A man who admitted to brutally killing and chopping up the body of his mother four years ago was sane at the time of the murder, a San Diego County jury found Thursday.

The remains of Sherry Chu Chang, 60, were found in her Solana Beach home in January 2010.

Homicide investigators discovered one of the victims' arms in the refrigerator and a piece of her skull in a drawer in the home on Santa Florencia. Her body had 75 wounds delivered by a hammer, officials said.

When her son, Bryan Chang, was arrested at his home in Los Angeles two days after the killing, investigators say he still had blood in his ear and under his fingernails and toenails.

Chang, now 33, pleaded guilty last month to first-degree murder however his defense argued Chang was insane at the time of the crime.

On Thursday, the jury determined he was sane.

Just weeks before her death, Sherry Chang had put her unemployed son on a prayer list at a nearby church. She had ended her financial support of her son before her death, prosecutors said.

Sentencing was scheduled Jan. 13, 2015.

A 22-year-old woman kidnapped along a Philadelphia street and held hostage for three days is recovering in private one day after an emotional reunion with her family.

Nursing Aide Carlesha Freeland-Gaither returned to Philadelphia early Thursday morning, her family and police in tow, after being rescued from the grips of her alleged captor, Delvin Barnes, in Maryland. A criminal complaint detailing federal charges against Barnes, a man authorities described as a “vicious predator,” says he has confessed to the crimes.

Thursday also marked the first time Freeland-Gaither had been back to the city since she was abducted in Germantown Sunday night. The entire violent encounter caught on surveillance video.

She has since been moved to an undisclosed location where she can begin to process the violent experience and heal, Philadelphia Police said.

Detective Jim Sloan, the lead local investigator on the case, recounted meeting Freeland-Gaither at a Maryland hospital Wednesday night.

“I entered the room. She was upset. I just told her ‘I’ve been looking for you.’ She started to cry and hugged her mother,” he said describing the moment as “touching.”

The police department is providing the Freeland-Gaither and her family with counseling and other victim assistance resources, according to officials.

Sloan praised the efforts of witness Dwayne Fletcher, who the detective said helped investigators get a jump start on the abduction case.

“He witnessed it. He watched. He called the police twice. He waited for me. This man is a hero,” Sloan said. He added that Fletcher should be given the $47,000 reward that was being offered in the case.

As the woman rested, her alleged abductor was in a Maryland courtroom for an extradition hearing. The judge presiding over the hearing approved Barnes’ extradition to Virginia where he is wanted on attempted capital murder and rape charges.

Barnes donned an orange jumpsuit and appeared in court through a closed circuit television. He only gave "Yes" and "No" answers to the judge.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney's Office filed federal kidnapping charges against Barnes Thursday evening.

Barnes admitted he abducted Freeland-Gaither and that she was chosen at random, according to the federal criminal complaint.

He was extradited to Virginia late Thursday so that prosecutors can move forward with their attempted murder case. Federal officials are expected to proceed later.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

An updated tally puts U.S. Rep. Scott Peters ahead of challenger Carl DeMaio by 861 votes in the tight race for the 52nd Congressional District.

A final, certified winner will not be announced until Monday.

After Election Night Tuesday, candidate Carl DeMaio led by fewer than a 1,000 votes, but both said they were optimistic about the outcome.

DeMaio spokesman Dave McCulloch was at the county Registrar of Voters Office Thursday as the numbers were announced to give his take. 

"As you said, those numbers have changed a lot, and we still remain optimistic but cautious in that. There is still more data to be analyzed, there are still more votes to be counted and we want to make sure that every vote is counted in this election," he said.

Peters is out of town with his family, but his campaign manager MaryAnne Pinter released the following statement: 

“We are very pleased with tonight’s result and continue to remain optimistic that Rep. Scott Peters will return to the 114th Congress. We are grateful for the hard work and professionalism of the entire team at the County Registrar of Voters. We also want to express tremendous gratitude to all our friends, supporters and volunteers who kept the faith with us over the last 24 hours.”

On Thursday, dozens of representatives from both campaigns monitored registrar workers as they counted thousands of mail-in and provisional ballots.

They sorted out the 52nd district ballots to get them counted first because this race is being watched closely on a national level.

Each campaign’s election observers literally stood over employees’ shoulders as they verify signatures.

