Students at an Illinois high school played the ultimate senior prank when they put their school up for sale on Craiglist.

A group of graduating seniors at Sandwich High School in Sandwich, Ill., located southwest of Chicago, placed an advertisement on Craigslist for their school with an asking price of $2,015 -- for the year they graduate.

The students have not been identified yet, but Principal Thomas Sodaro says all the students are laughing about it in the hallways.

"If this is the worst we had for a senior prank, this is a pretty good year," Sodaro said.

The advertisement lists underclassmen in the package deal along with two gymnasiums, two locker rooms, two hallways and 30-plus rooms. It also lists a "spacious but outdated lunch room," 10 bathrooms (most without doors) and a "fully functioning trailer park out back."

Despite the slight stabs at the school, Sodaro said he found the description humorous. He doesn't know which students placed the ad, but he said he probably won't go looking for them.

"I thought it was actually pretty clever," Sodaro said. "We have pretty good kids."

All lanes of westbound Interstate 80 at Madison Avenue in Sacramento have reopened after a wrong-way crash killed three people early Tuesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A driver in a Ford F-150 was headed east in the westbound lanes of traffic about 12:30 a.m. near Watt Avenue when the truck slammed into a Lexus sedan, officials told NBC affiliate KCRA.

Two CHP officers headed in the opposite direction told KCRA that they saw the crash and then witnessed the F-150 burst into flames.

The truck's driver and two people in the Lexus were killed, the CHP said.

This is the third deadly wrong-way crash in the past three months in the Sacramento region.

Over a three-year period, wrong-way drivers caused nearly 100 collisions along Sacramento County roadways, many of them serious, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A new proposal could conserve 176 acres of land and provide new access to open space in Carlsbad near the strawberry fields.

Environmental advocates, community leaders, board members from the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation and President of Carlsbad Strawberry Company Jimmy Ukegawa introduced a plan for a 203 acre section of land on the south shore of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon by Interstate 5. 

“Through this process we have learned that Carlsbad wants new access to open space, preservation of its beloved strawberry farming and additional ways to enjoy Carlsbad. Our Agua Hedionda 85/15 Plan will accomplish all of these goals, while preserving and protecting the lagoon, coastal habitat and agriculture,” said Rick Caruso, CEO and founder of Caruso Affiliated.

The Agua Hedonda 85/15 Plan would protect and expand strawberry field farming in the area and open up new low-impact nature trails in addition to picnic areas with lagoon views and an outdoor classroom.

If approved, the project would not cost taxpayers any money. Revenue from the project and from private sources would fund every aspect of the proposal, including its improvement, restoration, operation and maintenance.

The proposal would provide filtration systems and environmentally friendly design safeguards for the lagoon and the wildlife there.

The project would also create a pedestrian-friendly, open-air dining and entertainment promenade on 26 acres of that land once the conserved open space is improved.

Caruso Affiliated said it would collect signatures on behalf of the effort and present them to the City Council for consideration in the coming months.

A 26-year-old man is receiving emergency treatment after he was bitten by a rattlesnake in the Dulzura area.

Crews airlifted the man from the 2200 block of Lucky Six Trail at about 2:45 p.m.

It's unclear why he was in that area. His condition is not known at this time.

A brand-new baby hippopotamus was born at the San Diego Zoo is a girl, San Diego Zoo officials announced.

Nearly two months after the baby hippo was born, zoo staff have determined the hippo is a girl and has been named Devi. 

Mother Funani has been protective of her baby and has kept her tucked into the vegetation growing along the edge of the hippo pool, where she would use her body to shield the baby. 

Keepers estimate Devi already weighs between 90 and 100 pounds. 

San Diego Zoo Global spokeswoman Jenny Mehlow said this is the fifth calf raised by Funani at the San Diego Zoo. The 30-year-old mother has birthed 11 calves since 1989. Her mate is Otis, an adult male hippo brought to the San Diego Zoo from the Los Angeles Zoo in 2009 specifically to breed with her.

