A young boy embarked on a big task this week, taking to two wheels to bike across the country.

And just as big as this goal are his hopes to help children with cancer.

Nine-year-old CJ Burford tightened his helmet, checked his tire pressure and hit the road in Oceanside Monday on a 73-day journey from California to Saint Augustine, Florida.

“God gave me a dream when I was five,” said CJ. “He told me to ride my bike for him.”

Since then, he’s been asking his parents for the chance to do a long-term trek. At first faced with denials, CJ wore his parents down, and they conceded to short rides.

What started as biking across his home county in North Carolina soon turned into two trips across the state. Over the past two years, he has ridden over 1,000 miles and raised more than $17,000 for charities that help sick children, according to his website.

Now, CJ is cycling 3,000 miles in an effort to raise $100,000 for the National Children’s Cancer Society. He even had “NCCS” cut into his hair.

“So I believe serving others is ultimately serving [God],” said CJ.

He has the full support of his four siblings and his parents, who will be living out of a bus as they follow CJ and his father on the road.

But the conscientious parents aren’t letting their kids fall behind in education, even as they gain life experience.

CJ’s mother, Katie, will be home schooling the kids over the semester, so the young cyclist will be slipping in some homework as he takes breaks to eat and sleep.

“I'm just a tad overwhelmed at the moment. Excited for him. It's going to be fun,” said Katie.

Once he’s finished with this trek, CJ’s next goal is another cross-country journey – this time across the north end of the country.

Residents in Carmel Valley called 911 Monday evening as they watched a hot air balloon unexpectedly descend on their neighborhood.

San Diego Fire crews responded to the scene in the 13800 block of Carmel Valley Road just before 8 p.m.

But when they got there, the balloon had landed safely.

No riders were hurt in the incident, and firefighters cleared the area soon after.

Neighbor A.K. Jung took to Twitter to show what was happening.

A hot air balloon crash-landed into a wall across the street from us, not where it should be. #firstworldproblems pic.twitter.com/XUCU6FwJFH

— A.K. Jung (@BeerandBurley) September 2, 2014

Patrick McAllorum didn't just capture pictures of an explosive situation. He felt the blast.

"There was a huge explosion, and the whole place rocked," explained McAllorum. "I said 'What the heck was that?'"

That explosion was a 24-foot inboard/outboard motor boat blowing up as the boat’s owner shifted gears from reverse to forward in Ocean Pines, Maryland.

According to investigators, all five people on board survived with injuries.

Vacationing Escondido residents Dawn Van Deursen, 49, and Larry McPherson, 57, were two of the five passengers on board the vessel Sunday.

Their neighbors told NBC 7 they are thankful the two escaped alive.

“Wow! I heard about it,” said Theresa Murguia while looking at pictures of the flames. “I didn’t realize it was our neighbors. That’s a scary thing. I’m glad everyone is OK.”

Natural Resources Police are calling McPherson and Van Deursen lucky, considering they were sitting right above where the boat blew up.

"They took the brunt of the explosion themselves,” said Natural Resources Police public information officer Candy Thomson.

She said both were thrown to the deck of the boat and managed to climb over the side, into the water.

Bystanders then helped to pull them off the shore and out of the flames.

Thomson says McPherson suffered broken ribs.

Both he, Van Deursen and a third patient were airlifted to a Baltimore hospital for burns to their arms and legs.

What caused the boat to explode as it pulled away from the dock is still under investigation. Authorities say at this time, it seems the owner Neil Edwards did everything right.

An American Airlines flight headed for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday immediately returned to Los Angeles International Airport after the cockpit windshield cracked.

Flight 2448 landed at LAX without incident and passengers boarded another plane for the trip to DFW.

The flight landed about 9:15 p.m., several hours later than originally planned.

"We were flying for about 20 minutes, and we just heard an announcement that the windshield cracked. The captain said in all his years of flying, he had never seen anything like it and that the safest thing to do was to turn around and go back to L.A.,"said passenger Mark Denesuk.

