Family and friends met at the New Hope Church of Penaquitos on Carmel Mountain Road Saturday to remember a pregnant woman killed in a crash on Mother’s Day.

Jessica Foderingham, who was eight months pregnant, was rear-ended last Sunday, sending her car spinning head-on into a tree on San Vicente Road in the San Diego Country Estates community.

Andrew Milonis, 44, fled the scene and to a Lyft ride to a bar, police said. He pleaded not guilty to two murder charges last week.

“My little one, he still doesn’t believe it’s true. He asks me every night, ‘when’s mommy coming home,’” Christian Foderingham, who married Jessica last August said at Milonis’ arraignment. The 29-year-old mother had two children from a previous relationship.

Her husband said he was driving in front of her at the time of the crash because they were going to her grandmother's home.

President Donald Trump's two-day visit to Israel began Monday morning and there are five key issues that are expected to be the focus of his time in the country, NBC News reported.

The most recent issue to come up is the security relationship between Israel and the U.S. It was reported that the intelligence Trump discussed with Russian officials came from Israel. Though an Israeli official said the relationship is unchanged, many wonder if Trump's discussion will affect it.

Trump will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall, a holy site in Jerusalem. However, his administration has given conflicting statements about whether the wall is located in Israel.

Also looming over the visit is the issues of moving the U.S. embassy, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians and building a new coalition of the U.S., Israel and Sunni Arab leaders.

“It was a normal Saturday,” Chris Carvalho, who shot video of what may be the literal first spark of the Gate Fire, told NBC 7 Sunday. “We were just having fun … Someone yelled fire.”

Carvalho and a friend were at the Pink Gate Shooting Range near Jamul Saturday when they saw flames shooting up and quickly spreading - after a group of friends fired their guns in some dry brush.

“We went out there, we shot off a couple hundred rounds between new pistols, my AR, my shot gun,” he said.

He said a group of people started dumping water and kicking dirt on the fire. “I thought they had it handled,” he 7.

But when the group started to leave, “I see them walk away and then all of sudden I see a huge flame start happening,” He said. That’s when it started to spread.

“I did hear them call the police at first describing where they are at, that there was a fire,” he explained. “The people, the guys just casually walk away like nothing happened, grab their stuff and just leave.”

Since it began Saturday morning, the Gate Fire had burned 2,056 acres and was 70 percent contained by Sunday evening. Many residents in the area have evacuated to a shelter at the Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista.

“It really sucks for the people just living around there they have to suffer because some irresponsible gun owners,” Carvalho added.

Investigators have started a criminal investigation and said they are aware of the video.

A United Airlines flight from Shanghai to Newark, New Jersey, was delayed several hours and eventually rerouted to San Francisco International Airport Sunday due to an unruly passenger wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, authorities said.

United said the unidentified passenger tried to take another passenger’s seat while boarding flight 187 Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The elderly man allegedly refused to move and grew increasingly disruptive after he was asked to exit the aircraft.

Passengers were forced to de-plane at the Shanghai airport while local law enforcement dealt with the matter.

The man "eventually left the aircraft on his own accord" before the flight departed, a spokesman for United said.

Cellphone video captured by a passenger on the flight showed a crowd of travelers shouting  "Lock him up!" as he was escorted off the plane and to the boarding gate.

The flight was forced to make an unscheduled stopover in San Francisco to get a new crew on board, adding several hours to the already lengthy flight. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Newark at 6:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, but didn't touch down in New Jersey until 2:22 a.m. Monday.

United thanked its customers for their patience and its staff for its professionalism.

The San Diego City Council will take a closer look Monday at a plan to expand the San Diego Convention Center.  The council is considering the approval of a 3-percent tax increase for hotels near the convention center. NBC 7's Gaby Rodriguez reports.

 

Fruit juice, long recommended as a source of vitamin C for children, has no nutritional value for kids under one year old and isn't as good as fresh fruit for other kids, according to a leading pediatrician group.

The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that babies not be fed any fruit juice in the first year of their lives, according to a policy statement released Monday. One-hundred percent fresh or reconstituted juice can be gradually introduced into toddlers' diets, but kids up to 18 should drink at most one cup of it per day.

Fruit juice is lacking in the protein and fiber that is found in fruits, according to the recommendations, being published in the June issue of Pediatrics. That can lead to too much or too little weight gain.

"Parents may perceive fruit juice as healthy, but it is not a good substitute for fresh fruit and just packs in more sugar and calories," said Melvin B. Heyman, co-author of the policy, in a statement. "Small amounts in moderation are fine for older kids, but are absolutely unnecessary for children under 1."