People looking to spot the mom and her child at the zoo can see her at the hippo pool on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Devi's father Otis is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Last March, Funani gave birth to another baby hippo. Sadly, that calf died just days after its birth.
The San Diego Zoo says the river hippopotamus is a threatened species.

Primary threats to hippos are illegal and unregulated hunting, for meat and the ivory found in the canine teeth, and habitat loss, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Hippos can still be found in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The zoo’s first hippopotamus was born at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago in July 1935 and arrived in San Diego in August 1936, becoming the first hippo to be exhibited by a zoo on the West Coast, according to the zoo website.

In 1940, hippos Rube and Ruby arrived in San Diego from the Calcutta Zoo in India. Together, the pair had 11 offspring, helping the exhibit grow. Ruby and Rube died in 1982 and 1988, respectively.
 

A 39-year-old man has been indicted on a murder charge for allegedly beating a 22-year-old college student to death in the backyard of a New Jersey home last year, authorities said Tuesday.

Prosecutors have said the victim, William McCaw, a Tennessee resident who attended Kean University, did not know his attacker, allegedly Timothy Puskas, when he was bludgeoned to death outside a New Brunswick home on Feb. 15, 2014.

Prosecutors have not elaborated on what allegedly happened between Puskas and McCaw before the the fatal confrontation beyond to say the men appeared to be strangers.

They said McCaw attended Rutgers University before he went to Kean and returned to the Scarlet Knights' New Brunswick campus from time to time to visit friends he made while enrolled there. Authorities believe he attended a fraternity party before he was killed.

Puskas was arrested more than a month after McCaw was pronounced dead in the yard, the victim of what the medical examiner later determined to be blunt force trauma. McCaw had no connection to the people who lived in the home, and it is not clear where he was attacked, authorities have said.

In addition to murder, the five-count indictment charges Puskas with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and two counts of hindering his apprehension or prosecution.

In an effort to retain talented women, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus will unveil a proposal Wednesday that calls for doubling the amount of paid maternity leave that sailors and Marines can take to 12 weeks.

Mabus will detail the proposal during a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, according to a senior Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to disclose the proposal ahead of the official announcement.

Extending paid paternity leave would require legislative approval, which if Congress agrees to, would ultimately be extended to members of all military branches. There were more than 200,000 active-duty women in the military as of January, according to the Defense Department. It wasn't immediately clear how much Mabus' proposal would cost, but Navy officials believe it's a wise investment because women in the early part of their careers in that service are retained at half the rate as men.

To help keep top performers, the Navy wants to become more family friendly. As part of Mabus' proposals, child care hours around the world would be extended each day by two hours in the morning and two hours each evening.

For those who want to take time off to raise a family or to take a step away to keep from burning out, Mabus wants as many as 400 slots available for people to take up to three years off from service before returning to duty. Those who are part of the program would be expected to provide two years of service for each year they take off. Mabus also wants more sailors and Marines to go to civilian graduate schools full time and for other higher performing officers to be embedded at top corporations for about two years, the official said.

Mabus also plans to voice his support for opening all jobs - including special forces - to women, as long as standards are the same for each gender, the official said.

By January, the military must open all combat jobs to women or explain why any must remain closed. The Pentagon lifted its ban on women in combat jobs in 2012, but gave the military services time to gradually and systematically integrate women into the male-only front-line positions.

Special operations jobs are some of the last to be addressed, as commanders review the qualifications needed and assess the impact of bringing women in.

Other proposals Mabus wants to implement include improving physical fitness by expanding gym hours and providing more nutritional meals on shore and at sea. Mabus also wants the Navy and Marines to focus more on the overall health of their sailors and Marines instead of numeric metrics when measuring body fat. Some physically fit, muscular sailors and Marines weren't meeting the required standards because of their body shapes.

Two rural fire districts will soon become part of the San Diego County Fire Authority – a move sanctioned the day after a grand jury report found multiple back country agencies are not working with the central organization.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to start the steps needed to bring the San Diego Rural and Pine Valley fire protection districts under the Fire Authority’s umbrella.

