The grieving mother of an 18-month old toddler killed when a driver ran over her, feet away from their home, remembered her daughter as a loving young girl, always the light of the house. 

"I just want my baby back," said Cathy Bernal, mother of Khloe, through tears. 

Khloe was playing outside with her 10-year-old sister and other kids from the neighborhood just before 1 p.m. Tuesday in an alley north of 4th Avenue and Orange Street in Escondido. 

A 33-year-old Escondido resident and neighbor was driving through the alley when she attempted a parking maneuver, police said. Khloe's 10-year-old sister tried to warn the driver that her sister was nearby, but it did not work, police said. 

The driver, who has not been identified or charged, struck the young child. Alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the collision, police said. 

Khloe was taken to the hospital, but later succumbed to her injuries. 

Bernal said it was difficult to sleep last night in her house, just hours after she lost her daughter. 

"It's so hard, last night I couldn't even sleep because I just pictured her, I just pictured my little baby," she said in tears. "It's just hard for us. I know I have to be strong, but it's very difficult."

Despite her pain, Bernal is trying to comfort Khloe's siblings. 

"They're trying really really hard to be strong, but it's just so hard, I don't know what to tell them anymore," Bernal said.

She said her daughter loved to dance and sing Patty Cake with her mom. "She was the light of the house," Bernal added. 

The grieving mother said she finds some solace in knowing her daughter is now with the Lord. 

"Now, she's gone, but she's in a better place, looking down on us, taking care of us," she said. 

An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the department's Anonymous Tip Line at 760-743-TIPS (8477).

A tiny insect called Asian Citrus Psyllid has infested San Diego County, posing a serious risk to citrus trees across the region.

While the insect is generally harmless, farmers and back-yard citrus growers are very concerned over a disease that has recently proliferated in Los Angeles County.

There is no known cure for the disease known as Huanglongbing, also known as HLB or citrus greening disease. Although it's not harmful to humans, the disease has proven detrimental to citrus trees around the world.

Infected insects were recently found in Los Angeles County, which has sparked new fears among farmers and growers in San Diego that the disease may soon find its way here.

In the last five years in Florida, HLB caused the loss of more than an estimated 6,600 jobs and $3.6 billion of damage to the economy.

San Diego County farmers and growers are hoping to take action to halt the disease from spreading and ensure that the infected bugs don’t destroy local citrus farms.

The Board of Supervisors has agreed to form a special district to combat the pest.

A citrus crop worth $126 million in San Diego County is at stake, if the disease manages to infect local bugs.

The body of the first black woman appointed to New York state's highest court was found floating in the Hudson River off Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

NYPD officers responded to a call of a person floating in the river near West 132nd Street and Henry Hudson Parkway just after 1:45 p.m., authorities said.

Sheila Abdus-Salaam was found unconscious and unresponsive in the water, according to police. Her body showed no obvious signs of trauma, and they declined to speculate on the cause of her death.

Police removed her body from the Hudson River. She was to be transferred to the medical examiner's office, where the exact cause of death can be determined.

Her husband left their home Wednesday night escorted by police and a church bishop. 

Abdus-Salaam was also the first Muslim woman to serve on the bench in the United States.

She was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York in 1993, where she remained until 2009. The 65-year-old Manhattan resident was currently serving on the New York State Court of Appeals. She was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2013.

Cuomo called her a "pioneer" and a "force for good whose legacy will be felt for years to come" in a statement Wednesday.

"I was proud to appoint her to the state’s highest court and am deeply saddened by her passing," Cuomo said. 

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Bronx Democrat, said in a statement he was "shocked and saddened" to hear of her death, calling her "a dedicated public servant who served New York with honor and distinction as the first African-American woman to sit on the Court of Appeals." 

A Washington, D.C. native, Abdus-Salaam graduated from Barnard College with a degree in economics in 1974 and went on to receive her law degree from Columbia University in 1977 as a Charles Evans Hughes Fellow.