"Observers may have questions or concerns, at which point they raise a hand and one of our supervisors comes and talks to them, they'll take a look at it and fill out a form," said Registrar Michael Vu. "What I saw is there weren't too many challenges at this point."

Another round of updated numbers is expected Friday afternoon.

The highly anticipated results come at the end of an antagonistic race, peppered with allegedly stolen campaign information, sexual harassment allegations, mudslinging and attack ads.

Six days before June’s primary election, DeMaio reported a break-in at his campaign headquarters. Computer screens were shattered, cords and cables were cut, water was poured over the electronics and DeMaio’s campaign strategy book disappeared, the candidate said.

In a taping of NBC 7’s “Politically Speaking” in October, Peters said he felt as if he’d initially been cast as the perpetrator of the break-in, though DeMaio later accused former staffer Todd Bosnich.

DeMaio alleged he was the break-in culprit at the same time Bosnich released the results of a polygraph test to support his claims that the candidate sexually harassed him.

In a CNN report on Oct. 10, Bosnich said he was the victim of unwelcome touching and repeated sexual harassment by DeMaio while working for him on the congressional campaign and during his 2012 mayoral run. Bosnich described an alleged incident where he was called to DeMaio’s office and the candidate exposed himself.

DeMaio denied the allegations, saying his former employee had “manufactured a story” to cover for a plagiarism incident.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the Chief of San Diego Police announced on Oct. 20 there is not enough evidence to press charges in Bosnich's claim or DeMaio's counterclaim.

Over the weekend, another former campaign staffer, Justin Harper, told KPBS DeMaio had exposed himself in a restroom on July 10, an accusation the DeMaio campaign called an “outrageous lie.”

On Sunday, protesters outside DeMaio's campaign headquarters demanded an apology for sexist emails they say he sent.

Their claim stems from an email DeMaio purportedly sent in January featuring a demeaning image of a Peters campaign aide. DeMaio has denied sending the email and told the UT San Diego that Bosnich fabricated it.

The tension in the race was evident in a failed handshake moment just before the taping of a "NBC 7 Politically Speaking" episode, when DeMaio did not accept Peters’ hand outstretched for a handshake.

A woman is in custody, accused of stealing a California Highway patrol vehicle and leading a pursuit that ended in a gun battle with law enforcement officers in San Diego. 

Shots were first fired at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Mission Bay along Interstate 5 just north of downtown as a CHP officer was conducting an investigation into a hit-and-run incident, officials confirmed to NBC 7. 

The handcuffed suspect moved from the backseat and reached for a long rifle stored in the patrol car, according to a San Diego Police Department Capt. Al Guaderrama. That's when the CHP officer opened fire, police said.

The suspect was not hurt and drove away, heading southbound on I-5 from Clairemont Drive then onto Interstate 8 to northbound State Route 163, police said.

Thirty minutes later, police said they had stopped the vehicle at Friars Road and Qualcomm Way in the Mission Valley area of San Diego. The stolen CHP patrol car rammed into at least three vehicles driven by innocent drivers, Guaderrama said. 

Officers attempted to arrest the suspect after she came to a stop on Qualcomm Way under the Friars Road overpass, officials told NBC 7. 

A San Diego Police officer fired shots at the vehicle. Others then went up to the driver's side of the patrol car, fired a beanbag round and pulled the still-handcuffed woman out of the vehicle.

Somehow, the suspect was able to slip the handcuffs from behind her back and drive the patrol car while handcuffed, Guaderrama said. She also was seen pulling at the officer's rifle in the front seat.

She was uninjured and taken into custody, he said. She was booked in the women's jail in Santee and faces multiple charges, police said.

Michelle Martin was in Mission Bay when the pursuit began.

Martin described the suspect as a pretty, red-headed woman who was sitting in the back of the CHP patrol car as the officer searched the car she was driving in connection with a hit-and-run. The registered owner of the vehicle told NBC 7 his car had been stolen.

While in the patrol car, the suspect jumped over the seat and drove away, Martin said.

The CHP officer fired five times at the back of the patrol car, Martin said.

As the cruiser was exiting the parking lot, a red Mustang convertible was entering the area and was almost struck according to Martin.

The intersection where the pursuit ended is in the heart of the valley with Riverwalk Apartments and several stores nearby.