A photo from passenger Glenn Kagan showed a series of cracks that covered the entire left side of the windshield in the cockpit of the Boeing 757.

"The captain and the crew were incredible. They were absolutely calm at all times. Never raised their voice. Never put fear in anybody. And the old adage is true, calm is contagious," said passenger Arthur Underman.

American Airlines spokesman Paul Flanagan said there were no injuries and the cause of the damage wasn't immediately known.

A sexual assault was reported Monday by a woman who attended an off-campus party near San Diego State University.

The woman was at a house party at College Place and College Avenue when the incident occurred just after midnight on Labor Day, police said.

The victim says she was separated from her friends and a man said he would help her find them but instead, the man escorted her to a bathroom where he sexually assaulted her, officers said.

The woman was able to get away from the man, officials said.

The San Diego Police Sex Crimes unit has launched an investigation.

They are looking for a suspect described as a 6-foot 7-inches tall, weighing approximately 200 pounds with a fit build and wearing a gray, long sleeved shirt.

Anyone with information can call (619) 531-2000 to contact SDPD or (619) 594-1991 to contact SDSU police.

Catching the suspect who has been preying on women walking alone in North Park would be a reward in itself, but San Diego Crime Stoppers is adding incentive with a $15,000 reward.

Crime Stoppers is partnering with Mark Arabo, president of the Neighborhood Market Association, to offer the bounty for information leading to the arrest of the suspect they call the “North Park creep.”

The unknown man -- or men -- has been tied to six attacks since June. In each case, at least one suspect targets a woman walking alone, jumps her from behind, knocks her to the ground and takes off.

The seemingly random series has led to concerned community meetings, increased police patrols and even a band of masked would-be vigilantes. Still, no suspect has been caught.

“Our city has a moral obligation to the public to ensure their safety and security,” said Arabo in a statement. “We must not spare any expense to protect our city's women. The least we can guarantee them is their ability to walk our streets safely.”

He is also calling upon the San Diego City Council to match the $15,000 pledge.

On Friday night, police released pictures of a person of interest who was seen near the latest attack on Aug. 28.

In that case, the victim was walking alone in an alley near Lincoln Avenue and Idaho Street around 11:30 p.m. when she was knocked to the ground and punched in the face. She lost consciousness before she was taken to the hospital.

The first attack in the series was reported on June 11, when a woman was thrown to the ground by an attacker on 33rd Street, according to the SDPD.

On June 17, police say two suspects were involved in an attack in the 3200 block of Meade Avenue. Four days later, a victim told police two men again attempted to assault her and pull off her clothes on Lincoln Avenue.

A woman was attacked from behind and knocked unconscious on June 24 while walking along Lincoln Avenue near Oregon Street.

On July 20, another woman was knocked unconscious while walking near Lincoln Avenue and Kansas Street around 1:20 a.m.

Two women robbed a San Diego gas station Monday wearing T-shirts with another gas station company’s logo, police said.

Daya Singh has owned the Valero Gas Station on Euclid Avenue for five years and said he’s never seen anything like this.

Around 6 a.m. Monday, two women asked to borrow a gas can from the clerk at his store.

When the clerk opened the door to hand over the gas can, the suspects rushed in and one aimed a gun at the clerk. San Diego police investigators said the second suspect carried a taser.

Surveillance cameras captured the women standing near the store clerks as they collected cash from the register. Some of the cash was rolled coins.

Singh said the women were in the store for approximately 15 minutes but may have been casing the gas station hours earlier.

San Diego police describe the suspects as approximately 40 years old and 25 years old. Officials said both were wearing clothing with the Union 76 logo.

Singh said one woman appeared to weigh more than 200 pounds.

The women left the store on foot, officials said.

No one was hurt and Singh said he feels very fortunate about that.

“My cashier’s safe. We’re all safe. Money comes and go,” Singh said.

However, he urged anyone with information to call police.

“We need to catch those ladies and put them behind jail so they don’t make trouble for somebody else,” he said.

