Thieves have stolen $200,000 worth of rescue equipment from a closed fire station in San Bernardino California.

They broke into a secured conex box where the gear was being stored outside of the shut-down building at Mill Street and Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino Fire Department said Friday.

The pinched gear was "frontline technical rescue equipment", according to a tweet from the department. The station used to be used for rescue technology but closed due to budget cuts. 

Officials said the lock was tamper-proof and someone would have to know what they were doing to get it open.

It is unknown when the equipment was actually stolen. The theft was noticed today when crews were going to get the equipment to use during a training class Friday.

A Massachusetts man and noted comic book artist has gone missing while snorkeling with his wife in Grand Cayman Islands.

According to police in Grand Cayman, Norman Lee of Weymouth was snorkeling with his wife, Jan, when he vanished Thursday morning.

Journalist Joe Avary with Cayman 27 tells NECN authorities have stopped their active search and that Jan has now left the island. Boaters have been advised to keep an eye out on the waters.

Lee is well known in the comic book world and works primarily as an inker. He has worked on such publications as "The Avengers" and "X-Men."

"He's worked on some of the best stuff in the country, on some of the best artists," said Mike Alexandropoulos, a friend of Lee. "Great person, fantastic friend."

Investigators in Grand Cayman say Jan made it back to the beach, but Norman did not.

Volunteer divers have been searching in strong currents near the Reef Resort hotel, but so far, they have turned up no sign.

Much of Lee's art can be seen inside comic books on sale at comic book shops everywhere.

"He's contributed quite a bit," said Jake Johnston, who works at The Hall of Comics in Southborough.

Lee's agent, Bob Shaw, tells NECN he believes this was Lee's first vacation in 10 years.

Avary says Jan has given her final statement to police and has left the island.

Police are asking for the public's help in identifying those who may be involved in the shooting of a man while he admired his first snowfall.

Ahmed Adnan Ibrahim Al-Jumaili, 36, was shot and killed Wednesday night as he enjoyed his first snowfall, less than three weeks after he moved to Dallas from Iraq.

Witnesses saw as many as four male suspects in their late teens or early 20s enter the gate of the apartment community on foot, Dallas Police Department's Maj. Jeff Cotner said Friday. Dallas police released a security camera video they believe shows the group of four.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case. Tipsters can remain anonymous and should call 214-373-TIPS (8477). Tipsters can also contact Detective Montenegro with the Dallas Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 214-671-3624, and refer to case number 49093-2015.

A man suspected of being behind the wheel of a car that fatally struck a 4-year-old Southern California girl and drove off was arrested after he surrendered at a police station, officials said Saturday.

Shant Badleean, 55, of Glendale was accompanied by his family when he turned himself in at the Glendale Police Department, said Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.

Badleean was booked on a felony hit-and-run charge, police said. His bail was set at $50,000.

The news came as family and friends held a candlelight vigil for Violeta Khachaturyan. A moment of silence was held for her about 7:30 p.m. to coincide with the announcement by police.

Loved ones prayed, sang and burned incense - Armenian traditions when someone dies.

"I believe she is in heaven playing with the angels right now,” said said neighbor Mases Allhiveirdia.

Khachaturyan was struck about 4:55 p.m. Friday when she ran into the street after her mother, police said. She was hit by a sedan and sent flying into a parked vehicle while the car drove away.

The light-colored sedan was traveling west in the 1200 block of East Wilson at the time of the collision, according to a statement released by the Glendale police Saturday.

“Yesterday we didn't know what color the car was and today we hear something that no one ever thought we would in this short period of time. So of course it's definitely a satisfying feeling from the family,” said Arshak Bareghamyan, a family friend.

Neighbors left flowers, candles and stuffed animals at a makeshift memorial in Glendale in honor of the little girl.

"It's a parent’s worst nightmare, we feel for them and if there's anything that we can do to help them out, we're more than willing to," said Karla Mnatsakanyan, who did not know the family but showed up to the vigil to lend her support.

The Glendale Police Officers Association was accepting donations on behalf of the Khachaturyan family. Checks can be made out to "GPOA Cops for Kids" and should indicate that the donation is for the family. Anyone with questions about donating can call 818-246-9053.

"This tragic event weighs heavy on the hearts of all our police and fire personnel who were involved in the response and treatment of little Violeta," Chief Robert Castro said.

NBC4's Asher Klein and Jane Yamamoto contributed to this report.

A member of the Syracuse University Women's Track and Field team was found dead Saturday in a Times Square hotel, police and university officials said.