The agencies have filed applications to dissolve and transfer fire coverage to the county, handing over their assets and liabilities. Officials say that transition should be finished by the end of 2015.

The supervisors’ decision follows the release of a grand jury report that looked at fire protection in the back country. The grand jury found 13 of the county’s 28 agencies have not joined the Fire Authority, though they do have mutual aid agreements with the county. Those 13 districts make up 22 percent of the county’s unincorporated area, or 500,000 acres.

The report also states there are “islands” within San Diego County not covered by any fire agency.

The Fire Authority was created after San Diego’s massive fires in 2003 and 2007. Learning from missteps during those firestorms, county leaders wanted a central organization to support rural fire agencies and cover areas that had limited or part-time protection.

The grand jury found that since the Fire Authority’s inception, “San Diego County significantly increased its ability to fight fires in the backcountry.” Aiding in that effort is the county’s contract with CalFire to provide more services, equipment and aerial assets.

Still, there is more work to do, according to the report. If the 13 unincorporated agencies consolidate under the Fire Authority, the grand jury says their ground and air attacks on blazes could be better coordinated, they could get the same training, and they would have access to the right equipment – regardless of funds.

The report also recommends offering special services -- such as vehicle maintenance, business services and contracting – to encourage other agencies to join the Fire Authority.

Read the full report here: 

Wednesday marks the anniversary of an anxious, heartbreaking week when brush fires destroyed dozens of homes in several North County communities.
 
Accidents, arson and windblown embers all were to blame.

This year's fire season only figures to be more combustible, given the continuing effects of a nonstop drought.

The events that unfolded over a three-day span starting May 13, 2104 erupted first in a Rancho Bernardo subdivision under construction, when a backhoe hit large rocks.

That sent sparks flying into some dry brush nearby, and within minutes flames went racing up steep, brushy hillsides toward neighborhoods on the summit.

Fire agencies swarmed to the scene from all over — some finding themselves delayed getting into gated communities and confronted with narrow, winding roads leading to cul-de-sacs.

Streets were snarled with the traffic of escaping homeowners.

While leading edges of fire took a turn south into SantaLuz, offshoots headed toward Rancho Penasquitos and Carmel Valley.

Quick work by firefighters and efficient aerial attacks turned the advances aside and kept property damage to a minimum.

Firefighters praised proactive homeowners in those communities for creating "defensible space" buffers to keep flames from reaching their properties.

But the following days brought more winds, flare-ups and new outbreaks through North County, engulfing neighborhoods in Carlsbad, San Marcos, Escondido and Harmony Grove.

"At one point it was going in one direction, and kind of flipped over,” San Marcos resident Stacy Thorne told NBC 7 in an interview Tuesday. “ So it was pretty dramatic as it was happening … I'll never forget my backyard full of smoke."

Now residents are casting a wary eye at the browning hillsides and wondering what may come their way during this fire season.

"You know, we're on a restricted watering schedule, so our yards are pretty dry as it is, “ said Carmel Valley resident Becky Klunk. "We live very close to the valley, where it's extremely dry. There are migrant camps in that area, so we wonder what's going on down there, if there's any fires that they start."

Because so much brush and foliage is drier this year, firefighters warn that whatever ignites in brush-surrounded neighborhoods and urban canyons this year is expected to burn hotter, sooner  and move much faster.

“It's making us acquire more resources, more aircraft, more fuel to handle what in years past might have been handled on a first-alarm basis,” said Asst. Chief Brian Fennessey, who took command of the Rancho Bernardo response efforts for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Since then, ironically, scores of new homes have popped up on the mesas overlooking the valley where that blaze began — providing more potential targets for whatever fires might materialize there in the future.
 

Patrick Murphy, a former congressman from Pennsylvania’s 8th District and an Iraq War veteran, was on board Amtrak train 188 when it derailed in suburban northeast Philadelphia en route to New York City, killing at least five people, and injuring dozens of others.

