just start as early as you can. it's going to pay off in the future. if we all start saving a little more today, we'll all be better prepared tomorrow. prudential. bring your challenges. a washington heights church do used with gas and set on fire. the suspect charged with a hate crime. tonight his mother is speaking to just one station and she is no t mincing words. >> she says her son is troubled, but he needs help, not jail time. >> reporter: 28-year-old michael garcia is locked up tonight. he's facing several charges

but in an exclusive interview garcia's mother told me her son doesn't have an ounce of hate in his body. >> bad word practically doesn't exist in hi my son's mind, hate, no. >> reporter: linda garcia cannot believe it. her son michael filling up a gas can moments before police say he set the door of fort washington collegiate church on fire. >> i said michael what are you doing? >> reporter: linda says her son ent years in the boy scouts. the troop would meet here at the same church he's accused of targeting. >> he loved the scouts. >> reporter: this brokenhearted mom says michael has a deep faith in christianity and mental illness. he was diagnosed bipolar. >> he feels hopeless because of

>> reporter: the trouble began saturday with an argument. he left their apartment and ultimately ended up a t the at the church. linda says michael was in between doctors and off his medication. >> i want to hope that he gets the proper care. he is a special person. he is a good, kind person. i want him to get help. he deserves that. >> reporter: michael garcia is due back in court tomorrow. and linda tells me she will absolutely be there to support her son. police need your help to identify the man who witnessed a crash that killed a connecticut high school student. he is a photo of the man investigators want to talk to about sunday's accident in shelton. police say this man walked into a walgreens and told an employee

outside. responding officers find 17-year-old edward conklin lying near his car. if you have any information, call police. more than five months after a young baseball prospect was gunned down, four people are facing charges. the accused gunman and three others are charged in the connection with the shooting of 23-year-old michael nolen in knoll nolan in a burger king parking lot last summer. >> i don't care about the people who were arrested. i don't care about their families. i care about my son and keeping his legacy alive. that's who this is about. >> nolan was drafted in the 18th round of last year's mlb draft. he was

the head with a screwdriver is recovering at the hospital tonight. police say he apparently got into an argument with his partner near lincoln center this morning. that argument turned violent. his partner is now in custody. no word on exactly what charges he'll face. police in orange county are looking for a man who dressed as a superhero and held up a dunkin donuts. here are the pictures. this man is wearing an ironman mask. he demanded cash, then ran outside, jumped in a waiting car. the manager says he got away with $1100. this is the first business in that town that's been robbed in 12 years. in westchester, a man hoped to get some quick help when his car broke down, but what he did actually got him arrests. authorities say he called 911 on nday saying his pregnant wife

vehicle was stuck on i-95 in rye. troopers arrived quickly only to find the 30-year-old by himself, simply wanting to get faster help. he's facing several charges tonight. the mayor of new hyde park is meeting with concerned residents tonight to talk about a planned third track for the l.i.r.r. there's growing anxiety that the ten-mile track extension could force people out of their homes and bring more noise to that area along with trains carrying hazardous materials. a local councilman could be headed to jail. plus, a frightening scene here caught on camera.

barrel of a crook's revolver. we need to audiocassette talk about that freezing precipitation and the big warmup next week. what a day in politics. we're going to tell you about mitt romney's sustained point by point takedown of donald trump. then we'll have trump's response. details on soccer star's brandy chastain's plans to

governor andrew cuomo: there is an unhealthy income inequality gap that is only growing. if you work full-time you shouldn't have to choose between paying the rent and buying food. i say lift up the working families of this state and pay a real decent wage. we fight until this nation fulfills its promise of opportunity for all and that's what this fight for $15 is all about.