The response by law enforcement officers was massive with one NBC 7 user, Finn Blake, reporting as many as 11 CHP patrol cars driving at high speeds with lights and sirens along southbound Interstate 15 from Rancho Penasquitos to Mission Valley.

Dozens of uniformed officers from San Diego Police and the California Highway Patrol were on scene.

Along Friars Road there were several cars that appeared to have been involved in collisions. No word on injuries.

One of the people whose car was hit was 11-year-old Valina Lams. She said the patrol cruiser rammed her mom's car from behind. They escaped unhurt, but she said her mom's car was totaled.

"It was really scary for me. I'm only 11. I don't know what to do," Valina said.

No law enforcement officers were injured at either scene.

The SWAT team was initially requested, but was canceled after the suspect was taken into custody.

At 6 p.m., Qualcomm Way at River Run Drive was closed as police processed the crime scene. On and offramps to Friars Road also were temporarily closed.

For the last two years, Sara Gebert hasn't been able to eat.

That's because the 19-year-old from Hunderton, New Jersey, has a rare and incurable medical condition called Chronic Intestinal Psuedo Obstruction that tricks her body into thinking any food making its way through her digestive tract is an intestinal obstruction.

Only about 150 people worldwide are diagnosed with CIPO each year. The condition is so rare that it took visits to multiple doctors and hospitals before medical professionals were able to figure out what was going on inside Gerbert's gut.

Before she was diagnosed, she would vomit as many as 60 times each day and was so weak at times that she couldn’t get out of bed.

"At the very end, I was eating pretzels, granola bars and drinking water and that was making me sick," Gebert's says.

For the rest of her life, Gebert's will be fed through an implanted tube, which pumps nutrients into her bloodstream every night while she sleeps. She also uses a bag to drain the digestive contents of her stomach.

She’s lost 30 pounds since her diagnosis and had to drop out of Fairleigh Dickinson University, where the former high school pitcher had an offer to play intercollegiate softball.

Gebert's said she tries to remain grateful for the remedy, but admitted some days are more difficult than others.

"There are days where you're just like, 'How am I going to do this every day for the rest of my life, I don't want to do it,'" Gebert says.

Now Gebert is trying to raise awareness for the condition. She and friends created a nonprofit called Sara’s Army that sells wristbands and maintains a website and social media profiles to educate people about CIPO.

She said the group has already had some success.

"It's been cool to see the light bulb turn on in people and say, ‘Oh wow I get this'," she said.

A San Diego man was shot while taking out the trash early Friday, police said.

Officers on patrol heard what sounded like several gunshots in the area of 46th Street near Polk just before 1:30 a.m.

They found a man in his 20s with two gunshot wounds – one in his arm and another in his chest. He was expected to survive the injuries, police said.

Officials said there was a confrontation in the alley between the victim and one or two other men.

Investigators found two different shell casings in the alley indicating two separate guns were used.

The suspects fled the area in a green, four-door Honda or Huyndai traveling northbound.

As of 7 a.m., there were no indications the shooting was gang-related, police said.

A man suspected of driving under the influence was arrested after he rammed a patrol car and led San Diego County Sheriff's Deputies on a short pursuit.

Deputies say they stopped a Toyota pick-up truck for running a red light at Vale Drive and East Vista Way Thursday at 11:30 p.m.

As the deputy got out and approached the truck, the driver put the truck in reverse, rammed the patrol car and then sped off.

The deputy followed the Toyota as it traveled erratically down East Vista Way and then turned onto Palm Drive.

The driver lost control of the car, sideswiping a tree on a house on the 400 block of Alvarado Terrace.

Israel Guadalupe Garcia, 23, was taken into custody. Deputies said Garcia displayed signs of being under the influence of alcohol.

A records check revealed Garcia's license was suspended, officials said. He was arrested for multiple offenses and booked into Vista Detention Facility.

No one was injured.

Activists blocked construction crews set to install artificial turf fields in Golden Gate Park on Thursday, in a showdown marking the latest escalation in a battle by critics who say the turf carries health risks.

Votes are still being counted from Tuesday's dueling ballot measures on artificial turf — Proposition I, which would let the city install the turf, and Proposition H, which would bar it from replacing the natural grass fields. The votes are still being counted, but so far election results show the ban failing.

