Good Thursday morning!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Thursday, Dec. 11; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Near-record warmth this week and weekend in the Valley!
The Valley's warming trend isn't slowing down. Temperatures climb into the upper 70s today, and we stay in the 50s overnight. By Friday, we're flirting with 80º - a potential record breaker!
ABC15 EXCLUSIVE: Woman rescued from burning car on I-10 shares harrowing experience
A woman rescued from her burning car on I-10 back in May by a Goodyear police officer is sharing her story for the first time, and about her long road to recovery.
“It’s just so scary to think I have these burns on me, and I don’t know how they’re going to heal, what I’m going to look like in the future," said Asharie Montgomery.
It was a morning that would change her life forever.
“I’ve never felt that kind of heat where it’s so hot that it feels cold, like ice cold," she said. “I didn’t want to die, so that already encouraged me to stay positive and think of ways to get out.”
On May 25, before the sun had even risen, a vehicle rear-ended then-18-year-old Montgomery as she was driving on I-10 near 91st Avenue.
“I just remember the impact happening. I don’t remember how the fire started, I just remember seeing it in my rear view mirror," said Montgomery.
It was a fire that was quickly burning closer and closer.
“It’s not so much I remember the heat, but the suffocating feeling.. like I couldn’t see, I couldn’t breathe,” she said.
Glendale PD arrest man who used watercraft to steal from home
Police arrested a Phoenix man for stealing tens of thousands of dollars' worth of items from a Glendale home in November. What is his mode of transportation to get there? A paddle boat.
That case then led investigators to find multiple stolen vehicles from across the Valley.
A detective with the Glendale Police Department said Michael Bergstrom targeted a neighborhood off 59th Avenue just north of the Loop 101.
Police said he stole a paddle boat from one house before traveling around the neighborhood lake to get into the backyard of his targeted home.
"It was listed for sale, but all the victim's personal items were still inside,” Detective Francisco Millanes said. “We had video of him scoping out the house first.”
Court documents said he took more than $20,000 worth of items from that home. Security cameras caught Bergstrom on video before he cut power to the home.
Man stuck overnight on closed Echo Canyon Trail rescued by helicopter
Phoenix Fire Department rescue crews have successfully rescued a man who got stuck on Camelback Mountain's Echo Canyon Trail overnight.
Crews were first called to the scene around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday for reports of a man who became stuck at the top of the mountain.
The hiker was initially seen by a Phoenix Police Department helicopter that was doing routine flights in the area.
Officials say the man was in an "extremely difficult portion of the trail" on top of one of the large boulders.
Multiple rescue crew members and what appeared to be law enforcement officers were airlifted onto the mountain before he was successfully brought down the mountain by helicopter around 9 a.m.
It's unclear why the man was on the mountain or how he became stranded. However, officials say he was taken to a hospital as a precaution and will be taken to a mental health facility.
Echo Canyon has been shut down for several weeks due to safety concerns involving the area's boulders. There is no known reopening date for the trail.
Diamondbacks and Padres face off for two games this April in Mexico City
Major League Baseball finalized plans for a two-game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres at Mexico City's Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on April 25-26.
The series was anticipated when the regular-season schedule was announced in August, but was not confirmed until Wednesday. Arizona will be the home team for both games.
This will be the third set of regular-season games in Mexico City after the Padres swept San Francisco in 2023 and Houston swept Colorado in 2024, both in two-game series.
Scheduled games at San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City in 2020 were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic and contemplated games for 2025 were scrapped over finances.
Regular-season games were played in Monterrey, Mexico, in 1996 (Padres and New York Mets), 1999 (Padres and Rockies), 2018 (Los Angeles Dodgers and Padres) and 2019 (Cincinnati and St. Louis, and Houston and Los Angeles Angels).