In her neighborhood of Harlem on Wednesday, friends and colleagues remembered her as a kind, gentle and loving fixture of her community. 

Neighbor Michele Harris said she was shocked when a neighbor called her and told her the news. 

"I feel like I want to cry," Harris said. "It's a loss." 

On her block of West 131st Street, Abdus-Salaam was part of a nonprofit called Project Brownstone, which helped under-served youth. 

"She was amazing because she really inspired the kids," Earl Davis, the founder of Project Brownstone said. "She was able to show them something that was outside of their realm." 

To  those who knew her on a personal level outside the courthouse, it's that spirit they will miss the most. 

"She's missed. It's shocking," Davis said. "I just don't understand what happened." 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

An exciting new ride will soon debut at SeaWorld San Diego.

Submarine Quest was unveiled to park guests Wednesday morning.

It will feature SmartPlay technology, a first-of-its kind, according to the park.

“Submarine Quest as part of Ocean Explorer is gonna be an unbelievable adventure into the deep sea," said SeaWorld social media guide Mike Price. 'And not only would [guests] be having a good time moving through the realm, but there is gonna be digital aspects to the ride that’ll let you actually fight and help to save marine life.”

The ride is the newest addition to SeaWorld's Ocean Explorer realm which has multiple aquariums, rides and digital technologies to immerse guests in sea exploration.

“It’s a brand new experience for our park," Price said.

He added that Ocean Explorer gives guests real and amazing experiences where they can meet giant pacific octopuses, spider crabs, and deep sea fish, among other marine life.

“For us it’s about inspiring our guests to not only explore the ocean, but act to protect it,” Price told NBC 7.

Subamarine Quest will be on display at the front of the park until Ocean Explorer officially opens this summer.

The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties has joined more than a dozen Freedom of Information Act lawsuits on Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban against passengers from majority-Muslim countries.

The coordinated action - 13 suits total - is part of an ongoing legal struggle that originated during Trump’s first month in office when he issued an executive order restricting travel from seven countries, including Syria and Iraq. The order was later put on hold by federal courts in Maryland and Hawaii.

“The Muslim ban is really unprecedented in both its scope and vindictiveness. It was quickly put into place without much forethought, and local ... agents were left trying to figure out how to implement it,” said Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

The ACLU is asking for records from local branches of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security. Complaints will be filed in various states including Maryland, California and Georgia.

“CBP has a long history of ignoring its obligations under the federal Freedom of Information Act — a law that was enacted to ensure that Americans have timely access to information of pressing public concern. The public has a right to know how federal immigration officials have handled the implementation of the Muslim bans, especially after multiple federal courts have blocked various aspects of these executive orders,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, Border Litigation Project Staff Attorney with the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, in a statement.

The ACLU first asked for this information on February 2.

“Since the government has failed to substantively respond, the ACLU is now suing,” the group said in a statement.

At least one local family was directly impacted by Trump’s executive order. The Assalis of Allentown expected to greet their Syrian relatives in January, but the family was denied entry at Philadelphia's airport despite having obtained proper immigration documents and travel visas.

Members of their extended family were deported to Qatar and forced to wait several weeks before returning to the United States. Their dramatic reunion at John F. Kennedy International Airport captured national attention and rallied activists throughout the country.

Lawmakers and survivors are urging the California legislature to do more to combat child prostitution.

If passed, AB 1495 would allow prosecutors to go after sex traffickers and their clients through civil court.

San Diego is one of the FBI's top 13 cities in the U.S. for human trafficking. The illegal industry has grown to an estimated $810 million enterprise.

A trafficker controlling about four victims makes an average yearly income over $670,000, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.

The new power would allow county and city prosecutors to sue the so-called “Johns” for anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 per unlawful act.

State Rep. Brian Maienschien wants those who buy sex with children to know there will be major consequences.

“They’re benefiting tremendously financially from this awful, awful industry,” he said. “We want to put these guys out of business.”

Tiffany Mester was only 14 years old when she was forced into prostitution by a pimp who was 18 years old.