Anyone with information regarding this robbery can call San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

A woman who was sexually assaulted as she slept claims the attack was payback from an angry, evicted roommate.

The 25-year-old victim, who wished to be identified only as Isabel, told NBC 7 she woke up Sunday around 3 a.m. to a man standing over her bed and touching her.

“I was very scared,” said Isabel. “I was feeling in that moment that my life was in danger. Even, I was thinking I will die. This guy will kill me or rape me.”

Terrified, she screamed to try to reach someone, causing the suspect to flee.

The man left her Hancock Street apartment the way he came in: through the front door, which Isabel said was locked. He also had to get through a security gate that requires a code.

Just 12 hours before the attack, Isabel said she evicted the roommate she had taken in for six weeks as a favor to a neighbor. The woman had refused to leave, so Isabel served her with a restraining order and an eviction notice.

The woman left Saturday afternoon with a key to Isabel's place. The victim believes her intruder was revenge.

“I think she was so mad and she was so upset that she sent this guy to hurt me,” said Isabel, “because no one else had the key to this place. Just her.”

She describes her attacker as a man in his 20s with a muscular build, standing 5-foot-7-inches. Sunday morning, he was wearing a blue polo shirt, grey or denim shorts and white tennis shoes.

Out of fear, the victim has changed all her locks. She has also requested to move to a different unit in the apartment complex to avoid another potential assault.

“He can do anything; you don’t know. He can have a knife or a gun,” said Isabel. “He can hit me with something. He can kill me in that moment in my own place, my own room. It’s very scary.”

Crews were working Tuesday morning to repair a water main break in Escondido.

The extensive excavation of the break has reduced El Norte Parkway and Valley Parkway to one lane in both directions.

Crews expect the thoroughfare to be down to one lane throughout the day and into the evening and are advising drivers to avoid the area, especially during rush hour.

Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team, is scheduled to undergo a physical exam with the Dallas Cowboys and could join the Cowboys' practice squad, according to NFL.com.

Sam was released Saturday by the St. Louis Rams, who drafted the defensive end in the seventh round of this year's NFL Draft.

Sam, who was named 2013 SEC defensive player of the year at Missouri, led the Rams with six tackles in last week's preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins and had 2.5 sacks in the preseason.

Sam is expected to be in Dallas on Wednesday, and if he passes the physical, he would be added to the team's practice squad, NFL.com reported, citing a team source.

Dr. Kent Brantly, the American doctor who contracted Ebola while working with relief organization Samaritan's Purse in Liberia, told NBC in an exclusive interview that he felt like he was about to die when he was isolated in a Liberian hospital.

"I said to the nurse who was taking care of me, 'I'm sick. I have no reserve. And I don't know how long I can keep this up,'" the Fort Worth doctor told Matt Lauer in Asheville, North Carolina, where his family has been living in seclusion since he left an Atlanta hospital almost two weeks ago.

A portion of the interview, Brantly's first ever, was airing Tuesday on "Nightly News," and another portion will air Wednesday morning on the "Today" show. The full report will air in an hour-long NBC News primetime special on Friday.

"I said, 'I don't know how you're going to breathe for me when I quit breathing,'" Brantly recalled telling the nurse in Liberia. "'Cause that was the reality. I thought, 'I— I'm not gonna be able to continue breathing this way.' And they had no way to breathe for me if I had to quit breathing."

Brantly's wife Amber, who lived with her husband and children in Liberia, and the doctors who treated him at Emory University Hospital have also spoken with Lauer, and NBC News cameras had exclusive access to the isolation room where Brantly was treated.

Amber described to Lauer how scared she had felt when she found out her husband had contracted Ebola.

"I knew what was coming," she said. "I knew how it ends. I knew how everyone had ended up so far."

Brantly was flown out of Liberia a month ago after contracting Ebola in July. He was isolated and spent three weeks being treated at Emory University Hospital before he was declared cured and discharged on what he called "a miraculous day."

