an fdny ems worker was pushed down a flight of stairs trying to help a patient high on synthetic pot. >> it was like a light switch went off. the fists went flying and kicking. >> reporter: k2 is cheap, $5 a bag, and is increasing popular among the homeless. it's sold in bodegas. in east harlem on 125th, the nypd confiscated more than 2,000 bodies in lx deli -- bags in the lx deli last week. >> people are coming from everywhere just to camp out here for k2. >> reporter: the nypd is teaching officers how to identify and control the users. some strip down because of their rising body temperatures, making it difficult for officers to arrest them. >> the normal takedowns we would use are not going to work, a two or three-officer takedown. it will take a combination of taser, oftentimes take more

officers. >> reporter: as long as k2 is on the streets, first responders will continue to get hurt. >> it's the firefighters being exposed and the police officers. but mainly it's us, the primary emergency medical care, the paramedics and emts. york city. the health department issued warnings to bodegas to remind them of that. i'm liz dahlem. back for you. ernie: thank you very much. let's talk to izzie miranda. this is a very important subject. we saw the story. you're concerned about ems workers as well as the police. tell us what you're thinking and what's going on. >> this is a very serious situation. i'm very concerned. you know, our members do a very dangerous jobs. they do 1.6 million jobs a year. the last thing we need is more dangerous work. ernie: this is adding to the problem.

talk about some of the workers who have been hurt. >> well, i was talking to one member today. he's been at it a few weeks. he was attacked by someone who was smoking k2 and from one second to another, he was ballistic. about this? what feedback are you getting? are they concerned? is there extra training involved? >> our members are highly trained like police officers. they know it's dangerous. this is something that's part of the job. you know it could happen. you don't know when to expect it. you just have to be ready. we can do more to avoid it. ernie: i know what you're thinking. you're talking about education and legislation? >> of course. ernie: tell us how you feel about that. >> first of all, i think that we have to have a legislative agenda going forward to ban this from the grocery stores and from reaching the children that are our future. ernie: let's hope that continues.

>> and we need an aggressive educational campaign to reach our young people out there to let them know how dangerous this is. ernie: i think a lot of people are agreeing with you listening to you. you don't know what chemicals are in there. people die. ernie: it's a serious problem. thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, and let's hope something gets down quickly. >> thank you so much. ernie: thank you for being here. stories. the wing fragment found last week in the indian ocean is part of missing malaysian airlines flight 370. this is the first physical evidence of the plane that disappeared in march of last year. examining the debris. a man who walked into a movie theatre near nashville with a gun and hatchet is dead. he used pepper spray and may have grazed someone with a hatchet, but he was the only one killed. >> the city continues to inspect cooling towers in the south bronx for the bacteria that

causes legionnaires' disease. seven people have died. 86 others have gotten sick from the outbreak. workers have cleaned the bacteria from the tower on top of the opera house hotel. but the company charged with the cleaning says the real source of the outbreak couldn't have come from inside the building. >> we find it in the domestic hot water system. you can get it from showering. you can get it from inhaling the vapor. it gets into your lungs. ernie: the national institute of health recognizes showerheads as a source of the legionella bacteria. we'll continue to follow those stories and more on fox 5 news. joining me right now is nick. we've had lovely weather again. nick: yes. i can tell you there's a report from audrey puente we have a shower over manhattan. there might be a couple of pop-up showers. most of them should be off to the north and west. we haven't had a lot. it's not going to last long. the good weather will continue for another day. we have better news for friday,

because the storm that we were talking about in the last few days has been trending southward and it looks like now it won't be bring to new york city. might bring rain to those of you in central and southwest jersey. 87, 72 today. the humidity down again. it was a lot more comfortable to be outside. we have sunshine and clouds and a little shower i'll show you on the radar overhead. 84, 69 is where we should be. 101 the record high. 83 now. humidity is dry. a north-northwest wind at 10. it's been a little stronger than that. sun and clouds, 28, 85, the pressure is rising. middle to upper 80s. mid 80s to the east end. 90 in belmar. they've cooled down to 88. it's cooled to 78 at sussex. 73 monticello. lower 80s hudson valley to the city. middle 80s across long island. there's the northwest wind that has been busy, but it will diminish tonight.

northwest, 5, 10 miles an hour, mainly a northwest wind as we return to tomorrow. you can't see it, but there's a green blob there. city. a little more action out here as you get to martinsville. you'll see on fox 5 sky guardian 3-d it's moving fairly quickly. notice the last couple of frames, this thing really just starts falling apart. don't look for a lot this evening. isolated quick sprinkles. that should go away. we'll be left with a few clouds and we'll have nice weather tomorrow. this will be our weather for tomorrow. we watch this system west and filling in the track, it heads to our south. the northern fringe of the cloud line, we'll see how much comes on friday. the northern edge of the precipitation, how much might reach southern new jersey. i think it will stay dry in new york city on friday and north of town would be a nicer day. 66 out the door in town. 50s in the suburbs tomorrow. 68 at 9:00 a.m. mid to upper 70s for the lunch hour.

