A two-month investigation into the business practices of a Montgomery County businessman resulted in his arrest.

Hatfield Township police announced fraud charges Monday against Jose Javier Cruz, owner of Bentley Surfaces, LLC along Bethlehem Pike.

Bentley Surfaces specializes "in in stone countertops, we carry solid wood cabinets and hardwood flooring," according to the company’s website. "We also do full home remodels! You name it, and we make it happen!"

Police didn’t reveal the exact accusations that led them to investigate Cruz. A county judge arraigned the 34-year-old business owner on 12 counts Monday morning including deceptive business practices, writing bad checks and theft by deception.

No one answered the phone number listed for Bentley Surfaces Monday afternoon.

Cruz remained jailed midday Monday unable to post $30,000 bail, according to court records. The Lansdale, Pennsylvania man faces an Oct. 4 preliminary hearing.

Investigators asked anyone else who may have been victimized by Cruz’s "deceptive business practices," to call detectives at 215-855-0903.

Three days after a lone gunman stalked through West Philadelphia's streets, firing apparently at random at anyone he came across -- including a Philadelphia Police sergeant, two bar employees, a woman and man in a car and a University of Pennsylvania police officer -- a more complete picture is emerging of the shooter.

Sources have shared with NBC10's Deanna Durante more about what gunman Nicholas Glenn wrote in the rambling note addressed to "doomed people" that police found on the 25-year-old after they shot him dead in a shootout after his violent spree on Friday night.

In the note, NBC10 has learned, Glenn wrote in the third person, referring to himself as "Solo Tattoo Tears." He wrote about seeing his probation officer, adding that "Solo Tattoo Tears" doesn't like that the officer sent him for another mental-health evaluation.

In another line of the note, according to sources, Glenn wrote about himself walking among the doomed population.

The note, described as "ramblings" by law-enforcement officials, contains rants and raves of Glenn's dislike for police and his probation officer, but stops short of indicating exactly why he chose Friday night to take a 9mm handgun and open fire in his rampage, which began shortly after 11 p.m. at 52nd and Sansom streets.

The note, in which Glenn referred to prosecutors as law counselors and his defense attorney as his spokesperson, gives no indication that he would harm civilians.

Glenn was no stranger to the law. NBC10 Investigator George Spencer delved into the young man's court and prison record and learned that Glenn was jailed eight different times since 2009, and that during those stints in the Philadelphia Prison System, he was placed in "punitive segregation" three times over the last two years for fighting.

A spokeswoman for the Philadelphia Prison System said that punitive segregation is not solitary confinement, but it was unclear exactly what it means.

A woman whose mother took Glenn and his sister in when they were young children told NBC10 that although she hadn't spoken with Glenn in several years, she heard from other family members that he changed while he spent time behind bars.

"His sister was telling me that the last time he got locked up that they had kept him in the hole," the woman, who asked not to be identified, said. "And when he came home, he was like, out of it. He tried to commit suicide. He left a suicide note."

The woman said she was shocked to learn that the boy she grew up with became the rampaging gunman she heard about on the news over the weekend. She said he was a "great child" and didn't have any behavioral troubles when they were children.

"He went to school, got good grades and graduated, even went as far as looking for a job, trying to work and stuff like that," she said. "This is something I can't believe he did."

Glenn's attorney, Anthony Petrone, also said over the weekend that Glenn spent stretches in what he described as "solitary confinement" for fighting while in jail. Petrone also said it seemed that jail changed the young man.

"I did notice with him a serious change in his attitude and overall demeanor during the period of time that he was incarcerated up in the county prison," Petrone told NBC10. "I remember visiting him frequently, and he had to be pulled out of solitary, and I remember he was having a very difficult time in dealing with the solitary confinement."

Petrone added that Glenn slowly became "more and more despondent" and that he saw a change in his demeanor and ability to communicate.

The majority of Glenn's arrests stemmed from drug cases, but he was also arrested for allegedly participating in a gang rape of a woman in 2009 -- but that case was dropped.

Virtually all of Glenn's crimes happened within a few blocks of his shooting rampage. Twice he was arrested on drug charges at 55th and Sansom streets, according to records. He also faced a drug arrest nearby, at 57th and Walnut streets. At 55th and Locust streets, also in the same West Philadelphia neighborhood, he was arrested after being accused of assaulting a relative. The gang-rape case that was eventually dropped occurred at 56th and Walnut.