In Golden Gate Park, crews were forced to halt their work removing trees Thursday when activist Kathleen McCowin stood, then sat, in front of heavy equipment around the Beach Chalet soccer fields.

"They're taking out trees that took 30 years to grow," she said.

Artificial turf has attracted opposition nationwide for worries about its possible health risks, and although San Francisco voters appeared set to OK the new turf, voters in one New Jersey town decided Tuesday by a wide margin to reject it.

NBC News reported last month that anecdotal reports of cancer among soccer players have raised concerns about whether the "crumb rubber" — made of ground-up car tires — in artificial turf could have potential long-term impacts on players' health.

Many experts and turf backers say that evidence shows it's safe, and federal agencies have said their "limited" studies found no increased health risks. But some doctors, scientists and activists say more research is needed.

In San Francisco, McCowin and other artificial turf opponents like the Coalition to Protect Golden Gate Park say park authorities should not dig in until all the votes from Tuesday have been counted.

"People are very upset," said the coalition's Mike Murphy. "The fact that they have gone ahead with the construction without waiting for the certification of the vote — a lot of people feel it's disrespectful to the democratic process."

Park authorities say they have all the proper permits to begin work, however. Before they began removing trees Thursday, they had already installed a fence around the fields Wednesday, a day after voters weighed in on the plans at the polls. 

“We are grateful to the voters of San Francisco for voting to let our kids play," the city's parks department said in a statement. "We will now proceed with a much-needed renovation that will allow thousands of kids to play sports in our city."

McCowin and others plan to be back out on Friday to stop crews from working on the fields.

—Sam Schulz contributed to this report.

The business partner of a man whose remains were found along with his wife's and children's in the high desert north of Los Angeles has been arrested and charged with killing the McStay family in 2010, authorities announced Friday.

Charles Chase Merritt, 57, Joseph McStay's business partner, was arrested Wednesday in the northwestern San Fernando Valley community of Chatsworth "without incident," according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. McStay, 40, operated a custom decorative water fountain business and was working on a project with Merritt when he and his family disappeared in February 2010.

District Attorney Mike Ramos called the slayings "cold and callous" when he announced that four murder charges had been filed against Merritt, who has a criminal record, according to the sheriff's department. 

Joseph McStay's brother Michael praised investigators' work at Friday's news conference, which was attended by several McStay family members.

"I just wanted to see it through to the end. Joseph was a great brother, a great father. He would have done anything to protect those boys and Summer," he said.

"He tried to provide work for Chase and help Chase," he said of his brother, adding of Merritt: "He'll get what he's got coming to him."

Susan Blake, the mother of Joseph McStay, began reading from notes at the news conference, then put them away as she spoke about her son and the call from investigators who notified her of the arrest.

"They did not deserve this," Blake said. "Joey was so generous and kind to so many people.

"I received that phone call and there's a little more to our journey. I need justice."

When asked whether the was a break in the case that cast suspicion on Merritt, investigators said there was "no smoking gun." Investigators said they reviewed evidence provided by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department that led to the arrest.

Authorities said they could not discuss a motive for the slayings. The victim and suspect met when Joseph McStay asked Merritt to create custom water fountains, investigators said.

"They started working together and became friends, that's how their relationship started," said Sgt. Chris Fisher, of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Joseph and Summer McStay, 43, and their two young children, ages 4 and 3, mysteriously vanished from their Fallbrook home in February 2010, triggering a widespread search from San Diego County to northern Los Angeles County and a homicide investigation. The investigation revealed that the victims were killed in their home, and all were victims of blunt-force-trauma, sheriff's officials said Friday.

Fisher said Merritt is believed to have acted alone. The slayings occurred inside the McStay's home, but Fisher refused to discuss whether there was a struggle or whether a weapon was used.

More than three years after the family disappeared, skeletal remains were found in and around shallow graves in the high desert near Victorville in southwestern San Bernardino County. The location is about 100 miles north of the family's home in San Diego County.

Coroner's officials identified the remains as those of Gianni McStay, Joseph Mateo McStay and their parents. A motorcyclist reported finding the remains in a very remote location approximately 50 yards from the nearest road. Officials said it appeared the remains had been there for "an extended period of time."

What initially appeared to be one of the few possible leads in the family's mysterious disappearance also was addressed at the news conference -- a grainy surveillance video that showed four individuals resembling the McStays crossing into Mexico Feb. 8, 2010 at the San Ysidro border crossing. A white Isuzu Trooper belonging to the family was found illegally parked at a nearby strip mall the same day.