Sabrina Cammock, a 21-year-old senior from Queens, was discovered unconscious at about 9:20 a.m. in a bed at the Edison Hotel on West 47th Street, police said.

Emergency Medical Services responders pronounced her dead at the scene.

There were no signs of trauma and the Medical Examiner's Office would be determining the cause of death, investigators said.

Cammock was a sprinter on the track team and majoring in public health, said university Dean of Student Affairs Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz.

"It is a painful time for our entire campus community whenever we are faced with a tragedy such as this," she wrote in a letter to students, faculty and staff. "We mourn as a campus community with all those whose lives Sabrina touched."

Spring break at the university officially begins Sunday. Class sessions resume on March 16.  

Hundreds of loved ones, fellow officers and community members gathered at a North Philadelphia church Sunday morning to remember fallen hero Officer Robert Wilson III who was killed during a robbery at a GameStop nearby.

The mass was held at St. Martin De Porres Church on Lehigh Ave.

Rev. Stephen Thorne gave a heartfelt eulogy praising Officer Wilson and urging his community to come together and stop the violence. 

He says even though he didn't know Wilson, his slaying impacts everyone.

"So caring, so nice of a person," said Wilson's neighbor Nicole Armstrong. "A wonderful father who always had his kids. Always, always. He's really going to be truly missed."

The 30-year-old father of two was killed during a robbery at a GameStop at Hope Plaza Shopping Center last Thursday.

Wilson was in full uniform when brothers Carlton Hipps, 30, and Ramone Williams, 26, entered the store and announced the robbery, subsiquently sparking a "fierce and violent" gunbattle that ended with the officer being shot in the head and killed, said Homicide Captain Darrell Clark.

"They were both firing at him," said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. "He was actually being hit during the exchange of gunfire but he continued to fight, continued to shoot until the fatal wound was fired and it brought him down."

Wilson is being hailed a hero and is credited for saving the lives of customers and store employees, according to Ramsey.

"Everyone in the GameStop family will always remember Officer Wilson for his sacrifice while defending our staff and customers in the North Philadelphia GameStop store. The Company is thankful that due to the brave actions of Officer Wilson and the Philadelphia Police Department, all of our employees and customers are safe and unharmed," the store said in a news release Sunday.

Williams and Hipps are charged with his murder.

A peace rally will also be held Sunday beginning at noon at 22nd St. and Lehigh Ave., the same location where Wilson was murdered.

A man was arrested after barricading himself inside a motel room in El Cajon Sunday morning.

The standoff began at the Villa Serena Motel on the 700 block of El Cajon Boulevard around 6 a.m., according to El Cajon Police Department.

The man barricaded himself inside a room while officers tried to negotiate with him. Police evacuated everyone inside. At around 6:45 a.m., officers were able to go inside the room, taser the man and arrest him. He was seen being placed inside an ambulance.

The scene was cleared at about 7 a.m.

It's not clear why the man barricaded himself inside the motel room.

The first patients were moved into the new Scripps Health Hospital's Prebys Cardiovascular Institute in La Jolla on Sunday.

Lydia Johnson of Spring Valley was the first patient to make the move from Scripps Memorial La Jolla Hospital to the adjacent $456 million facility. The heart care institute is being called the most advanced of its kind on the West Coast.

The hospital will tend to four times the number of patients and conduct four times the number of procedures than any other cardiovascular institute in the region, according to Scripps Health President and CEO Chris Van Gorder.

The hospital combines the latest diagnostic and treatment technology and includes special features such as floor to ceiling windows. The added natural light and view from her new room is an added bonus for 75-year-old Johnson.

"When I came in of course, everyone pointed out the window, from ceiling to the floor, which is fantastic," she said. "It lets in a lot of light, and I'm an outdoors type of person so the outside means a lot to me."

The hospital says it has gathered physicians, experts, and staff from the Scripps hospital system to work togeter in the new facility.

The facility will be open 24 hours, seven days a week.

The Coronado Police Department is warning residents of two people who robbed a home after posing as utility pole technicians.

An 86-year-old woman opened the front door of her Alameda Boulvevard home on Tuesday, March 3 for a man who claimed to be a utility pole technician. He asked the woman if he could go through her home to the back yard to check the lines on a utility pole. He told the woman he had a female supervisor who would be assisting, according to Coronado PD.

While woman inside the home did not allow the man inside, she directed him to a side gate where she said they could meet.

At the gate, a woman introduced herself as the supervisor and told the victim her partner went down the street to check the other line of the utility pole. The woman then distracted the resident with casual conversation all while talking into a hand held radio or phone, Coronado PD said.

