News Information and Media Site: Nightly Rundown: New Year’s Eve security and storms; Puerto Rico plunged into darkness; Woman set on fire in NYC subway identified

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By Dan Donahue

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Good Tuesday afternoon. Security is tight for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, most of Puerto Rico has been plunged into darkness, and the woman who was fatally set on fire in the New York City subway has finally been identified.

Here is what's in our Nightly Rundown.

New Year's Eve celebrations under heightened security, weather threats

Just moments ago in New York City, spectators were allowed into the viewing areas in Times Square where they will ring in 2025 under tightened security and rainy conditions.

The NYPD has said it will deploy a "tremendous amount of police resources," after assessing that the city faces a "heightened" threat environment, but officials add that there are no "specific, credible threats" to tonight's celebration.

The ball drop forecast calls for showers, part of a storm system spreading snow across the Great Lakes and rain from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast.

NBC's "A Toast to 2024!" special will air this evening at 9 p.m. ET, followed by "The Day Drinking with Seth Meyers New Year's Special" at 11:30 p.m. ET.

Puerto Rico plunged into darkness after widespread New Year's Eve power outage

A massive power grid failure has plunged nearly all of Puerto Rico into darkness, and officials warn service will not be fully restored until after tonight's New Year's Eve celebrations.

The outage has impacted some 1.3 million customers, about 80% of the U.S. territory, according to energy company LUMA.

While the cause is under investigation, LUMA said that "preliminary findings point to a fault on an underground line."

Puerto Rico has suffered a series of widespread outages in recent years. Its power grid was already troubled when Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, and the system has not been permanently rebuilt since then.

Woman fatally set on fire in NYC subway identified by police

The NYPD has now publicly identified the woman who was fatally set on fire in the New York City subway more than a week after that horrific crime made national headlines.

Officials say the victim was 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, whose last known address was in Toms River, New Jersey. Kawam was believed to be homeless, officials have said.

Police said Kawam was asleep on an idle train on Dec. 22 when Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a Guatemalan citizen who had entered the U.S. illegally, approached Kawam and set her on fire.

Zapeta-Calil was arrested later that day. He has been indicted on four counts of murder and one count of arson, according to prosecutors, and has not yet entered a plea.

Gonzaga team's charter jet nearly collides with Delta plane taking off

The FAA said it's investigating a frightening close call involving a private jet carrying the Gonzaga University men's basketball team and a Delta Air Lines plane at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday.

Video of the incident appears to show the private plane, operated by Key Lime Air, nearly crossing the runway just as the Delta plane was taking off.

An air traffic controller can be heard on tower audio telling the Key Lime Air jet to "stop, stop, stop!" No one was injured in the incident.

A Key Lime Air spokesman told NBC Los Angeles, "We are working within our own Safety Management System and with the FAA to determine the facts of the event and will respond accordingly."

What else we're watching:

A team of U.S. investigators has arrived in South Korea to assist the investigation into the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 that left 179 people dead.

An Horizon Air flight on Christmas Eve from Anchorage to Fairbanks was forced to turn around after an eagle hit the plane, the airline confirmed.

The FBI said it seized the largest cache of "finished explosive devices" in the bureau's history from an alleged anti-government extremist's Virginia farm.

A 14-year-old from Chicago who traveled to Mexico to celebrate his birthday with family is fighting for his life, after he was wounded in a roadside shooting that left his father and uncle dead, authorities said.

The official schedule for the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter has been announced.

After eight years, one of the longest and most acrimonious divorce battles in Hollywood history has finally ended in a settlement.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.