Murphy, who is also an anchor on MSNBC's "Taking the Hill," told fellow MSNBC anchor Lawrence O’Donnell that he was in the train’s café car when the train derailed. Murphy’s train car flipped over, careening off the rails and onto its side.

Murphy was thrown against the window and his shoulder collided with another passenger. He said it the train was immediately filled with dust, and that “people were crying and screaming.”

“It wobbled at first and then went off the tracks,” Murphy said. “There were some pretty banged-up people. One guy next to me was passed out.”

A few people were injured to the point where they could not move, and one person was carted out of the train.

Murphy said he helped passengers escape his car by kicking out the window in the top of the train car and helping get fellow passengers “promptly evacuate.” The doors of the train were inaccessible because the train car was on its side, Murphy said.

Murphy said emergency personnel arrived at the scene within eight to nine minutes after the derailment. A number of off-duty Philadelphia emergency personnel responded to the scene from their homes nearby, Murphy said.

The Northeast Regional train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members from Washington, D.C., to New York City Tuesday night when it derailed.

The city of San Diego disagrees with a federal judge’s ruling that there were enough questions about the officer-involved shooting of Victor Ortega to warrant a trial, according to court documents.

In recently filed documents with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the city said San Diego Police Officer Jonathan McCarthy’s life was in "imminent serious physical harm” when he shot Ortega in June 2012.

The recent filing is the latest in the case Ortega’s wife, Shakina Ortega, filed after her husband was killed three years ago.

A federal judge ruled late last year there were enough questions about the shooting to warrant a trial. The lawsuit is now in the hands of the appellate court where the city wants the case dismissed.

But the family of the 31-year-old man still believes it was a bad shooting.

“He (McCarthy) committed a murder,” Shakina told NBC 7 Investigates. “I believe from the facts that I had from being in the case and knowing all the facts from point ‘A’ to ‘B,’ he (McCarthy) is guilty and he needs to go to jail.”

In the lawsuit, the Ortega family is claiming, among other things, that her husband's civil rights were violated.

Ortega was shot and killed after a foot pursuit with Officer McCarthy that ended in an apartment breezeway south of Mira Mesa Boulevard. Ortega's wife called 911 and reported her husband had punched and kicked her.

After a brief chase, Ortega and Officer McCarthy fought in the breezeway and then shots were fired. Ortega was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no witnesses to the shooting of the unarmed father of two, but according to court documents, people did see Officer McCarthy and Ortega engage in a struggle right before shots were fired.

After reviewing police reports, depositions and other evidence, Federal Judge Larry Burns said Officer McCarthy’s statements were inconsistent and denied the city’s request to throw out the lawsuit.

In a November 2013, Judge Burns said in a court filing, “a jury may believe that Officer McCarthy acted with an impermissible intent to harm Victor rather than to protect himself.”

Click here to read more of the Judge’s comments.

According to April court documents filed as part of its appeal, the city of San Diego is arguing, “the evidence discrediting the police officer must convince a reasonable factfinder that the officer acted unreasonably, not the mere fact the officer made an inconsistent statement.”

Click here to read the city’s appeal.

The city also said, “the district court comingled a group of insignificant discrepancies in witness statements to conclude a dispute existed about what transpired during (Victor) Ortega’s final seconds.”

The family's attorney Christina Denning said there is too much proof that contradicts any claims of self-defense.

“When combined with the fact that the trajectory of the bullet was pointing downward, meaning Victor was in a submissive position, three or more feet away from the shooter, it shows that, was this really self-defense? That is questionable,” Denning said.

Attorneys for the city of San Diego have repeatedly argued “McCarthy believed he was in imminent serious physical danger.”

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis cleared Officer McCarthy of wrongdoing in April 2013 and said the shooting was justified.

Ortega’s widow has an entirely differently perspective.

“I am not going to let it go,” she said. “I lost my husband. I am going to do whatever I have to do to see that he gets justice. He did not deserve to die.”