this thief messed with the wrong cashier when he tried to rob this convenience store in georgia. police say the 17-year-old suspect pointed a gun at her face, but her instincts kicked in. she took the door of the register, bashed him over the head and then chased him out of the store. police did arrest the suspect shortly after . a town council man man arrested and charged in a growing housing and zoning scandal in rockland

samuel tress is accused of voting where he may have had an interest. >> he was arraigned late today and pleaded not guilty to two counts, one of them a felony. a number of law enforcement 0.agencies are now activity investigating building corruption in rockland county at various levels. sources tell us there could be many more arrested in upcoming months. today's arrest is connected to this address in munsey. the council man man approved multiple variances variances variances. local firefighters and community advocates tell the i-team this

burgeoning problem. in general what the attitude here is, they'd rather seek forgiveness than permission. they'll put this up. oh, we didn't know. then they'll come back, fines and the courts. it's criminal what the assault is on this neighborhood. >> a state assemblyman is calling it local political chaos chaos. and says there moub -- the fight against the zika outbreak takes an interesting turn. plus a swimming pool surprise. ok at this. up next hear from the couple who found this gator t ing a dip in their back yard.

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in news 4, your health tonight, researchers may have found a way to fight the zik vi mrus by simply watching your clothes. a biochemist find a way to find the virus. some lawmakers in connecticut want to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21. they hope this will discourage people from starting to smoke in the first place, especially teenagers. a proposed bill would require

21 years old. the state's public health committee has three weeks to decide whether to push that bill forward or not. we're talking snow and cold. then you've got some great news for us. >> absolutely. our patience will pay off as we head into next week. right now, got a little light snow after midnight coming in our direction. nothing more than a grassy coating tomorrow for most of us. then that big warmup. most of the heavier snow going to be way south of us, with the exception of ocean county where there is a winter weather advisory in effect from 10:00 tonight to 1:00 p.m. friday. temperatures down in the 30s pretty much. 20s as you head to the north and west. winds relatively calm now.

the clouds thickening as the evening progresses. let's go to a live picture right now. chop r 4 on their way round the area, i think passing over into new jersey at this point. thanks for the best view from the most gorgeous office in the sky. let's return to the maps and take a look at what's working in our direction. thhs is the system. it's going to bring more heavy snow as ou head to areas like d.c. and virginia. temperature resting tonight at about 30 degrees. into tomorrow, i think the light snow and flurries end during the morning hours. 33 should be the temperature. again, i think we're going to see this staying to the south and east. for most of us it's just a coating. the cloud break for some sunshine during the afternoon and evening hours.

up in the hudson valley, nothing. i think a coating or less for everyone. it's a weak storm. and march, you've got pretty strong sunshine. so that's the only thing standing in our way of a relatively nice weekend and a real big warmup as we head through next week. watch tomorrow we are going to have gusty wind. then we climb to 43 degrees on sunday sunday. next week could we get to 70? cross your fingers. i am. one couple got a big surprise when they stepped out their back door. the florida homeowners found this alligator in their swimming pool. that's not just any gator, that's a nine-footer weighing 300 pounds. the couple went to check the water when they saw bubbles rising. they think the gator came from a lake behind their house. >> this is what i see on the

i was like, that's a big gator. we are in gator land. we are on their turf. >> imagine if you had gone skinny dipping, a little night tiemd time swim. a sharp eyed cop busted a driver for having what appeared to be a phony inspection sticker. he arrested the 27-year-old driver. mechanics say that counterfeit stickers put us all at risk because there's no guarantee the car is safe and reliable. travel insurance can come in handy if you decide to cancel a vacation. lynda baquero is here to explain an unusual situation. >> we're talking about river cruises which are growing in popularity.

for a ten day trip from berlin to prague. a river cruise in europe, a vacation claire lynch of new rochelle was very much looking forward to. >> we were considering it the trip of a lifetime. and we were going to enjoy a cruise, just sit on the boat and watch the world go by. >>itlaire booked the trip a year in advance, paying nearly $10,000 for her and her sister-in-law. that included trip insurance. but as the sailing date approached in september, claire noticed a disturbing pattern in the rifl ver levels in europe. >> every time we looked they were low. >> claire noticed that her insurance policy required at least two weeks notice if he wanted to cancel and get compensation. so she cancelled on time and received a voucher for future travel minus $500 for insurance. just before the cruise was set

traveling separately on the same ship got notice from viking cruises that it was cancelled. >> and they were given the option of cancelling and getting all their money back, which they did do. >> since the sailing was cancelled claire contacted viking cruises to see if she too could get a refund and she'd return the voucher. >> we don't want to go to europe again because of all the unrest over there. the trip was supposed to be from berlin to prague. and there's where the syrian refugees are heading up to germany. >> she says she was told that since she decided to cancel and use her insurance coverage, her question for a refund was denied, lulike the other passengers on the same ship who did get their money back. >> i would like you to do your magic with viking and get them to let us give the vouchers back and we will happily take the money back. >> so we tried our magic and problem solved.