“I didn’t know who I was or how valuable I was. This pimp knew exactly how to exploit me,” Mester said.

Eighty percent of the penalties will be paid into a special county fund to provide assistance to minor victims. The remaining 20 percent would be available to prosecutors to help monitor, investigate, and prosecute the sexual abuse of children.

The proposed legislation would also direct any funds awared to minor victims or their parents be held in a trust until the minor reaches age 21.

Mester believes the proposed legislation will help take back what's been taken from young girls who are going through the same experience.

She hopes the money raised by the bill will go to help victims.

The Commercial Child Rape Prevention Act is sponsored by the Children’s Advocacy Institute.

CAI Staff Attorney Melanie Delgado said it's powerful to hear from the young men and women who have experienced being victimized by traffickers.

“It’s very easy to think that this is a problem happening somewhere else to someone else. This is happening in San Diego and it’s a really big problem,” said CAI Staff Attorney Melanie Delgado.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee will consider the bill on Tuesday.

According to a study by the University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego's sex trafficking industry can impact about 3,000 to 8,000 victims, mostly women and young girls, every year. The average age of those victims is 16 years old.

Victims in need of help and people interested in more information about the camaign can go here.

The Veterans Administration has unveiled a new tool to help veterans make decisions about their healthcare.

The new Access and Quality Tool gives detailed wait times for patient care. By entering a city, the system will pull up a map showing all medical centers and clinics in the area and the average wait times at each clinic.

“No other health-care system in the country releases this type of information on wait times," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David J. Shulkin said in a news release.

Vets can also find reviews of care at the facility and compare the treatments to other hospitals in their area.

The VA has published a video explaining how the tool works.

The agency will make improvements based on the feedback it receives from veterans.

A law enforcement sting in Riverside County uncovered thousands of pounds of used bottles and cans being smuggled into California where they were expected to be cashed in for close to $20,000 in state recycle fees.

Officers pulled over tractor trailers for four days last month on Highway 95.

The fraud sting was targeting those drivers who were trying to evade the California Department of Food and Agriculture checkpoint on Interstate 10, four miles east of Blythe.

When officers pulled over two trucks they found out why. There were bags containing 14,695 pounds of used beverage containers being shipped to California where they would be recycled for a fee from the California Redemption Value Fund.

The first big rig held 7,020 pounds of used beverage containers, with a $10,275.85 refund value.

Two days later, a big rig was found with 7,675 pounds of recyclable cans and bottles worth $9,636.79 in refund.

Each truck driver was arrested and charged with felony recycling fraud, attempted grand theft, filing a false or forged document, and conspiracy. If convicted, each will face a sentence of six months to three years.

“The department will continue to use all available resources to make sure CRV deposits go back to California consumers and not in the pockets of criminal enterprises,” CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline said in a written news release.

A draft report detailing efforts to carry out President Trump's executive order on restricting illegal immigration says the government's highest priority for a southern border wall is a 34-mile-long area in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, NBC News reported.

That assessment is contained in the draft of a report to the White House on progress in implementing his border security order. The document says the second-highest priority for the wall is a 14-mile-long area south of San Diego, California.

As for another Trump administration priority, hiring 5,000 more Border Patrol agents, the draft document says Customs and Border Protection is considering waiving the polygraph requirements for some applicants, using a "risk-based approach."

The draft document, dated "April 25, 2017" has not yet been approved by the Homeland Security leadership, DHS officials said.

A suspect wanted in a fatal Lincoln Park hit and run turned himself in to authorities Wednesday, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) confirmed.

Darius Runnells, 22, is facing felony hit and run charges causing a death.

On April 5, around 8:25 p.m., 57-year-old Ruben Meza was struck by a vehicle while walking across the street on the 1200 block of South 47th Street.

Police said Meza had just parked his car and was heading to his apartment nearby where he lived with his wife.

