As the roads grew slick in the downpour that struck San Diego Saturday morning, a semi-truck crashed along Interstate 805 in Chula Vista, overturning on the shoulder of the highway.

The accident happened just before 5 a.m. in the slow lane along southbound I-805 at H Street. The large wreckage blocked the road and officials temporarily shut down traffic in the area for about 30 minutes. Traffic was flowing again just before 6 a.m.

Details of the crash were not immediately released by officials.

As Saturday’s heavy storm pounded the region, San Diego firefighters conducted a challenging rescue of two hikers stuck about 200 feet down the cliffs at Torrey Pines.

At around 3:30 a.m., the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) received word from 911 that a man and woman stuck on the Indian Canyon Trail at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in La Jolla.

The pair had been hiking the trail amid the storm, and the rain made path slick and slippery to the point they couldn’t climb back up.

SDFD rescuers made their way down the cliffs, about 200 feet, and began the lengthy process of getting the hikers out. The woman was experiencing hypothermia, officials said.

The stormy conditions created extra hazards and made the rescue a bit of a challenge. An SDFD helicopter aiding in the rescue had to be grounded due to the downpour and lightning. Eventually, the chopper came back and was used to hoist the pair from the cliffs.

“This foot trail that is normally – you can walk it day and night – it’s really not a problem. But, when you add water to it, it becomes like a river; it’s like a torrent river,” SDFD Battalion Chief David Connor explained. “And it loosens up the top of that sandstone and it becomes extremely slippery.”

Connor said the rescue took about two-and-a-half hours, with about an hour of that just to get to the hikers.

After being hoisted from the trail, the man and woman warmed up in an ambulance. They did not need further medical treatment and were sent home. No firefighters were injured in the operation, the SDFD said.

Connor said the trails at Torrey Pines and other popular hiking destinations in San Diego County will remain slick on the heels of Saturday’s storm. This will likely happen again next week as two more storms are expected to move into the region.

He urged locals and visitors to avoid the trails during rain for safety reasons.

Meanwhile, the City of San Diego said Saturday morning that the trails in Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, Del Mar Mesa Preserve, and Carmel Mountain Preserve would be temporarily closed to the public following the heavy rain.

With more rain expected next week, the city said the closure would likely remain in effect into the week of Jan. 20, particularly at Del Mar Mesa Preserve. 

The National Football League playoffs continue on Saturday and Sunday. There is one possible scenario that would be quite problematic for the NFL.

And of course it involves the Chargers.

This is not likely but certainly not impossible. There's a chance the Chargers could host the AFC Championship game next week and according to published reports the NFL is looking into moving that game from the soccer stadium now known as Dignity Health Sports Park and into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Yes, the temporary and spacious home of the Los Angeles Rams.

For the Bolts to host the title game they'll have to go to New England and beat the Patriots … keep in mind Tom Brady is 19-3 at home in his playoffs career … then have the Colts beat the Chiefs in Kansas City.

The Colts are the 6th seed while the Chargers are the 5th seed and the highest remaining seed hosts the game. The league doesn't want to put a conference title game in a 25,000 seat soccer facility filled with fans of the visiting team, hence kicking the tires on the Coliseum.

But that wouldn't really look any better because that place holds 100,000 and would look completely barren with the typical L.A. Chargers crowd meandering in.

Also keep in mind the Rams have a chance to host the NFC Championship Game if they beat the Cowboys and the Eagles beat the Saints. It’s not a good idea to play two professional football games in one day so one of them would likely move to Monday night.

That’s a contingency the NFL has had in mind in case the Giants and Jets, who share a facility in MetLife Stadium, both hosted their conference title tilts.

An Army veteran from Queens was able to thank doctors Friday for his second chance at life, months after he miraculously awoke from a monthlong coma while loved ones were planning his funeral. 

“They didn't give up on me. They absolutely didn't give up on me,” said Michael Mendez.

Mendez came to Northwell Health (formerly Long Island Jewish) Valley Stream hospital last summer with stomach pains — a case of pancreatitis. But within days the father of two was placed on life support as his vital organs started shutting down.

“I just remember feeling numb,” Mendez’s fiancée, Sarah Insolera, said.

According to Insolera, Mendez’s state was so bleak the family bought a funeral plot.

But a team of 36 doctors and nurses didn’t waver and stayed by Menendez’s side, hoping for a miracle.