they told us the original resolution is in line with the travel insurance policy, but then claire got an offer for a full refund. she'll have to return those vouchers but in the end she'll get all of her money back, more than $9,500. trouble on the horizon for the garden state. the tourism industry keeps growing but there's concern for something that could keep visitors away. coming up, they fought for 25 years to march in the st. patrick's day parade. now mayor de blasio is ending his boycott to march with them. and a mother found dead in her jail cell.

saying about the results of an inve igation into her death. those stories and much more when pat and i see you in a few minutes at 6:00. i always heard fios was a lot faster. but i thought it'd be a hassle to switch. turns out it wasn't. they showed up when i asked and they set up wi-fi on my laptop and my tablet and stuff. it's true. it is better. i'm here to mow the lawn. it's february, curtis. maybe i should change me other things around here. switching is easy with our switchers guarantee. we'll arrive when promised and set up your devices to your new wi-fi. switch now and get 100 meg speeds, plus tv and phone for just $69.99 a month online. switch to better.

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and our money-back guarantee. come back today and we'll give you free installation with our exclusive one-hour arrival window. feels good to be back. come back today. pe you'll get free installation, tv equipment and epix included. and now get a $300 reward card. call today, and welcome back. more and more people are getting their r & r in new jersey. the state saw a rise in tourism for the sixth straight year. but there are growing concerns about getting a group to spend their money in the garden state. >> i'm fascinates by some of the history here.

came all the way from ank chorage, alaska. >> i've always wanted to come here. >> reporter: she and apparently many others. >> the good news is that we are doing better. >> reporter: today the lawsuit governor told those at the new jersey conference of tourism that the industry generated nearly $43.5 billion last year, more than 3% increase from 2014. >> i'm very proud to say the numbers are the highest they've been in years. >> reporter: tourism leaders attribute low gas prices and plentiful sunshine last summer that helped drive people to the jersey shore. experts admit the challenge of luring visitors from canada is growing here. >> we are very very concerned. >> reporter: since last summer, the canadian dollar has significantly weakened, making trips to the u.s. less appealing

>> we've been working with our businesses to create incentives or discounts. >> reporter: in struggling atlantic city, a potential bright spot after this week's illumination of the long dark sphere atop the former revel casino. >> let's hope he does that, because that would be a huge benefit to that end of town. >> reporter: an interesting note to add from the lawsuit governor, 52% of the state's tourism business came from areas that are not along the jerse shppore. thank you for watching. stay with us. live from studio 3c in rockefeller center, this is news 4 new york. a major change for the st. patrick's day parade that even has mayor de blasio joining the marchers for the first time. >> plus, we are tracking some

storm team 4 shows us just how bad it will be and when it will hit. a result nto the investigation into the death of a amother of eight inside her jail cell. mayor de blasio is going to march in this year's st. patrick's day, ending the boycott he has maintained since he was elected. >> he did march in last year's all inclusive parade in queens. t he declined to march in manhattan because no gay groups were allowed. >> after decades of refusing to allow gay groups to march together under their own banner, there is a light at the end of the long green parade route. this year in the sea of gseen on fifth avenue, a new lavender banner will be a bright spot and

past. >> for the last onwo decades, there's been a blemish on this city. >> friends of st. patrick, this is a special day. >> at the irish consulate in midtown today mayor de blasio brought together parade organizers and lgbt protesters. >> the new york city parade board of directors says 100,000 welcomes. >> that means a thousand thanks to you. >> for brenden fay it's been a 25 year battle. proud irish gay new yorkers felt discouraged. there were many times when we wanted to give up. and we wondered if we would ever see this day.