The next day, the victim noticed several pieces of jewelry missing from her dining room and bedroom.

The male suspect is described to be short, 21 to 25 years old, with no facial hair.

His partner is described as a short, 25 to 30 years old woman with a clear complexion. They were last seen in a white car.

Although the suspects never said they were from San Diego Gas and Electric, police said they used professional terms that implied they were professional utility pole technicians. The suspects repeatedly asked the woman if she was alone, according to police.

If you have any doubts someone is posing as a SDG&E technician, the company offers these tips:

- Make sure the person in question is wearing a SDG&E uniform.
- Ask them to show you an SDG&E company identification card, especially if you didn't request service or was not expecting a visit from a technician.
- Make sure they arrived in a SDG&E company vehicle.
- Never leave the house if asked; SDG&E doesn't ask customers to leave homes unattended.

While the company does often hires contractors to conduct smart meter work, those contractors will never ask customers to leave their home, SDG&E said.

If you suspect an imposter, you can call SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343 to see if there is work currently being done in your area. If you believe the person is acting suspicious, you're asked to call the Coronado Police Department at (619) 522-7350.

Former President Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea Clinton stopped in South Florida for a community service project in Liberty City on Sunday.

The Clinton Global Initiative partnered with the Miami Children's initiative to help repair parts of Liberty City's "impact zone."

Their mission is to create a community-based network that develops, coordinates, and provides quality education, accessible health care, youth development programs, opportunities for employment, and safe neighborhoods for the residents of Liberty City, according to a news release.

Volunteers were up early painting murals, doors and park benches.

"Oh my goodness, I’m almost in tears with the president and Chelsea Clinton being in this community," said Cecilia Gutierrez from the Miami Children's initiative.

Residents and volunteers snapped selfies with the former President. He later helped paint a basketball court at Charles R. Drew Elementary.

"It is significant. It means that this work that we are doing in Liberty City got the attention of someone who is so powerful, so significant in our history, in our culture, in our nation, internationally. That says a lot about what we’re doing," Gutierrez said.

The Miami Children’s Initiative will continue to repair the city with more community service projects.

After scouring the seemingly endless combinations of colorful bricks lining the shelves of the Lego store in Midtown Manhattan, Flynn Deady knows what he wants.

The 6-year-old has set his sights on a 77-piece box to construct a miniature Empire State Building. When it comes time to purchase the $21.99 set, it will be young Flynn picking up the tab.  

“I think it’s important for him to know what to do with the money he has,” Jeff Deady, Flynn’s father, said. 

While he's only in kindergarten, Flynn has a bank account seeded with $700 from his father and grandmother.  The boy will shyly tell those who ask that he wants to spend his savings on Legos, though his dad is hoping to use the account to teach his son valuable money lessons.

He's not alone. 

Following years of recession and financial turmoil, a push has emerged to increase financial literacy in the classroom and at home for children, before they have to face decisions about student loans, retirement savings, salaries and credit.

Magazines, video games and books urging frank discussions about finances at a young age have hit the market. Forty-three states now include personal finance as part as their educational standards, up from 36 a decade ago, according to the Council for Economic Education Survey of the States for 2014. One 2013 survey by a mutual fund found that nearly three-quarters of parents talk regularly with their children about money.

“We need to end the epidemic of silence in families,” said columnist Ron Lieber, whose new book “The Opposite of Spoiled" encourages parents to speak more freely with their kids about finances. 

Lieber, a columnist for the “Your Money” section of The New York Times, told NBC Owned Television Stations his 9-year-old daughter asks about money all the time, and he is more than happy to answer her questions. 

While it's not yet clear how much of an impact the early money education will have on children's finances as they grow up, there are no shortage of available resources.

Jean Chatzky, financial editor of the "Today" show, doles out money advice to young savers through Your $: Financial Literacy For Kids, a new monthly magazine for fourth, fifth and sixth graders designed to teach students how to use and save their money.

The magazine is distributed to 2 million students in schools and available for free online for teachers. It covers topics like the cost of owning a dog, Bitcoin and using mobile phones for purchases.

“Today money is invisible,” Chatzky told NBC Owned TV Stations. “It is important to get kids to understand that it is real. When I was a kid, I put my money in the bank and I could see it growing. That was inspiring. Today, because of higher interest rates, you put your money in the bank and nothing happens.”

Some major banks are also getting in on the early money education trend. At the beginning of February, Visa partnered with Michigan Treasurer Kevin Clinton, the nonprofit Jump$tart Coalition and Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron to expand a free educational video game statewide. “Financial Football” is designed to teach students about personal finances with sport-themed fun.