NBC 7 Investigates is working for you. If you have more information about this or other story tips, contact us: (619) 578-0393, NBC7Investigates@nbcuni.com. To receive the latest NBC 7 Investigates stories, subscribe to our newsletter.
 

San Diego Superior Court is the second largest court in San Diego and one of the hardest hit in terms of budget cuts.

State court officials say civil caseloads for judges have doubled (even though filings are down), staff numbers have dropped 25 percent and ten judges are working without staff altogether.

A group of 1,444 people in California, 147 of which are from San Diego, have been identified as people who may be worsening these problems. They’re known as “vexatious litigants.”

A vexatious litigant is defined by the Judicial Branch of California as:

• Someone who has filed at least five litigations (other than in a small claims court) during a seven-year period that (i) finally determined adversely to the person or (ii) unjustifiably permitted to remain pending at least two years without having been brought to trial or hearing.
• Someone who repeatedly re-litigates or attempt to harass someone.
• Someone who repeatedly files unmeritorious motions, pleadings or other papers that are frivolous or solely intended to cause unnecessary delay.
• Someone who has previously been declared to be a vexatious litigant by any state or federal court of record in any action or proceeding based on similar facts.

“If there are cases that are clogging up our court system that are without merit, not only will the court have to delay with those, but in dealing with your case, the one that does have merit, there will be inevitable delay,” defense attorney Eric Dietz said. “The legislature determined it was in the public’s interest to not allow these claims to be filed by vexatious litigants unless they do a prefiling.”

San Diego resident Alfred Banks was designated a vexatious litigant in 1993. He’s remained on the list ever since and says he’s locked out of the U.S. judicial system.

“There are so many people like [me] here who don’t have voice,” said Banks.

Banks claims he was wrongly put on the vexatious litigant list. He’s been trying to remove himself from it but has been unsuccessful. He has filed 16 lawsuits and says they are all legitimate.

“When they put you on that black list, you don’t have no justice in any duration of this country. You are not part of this society,” he said.

Civil litigator Steve Arnold does not represent Banks. He believes the vexatious litigant system works the majority of the time. However, he is concerned about a few people, including Banks, who he says can be wrongly victimized by the stigma.

“I would like to see…some independent judicial counsel group go over members on the vexatious list to re-determine, especially if it’s been ten or twenty years, if they should be on the list,” said Arnold.

In regards to Banks' case, the Judicial Council of California says it cannot comment on specific cases.

For California’s full list of vexatious litigants, click here.

NBC 7 Investigates is working for you. If you have more information about this or other story tips, contact us: (619) 578-0393, NBC7Investigates@nbcuni.com. To receive the latest NBC 7 Investigates stories, subscribe to our newsletter.

A Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton was onboard a helicopter that went missing while aiding earthquake relief operations in Nepal, according to his family.

Sgt. James Hibler, a crew chief from Arlington, Texas, was among six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers on the UH-1Y Huey, his brother Jonathan Hibler told the NBC affiliate in Dallas.

Eric Seaman, a Murrieta Marine, was also on the copter, according to KNBC in Los Angeles.

The helicopter was helping with disaster relief near Charikot -- one of the villages hardest hit by Tuesday's magnitude 7.3 earthquake -- when it lost communication at about 9 a.m. PT. No distress call went out.

Jonathan got a call from Hibler's recruiter, asking if the family had heard from the missing Marine.

"And he has told me that one of their helicopters had gone down over in Nepal, and they only have two helicopters over there from their unit, so immediately I was concerned," said Jonathan.

Officials told him a fuel problem may have contributed to the copter's problems, he said. A Pentagon spokesperson told NBC News that military leaders are hopeful the helicopter has landed safely and is out of communication.

Whatever the problem, Jonathan was hopeful the crew's training would get them through safely. A U.S. defense official told NBC News that the Marines have a GPS device, a radio, a satellite phone and an emergency beacon, though the difficult terrain may render their equipment ineffective.

The Marine in Jonathan is staying positive.

"I would expect the same from [Hibler] if it had happened to me over in Iraq when I was there. Just doing it for my brother," Jonathan said.

