A local man is taking to social media to ask for help to get his dog back after someone stole the dog from his Fishtown home during a burglary.
Gabe Hernandez, 39, and his girlfriend were in the process of moving to Mount Laurel over the past week, and Hernandez said one of his dogs, a 1-year-old Argentine Mastiff named Kazador, stayed at the old house in Fishtown as he prepared the new house for the dog's arrival. Hernandez went over each day to visit Kazador and feed him.
But on Wednesday, something was amiss when Hernandez got to the house, on Marlborough Street near Allen along the edge of the neighborhood near Penn Treaty Park. Hernandez said someone had unlatched a window to the house, climbed in, and apparently stolen Kazador right out of the home.
Now, Hernandez and his girlriend, Angela Weeks, miss Kazador, a gentle giant, terribly, and are hoping posts on social media and a police report will help bring him home.
"He's super sweet, loving. He just loves everyone," Hernandez told NBC10. "He's completely trusting, and he was probably just like, 'Oh, someone's here to play with me.'"
Hernandez said he's worried whoever took Kazador may harm him.
"He's a big dog, so whoever stole him might try to use him for dog fighting," Hernandez explained. "But it's not in his nature. It's not in his breed's nature. He just loves other animals."
Philadelphia Police's East Detective Division confirmed they're investigating the burglary and trying to help find Kazador. Hernandez shared a post with photos of Kazador, asking that anyone who may have seen him in the neighborhood or around the city to call him at 484-769-3335. Kazador is micro-chipped.
In the time Kazador has been gone, he missed the birth of his five puppies to the couple's other dog, Mirra, Hernandez said.
Hernandez said Kazador can also be dropped off at the dog's vet, Fishtown Animal Hospital, at 233 E. Girard Ave., no questions asked.
He implored whoever took the dog to bring him back, but said he's not planning to offer a reward for his return.
"I almost feel like it's kind of wrong to try to offer some sort of enticement or reward for someone who committed a crime. As much as I'd like to have the dog back, that only encourages criminal activity," he said.
"He's part of a family. He's got puppies here, you know?"
Anyone with information on the burglary should contact East Detectives at 215-686-3243. If you know Kazador's whereabouts, contact Gabe Hernandez at 484-769-3335, or return the dog to Fishtown Animal Hospital, 233 E. Girard Ave.
The Democratic National Convention later this month will bring a number of road closures and highway restrictions to Philadelphia, the U.S. Secret Service announced in its release of security plans on Wednesday.
The good news, though, is that the DNC won't be anything like the infamous Pope closures, which essentially shut down entire neighborhoods ringing Center City in the "Pope Box."
Most of the road closures are in South Philadelphia, with some ramp shutdowns happening on I-95 near the Sports Complex and commercial vehicle restrictions going into effect for I-95 during the convention, which comes to town July 25 and runs through July 28. Roads will begin shutting down on Saturday, July 23.
That morning, several closures will go into effect, according to the Secret Service:
The I-76 eastbound ramp at exit 350 (Packer Avenue) will be shut down each day from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. from Monday, July 25 through Friday, July 29. The I-95 northbound exit 17 ramp (Broad Street) will shut down from 10 p.m. Friday, July 22 to midday Friday, July 29. The I-95 southbound exit 17 ramp (Broad Street) will also shut down for the majority of the week, allowing only special access to the Navy Yard at designated times.
I-95 will be open to passenger vehicles during the DNC, but the highway will be closed to commercial vehicles between exit 13 (I-76/Route 291/Valley Forge) and exit 22 (I-676) beginning at noon Saturday, July 23. The highway will reopen to normal midday on Friday, July 29, officials said.
Besides the road closures, the area "within 30 Nautical Miles of downtown Philadelphia, to include FDR Park" from Monday, July 25 through Thursday, July 28, will be a "no drone zone," according to officials. There will also be waterway and airspace restrictions in place at the time. For more details, click here.
Documents uncovered by the NBC 10 Investigators show Cheltenham Township officials knew about devastating sewer problems years before homeowners were told the problems might cost them thousands of dollars.
The township now faces years of expensive repairs that township commissioners say could reach $70 million. According to Commissioner Ann Rappoport, homeowners may be forced to pay up to $10,000 each to reconnect to the repaired sewer system.
Since at least 2000, state Department of Environmental Protection records show, the Tookany Creek has absorbed repeated sewer overflows in Cheltenham. In 2006, the DEP fined the township more than $27,000 for failing to report "approximately 52" sewer overflows.
In 2014, the township was fined $280,000. It was fined $13,000 in 2015. Both fines were issued for failing to follow state environmental code.
"They didn't report it. They got fined," Cheltenham township resident Laureen Katana said. "More tax dollars. Probably tax dollars we could have used to address the problem."
"Clearly the the evidence speaks for itself," sewer engineering consultant Russell McIntosh said. "There are problems that could have and should have been addressed at a much earlier time."
Cheltenham Township records show that as early as 1997 the state "issued a moratorium on new sewer connections." McIntosh said that is a clear sign something is significantly wrong.
"This has been going on for a really long time," he said. "There are a lot of failures and some of the failures when you read through their report could have and should have been identified years ago."
Township officials blame their sewer overflows on damage from record flooding in 2010 and 2011.
"There is a problem now and we're working to actively correct that," Cheltenham Township Manager Bryan Havir said.
Between 1998 and 2010, the township spent $6 million repairing its sewer system, records show.
Commissioner Morton Simon said no matter what the township did or didn't do in the past, replacing the township's 80-year-old sewers was inevitable.
“What we’re going through today is something that I believe we would have had to go through at some point in time," Simon said.
