>> reporter: a spokesperson for the a bugdepartment of education says in a statement, we have zero tolerance for the type of behavior alleged. this matter is being taken seriously, and is under investigation. it's not clear if police are investigating at this point, but members of this school community past and present that we talked with want the truth to come out. >> i hope they look into it, and if there was something that they can find more information and -- >> reporter: get to the bottom of it, right? >> yeah, basically get to the bottom of it. >> reporter: the department of education also telling us it will provide support as necessary here when school gets going on september 9th and that would include counseling if needed. staten island, i'm gus rosendale, news 4 new york. the nypd is searching for a man they say raped a woman at gun point in brooklyn. detectives say they have identified a person of interest, but did not release a name. police say the 19-year-old victim was attacked from behind while walking down rock away parkway sunday.

he forced her down a dark alley and raped her. >> i walk up and down this street all of the time, every single day. so to think that that happened right here around the corner from my home is very scary. >> reporter: police say the attacker covered his face with a white mask or t-shirt and was wearing blue and white hawaiian shorts. if you saw something or have information, give police a call. the man suspected of killing a brooklyn cab driver was found in north carolina over the weekend. police arrested unique everlast gray sunday morning. he allegedly shot and killed 35-year-old cab driver najee fewaz. a new high school bei built in connecticut could be named for president obama. the school will replace the old warren harding high school. the town's mayor, bill finch, is pushing for the name barack obama high school. a milestone for the n ypd today.

a new leader is hoping out in the upper ranks. among those promoted at a ceremony, kim royster, now the two-star rank of assistant chief. she has reached the highest rank for a black woman in the department's history. she says she's honored and hopes to bring change to the nypd's recruiting process. >> what we're looking to do is get the best candidate possible. we're going to go out into the communities where the different diverse communities are, and actually be represented. >> chief royster has spent the last five years of commanding officer of the public information operation. she joined the force back in 1987. her tle tiw makes her the third highest rank at the police department. >> congratulations to her. arthur ash stadium in flushing queens is buzzing tonight. a lot of excitement surrounding the u.s. open. >> the players are ready for the international tennis competition. all eyes on serena williams. she could do something tonight that hasn't been done for nearly 30 years. for young girls everywhere, though, she has already inspired

in the bronx. >> reporter: the u.s. open gets under way today, and thanks to players like serena williams, here at crow tona park in the bronx, tennis is seeing a bit of a rebirth. at 9 years old, sophia isn't much bigger than her tennis racket. but look how hard she can swing. you're a pretty good hitter for your age. >> um -- yeah. >> reporter: she's a bit shy off the court, but that changes fast when she is hitting. sophia in a free tennis camp sponsored by the city here at the park in the bronx. today york chu is training this mini serena in the making. >> we built a $26 million facility here, and we hope to make the bronx the next -- besides the national tennis center, the next big place in new york city. >> serena williams. >> reporter: she inspires you? >> yeah. >> reporter: is that who you want to be when you grow up? >> yeah, i want to be like her, yeah. >> reporter: serena williams has inspired a lot, playing tonight, hoping to tie steffi graf's

record of 22 grand slam titles and also hoping to win all four grand slams in a calendar year for the first time since 1988. but espn reports today, serena has already made history. for the first time ever, the women's finals have sold out for the u.s. open before the men's. as thousands are eager to watch serena tie stephie here in two weeks. we spoke to little sophia's father about serena williams. be honest about this. golf, tennis, traditionally whiter sports. >> exactly. >> reporter: someone like tiger woods, serena williams, what does that do? >> pave the way for the minority kids like this one. and it's great. >> reporter: as for sophia, we know who she is rooting for. has e got a chance? >> girls are very tough, but yeah. >> reporter: serena kicks off the night matches, playing under the lights at 7:00 at arthur ash, the beginning of a very fun two weeks here in new york city. reporting here in the bronx, rob schmidt, news 4 new york. >> remember sophia's face and

name. >> i think we should. still ahead, low-cost computers for your kids as they get back to school. and new recommendations tonight for parents considering adding peanuts to their baby's diet. and lester holt was more on what he's working on for 6:30. >> shiba and david, tonight on "nbc nightly news," we're there as the man accused in the heinous murder of a texas sheriff's deputy appears in court and prosecutors reveal new details of the killing. donald trump now sharing the gop front runner status in a new iowa poll while hillary clinton elsewhere faces a serious challenge of her own. and richard angle reports tonight from the front lines of europe's migrant crisis on a new effort to stem the tide of people. we'll see you tonight at 6:30.