Runnells is suspected to be the driver behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

NBC 7 learned on Wednesday, Runnells' driving privileges had been suspended more than a year ago for driving without a license,  traffic infraction and failure to appear in court, according to records from the Department of Motor Vehicle.

Police said at the time of the fatal crash, Runnells' had been driving a Toyota Corolla registered to his mother.

Runnells' mother lives just around the block from where Ruben Meza was killed.

The car was discovered a mile away in the Valencia Park neighborhood just two days after the incident.

Erica Gonzalez, who had heard about the hit and run the night before, found deep depressions in the windshield and hood. She took photos and called police.

"We realized there was human hair and we thought it was suspicious," Gonzalez told NBC 7 last week.

Police said Runnells turned himself in Tuesday around 1:45 p.m.

Last week, NBC 7 also spoke to Meza's widow who said her plea for improved street safety in their neighborhood would be heard loud and clear.

Target issued a recall for a series of water-absorbing easter and dinosaur toys Thursday, after it was found they present a serious ingestion hazard.

The Hatch & Grow Easter Eggs, Easter Grow Toys and Hatch Your Own Dino toys, were sold at Target stores nationwide in February and March. They pose a risk to children if ingested, as they can expand inside of children’s bodies and cause intestinal obstructions, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recalled products can be identified with model numbers 234-25-1200 and 234-09-0016.

More than 500,000 have been sold nationwide, but no injuries have been reported thus far.

The toys can cause vomiting, dehydration, severe discomfort and potentially be life threatening. If one of the toys is ingested, it must be removed with surgery, and the toys may not show up on an X-ray, the CPSC said.

Consumers can take the toys to any Target store for a full refund and call 800- 440-0680 with any questions.

A southeast San Diego elementary charter school that discovered high levels of lead and vinyl chloride in its water plans to bring in a free mobile clinic to test kids for any possible lead exposure.

The contamination was discovered after a therapy dog named "Star" would not drink the water. Charter school leaders say the 2-year-old black lab went to great lengths to alert them to the potential danger in the water.

The San Diego Cooperative Charter School is located on the Emerson elementary school campus at Boston and 36th Street. San Diego Unified District officials discovered lead and vinyl chloride in the water at levels higher than allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Director Tom Pellegrino said no kids have been sick or reported any symptoms on the charter school side of the campus. However, he said, the charter school leaders are bringing a mobile clinic to the school to test all students for any possible lead exposure "to help put parents minds at ease." Pellegrino reported the new information to NBC7 and our media partner Voice of San Diego.

One parent told NBC7 on Wednesday the new information did help quell some of her concerns.

"It definitely does put my mind at rest to hear that's something we don't have to consider, but I will definitely be checking on my own as well," said COOP parent Michele Silverthorn.

Silverthorn said she was on her way to her kids' pediatrician this afternoon for a blood lead level test for her two children who attend the school.

"I'm concerned," Silverthorn said. "My oldest son has been on this campus for almost two years and he been drinking the water, so we just want to double check that everything is okay."

Silverthorn said she also planned to ask her childrens' pediatrician about the vinyl chloride contamination discovered as well.

In February, district officials discovered high levels of vinyl chloride, which they said comes from plastic leeching into the water, and a nurse reported some children were vomiting after drinking the water, which had a reported "funny" smell.

Pellegrino said the reported illnesses were not documented among the 100 or so students that attend the charter school, located on two campuses in the immediate area. Two other San Diego Unified schools are located on adjacent campuses in the same few city blocks.

The SDUSD says it has been providing bottled water to students since the discovery of contamination. The district also hired a consultant for $10,000 to help test the water and take corrective action ahead of scheduled city tests for lead.

Last month, high levels of lead were also discovered in the water on the Emerson campus, which includes the San Diego Cooperative Charter school. Pellegrino said some parents have already taken their students to doctors for tests.

"We have some really good news, which is we have a lot of families who have done the testing on their own and they've all reported there have been no increased levels and that's very heartwarming for us and hopefully that will be the case with the rest of the families that get tested."