The UH-1Y Huey is part of a Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, which is part of the 3rd Marine Air Wing based at Camp Pendleton. It's not clear where Hibler's fellow Marines on the helicopter are based because they are currently attached to a different command.

Joint Task Force 505 is aiding search and rescue efforts, resuming operations when light broke Wednesday morning. Nepalese Army soldiers are searching for the missing crew on foot.

Frankford Junction, the scene of Tuesday night’s deadly derailment of Amtrak Regional 188, has seen devastation before.

On Labor Day, 71 years ago the Congressional Limited careened off the tracks with 541 passengers on board including many service members on leave. Seventy-nine passengers were killed and 117 were injured in one of the worst rail disasters of its day.

The new high-speed electric train was traveling the same route on Sept. 6, 1943 as Amtrak 188 — Washington D.C. to New York. It was packed with passengers and an extra, older dining car was added to deal with the capacity, according to the National Railway Historical Society's Lancaster Chapter. The addition brought the car total to 16. The ride had been smooth, reports said, until it passed North Philadelphia station at Broad Street.

A part of the wheels, the junction box, on that older car began to overheat and spark. Then, right before the curve, the axle fell off and derailed eight cars. The dining car, carrying 50 people, went careening into a steel gantry and sliced clear through killing many in the car. Some passengers were thrown from windows while others were trapped inside cars.

Bell Graham lived nearby and described the scene to The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1993. She heard passengers screaming “on and on.”

"The crash, my God, it was awful,” she told the paper. “It was a sad day."

Coronado police have arrested a man in connection with several hot prowl burglaries that occured on May 8, including one incident where surveillance footage captured a suspect trying to break into a home. 

Roberto Adame II, 23, was arrested around 3 a.m. Tuesday morning as he tried to cross the border into the United States from Mexico. Detectives matched fingerprints left a the crime scenes to Adame. Officials were also able to recover some stolen property.

Adame will be charged with two counts of felony burglary and one count of attempted burglary. He was taken to San Diego Central Jail with a bail set at $500,000.

Police say the man successfully sneaked into two homes early Friday morning while residents slept.

He was spotted on surveillance video casing a home in the 200 block of E Avenue at about 5:30 a.m., checking windows and using a cellphone flashlight to peek inside. Finding an unlocked window, the suspect got in and grabbed cash, a laptop, a tablet and sunglasses.

He then walked right out the front door, leaving it wide open.

Police say he immediately went around the corner, to the 900 block of Second Street. He broke into a home there through an unlocked patio door and stole cellphones and cash.

The residents woke up to find their possessions shuffled around, so they called police.

Coronado police says if you would like an officer to come to your home for a free security check, call the Crime Prevention Unit at 619-522-7370.

Officials are asking for the public’s help in finding suspects that police say burglarized a home while the residents attended a funeral for a family member. San Diego Crime Stoppers are offering a $1,000 reward.

On April 9, a house on the 6900 block of Wheatley Street in San Diego was burglarized between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., police said. 

The residents had gone to attend a funeral for a family member that recently passed away.

When they returned home, they found their home ransacked and more than $30,000 in jewelry, family heirlooms, electronics and school text books had been stolen.

During their investigation, officials found surveillance video from stores where the stolen credit cards had been used.

Police believe the suspects in the surveillance footage above committed the crime. Anyone with information on the identity or location of the suspects is asked to call the SDPD’s Western Division at (619) 692-4800 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.

Parents, students and community leaders are urging Santee city leaders to put in a stop sign, a stop light or at the very least a "right turn only" sign at a West Hills High School intersection -- the site of a deadly crash.

Student Ryan Willweber, 17, died when his car was T-boned as he tried to turn left out of the campus and onto Mast Boulevard. His brother Cory, another student, was seriously injured in the crash.

On Tuesday, students told NBC 7 they think something should be done about the intersection, which they say is dangerous.

"I think it's a mixture of it both being fast traffic, and then you have everybody leaving all at the same time from three different parking lots," said senior Chris Drogan.