“One day he opened his eyes,” Dr. Lisa Chen, Mendez’s doctor, remembered. “We said, ‘You know what? Maybe he is still in there.’”

Insolera remembers that day clearly. 

“I jumped up. I started screaming and ran to the nurses and said his eyes are open,” she said.

Three weeks later, the 46-year-old was out of bed walking on his own.

“I believe he was truly a fighter — he still is,” nurse Jackie Nicholls said.

Mendez’s nurses say his 15 years in the Army have made him a fighter. Mendez acknowledges his service also left him with the PTSD and alcohol addiction that nearly killed him.

“I was the last guy who thought I could come out of this and even stop drinking and I did it,” he said.

And if you've ever wondered if coma victims can actually hear what's going on around them, Mendez revealed he could hear the words of love and support from his fiancée who came here every day as well as his family and caregivers.

“I feel we've both been given a second chance,” Insolera said.

Supervising Deputy City Attorney Patricia Miranda, teamed up with volunteers Saturday, to visit dozens of massage parlors around San Diego, to make sure the businesses are following the rules.

While many massage businesses refused to offer sex, some are havens for illegal activity.

Miranda and volunteers surveyed massage parlors to assure they are displaying a mandatory, human trafficking information poster.

“A lot of these businesses are underground, have human trafficking, have sex workers, who are part of the sex trade against their will,” said Miranda.

Human trafficking generates more than $800 Million annually in San Diego, according to the City Attorney’s office.

The human trafficking posters that are placed in massage businesses, come in several different languages. It reminds employees of the support services that are offered.

“They can see by reading the poster, hey it’s not right that we’re being forced to have sex, to have sex with patrons,” Miranda said. “It’s not ok, and there is help available for them."

The human trafficking posters also education for customers, who are encouraged to report any illegal activity.

There are hundreds of massage parlors operating in the City of San Diego. Many of them do follow the law and don’t offer sex services, but for the workers, who are being forced into sex, the City Attorney is working to free them from the thriving human trafficking trade.

In November 2018, NBC 7 Investigates found of 243 parlors listed in San Diego County, 173 of those parlors offer sex services for a price, according to a website that lists such parlors and includes reviews of the services. Each “review board” includes information on which women provide what sex acts, how much customers tipped the workers and a “candid” explanation of the customer’s experience.

Any volunteers want to join the outreach efforts may contact the City Attorney’s Nuisance Abatement Unit at (619) 533-5500 or email: cityattorney@sandiego.gov

If you are a victim of human trafficking, please contact the San Diego Family Justice Center for help at (866) 933-HOPE (4673).

A man's body was found Saturday at Naval Air Station North Island, a day after another man's body was found in a similar manner in San Diego Bay, according to San Diego Harbor Police.

The middle age man's body was found shortly before noon along the shoreline of the NAS North Island, Sgt. Victor Banuelos said. 

The man's body showed no obvious signs of trauma, he said.

Divers recovered the body and transferred the victim to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office for further investigation, Banuelos said.

This is the second body found in the bay this week. On Friday, a body was found in a waterway on Naval Base San Diego. 

The U.S. Navy told police a man's body was discovered at about 8:20 a.m. in a waterway belonging to the base, near Harbor Drive and 8th Street in National City, HPD said. 

When officers arrived, they found the body of a middle-aged man floating in the water. There were no obvious signs of trauma in that case either, Banuelos said.

The investigation was continuing in that case.

It was unclear if the two cases were related but police said they will do an extremely thorough investigation into the matter.

Anyone with any information about either incident was urged to call Harbor Police at (619) 686-6272.

The Pepperdine Waves were coming off three-point losses in their previous two games and coach Lorenzo Romar had an uneasy feeling against San Diego.

"Well, here we go again fellas," he remembers telling his team. "Let's finish this one."

The Waves did just that, giving Romar his 400th career coaching victory.

Sophomore guard Colbey Ross scored a career-high 27 points and Kameron Edwards added a season-high 23 for the Waves, who dominated the last four minutes to hand the Toreros their first home loss this season, 76-71 Saturday.

The Waves were coming off three-point losses at home against San Francisco and at Santa Clara, games in which they had the lead.