After hiking about half a mile through the humid woods of Northwest Philadelphia's Wissahickon Valley toward one of the city's best-kept secrets, you'll hear the first big splash just before you pass the first mounted warning sign.
Devil's Pool is a beloved -- and perhaps notorious -- gathering place for young families and daredevils looking to escape the heat and bustle of the city.
It is hard to comprehend this hidden abode exists in the middle of one of the biggest cities in America. The creek waters burble below several tall, rocky cliffs and into a smallish pond, about 15 feet at its deepest point, beneath a soaring stone aqueduct deep in the Wissahickon forest.
On a typical day at Devil's Pool, the sounds of English, Spanish and Portuguese intermingle among a diverse crowd of teenagers and families who gather here, coming from as near as the inner city and as far as the Jersey suburbs. The crowd here forms a microcosm of the diverse population of the Greater Philadelphia area.
Devil's Pool has also earned a dangerous reputation over the decades, mostly thanks to the teenage daredevils who leap from the sheer cliffs into the relatively small pool of deep water below. There are countless videos on social media showing ill-advised -- and illegal -- jumps from the towering aqueduct 50 feet up, which requires precise aim to avoid the rocks and hit the spot of deep water.
Obviously, anyone foolhardy enough to attempt such a dangerous stunt is at risk for serious injury, and the city has recently floated the idea of filling the pool with rocks to dissuade stunts, to the displeasure of many who consider Devil's Pool dares a treasured part of their adolescence.
The vast majority of visitors at Devil's Pool, though, are just looking to relax and cool off. For now, this hidden refuge in the woods continues to be a unique place where people from every culture and background interact with nature and each other.
Philadelphia Police will likely work in two-officer units until investigators determine more information about exactly what transpired in Dallas Thursday night, after snipers from above opened fire on officers at the end of a protest, leaving five dead and seven others wounded.
Police Commissioner Richard Ross told NBC10 outside Police Headquarters Friday morning that the department hoped to put that measure in place to ensure officer safety as tensions over police shootings continue to build throughout the country.
"You watch in horror. Seeing those police officers being pinned down, first of all, not knowing what they're dealing with, which is absolutely scary," Ross said of the ambush in Dallas. "It's absolutely horrible and tragic, and your heart goes out to, obviously, that entire city, that department, but [also] the men and women who wear the uniform across this nation.
Ross said Philadelphia officers will work diligently to keep everyone safe during any additional protests in Philadelphia around the Black Lives Matter movement and against police-involved shootings.
Philadelphia has seen two large-scale protests through Center City already this week, with hundreds taking to the streets to demonstrate against the police-involved shootings in Baton Rouge and Minnesota earlier this week that sparked outrage. Some of the demonstrators display strong anti-police propaganda and signs. Twelve were arrested during a rally that blocked the ramp to I-676 in Center City Wednesday evening.
Ross echoed the shock waves that have reverberated through the American law-enforcement community and general public at the news of the shooting in Dallas, saying it was something nobody would have expected to happen at the end of a protest that had otherwise stayed peaceful.
"Who would've known that something like this would happen in Dallas? I'm quite certain nobody, despite their years of expertise, could anticipate that you'd get snipers at a protest," Ross said. "You can't get your brain around some of the chaos that's going on right now across this nation."
Ross praised Dallas officers' quick reactions to the sniper gunfire, many of which were documented on cellphone video.
"Those officers were still running toward that chaos," Ross said. "That speaks volumes to what they do for a living all across this country."
With their cages already so filled that they were holding a free cat and kitten adoption event through Saturday, Philadelphia's Animal Care & Control Team's Shelter received a drop-off yesterday with 30 more cats and four dogs, officials said.
The ACCT shelter's furry temporary residents are in desperate need of homes.
ACCT already started a "Feline Freedom Adoption Frenzy" through Saturday, in which it will waive all adoption fees for cats and kittens.
"An unusual spike in cat intake combined with a slow adoption weekend means space is tight," Carolyn Fitzgerald, ACCT Philly's director of lifesaving, said. "We are committed to finding homes for as many of these cats as possible and are counting on the public to adopt and save a life."
The ACCT shelter got even more crowded on Thursday, officials said, when someone stopped by to drop of 30 more cats and four dogs.
Up for adoption are a "social and outgoing" year-old orange tabby cat named Jasper who gets along with kids and dogs, and Coraline, an adorable 4-month-old kitten.
ACCT Philly's shelter is located at 111 W. Hunting Park Ave. in Philadelphia. Adopters can meet the animals and go through the adoption screening process there. Click here for more information.
Several months after former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy's involvement in a fight at a Philadelphia nightclub that left two off-duty police officers injured sparked an investigation, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office has closed the case.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office investigated the case, stemming from a Feb. 7 incident at Recess Nightclub in Old City, and decided not to press charges earlier this year. A spokesman for the AG's office said Solicitor General Bruce Castor determined that charges were not warranted and elected not to supersede the Philadelphia DA's office's decision.
Dennis Cogan, McCoy's attorney, maintained the star player's innocence since the beginning. He told NFL Media's Mike Garafolo this week, "LeSean did nothing wrong. He merely tried to break up a fight and he went through [expletive] over nothing," according to NFL Media.
Cogan said McCoy, who now plays for the Buffalo Bills but was in town visiting at the time of the nightclub incident, was only involved because he tried to break up the fight.
Philadelphia Police Officers Darnell Jessie and Roland Butler, both of whom were off-duty at the time, suffered injuries in the brawl, sparking outrage from the local Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5.
The NFL is reportedly continuing to review the incident. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with it.