Citibank, meanwhile, is working with schools and organizations to expand its own financial literacy workshops. The financial institution has invested $75,000 for workshops at Perspective Charter Schools in Chicago.

Greg Lowe, development officer at Perspective Charter Schools, says the workshops, which teach students how to conduct a cost-benefit analysis for a college education and how to maintain a good credit rating, fill a “huge need” for the school system.

“High school students just don’t have those experiences,” Lowe said.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has put his own money into giving young kids a financial boost, launching an animated series called "The Secret Millionaires Club" that aims to teach financial decision-making and business entrepreneurship for children 7 to 14.

Not all parents believe discussions about money, long taboo in society, should start at such a young age.

Joanna and Julian Watkins, on vacation in New York from England, said they aren't making hands-on finance experience a priority for their 8-year-old son Nicholas. They also believe such instruction should come from the home, not the classroom, at such an age.

“It’s a personal choice for the parents," Joanna Watkins said. "We are getting into how to have an allowance at the moment, although he isn’t saving any money yet. Everything in there is our doing.”

It's not yet clear how helpful such programs will be in the long run. Some studies show that finance classes do not provide any real skill set for managing money. One study published in “Management Science” found that "even large interventions with many hours of instruction have negligible effects on behavior" less than 2 years down the road.

Another study compared the financial health of students who graduated both 15 years before and 15 years after financial literacy education was mandated in all 43 states. They found no difference.

But the researchers, including Shawn Cole, a professor of finance at Harvard Business School, did find that students in states that required them to take additional math classes managed their money better, especially when it came to home equity and investments. He believes that emotions might get in the way of financial decisions without key math skills.

Cole told NBC that with his own kids, ages 4 and 6, he talks about money a little but spends more time on teaching them math.

“It might be time to get them bank accounts though,” he said.

A memorial in La Mesa honoring veterans from the Vietnam War was left in pieces after thieves tried to make off with some plaques.

On Friday, organizers from the Heartland Youth For Decency found the memorial tampered with after installing a new bench in the same park where the memorial is located. They noticed one of the plaques was pried off from the botton left side, while another plaque was barely hanging on by one bolt.

The plaques hold 74 names of military members who died in the Vietnam War and who were from La Mesa, the Heartland area, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley and Lakeside.

"They gave the ultimate sacrifice and to dishonor them in that way, there's no amount of words," Oresta Johnson from the Heartland Youth for Decency said.

This is not the first time the memorial has been vandalized. Two years ago, thousands of dollars worth of bronze plaques were stolen. The monument was renovated just last year.

The monument is located right next to the American Legion on University Avenue in La Mesa. Organizers plan to increase security in the area and said they will have the plaques back up by next week. No suspect or suspects have been found.

One person was hurt and at least one other person was arrested in a crash that caused a truck to go up in flames in North Park Saturday night.

The two vehicle crash happened on the southbound lanes of Interstate 805 at the Adams Avenue exit shortly after 11 p.m.

One person was arrested for suspiscion of driving under the influence, while another person was taken to Mercy Hospital, according to California Highway Patrol.

Marvel won't be presenting at Hall H for this year's Comic-Con fans, according to the social post of one Hollywood movie director.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn was asked Saturday if he would be in San Diego for the annual convention of pop culture in a few months.

He posted the following in the Facebook chat: "I'm not sure. Marvel isn't going so I'm not sure I will either."

What? No Marvel?

Bloggers jumped on the statement that appears to hint that Marvel Studios - not Marvel as a whole - will skip the July event at the San Diego Convention Center.

For Comic-Con veterans, Marvel Studios is always a big draw for fans who queue up to see stars of upcoming movies.

This year, it was expected to return with its annual entourage of big celebrity names to promote the upcoming movies "Avengers:Age of Ultron" and "Ant Man."

Marvel's longest running super hero team the "Fantastic Four" will be featured in the upcoming movie from 20th Century Fox.

NBC 7 has reached out to Comic-Con 2015 organizers for comment.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A security sweep of four San Diego-area schools found no evidence of a threat, one principal confirmed Monday.

On Friday, the San Diego Unified School District received an email to a generic district account that suggested a bomb was placed at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, Lewis Middle School, Lincoln High School and Magnolia Science Academy.

The schools were placed on lockdown. No device was found and no one was injured.

All four schools that were named were searched before classes Monday morning as a precaution. Nothing was found.

School police, the SDPD and the FBI are still investigating who sent in the anonymous bomb threat.