Pellegrino said he recommended the free mobile clinic and other free blood lead level tests to the charter school's board  and funding was approved last night. It's estimated to cost about $30 per student tested.

Lead was discovered in the water at more than 2.5 times the "action level" for the EPA. The limit is 15 ppb (parts per billion), and once that limit is exceeded the EPA mandates water agencies take action to make sure the drinking water is safe again.

The free blood lead level testing is not part of that required federal mandate, but something the charter school is doing on its own.

"We realize this is going to be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the state of California and the nation for schools. We're in a new normal for water analysis and it's a welcome conversation to look at the contaminants," Pellegrino said. "We're happy right now that our children have not been affected but we want to make sure we get through all the kids before we take a really deep breath."

Around 25 people were arrested while protesting the president's immigration policy at Trump Tower Thursday, police say.

At least five people were carried out of the building by police after being cuffed with plastic ties, News 4 cameras captured. More demonstrators were arrested inside.

About 50 people with the activist group "Rise and Resist" had gone into the tower to protest Trump's stance on immigration, according to protester Ray Black. 

Demonstrators held three banners over the public atrium, each reading: "No bans," "No wall" and "No raids." They also chanted, "No raids, no walls."  

Black said they began planning the protests weeks ago. The group describes itself on Facebook as a "direct action group" formed in response to the election of President Trump.

"We don't believe the country is safer when people are banned purely on their faith," said Black.

The group consisting of students, teachers, doctors, professionals and retirees, ranging in age from the teens to the 70s, planned in advance for half of them to get arrested by sitting down and for the other half to act as support staff to get lawyers and post bail money if necessary. 

Protester Tim Murphy said, "You have an obligation to stand up. You have an obligation to non-violently disrupt business as usual and say, 'No, this is not right, this is not the country I want to live in, the direction we want to go in.'" 

The NYPD and Secret Service have beefed up security at Trump Tower since the president's election, but the atrium remains open to the public.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.

A homeless man faces burglary and hate crime charges after he allegedly robbed four churches, one of which he stole from three times, in Queens, New York, because of his hatred of God, according to prosecutors.

Woznik allegedly told police at the time of his arrest he was "mad at God" and denounced religion, saying his break-ins were an attempt to retaliate.

"I'm mad at God. I don't like church no more. I don't want to deal with religion," court documents say he told police. "I'm sick and tired of hearing about religion. I don't break into houses, only churches. I break in to get back at God."

Joseph Woznik was arrested Wednesday, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Thursday.

Between March 21 and April 10, Woznik allegedly broke into the Bangladesh Hindu Maunder Temple in Flushing, Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians church in Woodside, St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church in Elmhurst and St. James Episcopal Church in Flushing, according to criminal complaints.

An employee at the Hindu temple found cash missing from three donation boxes forced open on March 21, prosecutors said. Fingerprints lifted from the boxed allegedly matched Woznik's. 

Woznik allegedly burglarized St. James Episcopal Church three times between March 24 and April 10, according to prosecutors. He allegedly stole a Canon digital camera, $1,800 in cash and three checks; two of those items were recovered from his backpack at the time of his arrest, investigators said.

With it being Holy Week, religious leaders said they're not angry, but they do hope he gets help.

"I would tell him that he should find God first and see that God is not a reason to do something bad or damaging," said Justin Bertea of St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church.

"Maybe for us as a religious organization, we haven't lived up to what we need to do," said Rev. Paul Lai of St. James Episcopal Church. "So that's why someone who was in a crisis didn't get the help."

The 23-year-old could face up to 15 years in prison if he's convicted.

Woznik is also wanted by Orange County officials in Florida on a fugitive from justice charge. He is accused of burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief, according to prosecutors.

A pharmacist who fatally shot his roommate's boyfriend at the door of an Ocean Beach condominium was convicted Thursday of voluntary manslaughter.

Thomas Francis Burke, 33, testified that he shot 35-year-old Jess Robles in self-defense when the victim started to come into his home the night of June 22.