It's the first change in the academy's recommendations for 16 years, according to the statement.

Fruit drinks do not have the same value as fruit juice, the pediatricians note, and doctors may prescribe fruit juice in some instances. But 

San Diego police are investigating the report of a stabbing in Balboa Park.

Police were told a man was stabbed in the neck on Park Boulevard near the World Beat Center at 10 p.m. Sunday.

The victim was transported by medics to a nearby hospital, police said. They described the victim as a 60-year-old man who was in critical condition.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

Homicide investigators have identified two men found dead outside a store in an Otay Mesa strip mall.

Curtis Murray, 56, and Albert Stringer, 61 were found by a police officer on patrol at the intersection of Palm Avenue and Beyer Way just before 3 a.m. on May 17. The men appeared to be sleeping in front of a business that was closed, police said.

Police are investigating their deaths as a double homicide, as both men were found with significant injuries to their upper torsos.

Both men were from San Diego, police said.

Officers are actively looking for potential suspects in this case, said SDPD Lieutenant Mike Holden with the SDPD Homicide Unit.

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Early morning fog and cooler temperatures helped firefighters overnight as they fight a wildfire that has forced hundreds of people to evacuate a popular campground and small community southeast of San Diego.

"The overnight temps and humidity levels allowed firefighters to make progress overnight although we are expecting another warm and dry day in the fire area," said CAL FIRE Fire Captain/Information Officer Issac Sanchez.

As of 6 a.m. Monday, the so-called Gate Fire has burned 2,056 acres in the remote area near Pio Pico RV Resort and Campground in San Diego's East County. Sanchez said the fire was 75 percent contained.

All evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted.

The blaze broke out Saturday south of Jamul and spread rapidly through grass and brush.

Campers and residents of nearby Dulzura were evacuated. An evacuation warning remained in effect for that community, but residents were allowed to return.

At least two dozen RVs were parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Eastlake because of the evacuation warning issued over the weekend.

Authorities say the campground remains under evacuation because of infrastructure damage. They did not reveal the extent of the damage.

Investigators spoke to a witness who posted an Instagram video that appears to show people starting the fire. The witness cooperated with officials and is not under investigation, Cal Fire said. 

Officials would not confirm if they had any suspects or any other details of the investigation. 

Cal Fire investigators and Bureau of Land Management are handling the investigation.

The father of the 18-year-old tourist killed in the Times Square car rampage last week has left a touching letter at the makeshift memorial that's sprung up in the days since the horrific incident in Manhattan.

The framed letter sits atop a concrete NYPD barrier, amid flowers and toys honoring Alyssa Elsman of Portage, Michigan, who was killed when 26-year-old driver Richard Rojas zipped down the sidewalk for several blocks last Thursday. 

In the letter, Elsman's father describes his grief and heartache, and expresses gratitude to those who have supported the family. 

"I have met so many people from different countries, religions, creeds, etc... you have shown us that when you remove bias, racism and ignorance, WE ARE ALL ONE," he writes. "Your condolences have been sincere and taken to heart." 

Part of the letter also describes how Elsman loved New York City: "She loved Times Square. She would appreciate all your kind words but would also tell you all to get back up and continue, that's how full of life my daughter was." 

The letter ends, "I have a hole in my heart... I love you kid... Love you, love you, love you." 

Kim Spears, who works nearby, had tears in her eyes after reading the letter. 

"Everyone feels terrible, and everyone feels awful because you hate to know that somebody came to visit New York -- she's young, she just graduated from high school," she said. "It's just terrible."

On the police barrier, others have left messages saying, "Rest easy," "Lots of love," "God bless you" and "Rest in peace." 

Carlos Cardenas, a tourist from San Francisco, said at the site Monday, "It's just very touching. It's just so sad that something like that could happen here." 

Elsman's 13-year-old sister Ava was also critically injured in the accident and had been at Bellevue Hospital with a broken pelvis and a collapsed lung.

Six other victims continue to be treated at Bellevue, one of whom remains in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman says. 

Rojas was taken into custody after barreling into the lunch-hour crowd on Seventh Avenue shortly before noon Thursday, according to police. Officials and sources say Rojas, who has a history of DWI arrests, made a U-turn on Seventh Avenue at 42nd Street and started speeding down the sidewalk for about 3-and-a-half blocks, mowing down pedestrians before crashing into a traffic pole.

Rojas told New York Post from Rikers Island Saturday that he was "trying to get help."

"I wanted to fix my life."

The former Navy man told police that he smoked marijuana laced with PCP and has a history of DWI arrests, including one where he was driving faster than 99 mph in a 50 mph zone, police said.