Two 20-something tourists from California were arrested in the Italian capital, Rome, on Saturday for allegedly engraving their initials into the ancient Colosseum and posing for a selfie, Italian media reported.

The women allegedly left their tour group and used a coin to engrave the letters J and N some 3-inches high into the walls of the ancient World Heritage site, La Stampa newspaper reported. Then they took a selfie. Buzzfeed's web address for the story was titled "idiots abroad."

Where they were from in California was not immediately known.

Police charged the women with “aggravated damage on a building of historical and artistic interest” after angry tourists spotted them, according to Republica.

“We apologize for what we did,” the pair reportedly said. “We regret it, but we did not imagine it was something so serious. We’ll remember for a lifetime.” 

Temperatures will climb this week, creating a warmup that will give San Diegans a reason to celebrate the change in season.

“It will feel like spring today and then it’s going to feel like summer,” said NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh.

The weekend could see temperatures in the 80s along the San Diego beaches and in the 90s inland.

"We are seeing those temperatures creep up," Kodesh said.

Don't expect to see the sun for a few days. An onshore flow will bring a marine layer with gradual clearing along the coast and inland before the warming trend begins on Friday.

A woman is dead after she was killed by a hit-and-run driver driving an SUV Saturday night in Lemon Grove.

San Diego County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the 2400 block of Massachusetts Avenue shortly before 8 p.m. after receiving multiple calls about a woman seen lying on the street, bleeding. When deputies arrived, they found the woman and attempted CPR, but she died at the scene.

The driver has been identified as 46-year-old Guillermo Alvarado-Soler. He initially fled the scene but returned about an hour later. He was arrested for felony hit-and-run. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor, deputies said.

Witnesses said they saw the SUV speed down the street. The driver's SUV has been towed.

The victim was a woman in her 20s who was out jogging at the time of the accident, according to deputies. Her name has not been released by officials.

By Sunday morning, a makeshift memorial made of flowers and candles were placed at the corner where the accident happened.

One man was hospitalized Monday after a fight involving more than a dozen people outside a Spring Valley restaurant.

Two men confronted a group of approximately 10 to 15 men around 3 a.m. outside Sarita’s Taco Shop on Campo Road near Bonita Street north of State Route 94.

One of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed another man in the stomach, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputies.

The two men then ran and were picked up by a silver two-door sedan, deputies said.

A man who identified himself as a cousin of the victim said he wasn’t aware anyone was injured until he saw the blood on the ground.

“They shot three or four times at us with a gun. We just ducked and left the car alone,” the man said.

At least three rounds were fired behind the restaurant but officials say they don’t know who fired those shots or If anyone was hit.

No arrests have been made.
 

Former New York Jets running back Chris Johnson was wounded in a drive-by shooting while sitting in a jeep at an Orlando intersection early Sunday, authorities said.

The driver of the jeep was killed in the shooting and another passenger was wounded.

Johnson, 29, and passenger Reggie Johnson were both shot in the shoulder while their vehicle stopped at a traffic light.

Both were in stable condition at a hospital Sunday. A person close to Johnson confirmed it was the running back who was involved. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on Johnson's behalf.

Sheriff's deputies said another vehicle pulled up to the Jeep the men were in and opened fire. The Jeep's driver, Dreekius Oricko Johnson, was killed.

Deputies said no arrests had been made, and investigators were seeking witnesses to the shooting.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris and everyone impacted by this tragic event," the Jets said in a statement.

The shooting adds some uncertainty to Johnson's playing career. Though he is expected to fully recover, Johnson, who will be 30 in September, is still officially on the Jets' roster but is due to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday, when the NFL's new league year begins. The Jets cut ties with Johnson on Feb. 14, when they declined to exercise their contract option on him -- meaning he will be free to sign with another team.

He was signed to a two-year, $8 million deal by the Jets last April, after six years with the Tennessee Titans, to provide a versatile presence in the backfield. But, he had his worst statistical season while splitting time with Chris Ivory. He ran for 663 yards -- his first season under 1,000 -- and one touchdown, while catching a career-low 24 passes for 151 yards and a score.

Johnson also rarely resembled the dynamic player with game-changing speed who ran for 2,006 yards in 2009, earning him his "CJ2K" nickname while with the Titans. He rushed for 100 yards just once last season, when he had 105 on 17 carries, including a 47-yard scamper, against Miami last December.

While it likely didn't play a major role in the Jets' decision to part ways, Johnson also was arrested in Orlando in January on a misdemeanor weapons charge.