Robles walked up to the door of the condo at Voltaire Street and Catalina Boulevard and was shot by Burke, who was inside that apartment.

A SWAT standoff continued into the night. Neighbors were evacuated from the nine-unit complex and roads were closed off to traffic.

Burke was arrested by San Diego police the next morning in downtown San Diego.

Deputy District Attorney Kyle Sutterley said in his opening statement that one of Burke's roommates, Larae Clark, started dating the victim a couple of months before he was killed.

Burke and Clark grew up in New Jersey and Burke harbored romantic and sexual feelings for her, the prosecutor told jurors.

The defendant's jealousy began to consume him and a few days before the murder, he wrote to Clark, telling her, "I think I'll always be attracted to you," Sutterley said.

On his computer, Burke wrote, "I can't take her going out with other people," the prosecutor said. Burke also called Robles derogatory names and an hour before the murder wrote, "I hate him," according to Sutterley.

The prosecutor said Robles -- who was out with Clark the night he was killed -- read some of Burke's text messages to her and responded, "Sounds like you have a lot to say behind my back. Hope you can back it up!"

A Lyft driver dropped Clark and Robles at the condo about 11 p.m., and she went inside, where she got into an argument with Burke, Sutterley said.

Robles decided to check on Clark when she was gone longer than anticipated and knocked on the condo door, he said.

Burke opened the door and shot Robles once in the chest and once in the throat and said, "He's dead," according to the prosecutor.

Defense attorney Gary Gibson told the jury that Robles was drunk when he arrived at Burke's condominium.

Larae Clark had been texting Burke all night, and Burke told her he thought Robles was "obnoxious" and "creepy," Gibson told the jury.

Gibson said Burke didn't want a relationship with Clark because she was a drunk and had cheated on her previous boyfriend.

The attorney said Burke was "freaked out" by the situation with Robles and armed himself when he heard a bang on the door.

"He thinks Jess is coming in to do him some damage," Gibson told the jury.

Gibson said Robles came through the door -- giving life to a threat made 30 minutes earlier -- and he shot him in the neck from close range because he felt trapped. Burke shot Robles a second time and he fell backward, Gibson said.

Jurors acquitted Burke of murder. 

He faces between six and 21 years in prison when he is sentenced May 11.

Several students reported feeling lightheaded after a teacher at a San Carlos school combined several chemicals in class, resulting in a strong odor, San Diego Fire-Rescue officials (SDFD) said. 

SDFD's Hazmat unit responded to Pershing Middle School, located at 8204 San Carlos Drive, at approximately 11:45 a.m. as a precaution for an odor investigation. 

A teacher reportedly combined several chemicals, which created a strong odor. 

Several students reported feeling lightheaded as a result, and the classroom was evacuated and vented. 

No one was injured or transported. 

The odor has since dissipated. 

The U.S. military dropped one of the largest non-nuclear bombs in its arsenal in a strike against ISIS fighters in Eastern Afghanistan on April 13. The 21,000 lb. bomb is nicknamed "the mother of all bombs," and is about half the size of of the smallest nuclear bomb. Military officials did not immediately know how many ISIS fighters were killed or if any civilians died in the strike.

San Diego Lifeguards hoisted an injured person from the beach near Torrey Pines State Reserve to a helicopter for transport to a local hospital. 

The incident happened at approximately 12:33 p.m. Thursday  when officials first responded to a cliff rescue in the area. 

The person will be taken to Scripps La Jolla. The extent of their injuries are unclear. 

No other information was available.

J.C. Penney announced it has postponed the liquidation sales and closure dates for the 138 stores it plans to shutter this year after seeing an increase in sales, the company told CNBC exclusively.

"Ever since the company announced its store closure list, those stores have seen better-than-expected sales and traffic," J.C. Penney spokeswoman Daphne Avila told CNBC.

The liquidation will now begin May 22 instead of April 17 as originally scheduled. The new closure date of July 31 is about six weeks later than J.C. Penney originally planned.