"We had been in those," said Romar, who's in the first year of his second stint with Pepperdine. "As I joked in the game with our guys, we've had a lot of practice in these. We've just got to finally figure out the last part, to win it, and the guys did that tonight."

Romar improved to 400-293 in 21 seasons as head coach at Pepperdine, Saint Louis and Washington.

San Diego, which played the last 10 minutes without its second-leading scorer, guard Olin Carter III, had a 61-58 lead when Andrew Ferguson was whistled for a flagrant 1 foul against Edwards. Edwards made both free throws and then was fouled during the ensuing possession and made one of two free throws to tie it at 61.

Tyler Williams made two free throws for the Toreros' last lead before Ross made two free throws and then hit a pretty floater in the lane to give Pepperdine a 65-63 lead with 2:39 to go.

Edwards' brother, Kessler, made a dagger 3-point shot with 1:54 left for a five-point lead and the Toreros couldn't recover.

Kessler Edwards scored 13 points for the Waves (9-9, 2-2 West Coast), who outscored USD 18-10 in the final four minutes.

Ross' previous career high was 25, done several times.

Isaiah Pineiro scored 19, Carter 12, Williams 11 and Finn Sullivan 10 for USD (12-6, 1-2).

Carter suffered an abdominal injury with 10:27 left and the Toreros trailing 47-44. He didn't return. The Toreros were already without guard Isaiah Wright, who has a hairline fracture in his right wrist.

"At times they were having their way with us for a while there when they made their comeback and took the lead," Romar said. "Without him in the game, they're just not used to playing without him. That helped out. But at the same time, I thought our guys were resilient. Even though the assists don't reflect it, I thought we did a good job of sharing the ball, making plays. Our guys stepped up and made plays."

USD fell to 9-1 at home this season under first-year coach Sam Scholl.

"We're not making excuses," Scholl said. "You've got to win. If you're going to be a good team, you've got to be able to play through injury, succeed through injury. ... We had opportunities."

Pepperdine scored the last seven points of the first half, including Kessler Edwards' 3-pointer, to take a 30-26 lead.

BIG PICTURE

Pepperdine: The Waves came in with six players averaging double digits in scoring.

San Diego: The Toreros played their fourth game without Wright, who was hurt Dec. 23 against Drake. USD had a week off since its last game, a 73-64 win against Pacific.

UP NEXT

Pepperdine hosts BYU on Thursday night.

San Diego is at Portland on Thursday night.

A car exploded and caught on fire Saturday evening in a Santee parking, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. in 8900 block of Carlton Hill Boulevard, near the intersection of Mission Gorge Road, sheriff's Sgt. Greg Hampton said.

When deputies arrived, the car was fully engulfed in flames but there was no one in the car, he said.

The sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit was called in to investigate the cause and origin of the fire.

The standstill in Washington has continued to put a strain on government employee families.

One Escondido woman is working to help those affected by the shutdown and aren’t receiving paychecks.

Patti Thompson of Escondido has a stockpile of food in her living room but she wasn't storing away for a rainy day. She was lending a helping hand.

"(There’s) $6,00 worth of food here,” she said. “Actually, I would say about thousand-dollars’ worth of food.”

Thompson has turned her living room into a donation center of sorts for families affected by the government shutdown.

"They don't know what they're going to do,” she said. “How they're going to put food on the table.”

Thompson said one of the first few families to pick up the goods was that of a firefighter.

For those who are used to helping others, it's been difficult to ask for help, she said.

"When I asked them specifically, ‘Would you come back?” Thompson said. “She called me back and she said, ‘It was so hard for us to even come over there.’"

Thompson created a Facebook post Friday night on the Friends of Escondido page asking for donations and offering to help. She said since then, there has been an outpour of support from the community, both from people who came to pick up and drop off donations.

While it’s a small gesture, Thompson hopes it will go a long way.

“It's a huge change of events for people who generally make really good money and now aren't able to support themselves," she said.

A water main break flooded a La Mesa home with inches of water and shut down roads in the area, according to the La Mesa Police Department.

"I was shocked because I didn’t hear or feel anything," said Cori Oluvick, the owner of the home that flooded. "You would have thought that something to this extent, you might have heard it."

Fresno Avenue and Upland Street were closed near their intersection at around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the city.

Heavy water was coming out of the broken six-inch cast iron pipe, LMPD Sgt. Purdy said. The water has since been shut off.