83 tomorrow afternoon. pretty good day of sunshine. watch the storm. here it comes. it passes to our south. see how close the rain line gets. it stops about here. the city northward looks like a decent day friday. the shower threat central and south jersey. this system as it approaches from the west, if anything, is going to bring clouds for saturday afternoon into saturday night. maybe a risk of a shower north of town. i think that will be it. it's comfortable tonight. haven't used that word in some time. 66 for the city. 50s to near 60 in the suburbs. tomorrow, sunshine, clouds. we get back to 83 in the city. upper 70s north and west. the rain stays south friday. sun and clouds, 80. sun gives way to clouds on saturday afternoon at 79. sunday, good at 82. the humidity comes back monday, tuesday and wednesday. it is august. thunderstorms monday. good bet for tuesday. lower 80s then and back to the middle 80s by the time we get to wednesday. there you have it.

ernie: there you have it. keep it coming. nick: i will try. shower. thank you, nick. i have a question for you. are you doing what you want in life or in a job because you need the money? next meet people who have broken free and followed a path to a happier career and life. it as well. join us tomorrow as we take a good hard look at the nj transit agency and why they're having trouble operating smoothly. how can we fix it? that's tomorrow at 6:00. and we're coming right back.

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and for a limited time, you could get a $300 reward card plus tv equipment and epix included. get installed for free as early as today. call 1-800-341-9716. ernie: welcome back. now to our feature story. notes. we're talking to people who have ditched the rat race, gotten away from the old 9:00 to 5:00 grind and followed their dreams to happier lives. we'll talk to them of them, but first linda schmidt takes a look at how people do it. >> reporter: this 45-year-old has done what many dream of. she started a new life on a beautiful caribbean island.

>> i was, like, keira, this could open up opportunities you're not aware of. i wanted to keep my mind and my heart open to possibility. >> reporter: keira was heartbroken by the end of her 20-year professional dance career. she was living in new york and barely surviving. >> i felt i was living from paycheck to paycheck just to survive in a city i loved and i envisioned a greater life for myself than mere survival. >> reporter: keira spotted an ad island. after some hesitation, she behind. >> so far, it's amazing. i feel like i am really developing this passion for teaching. previously i thought i could only feel this type of passion for performing, but this is another way for me to be able to touch, move and inspire people but on a more personal level. i feel like those feelings are reciprocated

>> reporter: now she has a unique story. there are many people who think about ditching the rat race and corporate careers to pursue their dreams. scott is with the financial web site the street.com. he says before you make that jump, make sure you have enough money. >> normally we like to say have six months worth of expenses socked away in a liquid savings account. if you're going to start over and go into something sort of uncharted territory, make sure you have nine months' worth of expenses. >> experts say keep in mind your life-style is probably going to change. if you don't have enough savings, you might have to relocate. >> choose the lowest cost in terms of the prices of rent, your mortgage, property taxes, if you're looking to buy a home, food, utilities. a lot of people in new york city don't own a car. if you're moving out of state or elsewhere, you're likely going to need a car. with that not only comes the payment of the car, but car insurance, gasoline, maintenance. there's a lot of things to think about. ernie: all right.

let's continue to talk about it. meet two guests who have done it all. they successfully left the rat race. meet wendy ray and george brussia. you did it, wendy. you had a big job with corporate america and with an advertising company. you said i'm out of here. why did you do that? >> i did it because i wasn't having fun anymore. i was tired of commuting 5:30 until 8:00, 9:30 at night. it was too much. ernie: you decided that was it. >> that was it. ernie: i'll get back to you. george, you had a lucrative position in corporate america. you said this is it. did you think you were doing the right thing at that time? >> absolutely. my circumstances changed. i was at tommy hilfiger, the vice president of creative services. the company got taken over and they made changes. i had a chance to pursue my dreams. i was excited to do it. ernie: wendy, are you happy you did it and what you are -- what

are you doing? >> i'm very happy. i'm working two days a week for the volunteers for wildlife in locust valley, new york, a rehab facility for injured or orphaned animals. ernie: it's going well? >> great. i'm doing special projects for the marfan foundation in port washington. ernie: you're happy and successful. george, you've got a ton of things going on from books to everything else. >> i do. i had performed when i was younger. hi a whole -- i are a whole career of fashion. i have a web series that won an award. i loved being in front of the camera and helping people to feel good about themselves, which is what my book is about, change your clothes, change your life. ernie: you're doing it all. >> i love it. i feel energized every day. ernie: we're talking about branding. is it easier today with the social media and the tools available? >> i think there's a lot more people out there that might be my age that are looking for

something else to do other than corporate america. technology at work had changed the way i was accustomed to working. so i think, yes, it is easier for people who are my generation. ernie: george, is there a better time to do it? >> i think that life is short. if you can do what you love every day and be excited about it, it is the right time. ernie: makes sense for a lot of people who are thinking that perhaps companies aren't loyal, they're are changes. maybe the time is right. do you think they should take the risk? >> i think if you don't, you'll never know. i do think you have to think about a few things before you make that leap, such as your financial situation. have something to look forward to when you step away. but do it. ernie: sum it up in two words, george. >> i think when you wake up in the morning, you want to be excited about what you're doing. at 4:00 in the morning, to go to the set, because i'm on television and i'm energized, that tells me i know.