Aid worker Nancy Writebol, 59, was also flown to Emory Hospital for treatment in early August and was quietly released several days before Brantly, also cured of the potentially deadly disease.

On Tuesday, NBC News reported another American missionary doctor has tested positive for Ebola, the aid group SIM USA said. The doctor was treating obstetric patients at ELWA hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, though not in the hospital’s isolation unit, NBC News reported.

PG&E was hit Tuesday with $1.4 billion in penalties by the California Public Utilities Commission  for safety violations related to the 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno.

The new fines and penalties bring the total amount Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has been ordered to pay in the wake of the explosion -- which killed eight people and injured 66 others on Sept. 9, 2010 -- to more than $2 billion.

The CPUC said the figure reached by two administrative law judges over the San Bruno pipeline explosion reflected nearly 3,800 violations of state and federal law, regulations and standards by PG&E in the operation of its gas pipelines.

The penalty is meant to ``send a strong message to PG&E, and all other pipeline operators, that they must comply with mandated federal and state pipeline safety requirements, or face severe consequences,'' Timothy J. Sullivan, one of the two judges, wrote in the order.

The largest share -- $950 million -- of the penalty is a fine to be paid directly to the state. That amount drew objections from city officials in San Bruno, the utility and a private ratepayers-advocacy group that the overall penalty should be focused on spending for the safe operation of the aging pipeline network.

``We are accountable and fully accept that a penalty is appropriate,'' the utility said in a statement.

Asked whether PG&E would appeal, utility spokesman Greg Snapper said, ``We're reviewing the decision and believe that any penalty should go toward pipeline safety.''

The recommended penalty requires approval by members of the state utility board. PG&E and other parties in the case have 30 days to lodge an appeal.

The commission previously ordered PG&E to pay $635 million for pipeline modernization in the wake of the Sept. 9, 2010, blast in the suburb of San Francisco. The explosion destroyed more than three dozen homes and was California's deadliest utility disaster in decades.

The blast occurred when a 30-inch natural-gas transmission line installed in 1956 ruptured. At the time, survivors described the heat of the blast burning the back of their necks like a blowtorch as they ran away.

The $1.4 billion penalty also includes $400 million for pipeline improvements, and about $50 million to enhance pipeline safety. PG&E cannot recover any of the money from customers, including the earlier $635 million penalty, although a ratepayers' group called The Utility Reform Network maintained PG&E could raise rates in other rate cases to indirectly offset the penalty.

Sending $950 million to the state's general fund, with no strings attached, means it could be spent in any way the governor and Legislature see fit, said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance.

The public utility commission staff recommended in July that the utility pay at least $300 million in fines.

San Bruno city officials were just beginning to study Tuesday's decision but on first read believed the overall judgment fell short of what was needed to ensure PG&E upgraded pipeline safety as much as necessary, city manager Connie Jackson said.

San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane commends the record-setting penalty but said he is disappointed the decision does not include independent oversight to ensure the CPUC and PG&E Follow through on pipeline safety plans.

“We need a revamping,” Ruane said. “We’ve asked for an independent monitor to any future actions by the PUC and the utility – any utility – and a pipeline safety trust who in some way is overseeing that and implementing safer pipeline regulations going forward. So, it’s a very unfortunate situation.”

The mayor said the city is also upset the majority of the fine is going to the state’s general fund.

“This reflects, if you will, a payday for Gov. Jerry Brown, when we believe this money should be directed instead to a safer pipeline system,” Ruane said. “I call on the governor to see that these funds are reinvested for pipeline safety.”

The penalty was historic in terms of financial charges levied against utilities on safety violations, said Britt Strottman, a lawyer for San Bruno. However, ``a lot of the utilities do not cause the same amount of devastation and destruction that was a result of the PG&E explosion in San Bruno,'' Strottman said.

A 2011 investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board concluded the rupture occurred in a weak weld in a pipeline that PG&E records had shown as being smooth and unwelded. Among other safety failings, PG&E let 95 minutes go by before shutting off the natural gas that was fueling the fire, the federal investigators said.

