorite holiday window. >> it's decorative and complicated. >> the windows at lord and taylor are a favorite spot to visz for these two cysts who are here spending time with family. today is about family and traditions. every year since he can remember, this 7-year-old has christmas day. today he took his hanukkah gift, new skates, for a test drive. >> it felt really wet because i'd fall. but otherwise it's really comfortable. the rink. skaters holding hands, huddled together for picture to capture

we wish you a merry christmas, we wish you a merry christmas >> a different tune inside st. patrick's cathedral. >> you feel the love in the air, you feel everybody is happy and it's just a warm, warm feeling to kind of be a part of it. >> that love spilling over on to new york city streets, especially for these honeymooners. >> we always wanted to come. can't imagine coming any other time but christmas. and to be on our honeymoon is amazing. >> a day when new york city take a pause, the chaos calms and we celebrate the reasons for this season. brynn gingras, news4 new york. well it may have been warm today but volunteer want to make sure those in need are ready for colder weather. today hundreds of coats were handed to the homeless at the new york city rescue mission. it's part of the 27th annual new york cares coat drive.

60,000 coats since early last month. >> it meant everything to me. my coat was ripped. it's just nice to have a coat, you know for free and to see the community giving back so we can have nice warm coats for the winter. >> the group is still taking coat donations. you can drop yours off at police precincts across the city. families lined both sides of the delaware river to watch the reenactment of george washington and his men crossing the river. in 1776 washington led 2400 men during the ice covered river in a middle of a snowstorm. we're going to dave now with a check of the weather. this would have been -- we're totally for the polar plunge. it would have been great to do it today.

a swim in moderate waters. >> i could have done it this year. >> we're going to see a change in temperatures but it's still going to wind up above the norm. we'll talk about that in a little while. in the meantime, this is what it looks like a few floors up, about 70 or so here at rockefeller center. that is the top of the rock and you can see the cloud deck beginning to come down, the shroud of clouds. but at ground level, much better. this is rockefeller plaza, the christmas tree in all its glory. it's going to be the story of the night. we are going to see rain, drizzle, fog, at least until the wee hours of the morning when we'll wind up with mostly cloudy skies. warmth is the theme that we've been dealing with throughout the month of december and prior to that this month of november and it continues today with record setting temperatures once again. we'll have cooler temperatures

if you've got an umbrella for the holiday, you're going to get to use it. records fell once again from central park to jfk, bridgeport, laguardia tied a record and islip set one at 65. now the moisture rolls in along with the cloud cover and that's what we're going to be dealing with for the is next several hours. if you're going out for a late dinner or to a friend's house, take it easy out there. we haven't fallen far from the day's highs. look at that. we're now down to 59 degrees in new york city. 57 in west hampton, 61 in bridge water and 52 in monticello, 50 in poughkeepsie. winds were calm through most of the area about an hour ago. that really remains the case from montauk down to belmar. visibility is okay right now but watch it for the rest of the evening. now the temperatures begin to drop.

air at 52 degrees, rain is a possibility in and through the weekend. sunday in record setting territory again. and then into next week, there are the cooler temperatures. but still, that's not cold. that's refreshing. >> yeah. >> a lot of people want cold. >> you see this sticking around for a while? >> it's going to be a little while. the big question is where we can make a turn right around new year's eve. >> harry cicma is up next. >> the jets and giants both with must win situations this weekend. if jets squaring off against their arc rivals. also the giants will already be without odell beckham jr. when they play the vikings and now they know minnesota will likely have their best player on the field.

it's the holidays, which means a house full of people, who all want to get online. so hurry and get verizon fios. only fios has the fastest internet and wi-fi available, with speeds from 50 to 500 megs. and right now, for only $79.99 a month online, you get 50 meg fios internet, tv and phone for your first year. plus, with a 2-year agreement, fios gives you $400 back, and all the premium movie channels for a year. so go online or call now for this great offer.

harry cicma joining us, starting with the jets. >> the jets and giants are still in the hunt for playoffs but with two weeks remaining in the veg season, ever game is a must win situation. the jets have a 9-5 record which is good enough for second place in the afc east but they're still on the outside looking in for the final afc wild card spot. kansas city and pittsburgh have the advantage in the tiebreaker situation over new york. the jets will battle the patriots this sunday at metlife stadium. new york has already lost to the boots once this year but after winning their last four games they're looking for revenge against new england this weekend. >> i don't know if we're different or better. we've grown and they're playing together better and they trust each other more.

week. from that point we've gotten a little better. >> during this time late in the season usually you see teams fall off and we've managed to be successful. you know, this past month and the month of november. >> the 6-8 giants travel to minnesota on sunday for a showdown with the vikings and it appears they'll have to face the nfl's leading rusher adrian peterson. peterson was back on the practice field today saying he will play on sunday. as for the giants, two games below 500 but they still have a chance of winning the anc east hit. new york will be missing o'dell beckham jr. as he served a one-game suspension. tomorrow all eyes will be on the g men aenz washington. if washington wins, big blue is out of the post season but the giants will be ready regardless.

and i think it's about our team to be able to now come together and play hopefully our best game. but certainly many, many people are going to have to be called upon. >> we've got to find a way to finish this season better than we started, finish each game strong to see if we can get in that situation and keep it close, get it close and go win anytime the fourth quarter. >> keep in mind you can watch the giants and vikings right here on nbc sunday night football. coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. with football night in america. and it is christmas day and that means a full day of nba basketball action. the knicks and the nets both had the holiday off. right now the warriors currently lead the cavs at the half in a rematch of last year's nba finals. the heat hosting the pelicans, anthony davis with a chance to win it and he's off the mark.

heat up three, dwyane wade adds