ernie: get out of the rat race. thank you for joining us. congratulations to you guys. good inspirations. >> our guests took big risks with no guarantees. i've got a question about that for you. listen to this: >> i would do this if i knew that i wouldn't fail and it would be okay. what would that be? >> that's a very good question. ernie: what risk would you take? what would it be? does it involve money, love, fame? your answers are coming up. coming back on friday, we want to see you for a look at a dilemma that too many people face. child care with two working parents and odd hours, it's a tough challenge. we'll try to find some options for you. stay with us. russ is coming up next with sports.

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book now at kalahariresorts.com ernie: russ is here now. both teams, the yanks and mets, are doing great. too early to talk about a subway series? russ: slow down, big boy. we know the subway series which you're thinking about, the subway world series. too early to talk about that. there is a subway series in september, september 19th and 20th. the point of the issue is what might have not been a big series, when we get to that point, it is going to be big if things keep rolling the way they are. last night both teams win. the mets win their fifth in a row. again, a week ago, this team looked like a team with great pitching and no offense. now they have it all. now they can come from behind, which they did last night, albeit it wasn't a big deficit, down 1-nothing. it's all together. they look like a team that has

not arrogance, but an air of confidence. ernie: everybody loves a winner. that was exciting for the yankees, too. great ball game. russ: the yankees offense is off the charts. they scored 13 runs against the red sox last night, 9 in the 7th inning. they have scored 90 runs in their last 10 games. their offense, using the cliche, firing on all cylinders, they're doing it very well. last night, tanaka gave them a good pitching performance. their pitching is still questionable. you don't know which tanaka is going to show up. pineda is on the dl. you don't know about c.c. ernie: tonight, severino is on the mound. russ: he's the top pitching prospect in the yankees organization, probably one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. he's 21 years old. he's been brought up from the

aaa and he's going to pitch for the yankees tonight. that's a big thing. girardi said he's going to, win, lose or draw, he's in the rotation now. that would be a big shot in the arm. we know the met pitchers have lived up to the hype. the yankees can use this. even though the yankees are in a good spot, their pitching is questionable. ernie: quickly, deflategate, back in the news. players union released the 457-page report. unbelievable. what do you make of that? russ: it's a lot of hooey. they're trying to go on the attack because they'll be meeting next wednesday, the 12th, with the commissioner before the judge. listen, the fact that brady says i didn't do anything with the footballs, okay. i can buy him saying that because that is -- he's trying to claim his innocence. but when him and his lawyer claim they had no idea that by

not giving up the phone, the cell phone, it would call for an obstruction into the investigation, if you want to buy that, i got a beachfront property in harlem i can sell you. ernie: we'll see what happens wednesday. if you knew taking a big risk had no chance of failing, which risk would you take? find out what people had to say coming up next right after so what i'm saying is, people like options. when you take geico, you can call them anytime you feel like saving money. it don't matter, day or night. use your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, whatever. the point is,

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ernie: now think about this one. what risk would you take if you knew you wouldn't fail? >> i would invest in a business possibly, a small business. i'm semiretired right now. i sold my company. ernie: investing would be good for you. >> it would be great. ernie: if you could eliminate the risk. >> that's impossible. >> trying different strategies, being open-minded to where my

students are coming from. ernie: you're a teacher? >> yes. ernie: you would try different strategies? >> yes. i would take it to the next level. ernie: right. maybe you should try it. >> all right. ernie: take the risk. it might work out. >> thank you. ernie: thank you, teacher. >> i'd take off to europe on my own and run around, which i'm not used to doing. i never did it on my own. ernie: would you worry? >> sure i do. >> i'd move to new york. it's a big risk. isn't it? ernie: i don't know. it can happen here. ernie: what about you? what would you do? >> probably move to mongolia, risk. ernie: i like that. very positive. how about you? what would you do? >> we're cut from the same cloth. i would move to another country where i don't speak the same language. ernie: it would be risky but fun. it might be exciting. and successful. success to all of you guys. don't worry.

>> thank you. ernie: go for it. that's it for now. thank you for joining us. i'm ernie anastos. from all of us, we thank you for being a part of our broadcast. have a great night. see you again tomorrow.

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