On Friday, investigators said the video does not appear to show the McStays.

"We don't believe that's them," said Fisher. "The video, once we examined that, and other evidence -- we don't believe the video was related."

The expansive search for the family was documented on a website maintained by Joseph McStay's brother, Michael. As of early Friday morning, the most recent update was in July when the family attended a private memorial ceremony for the victims.

In April 2013, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department announced they were transferring the case of the McStay family to the FBI.

Merritt said in a November 2013 interview that he was the last person to have seen McStay. Investigators said Friday that Merritt likely has not left the Southern California area for a significant period of time since the slayings.

A decision has not been made on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty, Ramos said.

Arraignment in the case was slated for Friday afternoon, but was postponed until Wednesday, Nov. 12. It was not immediately clear whether Merritt obtained an attorney.

A teen suspected in his mother’s murder in Torrington has been found in New York and arrested. 

Nicholas Hulme, 18, was taken into custody almost 80 miles away in Sleepy Hollow, New York, as a fugitive from justice Friday. 

Police have obtained an arrest warrant charging him in the death of his mother Wendy Hulme, 49, whose body was found in a third-floor apartment Thursday at 30 Forest Street in Torrington.

Nicholas Hulme will be extradited to Connecticut and will face charges of murder and third-degree larceny, according to police. State government sources said Nicholas Hulme was already on juvenile parole.

The office of the medical examiner conducted an autopsy and determined Wendy Hulme's cause of death to be neck compression, according to law enforcement sources.

Neighbors were shocked to hear the news but described Hulme as a struggling teen.

"This is a lot of excitement for this block," Gustav Hudson said. "This is also a very bad tragedy to see what happened in this whole thing."

Police said they had been called to the home before but not for anything of this magnitude.

Torrington police ask anyone with information about the case to call Detective Jim Crean at 860-489-2061 or Lt. Bart Barown at 860-489-2036.

Flying this Thanksgiving is going to be a bit more crowded this year.

Airlines for America, the nation’s leading airline trade group, projected that 24.6 million passengers will fly on American planes Friday, Nov. 21 through Tuesday, Dec. 2. This is a 1.5 percent increase from the estimated 24.2 million Thanksgiving airline travelers in 2013.

Here's what else you should know about flying on Thanksgiving:

A Staten Island man allegedly fired arrows from a crossbow at neighbors' cars as part of an ongoing dispute and then cried for his grandmother when police slapped cuffs on him after one of the incidents, authorities say.

The 25-year-old man faces attempted assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal weapons possession charges after the chain of altercations outside his home on Cunningham Road and Hylan Boulevard in Pleasant Plains, according to a criminal complaint from the Staten Island DA’s office.

The standoff began on Oct. 23, when the man allegedly fired a crossbow at a neighbor’s van as they were getting out of the vehicle. The arrow missed the neighbor but punctured a tire, police say.

Then, on Oct. 30, the man accosted the neighbor again with the loaded crossbow in hand, according to court papers. He didn’t fire but said, “If you don’t stop making noise, I’m going to kill you and burn your house down,” the complaint says.

On Wednesday, the complaint alleges, one of the neighbor’s friends was driving his car in the area when he heard a loud bang. He got out of the car and saw a crossbow arrow sticking out of the side of the car’s rear passenger door.

The friend called police, who allegedly saw the man carrying the crossbow back into his house.

Officers went to arrest the man, who tried to resist and yelled, “Grandma, please help me! Don’t let them arrest me.”

Officers eventually cuffed the man and found a slingshot and canister of pepper spray in his pocket, the complaint says.

An angry judge called the man who admitted to stabbing his wife and two young daughters to death in a jealous rage a "vile and despicable person" as he handed down a 45-year sentence in the killings.

Miguel Mejia-Ramos was sentenced in a Queens court Friday in the January stabbing deaths of his 21-year-old wife, Deisy Garcia, and their 1- and 2-year-old daughters. The sentence was part of a plea agreement the man made with prosecutors in October.

"There are no words for how sickened people are in this courtroom at the sight of you," Judge Kenneth Holder said in the sentencing hearing.

Garcia's mother and aunt both came to the hearing, making emotional pleas for a strict sentence. 