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because it still tastes good ahhhh yoplait! a touching tribute today for a rising broadway star killed in a freak accident. dozens gathered in central park

this afternoon to remember 21-year-old kyle jean-baptiste. the les miserables actor made history as the first african-american and youngest person to play the role on broadway. jean-baptiste died after falling from a fourth-story fire escape at his brooklyn home friday. giving peanuts products to babies before they turn 1 could help them avoid nut allergies later. this is based on research that also shows that avoiding peanuts could cause a child to even have more reaction later. >> one of the holy grals of medicine, which is to prevent a disease. in this case, by having kids eat peanuts, if they're not already allergic, they were able to prevent a significant number of kids from becoming allergic to peanuts. >> the academy says it should be done under a pediatrician's care but it is best to reduce high-risk babies between 4 and 11 months by dissolve

ing in milk or cereal. allergy tests are recommended first for at-risk infants. as a parent, you know your child really needs a computer to keep up at school, depending on their age. lynda baquero has tips for how you can get one for less than $200. first our social pic for this monday. from en route somewhere on instagram. and this is in bryant pa. just beyond the flowers. >> if you have an interesting pic you would like to share, send it to our website, nbcnewyork.com or use #nbc4ny when posting to twitter or instagram. you never know, you may be selected as the social pic of the day.

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coming up on news 4 at 6:00, a series of mess ups police commissioner bratton is calling an embarrassment. and what new jersey parents need to know so they't d break the law. new child stbel laws in new jersey. i'm brian thompson. why some parents may not be too happy. >>th> sries and more all w toght enhiba a i see you at 6:00. >> thankyou,chuck. > ifouri a up, your car is popular with thieve especiayf is an olde model. e niona iuran cri bureau says the honda accord is the most stolen car here in the tristate, and nationwide, especially if it was made in the mid to late '90s. and honda civics rank second. why older cars? >> the reason has largely to do with the advances in car security. the technology has improved vastly. >> the bureau says the number of car thefts is actually way down since the late '90s and says

cars are usually stolen to be stripped so parts can be sold. three items from the titanic are set to go up for auction on september 30th. this menu from the ship's final luncheon is expected to go for up to $70,000, according to online auctioneer lion heart autographs. a ticket is expected to bring in $10,000. and a letter written by a survivor is expected to sell for up to $6,000. some schools are back in session ady.re and new low-cost devices are helping schools get more students online. our consumer reporter, lynda baquero, explains. >> reporter: for students these days, computers go hand-in-hand with reading, writing and arithmetic. >> now, unfortunately, technology seems to be the new social status. >> reporter: fortunately, a new breed of low-cost, high-tech devices is bridging the gap. the chromebook is a web-based computer, and at 149 bucks, it's half the price of a laptop.

>> the re inexpensive, fairly nkeasy to control, because kids can't install their own apps on them. >> reporter: chromebook's apps and documents live in the cloud. >> teachers are able to provide real-time feedback through google docs. >> reporter: new donningel fully functional computers. >> the intel compute stick is a eed of devices that is computers on a stick. almost looks like a big usb key. >> reporter: it ugspl into an hdmi pt andonnects to a mouse or key board via bluetooth. >> that's why a lot of these school districts have tried to even the playing field by gettingar e intterne the i s vicede >> or r: there is one catch. much of this technology ndspe on reliable internet accs which students may not have outside the classroom. still, these low-cost oetions are helping to connect more kids to a brighter future. lynda baquero, news 4 new york. >>t> we have a consumer alert