The first person Glenn met and shot in his deadly rampage Friday -- during which police say he fired more than 50 rounds over the span of several blocks, discarding empty magazines and reloading -- was Philadelphia Police Sgt. Sylvia Young.

Young, who is assigned to North Philadelphia's 22nd District but was on a patrol detail in West Philadelphia at the time, sat in her marked cruiser at 52nd and Sansom when authorities say Glenn approached her window and fired 18 shots. She suffered gunshot wounds to her shoulder, arm and side, but miraculously, survived and is in stable condition.

Responding officers began to respond, pursuing Glenn as he continued east on Sansom Street. Along the block between 51st and 52nd streets, Glenn passed the Maximum Level Lounge, where a 42-year-old man who works as a bar manager and a 41-year-old woman who tends bar there were helping a wheelchair-bound patron in the open doorway. Glenn passed the bar, then turned and fired off five rounds into the doorway, police said, wounding the manager in both legs and the bartender in her ankle. Both were in stable condition and are expected to survive.

Glenn continued along Sansom Street, stopping on the 4800 block to approach a Nissan Altima where 25-year-old Sara Salih, who lived on the block, sat with a 36-year-old man. Glenn opened fire on the pair, fatally wounding Salih with a barrage of bullets to her chest, and critically injuring the man.

Glenn's spree didn't end there. As two police officers responding to the frantic "shots fired" calls and Young's calls for help screaming over police radio, police say Glenn turned toward their marked police SUV on the 4800 block of Sansom and opened fire, sending bullets into the truck's hood and driver's side door. The officers were not hit.

Glenn then continued onto 48th Street, where he met Edward Miller, a retired Philadelphia Police sergeant who works for University of Pennsylvania's police force. Miller confronted the raging gunman, exchanging gunfire with him, and Glenn managed to fire rounds into the officer's hip and leg. Miller has since been released from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center after undergoing treatment.

Police say other officers then rushed in and confronted Glenn, who exchanged gunfire with them until their return fire wounded him several times. He fell to the ground there, on the 100 block of South 48th Street, and died at 11:45 p.m.

Officers recovered the firearm Glenn used, a Ruger Model SR9 9mm pistol with the serial number scratched off, at the scene. When they found it, police said, the gun still had 14 live rounds. Empty magazines Glenn had discarded along his way were found scattered throughout the four-block crime scene.

Where Glenn obtained the gun, and exactly what sparked the mass shooting, remain under investigation.

Maybe last week wasn’t a fluke. Maybe it wasn’t just because they played the Browns.

Maybe they have something here.

In his second professional game, Carson Wentz, the rookie from North Dakota State, led the Eagles to a 29-14 win over the Bears on Monday Night Football. Wentz didn’t put up the same numbers as last week, but still got the job done.

On the other side, the defense was outstanding, giving up just one touchdown. The other came on a punt return in the fourth quarter.

After giving up just 10 points in Week 1, the Eagles have given up 14 or fewer points in consecutive games for the first time since 2012.

While the Eagles struggled to get into the end zone early, their defense held the Bears in check and Wentz and the offense did enough to leave Chicago with a win and a perfect 2-0 record. They’re tied with the Giants at 2-0 atop the NFC East.

Meanwhile, Doug Pederson became the first Eagles head coach in the modern era to win his first two games at the helm.

After taking a two-point lead into the second half, the Eagles scored late in the third on a tremendous run from Ryan Mathews to put them up by two scores. That capped off an eight-play, 68-yard drive.

On the ensuing drive, Nigel Bradham picked off a Jay Cutler pass and returned it all the way to the 2-yard line. On the next play, Wentz threw a quick pass to Trey Burton, who got into the end zone.

The game was close in the first half, but it became a blowout in the middle of the second half.

First half
Caleb Sturgis drilled a 53-yarder near the end of the second quarter to give the Eagles a 9-7 lead at halftime, tying his second-longest career field goal. He hit a 54-yarder in 2013.

Shortly before the field goal, Wentz threw an unbelievable pass to Jordan Matthews that would have been a 35-yard touchdown, but Matthews just dropped it. It was a four-point drop.

Wentz was very impressive in the first quarter, completing 15 of 24 passes for 141 yards. The Eagles were unbalanced in the first half, throwing on 24 of 35 plays.