"We put trust in this young man," said Evelinda Alvarado, Garia's aunt. "He deceived the family."

Mejia-Ramos asked for forgiveness from the family, saying through a translator, "I know this sentence is not enough to pay for what I've done."

Mejia-Ramos was initially charged with first- and second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the January stabbings of his 21-year-old wife, Deisy Garcia, and their 1- and 2-year-old daughters. He later pleaded to lesser crimes in exchange for a more lenient sentence.

Mejia-Ramos fled New York after the slayings and was arrested in Texas a short time later after authorities tracked his cellphone.

Prosecutors had said Mejia-Ramos stood over his sleeping wife and two daughters with a knife after seeing a photo of Facebook of Garcia and another man. Garcia awoke and screamed, and he stabbed her as she got out of bed and ran to another room, prosecutors said. Mejia-Ramos grabbed another knife and stabbed her multiple times in the torso, chest and back, they said.

After stabbing Garcia, Mejia-Ramos went back to the bedroom where 2-year-old Daniela and 1-year-old Yoselin lay, prosecutors said. He picked up Daniela, gave her a hug and a kiss, asked for forgiveness, then put her back on the bed and killed her, prosecutors said.

He then did the same with Yoselin, they said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The details of this case are graphic and may be upsetting for some readers.

Thousands of people lit candles at 7 p.m. Friday to remember Scotty McMillan, the 3-year-old Philadelphia-area boy who prosecutors said was tortured and killed by his mother's boyfriend.

"How could you do that to a 3-year-old boy?" asked Jeff Messantonio, of Norristown, Pa., who started the Facebook page calling for people to simultaneously light candles, wherever they are, to "light the way to heaven" for Scotty.

More than 16,000 people joined the event and honored the Chester County boy, who investigators said had already died before arriving at a local hospital Tuesday night.

“When his body went into the emergency room our ER nurses — who see a lot of terrible things — when they saw his body, they wept,” said Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan.

A Chester County church also held a vigil to honor the boy, as well as 41-year-old Jacinda Miller, who was shot and killed by her estranged boyfriend outside the Brandywine YMCA Monday night.

The Gateway Church, located at 160 Cowan Road in Sadsbury, remembered McMillan and Miller in a service Friday night.

The toddler's death shocked people across the Delaware Valley, who learned Thursday that Scotty’s own mother, Jillian Tait, and her boyfriend Gary Fellenbaum are facing murder charges after the boy was found unresponsive inside the West Caln Township trailer home the couple shared with Fellenbaum’s estranged wife, Amber Fellenbaum.

“Over a three-day period… he was systematically tortured and beaten to death,” Hogan said. “He was punched in the face and in the stomach, he was scourged with a homemade whip, he was lashed with a metal rod, he was tied to a chair and beaten, he was tied upside down by his feet and beaten, his head was smashed through a wall and at the end of that he had bruises on top of bruises all over his body.”

Hogan announced Thursday a total of 16 charges against Gary Fellenbaum including first- and third-degree murder charges, homicide, endangering the welfare of a child, assault and reckless endangerment. Tait faces 15 charges, including first-degree murder, according to court records.

A judge denied bail to both Fellenbaum and Tait at a Wednesday arraignment.

Messantonio said the crime disturbed himself and his wife so much, parents to an 11-month-old, that they felt compelled to do something to remember him.

"I expected a few hundred of my [Facebook] friends to respond," he said. "Not 15,000."

Messantonio asked anyone who lit a candle in Scotty's honor to post a photo of the flame and their location to the page.

"It's truly amazing to see our community come together for this little boy," he said. "Let's do this the right way for him."

He also reminded the public to refrain from making comments about the boy's relatives -- many learned of his death from the same news reports as others.

Police say he could have tried to get help, or even used the phone to call someone, instead they say what this man did is the lowest of the low, and they want your help to find him.

"He saw a traumatic event happen. He saw someone get hit by a train and the first thing that he thinks of is to pick up a phone," said Todd Mitchell.

After the unthinkable, the unspeakable.

"I just find it very sick, but hopefully she's resting in peace right now," said Michael Evans.

"It doesn't seem like a realistic thing," said Kaela Holmes.

T riders are unable to wrap their heads around what transit police call a reprehensible crime, that they are sure was no accident.