tonight about some baked goods that might be in your refrigerator right now. brooklyn-based tasty delicious is recalling its sugar buns because they have eggs in them. if you're not allergic to eggs, they're fine. the problem is that the ingredient list on the label does not mention eggs, so people who are allergic to them could get very sick. you can find more information on our website, nbcnewyork.com. memories of superstorm sandy are still fresh in our minds. today marks the anniversary oe another deadly one. 61 years ago, hurricane carol made landfall along island. she roared ashore as a categorg connecticut. that storm killed 72 people. the damage total, $462 million, more than $4 billion in today's money. because of the damage, the hurricane named carol was retired. >> and we are in hurricane se ason right now, raphael. i know it's been a hot one here in the city. tomorrow could be a heatwave. >> official, yeah. first day of september, official heatwave that could happen

tomorrow with temperatures expected to soar into the 90s again, just like they did today. you can see on storm tracker, even though it's hot and humid, not seeing showers and storms. we could see a few off to the south as t evening goes on but they're few and far between. mostly dealing with this heat and it's still hot at this hour. 90 in astoria, taking the temperature toward 91 in staten island. 91 in jersey city. 91 in after anecessarily, new jersey. across new island, down to 81 now. feels better right along the shore. but as you head into fairfield county, still steamy. 89 at west port, and t 91 in andich greenwich. 88 in point pleasant. 90 in long branch. in the hudson valley, hot and humid. 80s to low 90s. 90 in saddle river. baseball forecast. phillies taking on the mets at home. 87 degrees. you want to stay hydrated. hot and muggy during the game. temperatures hovering in the 80s throughout much of the game. eventually getting down to the 70 ts overni

t night. here's a look at future tracker. and around 7:00, we see one or kstwo storms for the jersey shore, places like monmouth and ocean counties. otherwise very dry out there. around 2:00 overnight, everything quiet, tuggy, lticky. the ac is definitely on in most of your homes. around :00 t orrow morning, your morning commute, nice and quiet here. the sunshine cooks the atmosphere once again, and temperatures back to the low 90 by the afternoon. and it's another uncomfortable commute around 7:00 p.m. with that high heat and humidity. 76 tonight, not much on a cooldown. rtly cloudy skies and tomorrow makes it a heatwave. 91 for your high temperature for your tuesday. it goes on wednesday with a high of 90. 94 the heat peaks on thursday with a high humidity. and then we have a a front helping us out a bit. a bit more comfortable into the bor day weekthd but the heat returns near 90 again. but it should be dry on labor day monday. david and shiba, back to you. >> raphael, thank you. next, back to school shopping really will never bi th e same. >> when we return, how instagram

hash tags and selfies have completely changed the way teenag s shop.

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back to school shopping is now a match-up of malls aed mobile. today's teens aren't just roaming the mall to discover new fashions. they're researching trends before they hit the stores, as we discovered at the roosevelt mall in new york. >> i really want something, like if i'm -- i want a new rom per, i'll look online beforehand. >> reporter: retailers see a trend. teens are less tied to labels and seek individuality. the ability to mix apparel from different retailers. >> they actually are walking into the store with ideas of what it is they want to buy.

so they're really relying on brands and stores to be ble to cater to the ideas they have already built up in their heads. >> reporter: and with teens hitting the stores with predetermined ideas of what's hip, brands like anner krom bee and fitch are trying to stay relevant. >> if i see a top on instagram, i'll try to mimic them with a store i know. >> reporter: the constant connectivity means shopping decisions are a real-time collaboration between the virtual and real worlds. and it's not just the buyers' opinion that matters. >> like in the dressing room, i'll take a picture of my outfit and maybe send it to my friends to see what they think. or for my mom if she's not with me to see a couple opinions before i officially buy it. >> reporter: the elements of social media now mean trends on instagram and tum r are the new roadside billboards. >> outfit of the day is a hash >> reporter: shopping behaviors retail. people thought they would