Mayor Randy Voepel, who asked for an additional city traffic study following an NBC 7 report about prior accidents in the area, said he wants to hear from the public on this issue.

"Right now, we are in the 'listening and learning' phase of the decision making process," Voepel said. "There are three wheels turning on this right now: our city traffic engineers' examination of the best approach, the sheriff's traffic investigation and what does the public want."

Parent Joanne Huber said she hopes the city will put a traffic signal or stop sign in front of the high school. She said she complained frequently to the city about the area when her son was a West Hills High School student.

"The city traffic engineers have been aware of the traffic concerns at West Hills HS for at least the last eight years," Huber wrote in an email to NBC 7. "Unfortunately, nothing has happened to correct the intersection traffic hazard since then."

Robin Ballarin, the principal of West Hills High, gave her support to a possible change, as long as it makes sense for the school. She said the left-hand turn in and out of the campus can be "quite harrowing." 

"The district is corresponding with the city of Santee on what a traffic solution would be," she told NBC 7. "I support a right-hand turn sign as long as I understand what the impact on traffic and safety would be -- that it would be a positive step."

Voepel said the public has a chance to weigh in on this topic Wednesday night at Santee City Hall on 10601 North Magnolia Avenue at 7 p.m.

Meantime, one student said she's noticed that drivers on Mast Boulevard have finally slowed down.

"It's sad to see that someone has to ... die for people to realize that they need to use caution as they drive," said Chelsea, a junior at West Hills High School.

NOTE: Those trying to contact passengers on the train should call the Amtrak Hotline at 1-800-523-9101.

At least five people were killed and over 140 people hurt after an Amtrak train, carrying 238 passengers and five crew members, derailed and rolled onto its side in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia Tuesday night, according to officials.

All seven cars of Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 derailed and came off the tracks near Frankford Junction on the 2000 block of Wheatsheaf Lane shortly after 9 p.m., officials said. The train was heading to New York from Washington, DC and had six passenger cars as well as an engine.

"All of a sudden it felt like the brakes were hit hard and then our car," said Michael Black, one of the passengers. "We were third from the last, just slowly started going over to the side. I tried to just brace my arm against it and then just got off."

Daniel Hernandez, who lives close to the tracks, heard the derailment.

"It sounded like a bunch of shopping carts crashing into each other," he said.

Hernandez says the crashing sound lasted a few seconds and he heard chaos and screaming.

Mayor Michael Nutter confirmed at least five people were killed in the derailment during a news conference late Tuesday.

"This was an absolute disastrous mess," Nutter said. "I have never seen anything like it in my life. Many of these folks are not from Philadelphia."

Nutter, who said the incident was a "Level 3 mass casualty event," did not speak on a possible cause.

"We do not know what happened here," he said. "We're not going to try to speculate about that."

Governor Tom Wolf arrived at the scene and spoke with Mayor Nutter during another press conference shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday. Wolf said his thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the crash and all those affected.

Officials have not yet revealed the identity of the deceased victims.

"I've never seen anything so devastating," said Philadelphia Fire Department Deputy Commissioner Jesse Wilson. "They're in pretty bad shape. You can see that they're completely, completely derailed from the track. They've been destroyed completely. The aluminum shell has been destroyed and they've been overturned completely."

Officials say over 140 people were hospitalized and at least six of them are in critical condition. Victims were taken to Temple University Hospital, Aria Health-Frankford, Hahnemann University Hospital and the Albert Einstein Medical Center.

Jefferson University Hospital treated 26 patients, the majority of which had minor injuries, according to a spokesperson.

A spokesperson at Temple University Hospital says they treated at least 36 people who are in various conditions.

An Aria Health spokeswoman says 26 patients were treated at its Frankford location while 50 were brought to its Torresdale hospital.

Hahnemann University Hospital treated about 25 patients with mostly minor injuries and a few traumas according to a spokesman.

Finally, Albert Einstein Medical Center treated 10 patients.