That same 2011 federal investigation also faulted what it called the California Public Utilities Commission's weak oversight of the utility, which serves customers in the northern two-thirds of California.

The San Bruno blast prompted congressional hearings on pipeline safety and recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and other government bodies that utilities intensify their oversight of decades-old natural gas lines.

This year, federal prosecutors separately indicted PG&E on 27 counts alleging the utility violated pipeline safety requirements.

PG&E faces additional fines of more than $1 billion if convicted of the federal charges, which are separate from the state financial penalties. PG&E has pleaded not guilty to the counts.

Separately, PG&E was hit with about 160 lawsuits from people who lost family members, suffered injuries or had property damage.   

Bay City News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A 74-year-old man was convicted Tuesday of the serial murders of three women who were strangled to death and dumped in alleys in the Los Angeles area in the 1980s.

The third murder occurred almost exactly a quarter of a century ago today.

Samuel Little, who was in his late 40s when the crimes occurred, is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jurors deliberated for about two hours before reaching the verdict.

Semen and other DNA from the victims' clothing matched Little's DNA profile so closely that, for at least two pieces of evidence, the chance of a random match was one in 450 quintillion, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman told jurors, according to City News Service.

He was accused of murdering three women between 1987 and 1989, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.

A jury of seven women and five men deliberated just two hours before finding Little guilty of the first-degree murders of Carol Alford, 41, on or about July 13, 1987; Audrey Nelson, 35, on or about Aug. 14, 1989; and Guadalupe Apodaca, 46, on or about Sept. 3, 1989.

In April 2012, LAPD detectives were notified that a DNA match was obtained identifying Little as the suspect in Nelson’s murder. DNA matches also came back on the other two victims tying Little to their murders. All three victims were strangled to death.

Little's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Michael Pentz, questioned the evidence, and challenged the prosecutor's insistence that DNA proved his client's guilt, according to CNS.

Pentz told jurors that the DNA results would show "that Mr. Little had nothing to do with the homicides."

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said the victims were troubled and had lost their way. Drugs and prostitution made them vulnerable and easy targets for Little.

A grand jury indicted Little in April 2013 of the three murders with the special circumstance of multiple murders. Prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty.

Little returns to court on Sept. 25 for sentencing.

The CEO of a catering company used by Qualcomm Stadium and the San Diego Convention Center has resigned after video surfaced showing him kicking a dog.

Desmond Hague, CEO of Centerplate, has resigned the company announced Tuesday describing the controversy that erupted after the video was made public as a "very unusual and unfortunate set of circumstances.”.

Surveillance video taken inside a hotel elevator in Vancouver, B.C., shows a man kicking a small dog and yanking hard at its collar.

At one point, the video shoes him jerking so hard that he lifts the puppy off the ground by its neck.

The man was later identified as Hague. 

Initially, the company announced that Hague would seek counseling. The former CEO also apologized for his actions.

However, animal rights activists and animal lovers around the world continued to pressure the company to take action and organizations to boycott the catering company. 

In the official release Tuesday, the board of directors mentioned this pressure as a deciding factor in the mmanagement change.

"Their voices helped us to frame our deliberations," said chairman Joe O’Donnell.

The company's COO Chris Verros has been appointed to the role of acting president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Hague has resigned from Centerplate, according to a statement from the company on Tuesday.

Chris Verros has been appointed acting president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.

"We want to reiterate that we do not condone nor would we ever overlook the abuse of animals," Joe O'Donnell, chairman of the board of directors for Centerplate, said in a statement.

"Following an extended review of the incident involving Mr. Hague, I'd like to apologize for the distress that this situation has caused to so many; but also thank our employees, clients and guests who expressed their feelings about this incident. Their voices helped us to frame our deliberations during this very unusual and unfortunate set of circumstances."

Global News reports that the local SPCA got ahold of the video and is actively investigating. The officers reportedly found the dog in a crate surrounded by its own urine.