It caused Oluvick's basement to take about three inches of water, Purdy said.

"It flooded down the hill, and into the basement," Oluvick told NBC 7. "We have four to six inches of water in our basement right now."

Oluvick said a large vacuum was being used to suck up most of the water in what will be a lengthy clean up.

"Time to start rebuilding the basement I guess," she said. "It’s a bummer because we just got done with our backyard this summer, so that was a big project, so we’re gonna have to redo that and the basement as well."

The incident left 44 customers without water, according to Helix Water District.

The closure will last for an “unknown duration,” the city said. Though, a small portion of the roadway has been lifted at around 10:30 a.m.

Helix Water District said it could take up to 10 hours to repair.

LMPD and Helix Water District responded to the incident.

More than 130 customers were without power in Escondido Sunday morning after a circuit needed repairs.

Residents near Auto Park Way lost power at around 10:20 a.m., according to San Diego Electric and Gas.

At the time of the outage, 134 customers were affected. By 3 p.m., that number fell to just 2, according to SDG&E’s outage map.

The gas and electric company said the cause of the outage was because equipment needed repairs. Though, the outage was unplanned.

SDG&E said power should be fully restored by 1 p.m. Sunday.

No other information was available.

A man was arrested Sunday morning on suspicion of DUI after a multi-vehicle crash on State Route 125 in Lemon Grove, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP said a blue Nissan was speeding when it hit a white car from behind. The white car then swerved off the road, hit an embankment and flipped over near Troy Street.

The woman driving the white car said she was not hurt, according to CHP.

The man driving the Nissan reportedly tried to leave the scene but his car was too damaged.

CHP officers arrested the man on suspicion of DUI.

The incident occurred just after 11 a.m. Sunday.

One man was seen being arrested after the crash, though officials have not released information on this arrest at this time.

CHP blocked the fourth lane on northbound SR-125.

No other information was available.

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

The San Diego Police Department is looking for two men suspected of robbing a Carmel Mountain jewelry store Saturday night.

One of the suspects had a gun during the heist at Jared on Carmel Mountain Road, police said.

He reportedly told everyone to get on the ground while the other suspect stole the jewelry.

The second man did this by breaking the glass display cases with a hammer, according to SDPD.

The total loss is unknown at this time.

The incident occurred at around 6:25 p.m.

The first man was described by police as a wearing a dark mask, a black hoodie, and light blue jeans with holes in them.

The second man was said to be wearing a dark mask, a black hoodie, and tan pants. He was carrying a duffle bag.

The two suspects were last seen running towards Carmel Mountain Road.

SDPD Robbery Unit is investigating.

More than 400 customers were without power between Chula Vista and El Cajon Sunday afternoon.

San Diego Gas and Electric said the outage began at 2:06 p.m.

The affected areas include La Presa, Spring Valley, Rancho San Diego, Paradise Hills, Skyline, and Bay Terraces, according to SDG&E’s outage map.

The total number of customers without power is 445, the company said.

SDG&E initially said repairs would be completed by 7:30 p.m., but by 4:30 p.m., power had been fully restored. 

The reason for the outage was under investigation, SDG&E said.

No other information was available.

Here’s a preview of what is going on in San Diego sports for the week of January 14^th-20^th.

SEALS: It’s going to be a busy weekend for the Seals. Friday they host the Calgary Roughnecks 7 p.m. at Pechanga Arena before hitting the road to face the Warriors in Vancouver Saturday.

GULLS: The Gulls are in Iowa Monday to start the week before heading back to The Nest. Wednesday they host the Texas Stars before the Bakersfield Condors come to Pechanga Arena Saturday. Puck drops at 7 p.m. both nights.

SOCKERS: The Sockers are at the Stars Friday before heading back home Sunday to host the Express. The match starts 5 p.m. at Pechanga Arena.

MONSTER JAM: Monster Jam heads to Petco Park Saturday. The Pit Party starts at 2:30 p.m., games open at 4:30 p.m. and the event starts at 7 p.m.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO TRITONS:

-MEN’S TENNIS: Friday vs. Nevada (exhibition) 9 a.m. and Saturday vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (scrimmage) 11 a.m. both at the Northview Tennis Courts at UCSD.

-SWIMMING & DIVING: Friday-Sunday at the Bruin Invitional.