The incident required a 4-alarm response, including 120 firefighters and 200 police officers. An emergency response staging area was established at Frankford and Castor streets.

Officials say they don't believe the incident was an act of terror and preliminary information indicates it was an accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a go-team to investigate the derailment. Members of that team arrived early wednesday morning. NTSB investigator Mike Flanigon is leading the team as investigator-in-charge. NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt is accompanying the team and will serve as the main spokesman during the on-scene phase of the investigation.

The derailment occurred at almost the exact same location of another deadly derailment 71 years ago. On Sept. 6, 1943, a Congressional Limited careened off the tracks with 541 passengers on-board, including many service members on leave. Seventy-nine passengers were killed and 117 were injured.

Accounts From Passengers

Yameen Allworld, a Philadelphia music producer who has worked with the Roots, was on the train and posted a video on Instagram. In the video passengers could be heard crying and crawling through the sideways car.

Janelle Richards, a producer for NBC Nightly News, was another passenger on the train. Richards says she heard a loud crash around 9:20 p.m. She also said people flew up in the air and there was a lot of "jerking back and forth" and "a lot of smoke."

Patrick Murphy, a former congressman from Pennsylvania's 8th District and Iraq War veteran was in the cafe car when the train crashed.

"It wobbled at first and then went off the tracks," Murphy said. "There were some pretty banged-up people. One guy next to me was passed out. We kicked out the window in the top of the train car and helped get everyone out."

Max Helfman, 19, of Watchung, New Jersey was on the train with his mother when the crash occurred. Helfman says they were in the last car of the train when they suddenly felt it shake. The car then flipped over.

"People were thrown to the ground," Helfman said. "Chairs inside the train became unscrewed and suitcases were falling on people. My mother flew into me and I literally had to catch her. People were bleeding from their head. It was awful."

Helfman says he saw smoke after the car flipped over.

"We were worried it may explode so we tried to get people out of the car," he said.

Helfman says he helped some of the passengers squeeze through a door that was slightly open. Responding police officers then helped them through a back door.

After getting off the train, Helfman and his mother boarded a bus that traveled to Webster Elementary.

"I'm scratched and may have a concussion," he said. "At this point it's hard to tell." 

Jeff Kutler, a passenger traveling from Washington, D.C. to his home in New York was riding in the quiet car when he realized something was wrong.

"It started tipping to the right and after a couple seconds, maybe it was half a secong, I realized there was nothing good going to happen here, this train is tipping over," Kutler said.

U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) was also on the train though he disembarked at the Wilmington, Delaware station about 40 miles south from where the train derailed.

"I am grateful to be home safe and sound in Wilmington, and my heart goes out to all those on the train tonight," Carper said. "I hope all of those that are injured recover quickly, and I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers."

Suspended Service

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor service between New York and Philadelphia is suspended. SEPTA regional rail service is also suspended until further notice on the Trenton Regional Rail line due to the accident. A SEPTA official said it's likely the Trenton Line will be suspended throughout the day Wednesday and possibly through the remainder of the work week.

Service was restored on the Chestnut Hill West line just after 5 a.m. SEPTA officials said passengers of that line should expect delays.

SEPTA officials said additional train cars would be added along the West Trenton line to accommodate Trenton Line passengers looking for an alternate service. Passengers are also encouraged to use the Market/Frankford line as an alternate.

Several passengers were left stranded at 30th Street Station due to the deadly derailment and the subsequent cancellations.

This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.

Officials have confirmed a body has been found in the rubble of a fire that broke out at a home in Alpine. 

Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a potentially intoxicated man yelling at the home when 911 callers indicated the house was on fire. 

The landlord identified the man as Daryl King, a man in his 50s.

The fire broke out shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday on the 1400 block of Marshall Road. Firefighters put out the fire at the single story family home. 

Inside, they discovered a body. The medical examiner's office is working to determine the victim's manner and cause of death.

The Alpine Fire Department, sheriff’s officials and SDG&E workers responded to the fire.