He said he remembered eating with his mother at their Highbridge home Thursday morning when he decided to go for a drive. He said he couldn't remember what was going through his mind during the drive.

“The last thing I remember is driving in my car,” he recalled. “Then, I woke up in the precinct ... I was terrified.”

Rojas also told New York Post that he wants to watch the videos of Thursday's rampage to "verify that I'm the person," he said.

Rojas is charged with second-degree murder, 20 counts of second-degree attempted murder and five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, police said.

One of the other victims has been identified as a New Jersey high school student.

Jessica Williams, a 19-year-old student from Dunellen High School, remains in critical condition, according to a GoFundMe page dedicated to her recovery. She was visiting midtown on Senior Skip Day with a friend when Rojas accelerated and slammed into them and the crowd.

Williams' injuries include a fractured pelvis and broken leg, according to the Daily News.

“Her spleen was removed yesterday and the damage to her face was stitched up today,” her cousin Nicole Guild said on the GoFundMe page. 

A New Jersey couple is speaking out after they say they found a handwritten note signed by America’s first serial killer inside a family Bible.

Claire Fanelle told NBC10 she was cleaning out her mother’s old books when she stumbled upon a well-worn Bible.

“The Bible was in a box I was going through,” she said. “We just assumed that it was an interesting Bible.”

As Fanelle’s son read the newspapers stuffed inside, she came across an inscription. It was a note signed with the distinctive signature of notorious serial killer H.H. Holmes, a man who admitted to killing at least 27 people in the 19th century but then changed the number of victims to two.

“And the two of us look at each other like, ‘This is weird,’” Fanelle said.

Fanelle had watched NBC10’s recent report on the family members of Holmes who had exhumed his body at the Yeadon cemetery. They’re trying to verify family lore that Holmes somehow swindled out of his own execution at the Moyamensing Prison in South Philadelphia.

The Bible Fanelle found belonged to the first cousin of her great grandfather, Father Patrick J. Dailey, a Catholic priest at the turn of the century.

Church records indicate Dailey worked at the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary church around the corner from the site of the old prison. Fanelle believes Father Dailey ministered to inmates awaiting execution, including Holmes.

“When he came to walk him to the gallows he probably handed him the Bible back with that inscription in it,” Fanelle said.

That inscription, written in the heavy lettering of Holmes, may provide new clues about Holmes.

“It says, ‘Dear Father Dailey, I must write and make you know the kind feelings I have for you,’” Claire's husband Larry Fanelle said.

The middle of the note is indecipherable. It then concludes with, “I need your prayers after my death. With all of my heart – HH Holmes, May 7. 1896.”

May 7, 1896 was the day of Holmes’ execution.

Holmes is best known for his “Murder Castle” in Chicago. He built the hotel equipped with secret rooms, chambers and a spot dissections in the basement. With visitors from around the globe visiting the city’s World’s Fair in 1893, Holmes’ unwitting guests checked in but some never left. 

It’s believed Holmes sold his victims’ bodies, organs and bones. According to Rider University Professor Joe Wojie the going rate was about $8 to $10 a body.

Holmes' story was portrayed in the 2003 book "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson.

While Holmes was widely regarded as remorseless, the Fanelle family believes the handwritten letter reveals something unexpected.

“That letter kind of turns around and says, ‘Wait a minute. At the 11th hour he was remorseful,’” Larry Fanelle said. “And he asked for forgiveness.”

Filmmaker and Holmes expert John Borowski told the NBC10 Investigators he’s confident that the inscription was written by Holmes.

“This artifact is definitely an important true crime artifact,” Borowski said.
Borowski doubts Holmes was truly reformed however.

“At that point, on the day of your execution, isn’t it a little too late to ask for forgiveness or your soul to be reprieved from eternal damnation when you’ve basically killed men, women and children?” Borowski asked.

The Fanelles are left with an unexpected artifact from one of the country’s most famous mysteries and a sense that Father Dailey situated them on the right side of history.

“I’ll say I’m glad I’m related on this side,” Claire Fanelle said. “Rather than on the other side.”

The red carpet moments on the tarmac kept coming.

President Donald Trump had a bumpy landing in Israel on Monday with a series of apparent faux pas, from the first lady slapping away his hand to a lawmaker whipping out a cell phone to take a selfie with him.

Trump arrived in Tel Aviv for a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories and as he tried to take his wife’s hand on a red carpet on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion International Airport, the first lady appeared to push it back. It was unclear what prompted the videotaped moment. 