"I take full responsibility for my actions," Hague said in a statement to Global News. "This incident is completely and utterly out of character and I am ashamed and deeply embarrassed."

A natural gas leak forced a La Jolla road to close and residents to evacuate Tuesday morning.

A contractor struck a 1-inch gas line around 11 a.m. Tuesday in the 6200 block of La Jolla Boulevard, according to officials.

La Jolla Boulevard was shut down one block north of Mesa Way. An apartment complex and three nearby homes were evacuated.

The street reopened and residents were allowed to return home around noon after San Diego Gas and Electric capped the leak.

Thieves have tried everything from hauling away ATMs to using sledgehammers but in Solana Beach Tuesday two thieves tried a torch to get to the cash.

Two men in hoodies were burning their way into the ATM outside the Chase Bank on Loma Santa Fe Drive around 2:30 a.m. when the alarm was triggered.

As San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived, the men ran to a nearby black pickup truck and sped away.

Deputies pursued the truck until it pulled over at the Carl’s Jr. restaurant on Solana Hills Drive. The two men inside jumped out of the truck and ran off.

Deputies called in police dogs to help in the search but it appears the would-be thieves escaped.

Officials say the truck was reported stolen from a location off of Briarwood.

There also may be limited images or video of the attempted theft because the men used spray painted over the ATM’s surveillance camera.

In March, thieves cut power to a Chevron Station in Encinitas and carried off the ATM.

In many cases, thieves will break through a storefront, tie a rope the ATM and use a vehicle to pull it out. The entire theft can take just a few minutes.

The Chase Bank is located near the Solana Beach Town Center west of Interstate 5.

North Park residents, visitors and business owners are expressing feelings of fear and frustration after a sixth attack in the area since June.

The latest assault was reported Thursday, August 28 around 11:30 p.m. near Lincoln Avenue and Idaho Street. Police say the woman was knocked to the ground and punched in the face.

Reynita Banaban lives just feet from where that latest attack was reported. She says her apartment manager now makes it mandatory for tenants to close the gate.

“Our manager wants us to close it every night now because we're all women here, and it's a scary feeling you know,” she told NBC 7.

Banaban says bargoers often park in her area, which is just a few blocks away from the popular University Avenue bar scene. She warns some of them about the attacks.

“A lot of them park over here and they run. They're not as safe as they used to feel like you know,” she said. “I don’t even want to come out no more after 8 p.m.”

Since the violence started, businesses have stepped up like Bar Pink. Staff members are offering to walk late-night customers to their cars. Other bars like True North and West Coast Tavern say they escort their female employees to their vehicles after work.

Defensive end Leslie O’Neal is the newest member of the Chargers Hall of Fame.

The team’s all-time sacks leader with 105 1/2, O’Neal was selected as the 37th member of the hall. His induction will take place at halftime of the Chargers’ Oct. 19 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“This is really a great honor,” said O’Neal. “It’s been so many years since I played and to be honored by going into the Hall of Fame with guys like Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow and Charlie Joiner.”

O’Neal was named to six Pro Bowl teams, including four straight seasons. He led the team in sacks every year from 1990-95. He finished his career with 595 tackles and 18 forced fumbles.

Those numbers would have been even more impressive if he hadn’t missed nearly two full seasons with a knee injury in 1986. But he came back to win the league’s comeback player of the year award in 1989.

O’Neal was the Chargers’ eighth overall pick in the 1986 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State.

A car landed on top of another car during an accident Tuesday along the Embarcadero.

Despite the dramatic scene, no one was seriously injured, according to officials.

The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of Harbor Drive, near where the Star of India is docked.

Aerial pictures showed a silver car wedged underneath a white car. A third vehicle was also involved in the crash.

Harbor Police say a Mercedes made a left-hand turn into the path of two oncoming vehicles.

Six people were treated for minor scratches and bruises, according to police. Officials say a toddler was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Police do not believe drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. At this time, they do not expect to file charges.

Crews had the scene cleared by 7:20 p.m.