-WOMEN’S TENNIS: Friday vs. Nevada 2 p.m. at the Northview Tennis Courts at UCSD.

-MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Friday at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois and Saturday at Loyola-Chicago.

-WOMEN’S WATER POLO: Saturday and Sunday at the UCSB Winter Invite.

-WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Saturday vs. Cal State San Marcos 5:30 p.m. at RIMAC Arena.

-MEN’S BASKETBALL: Saturday vs. Cal State San Marcos 7:30 p.m. at RIMAC Arena.

-FENCING: Sunday at the San Diego Open 9 a.m. at Cathedral Catholic High.

UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO TOREROS:

-WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Thursday vs. Portland 12 p.m. and Saturday vs. Gonzaga 2 p.m. at USD.

-MEN’S BASKETBALL: Thursday at Portland 7 p.m. and Saturday at Saint Mary’s 6 p.m.

-WOMEN’S TENNIS: Friday-Sunday at the Long Beach Invite.

-WOMEN’S SWIM: Friday vs. SDSU 12 p.m. at the Sports Center Pool.

-MEN’S TENNIS: Saturday vs. Utah State 1 p.m. at USD.

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY AZTECS:

-MEN’S BASKETBALL: Tuesday vs. New Mexico 8 p.m. at Viejas Arena.

-WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Wednesday at New Mexico.

-WOMEN’S SWIM: Friday-Sunday at the UCLA Diving Invitational and Friday at San Diego 12 p.m.

-WOMEN’S TRACK: Friday and Saturday at the UCS Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada and Friday and Saturday at the MLK Collegiate Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

-WOMEN’S WATER POLO: Saturday and Sunday at the Rainbow Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii.

-MEN’S TENNIS: Sunday vs. UC Santa Barbara 12 p.m. at the Aztec Tennis Center.

-WOMEN’S TENNIS: Sunday vs. Sacramento State 12 p.m. at the Aztec Tennis Center.

CAL STATE SAN MARCOS COUGARS:

-WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Saturday at UCSD 5:30 p.m.

-MEN’S BASKETBALL: Saturday at UCSD 7:30 p.m.

One person was killed and another critically injured Sunday in wrong-way, head-on collision on southbound Interstate 5, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

The crash happened around 4 p.m. on I-5 at the Civic Center/Front Street exit near the transition to state Route 163, Battalion Chief Rick Ballard said.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene and another was critically injured and being transported to UCSD Medical Center, he said.

The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert around 4:15 p.m. because of the crash. Three lanes of southbound I-5 were blocked.

It was unclear when the lanes will reopen.

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

Miami International Airport's Concourse G will return to normal operations Monday morning.

The airport said that the decision to shut down the terminal was a "precautionary measure due to uncertainties created by the lapse in federal government funding."

Concourse G will close at 1 .pm on Sunday. However, the closure at the terminal will end sooner than expected.

"MIA’s Concourse G will return to normal operations on Monday morning, with the TSA fully staffing the Concourse G checkpoint. MIA and TSA will continue to monitor checkpoint staffing levels and make adjustments as necessary," the airport said in a statement.

MIA said it did not anticipate a significant impact to flight schedules or the overall passenger experience.

The Transportation Security Administration – tasked with guaranteeing U.S. airport security – last week acknowledged an increase in the number of its employees calling off work during the partial government shutdown.

MIA urges travelers to arrive at least two hours ahead of a domestic flight and three hours for an international flight.

TSA employees are expected to work without pay during the shutdown because their jobs are considered essential.

Friday marked the first missed paycheck for about 800,000 federal employees furloughed or working without pay – causing anxiety and frustration for many.

The union representing the United States’ air traffic controllers is suing the Trump administration over pay that has been frozen as part of the partial government shutdown.

A man was struck on Interstate 805 on Sunday night in City Heights as he was running from officers, police said.

The incident started around 8:20 p.m. on southbound I-805 near Interstate 15 when officers tried to pulled the man over for speeding, Officer John Buttle said.

The man pulled over just north of state Route 94, got out of the car and fled on foot and was struck by a car as he was running cross freeway lanes, the officer said.

The man got up and ran across the northbound lanes and through the canyon, he said.

Officers were still looking for the man as of 9:45 p.m. The man was last seen wearing blue jeans, gray sweatshirt and blue underwear, Buttle said.