"Absolutely. Apparently yes, but absolutely," said Interim Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green.

Thursday before 10 p.m., a 26-year-old woman was struck and killed by an oncoming red line train at the busy Downtown Crossing station.

No foul play is suspected.

Moments later, the man who police say witnessed it happen, put his foot on the woman's cell phone, that landed on the platform after the impact from the train.

He put his hands to his face in what officers say was feigned alarm, looked left, looked right, bent down, tucked the phone in his pocket, and took off.

The court of public opinion's judgment has been swift and decisive.

"The guy just sounds like a scumbag. He should have called for help or called 911 at least," said Andrew Murray.

"Why would he steal that lady's phone. Probably come back to haunt you, some people don't think about that stuff," said Fray Silvestre.

The legal charges will be larceny.

Asked if they pinged the phone to find its location, police would not say citing the ongoing investigation.

If you recognize him, call MBTA Transit Police at 617-222-1050.

Police in Norwich, Vermont, are investigating the theft of 70 pounds of organic broccoli from right out of a farm field. Killdeer Farm, which rents land alongside Interstate 91, told New England Cable News it discovered the missing produce last weekend.

"More shock, I guess, than anything," said farm manager Chris Castles, describing his reaction to finding his harvest was hijacked. "It does sting."

Killdeer Farm said the 70 pounds of broccoli crowns would be worth $200 or more dollars wholesale, or $300 retail at their farm stand on Route 5 South in Norwich.

"This is a first for me," Chief Doug Robinson of the Norwich Police Department told NECN.

Robinson said he currently has no leads, and hopes members of the public will come forward with information. The phone number for the department is 802-649-1460.

Since it was so much broccoli, Robinson said some have wondered if thieves planned to pass it off as their own to restaurant buyers.

"Somebody thinks about, 'Oh, they're stealing the broccoli; it's kind of humorous,'" Robinson said. "It's also somebody's livelihood they're messing with."

Deer and other animals have been ruled out as suspects, because there were no tracks found in the farm field. Farmers are sure humans took the broccoli because they said someone reached into the plants with precision and cut the crowns with a knife. Since the row of broccoli runs parallel to Interstate 91, Castles said he wonders if someone might have parked on the side of the highway, hopped the fence, and brought a crate to haul off the broccoli.

"It's disappointing," said Scott Woolsley, the retail manager of Killdeer Farm's stand on Route 5. "We just hope whoever took it needed it to feed their family."

Woolsley said of course, this won't sink the small business. He pointed out Killdeer Farm often donates food to area charities. But to him and to Castles, the broccoli heist was a reminder of how farmers work so hard, for so long, and deserve something to show for it. 

A San Diego State student has died Friday after falling nearly 60 feet from the roof of an apartment complex near the campus.

Emergency personnel were called to Paso Place Apartments on Lindo Paseo after Melissa Kennon, 19, fell from the roof just before 4 a.m., according to the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office.

A lieutenant with the San Diego Police told NBC 7 Kennon was with a friend up on the roof when it appears the woman got a little too close to the edge of the building and fell.

Officials say alcohol was involved in the incident.

Kennon was transported to Mercy Hospital, where she died later that morning. She was a sophomore studying psychology.

“Our community is deeply saddened by the passing of Melissa Kennon," said a statement releaed by Eric Rivera, SDSU vice president of student affairs. "Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and loved ones, who have shared with us how much Melissa loved SDSU. It is heartbreaking when a young life is lost. We will honor Melissa by Sharing strength and support with one another as we process through this difficult time.”

The housing complex is north of Montezuma Road and west of Campanile Drive near the edge of the SDSU campus.

Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

North Texas officially became Ebola-free as of Friday evening, capping off 38 days of monitoring for symptoms initially touched off when the nation's first patient was diagnosed in Dallas with the potentially deadly virus.

The last person being monitored for symptoms of the virus was cleared Friday night, Dallas officials said. That person handled medical waste.

It's official. This evening's final monitoring check is done. No symptoms. We are happy to close this Ebola chapter with Dallas tonight.

• “We’re All in a Living Science Experiment": Ebola Lessons Hit Close to Home for Texas Nursing School

— DSHS Press Office (@TexasDSHS) November 7, 2014 

"It's incredible. It's a big answered prayer," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. "Thanksgiving comes early for those of us here in Dallas because the Ebola crisis will be over."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team in town to help local health officials with the Ebola response left last Saturday.

