aj ross is in bayonne. >> reporter: sandra, an overwhelming outpouring was shown here this afternoon as friends and family paid their respects two people died in a tragic accident that shook the community. >> reporter: a somber bell tolled and bagpipes expressed what words could not outside this cathedral in bayonne saturday. [ music ] [ amazing grace ] >> reporter: an unrelending heartache and emptiness following the sudden jarring passing of 48-year-old timothy o'donnell and 5-year-old daughter bridget. he and his child were traveling on the jersey turnpike monday afternoon when they were rear-ended at a toll plaza by 36-year-old scott officers he was high on adderall at the time of the crash and had been awake for more than 24 hours. >> that guy killed two innocent people. [ crying ] >> that were just on their way home. i really feel sorry for the family. >> reporter: a loving husband, father and teacher and county prep hundreds gathered to mourn a great man they say touched countless lives and a bright little girl with limitless potential who were both so loved. >> i know he had

aj ross in union city known as havana on the hudson because of its large cuban population. >> this is stunning and exciting news for some cuban americans i spoke with tonight. we're hoping this monumental trip will have lasting ripple effects in the days, months, and years ahead. >> reporter: following decades of tension between the u.s. and cuba, sources with abc news confirmed president obama will make a historic trip to the communist island nation next month, marking the first visit by a sitting u.s. president in sources say a national security council member will make the official announcement during thursday's white house briefing where further details about the trip taking place march 21st and 22nd will be outlined. >> i'm cuban. i'm here for 20 years. my mom and brother are still there. that's good. >> i think that's a good thing because i think it's been a long time waiting for the people, the cuban community. >> reporter: the unexpected announcement thrilled local cuban-americans who say they're hoping this is the first of many historic changes to come. >> all the cubans arou

eyewitness news reporter aj ross with the latest in the westerleigh section. >> a young mom and three little girls viciously attacked by the man who was supposed to love and protect them. tonight we have new exclusive video of 23-year-old michael sykes who police say went on a brutal and senseless killing spree inside this staten island ramada inn. >> reporter: this is new exclusive video of 23-year-old michael sykes entering a nearby staten island deli minutes before police say he went on a killing rampage. in the video he appears to be going about his normal routine but just a short time later investigators say he snapped while visiting his girlfriend, her three small girls, ages 2, 1, and four months inside this ramada inn. >> it said somebody was stabbing babies. >> reporter: panic after they discovered them lying inside a room motionless. 2-year-old miracle was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition as police quickly locked down a perimeter around this property which also serves as a homeless shelter. >> i have a girl and a boy. i can't speak for that. i get chills. >>

aj ross with the story. >> yesterday that sleepy passenger was on the 4 train when he was awakened to find a man standing over him with a razor. police released a sketch of the suspect and they're asking people to stay awake and alert. >> noebd is seeking -- nobody is seeking to downplay it. anxiety in the city, prompting more and more people to keep their eyes pealed both on the streets and subways where police say nearly half of subway crimes involve sleeping passengers. while investigators don't believe the recent assaults with blades are connected in any way, they're aggressively pursuing each case and released this sketch of a suspect they believe is collected to two recent assaults on the c and 4 trains. in both incidents police say the suspect displayed a knife or blade and attempted to rob the victims. each fought back and the suspect got away with nothing. >> he's definitely scared. don't really want to think about it much. but it's also in the back of your mind. >> i'm definitely a little bit more aware. i minded at times. >> reporter: during a press conference wednesday com

. >> eyewitness news exclusive, aj ross talking to had girl. -- to the girl. >> we talked to the brave little who saved her. from what remains here that fire quickly ripped through the building leaving precious time for everyone to get out. >> i saw smoke coming out of the door and i hear someone saying that it's on fire. >> reporter: suddenly trapped and surrounded by intense flames in this mahwah apartment no other choice but to take a leap of faith. >> were you scared? >> yes. >> reporter: home alone when a kitchen fire broke out across the hallway. she tried the front door and stairs but smoke and flames were blocking every exit which left only her third story balcony. >> i didn't know what to do and i just listened to him. i just jumped because it was no chance. >> she was the most confident brave little kid i've ever met. she put complete faith in us and when she jumped we caught her. >> usually by the time we get there, the building is evacuated, officers are able to get everybody out but there was no way for her to get out the it front door. >> reporter: sofya and her family lo

eyewitness news reporter aj ross in bayonne tonight. aj. >> reporter: the next wave of passengers aboard the an on this of the seas tonight seem more concerned about escaping the cold temperatures than the battered ship's turbulent some had reservations. but recent inspections by the coast guard seem to cast away most of their fears. week after the massive cruise ship was bat ahead in violent storm off the carolinas. while crews spent the past several days repairing damage aboard the vessel, the coast inspections throughout including a part of the propulsion system that had to be replaced. >> i think they will get it right this time. i'm not too worried, the ship's passengers we talked with feel confident this next judge any will be different. >> think it's going to be the most secure ship after what happened last week for this next journey. >> i don't think they would sends us out if therei'm hoping that everything is going to be fine and thinking that if there was any sort of wasreservation, they would not be sending us out. trouble:

he or she tried to take what was of any value. >> aj ross, channel 7 eyewitness news. holidays now seeming like a distant memory, many tri-staters are likely looking for a break and now may be the time to book that weekend getaway. mark murphy says the best thing you can do in order to snag a last minute deal is to sign up for airline e-mail alert programs that way you'll be the first to know but you've got to act fast. >> if you see a good deal, grab it. what the airlines do is they limit those deals they put out. as soon as those two or three seats are gone, that price goes up. >> murphy suggests being spontaneous and considering places you might not normally getting away. >> anywhere with sun? no rain, no freezing temperatures, 0 to 55 in 48 hours, any place in mind? >> need that flexibility to get away too. want to get away? our temperatures will be getting nicer by the weekend. not tonight. empire state building in yellow. 39 degrees, northwest wind 9 to 17. high managed to reach 54 degrees but now we're on our way in to the 30s. a few slick spots especially in th

eyewitness news reporter aj ross is on the scene in kips bay. >> increasing patrols as well as inside nearly every doorway here along east 25th you'll notice an nypd flier warning residents to be alert and proactive with targeted by thieves at an alarming rate. >> reporter: making their presence known, police are becoming a common sight here along east 25th street in kips bay. after a recent rash of burglaries. >> i've noticed more police, like recently, like i've even seen the same cop kind of parked along here. >> reporter: according to nypd stats, burglaries within the 13th precinct have more than doubled over the past month compared to the same time last year. with 7 burglaries reported in the first week of february alone. >> it makes me a little nervous to be around here. >> i've heard of the burglaries. haven't really been impacted. i've seen the notes on the doors which is a little alarming. >> reporter: to make sure people living in the area are doing their part, police are also posting these fliers all over, warning everyone to take precautions and if they see something, say

live on west 179th street, aj ross, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> what a mess there. the weather also causing problems for commuter trains. metro north saying there are delays right now in the harlem line. that's because earlier a metro north train headed to poughkeepsie hit a tree that had fallen on the tracks. but able to get to irvington station where passengers got on another train. no injuries reported. >>> the winds and wild weather are bringing trees down all over the tri-state. problems also in north brunswick. that's where reporter carolina leid is. >> right now route 27 is shut down. let me show you why. this tree came crashing down across the street at omaha road. as we're told, this is all because of the heavy winds they saw here in the area. as that massive tree ripped in half, it pulled down some power lines. we've seen a number of crews working on this, d.o.t. as well as office of emergency management working to clean this up as quickly as possible. the road is shut down in both directions. if you can avoid this this area, do that. sure drivers cannot g

eyewitness news reporter aj ross is in bayonne with the details. aj. >> reporter: all patched up like new and cleared by the coast guard. the anthem oe storm off the carolinas. a lot of anxious passengers we talked with weren't concerned with recent repairs and a thorough inspection by the coast guard allaying fears. part of the propulsion system was replaced and that didn't sit well with some passengers to decided to skip this voyage. >> propeller's broken. they need to -- there's a lot of lives on that ship. there's 5,000 people on the ship. and hard working people. they need to check it a little bit better. that's my opinion. and i'm not going. >> i don't think that they would send us out if there was any trouble. i'm hoping that everything is going to be fine and thinking that if there was any sort of reservation, they would not be sending us out. >> reporter: this is an eight- day seven-night cruise set to sail to orlando and then to the bahamas before returning here to bayonne next sunday. we'll have much more with passengers coming up on eye

we're going to begin with eyewitness news reporter aj ross. >> reporter: from the suspect's car to the police vehicles involved in this wild chase and shootout, everything is still here and being carefully documented. from this van damage point, we've counted more than 50 evidence markers and more than so there's still a lot to sort out here. >> i knew there were gunshots. it ended in an all out shootout early saturday. sending officers to nearby hospitals. investigators say it all began just before 330 when two housing officers approached 34- year-old jamal fumes. he was armed with this .357 magnum and pointed it at them before fleeing in his car. >> it's a reminder of the important and dangerous crucial work that our police officers do and the way they put their lives on the line for us every single day he violently slammed into the patrol car before the police opened fire. during the melee, the officer was struck in his hip and officer youric was struck in his hip. recovery. fired from so many different directions, forensics will ultimately tell which rounds struck the officers. >>

live in bayonne, aj ross, channel 7 eyewitness news. >>> a big bust on long island. prosecutors say they found the culprit behind more than a dozen break-ins in nassau county. eyewitness news reporter washington with the details. >> reporter: good evening. investigators believe eight of the 17 burglaries happened here in port washington. now they say they have the man they have been looking for. look at this mugshot now. this is 31-year-old [ non- english language ] he is a server at an upscale manhattan restaurant. he lives on bay parkway in brooklyn. he is now charged with 17 counts of burglary. he is a us citizen originally from the country of georgia. he is accused of stealing jewelry, purses and $30,000. he was initially arrested on february 20 charged with three counts of burglary then after investigators obtained a search warrant to obtain his apartment finding stolen items that connect him to 14 more cases. today he was arraigned on the additional counts of burglary. >> this defendant has been charged with 17 counts of a c felony for each charge. he entered t