Oren Hazan, a politician in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Likud party did take his hand in what The Associated Press described as a characteristically aggressive handshake, then took out his a cell phone for a selfie. Netanyahu tried to swat Hazan’s arm away, unsuccessfully, and Likud politicians later said that not only was Hazan not invited to the ceremony but that he had caused “a great embarrassment” to the prime minister.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett used the welcome ceremony to press Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump, who had promised during the campaign to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem but has since backed away from the pledge, told Bennett, “That’s a good one,” according to the AP.

Boarding the Marine One helicopter for Jerusalem, Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, was caught on microphone commiserating about media coverage.

“The majority of people in Israel, unlike the media, they love us, so we tell them how you are great, and they love you,” she said, the Washington Post reported.

“We have something very much in common,” Trump replied.

“Very much in common,” said Sara Netanyahu, who has come under media attention as the subject of official investigation over her spending on the couple’s private home.

Trump soon found himself defending an Oval Office meeting on May 10 when he disclosed classified information about an Islamic State threat to the Russian former minister and ambassador to the United States. The information came from Israel, according to officials.

“I never mentioned the word or the name Israel,” he said.

But he never was accused of naming Israel, just of revealing enough details that could lead others to that realization.

A well-known big game hunter died after an elephant ravaged by gunshots collapsed on him on Friday, according to local authorities.

South African hunter Theunis Botha, 51, "unknowingly" came across a herd of breeding elephants near the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, park spokesman Simukai Nyasha told the Associated Press.

The group with Botha spooked the herd and three elephants immediately charged at them, so Botha opened fire on the animals, according to South Africa's News24.

A fourth stormed at the group from the side, lifting Botha up with its trunk. Someone fired shots at the elephant, causing the animal to collapse and crushed Botha to death, NBC News reported.

After years of planning, construction is underway for a new facility for the Space 4 Art center at its future location in Logan Heights with help from some students and volunteers.

Students from King-Chavez Community High School in downtown and High Tech High in Chula Vista have been an instrumental part of the development project, from helping to design the new facility to building it. 

The half-acre property is located on Market Street, between 25th Street and 26th Street. The small, hillside lot will eventually become an affordable artists' colony. The hope is that it will house 55 artist studios with space for 35 artists to live.

"It might feel a little crowded, but our goal is to create it in the same view of a tiny home," said Regina Kruglyak, a teacher at High Tech High. "It might feel really small, but the way that you design it, it feels roomy on the inside."

Space 4 Art, a non-profit organization, has been leasing property on 15th Street in East Village for the last several years. 

Since the building is being redeveloped, the group is losing about a third of its space. Ten of the 42 artists who worked on projects at the Space 4 Art center were forced to move to another studio.

"We lost our stage, we lost our classroom, we lost our tiny home, we lost our outdoor work area. It's all becoming a high-rise," said Bob Leathers, co-founder of Space 4 Art. "So that means, this is where we're going to have our permanent home." 

For the last few weeks, students, volunteers and architects have been building a temporary amphitheater with an indoor/outdoor gallery and a place for artists to work and host events at the Market Street location. 

"We're taking out the trees, but we're leaving the hillside," explained Kruglyak. "We didn't want to level out this entire land. We want to mostly focus on working with the land."

One student was surprised with the type of work that entails.

"This is not at all what I expected. I thought we would be working indoors, possibly making small frames," said Elizabeth Aguilar, a nineth grade student at High Tech High.

"But once we got to work out here, everything was hands on. It's definitely not something I would assume we'd do in nineth grade, but it's been a great experience."

For Leathers, who is overseeing the entire project, the work is far from over.

His biggest challenge is raising enough money to finish the new facility, which he estimates will take about $10 million to build. 

Even with bank loans, tax credits, private grants and donations, Leathers estimates Space 4 Art still needs about $1.5 million. 

That's why it'll be at least a few years before a permanent facility is in place, and artists can move in.

"What San Diego needs is something that is created by the artist for artists," said Leathers.  

He's very grateful for the help of volunteers and the community's support, and he's especially impressed by the students' hard work. 

"Even though we're making it [as] affordable as possible to build, the kids are making it affordable," said Leathers. "They've already built 8 houses, all the modular units."

The project, which is part of the students' STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education, is also helping some of them choose their careers. 

"I know I really want to go into architecture and design," said Drake Prince, a nineth grade student at High Tech High.

"This had a big influence on me. Just being out in the field and being able to work with so many cool people. It changed my perspective on this line of work."

An 81-year-old woman considered at risk with Alzheimer's disease has been reported missing, San Diego Police confirmed Monday.