The crisis began when Thomas Eric Duncan tested positive for the virus Sept. 30. He died 10 days later at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, on Oct. 8.

Texas Christian University graduate Nina Pham, one of the nurses who cared for Duncan, tested positive for the virus Oct. 11. Amber Vinson, her colleague who also treated Duncan, tested positive for the virus four days later. Both have since recovered.

"Today is particularly joyous because our two hometown healthcare heroes have recovered and no one else got sick," Jenkins said.

CDC officials said they monitored 177 people overall who had contact with Duncan, Pham and Vinson.

"It was a very difficult and tense time for everyone," Jenkins said.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings echoed Jenkins' statement saying, "It's been a challenge, and there have been moments of frustration throughout this difficult process."

Health officials said they will investigate how the Ebola virus was handled in North Texas and plan to issue a report in the coming weeks.

"We're much better prepared in America because of what happened in Dallas than we were five weeks ago," Jenkins said. "Disease knows no borders, and we've got to have a good plan in place for when this happens again."

Rawlings said he's been looking forward to Dallas being "Ebola-free" and is thankful the monitoring period for all contacts is over.

"I'm proud of the citizens of Dallas for learning the facts about Ebola and staying calm. And I'm especially thankful to all the brave healthcare workers who put their lives on the line to help others, including Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, who are true heroes in this city and around the world," Rawlings said.

And as much of North Texas breathes an Ebola-free sigh of relief, so does a group in Fort Worth who cleaned the most infected areas.

The cleaning crews were never on any official watch list, but they were always self-monitoring for any possible symptoms.

“Presbyterian was the hottest zone we were in,” said Brad Smith, manager of CG Environmental. “That was the most intense time. We went into a room where they had done everything they could possibly do to save this man’s life.”

On Oct. 13, the cleaning crew wrapped up work at Presbyterian Hospital, where they cleaned up the room where Duncan had died.

They also cleaned up the rooms where Vinson and Pham were treated before being flown to new hospitals for Ebola treatment.

The cleaning crews began self-monitoring for signs of the virus immediately and continued every day, checking their temperatures.

“They also backed it up by calling in or texting the office what the temperature was and what time they took it,” Smith said. “Everyday I prayed and said, hey, I want my guys to be safe.”

Now that fear is gone for the group and the rest of North Texas.

The following message was distributed Friday to all staff and employees of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas:

"Today, the monitoring period for those who participated in the care of our patients with Ebola Virus Disease ends. All of our caregivers and other employees related to the events of the last six weeks, along with their friends and loved ones in the community, are formally cleared of risk.

We are grateful that two caregivers who shared the fight against this insidious virus are healthy. These two courageous nurses, and so many others, put the needs of a patient first and valiantly worked to save the life of a man who faced, and ultimately lost, his battle with this disease. Today we remember and honor him, and his family remains in our hearts and prayers.

We emerge from this experience both humbled and empowered with a new strength of purpose. We are committed to using what we have learned to advance our mission and vision in the communities we are privileged to serve. We will continue to share our learnings with the healthcare community nationwide, and we hope our experience will also help those in the global community who are working so hard to beat this terrible disease in West Africa.

Finally, we are thankful for our community, whose support continues to fortify us as it has for nearly 50 years. The confidence placed in us even as we face challenges is heartening, and we pledge to reaffirm that trust as we move forward."

Campus police are investigating yet another sexual assault at a California State University San Marcos’ residence hall, the third such on-campus rape there this school year.

Police issued a bulletin Friday afternoon advising students and staff to take precautions. A woman reported being attacked at the UVA Residence Hall at 305 Campus View Drive. The sexual assault occurred sometime between Halloween night and the early morning of Nov. 1.

The suspect is not a student at Cal State; he’s believed to live in San Bernadino County. He’s described as white, 20 or 21 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, and 130 pounds, with short brown hair and green eyes.

In September, two women reported being raped at the QUAD Residence Hall. A woman reported being attacked sometime between the night of Sept. 12 and the morning of Sept. 14.

Another woman there said she was attacked sometime between Sept. 18 and Sept. 19 during a dorm party.

Anyone with information is asked to call University Police at 760-750-4567 or the school’s SAFE hotline at 760-750-SAFE. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.