compete against each other and a lot of retailers would operate different channels, a digital and physical channel and now everyone realizes you're targeting the same consumer. >> reporter: the outlook for the back to school season is tough. the national retail federation says spending by the average family with children is expected to drop 5.8% from a year ago. that will do it for us. thanks for watching. stay with us as the news continues at 6:00. live, from studio 3c in rockefeller center. this is news 4 new york. new at 6:00, the police commissioner says he is sick of a breakdown of skills. at bill bratton is callidi barrassing. a crash so violent it destroyed a home and killed a teenage girl. what cops ruled out as a cause. and new child seat laws go into effect in new jersey tomorrow. what parents need to know. good evening, i'm chuck scarborough. >> i'm shiba russell. sibilia is off tonight. police commissioner bill bratton

is fed up after a fourth suspect in police custody managed to escape. >> this time the escapee was a 23-year-old female repeat offender. news 4 has more on what commissioner bratton is calling an embarrassment. >> reporter: commissioner bratton spared no words this afternoon when he called out the police officer who was supposed to be watching this woman when she escaped. and, again, we're talking about a woman who got away with no cell phone, little to no money and in a hospital gown. police say enough is enough. 23-year-old tiffany newman slipped out of police custody at new york presbyterian hospital in lower manhattan last night. the escape has the police commissioner fuming. >> i will not tolerate it as police commissioner these continued lapses in what should be basic policing. the care and custody of a prisoner. >> reporter: police say in this case, newman was arrested for shoplifting. she lied about her name, told them it was christine figurino.

she also said she was pregnant and needed medical care. it's unclear if she actually was pregnant, but she was taken to the hospital, and somehow managed to get away. >> an she walked out of the hospital last night. she took the prison gown off and threw it to the side as she lked into the street. >> reporter: officials blame the officer assigned to watch her. >> there's no excuse for it. it's embarrassing. she's not a mastermind criminal. it's just purely due to in inattentiveness and carelessness. >> reporter: this is the fourth time a prisonerhoscaped nypd custody since june. it o was earlier this summer when tariq arnold ran from detectives in harlem, down the street in handcuffs. it took them nearly a month to track him down. arthur collins ran from police in east harlem in july and austin stevenson also escaped custody in east harlem a couple weeks ago. >> the punishment that we will be putting in place for these types of events is going to be significant. >> reporter: and, in fact, the officer involved in this

incident has beenbesuspended. newman has six prior arrests, three of them in california. she was supposed to return there. unclear if they believe that's where she's headed right now. porting live from lowero nhat n, ida siegal, news 4 new york. >> thank you. this heat and horrible humidity is sticking with us, and if temperatures rise in 90 degrees or above again tomorrow, we'll officially be in a heatwave on the first day of september. yeah, that's tomorrow. storm team 4's raphael miranda is here with a look at how likely we're to have a heatwave. >> likely, shiba. temperatures heading down this year, but instead headed up again. we were up to 91 degrees in central park. near 95 in some spots. newark hit 94 degrees. bridgeport, you were stuck in the 80s. 87 was your high. laguardia and islip also temperatures soared into the 90s. temperatures only one part of the equation. the other side, the humidity. and that made it feel very uncomfortable throughout the day today. it's still hot and muggy outside right now. 89.

weled coup down by one degree. still 90 in more ristown and cooking in poughkeepsie, this hot trend throughout the month of august has placed us on the record top five hottest augusts of all-time and these records go back to the 1800s now. as of this morning, tied for third place. we'll be a solid third place, hottest august on record in central park. we have certainly been feeling it. we'll talk about how long the heat will stay around in your seven-day forecast. chuck, over to you. >> raphael, thank you. on long island, a 17-year-old girl was killed after the car she was riding in plowed into a home. the force of that collision left this house in west babylon so badly damaged, it has been can addendum. so far, police have ruled out drugs and alcohol being involved. greg cergol has the latest on today's investigation into what caused this deadly accident. >> reporter: something police say the driver of the nissan maxima was heading northbound here on little east neck road