Maria Elena Hernandez Del Rio was last seen on Sunday, May 21 near 16th Street and Palm Avenue, police said. She needs medication for her medical condition, they said.

Del Rio often takes walks and rides the trolley, according to SDPD. She is 4-feet, 7-inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. Police said Del Rio has black hair, brown eyes and a dark spot on her chin.

In her last appearance, she was seen wearing a blue sweater, yellow shirt, blue skirt and black shoes.

If you have any information on Del Rio's whereabouts, call San Diego Police at (619)531-2000 or the Missing Persons Unit at (619)531-2277.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship, the international nuclear deal with Iran and Middle Eastern stability at a joint press conference in Israel on May 22, 2017.

San Clemente's beaches were off limits to swimmers Monday following the sighting of more than two dozen sharks.

A sign was posted on the sand warning beachgoers of the recent sighting, one of several reported this month along this stretch of the California coast.

An NBC 7 news crew witnessed a fisherman hooking what appeared to be a six-foot shark from the pier after noon.

Lifeguards first closed the city's beaches around 10:30 a.m. Sunday after an eight to nine-foot shark was spotted off the San Clemente Pier. Another shark was spotted off the pier at 1 p.m.

The closure was extended at 4 p.m. after an Orange County sheriff's helicopter spotted more than two dozen sharks within 25 yards of the beach between Cotton's Point and Capistrano Beach, some up to 10 feet long.

San Clemente's beaches were closed in April when a shark bit a woman in the thigh and earlier this month when 15 sharks were observed swimming offshore.

Leeanne Ericson survived the attack on April 29 but suffered major injuries to her right leg. She is still hospitalized and will undergo several surgeries, according to physicians at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

Ericson was attacked in the waters off San Onofre State Beach, near Camp Pendleton, in San Diego's North County.

Long Beach has issued shark advisories this month warning swimmers of the sightings of juvenile white sharks, some as long as six feet, near Belmont Shore.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday that local governments refusing to cooperate in deporting convicted criminals risk losing their Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security grant money, NBC News reported.

Sessions issued a memo in response to an executive order issued by President Trump in late January directing the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that sanctuary cities will not be eligible to receive federal funds.

A federal judge last month issued a nationwide injunction on enforcing that part of the executive order after San Francisco said it could lose all its federal grant money.

But in his memo, Sessions said the order "will be applied solely to federal grants administered by the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security, and not to other sources of federal funding." 

A San Francisco man with a prosthetic leg claims he was discriminated against after an Asiana Airlines representative asked him to vacate his exit row seat.

Tim Seward, a self-described professional skateboarder and action sports enthusiast who leads a "highly active" lifestyle, was traveling from China to South Korea Sunday and bought a seat in the exit row near the front of the plane. But he was asked to move to a new seat because, as the representative said he "cannot prove [Seward's] leg is functional."

"It's not safe," a flight representative told Seward. "You're not a normal person. It's for the safety of the passengers."

Before the incident, a female flight attendant checked to see if Seward, who said he paid extra money for the seat, was willing to help the crew in the event of an emergency. Seward said yes. But moments later, an airline representative arrived and demanded Seward move. 

He pulled out his phone and began filming the incident. A back-and-forth conversation about the airline's policies and Seward's abilities ensued before the San Francisco man was escorted to a new seat.

"So the company told you to move a disabled person because in this seat, according to your policy, you do not allow a disabled person to sit in this seat, because I wear a prosthetic leg," Seward can be heard telling the representative.

The representative tells Seward to run and jump to prove his physical capabilities.

"Oh my god," Seward said in response. "But if you're asking me to move, that proves I can move, right? I don't need a wheelchair to move to another seat, right? Your reasoning doesn't make much sense."

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NBC Bay Area has reached out to Asiana Airlines to comment about the incident and clarify the airline's exit row policies.

Once he found his new spot, Seward said he was questioned by other passengers as to why he eventually folded to the airline's request. Seward said he didn't want to end to up in jail.

Since losing his leg to cancer at the age of 11, Seward claims he hasn't had any trouble while sitting in a plane's exit row. The "pretty embarassing" episode with Asiana was a surprise.

"For anyone to judge me based on my prosthetic alone is absolutely insane," he said.

Seward admitted that a deeper issue lies with the treatment of disabled people.

"I'm not really that upset with the airline," he said. "I feel more disgusted in people that are not aware of this kind of discrimination and not understanding that this is pure discrimination against someone that is disabled."

The 10-to-15 minute incident caused the flight to be delayed roughly one hour, according to Seward. He said he wasn't refunded for changing his seat.