The Eagles started off the scoring after the Bears went three-and-out on the opening drive. Wentz led the team on a 13-play, 47-yard drive that lasted 7:26, but resulted in just three points. Wentz had a chance to hit Brent Celek in the end zone, but Bears DB Bryce Callahan had a nice pass breakup.

The Bears got a touchdown early in the second quarter. The big play of that drive was a 49-yard pass from Cutler to Alshon Jeffery. Jalen Mills was in coverage and couldn’t stay with the big receiver.

That gave the Bears a 7-6 lead, but the Eagles kicked two field goals to take back the advantage heading into half.

Turning point
At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles scored their first offensive touchdown and then on the ensuing drive, Bradham had a big interception. That really flipped the game and ended it. 

Key stat
Wentz has now thrown 71 passes in his first two NFL games without an interception.

Offensive stud
Wentz was impressive again in his second NFL game. Aside from the numbers — 21 of 34 for 190 yards and a touchdown — he showed poise, the ability to move in the pocket, and made some really tough throws in the face of pressure.

Burton, who came into the game with three career catches, had five catches for 49 yards and his first-career touchdown.

Offensive dud
The offensive line didn’t have its best showing, specifically center Jason Kelce. Kelce was once a Pro Bowl player, but he doesn’t look like it anymore. Also, the receivers had a few drops, which continues to be a problem for the Eagles.

Defensive stud
Brandon Graham had a sack and was disruptive throughout Monday’s game. He’s had a very good start to his 2016 season.

Bradham had what was really a game-sealing interception in the third quarter. He dropped in coverage and caught a Cutler pass that was thrown right to him. He returned it to the 2-yard line and the Eagles scored on the next play.

Defensive dud
We’ll hand this to the cornerbacks, although the defense played really well as a unit. The Eagles just don’t have a ton of talent here. Coming into the year, Nolan Carroll was considered by most to be their best corner, but he hasn’t looked like it in the first two games. Give them some credit, though, after a quick start, Jeffery was held in check for the rest of the game.

Injuries
Zach Ertz (ribs) and Leodis McKelvin (hamstring) were both ruled out on Saturday and missed Monday’s game. Pederson called them “week to week.”

The Bears were decimated by injuries in this game, losing several starters (including Cutler) throughout.

Up next
The Eagles return home with a short week to prepare for one of the NFL’s better teams in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles shut out the Steelers in the second game of the preseason, but that doesn’t really mean anything. The Steelers game leads into an early bye week in Week 4 of the season.

It was just another day of work for one New Jersey bar owner — until he encountered the most wanted man in the tri-state sleeping outside his tavern.

As a massive manhunt was underway for New York City bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami, business owner Harry Bains noticed a man sleeping in the doorway of his Linden bar, Merdie’s Tavern.

Bains said the man had been asleep there for hours Monday morning and thought that he may have been a drunk who passed out. He said the man looked “tired and exhausted” as rain poured down around him.

The news of a terror suspect on the loose had been on in Merdie’s Tavern all morning. He said he had a gut feeling about the sleeping man, as the story ran over and over on television and Rahami’s image replayed in his mind.

“I was watching the news since this morning and I said, 'This guy looks so like this guy.' And I kept looping the same story three or four times,” Bains said.

Bains finally decided to follow his instincts about the man. He said he made a call to Linden police.

When officers arrived, things escalated quickly.

The officers woke Rahami. When he lifted his head they recognized him as the man in the FBI wanted poster released just hours earlier. They told him to show his hands and he pulled out a gun and fired, hitting one of them, according to police.

Rahami then allegedly walked down the street firing at random passing vehicles. Eventually police were able to take him down. He was hauled away in an ambulance, wounded by police bullets, but still alive.

Bains was nearly hit by bullets during the gunfight, but he says in the end he’s glad he followed that uneasy feeling he had.

“I'm just happy that I did it and it came to be that guy, you know?” Bains said.

But the totality of the whole situation was still settling in for Bains later on Monday.

“Why in the world? Of all the places in front of my bar? The guy is lodging in front of my bar.”

A Tennessee woman injured a Port Authority police officer when she drove into oncoming traffic to avoid going through the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey Sunday night, police said.

Amber Johnson, 30, of Clarksville, was driving in Manhattan traffic toward the Lincoln Tunnel when she apparently told Port Authority police officers she did not want to continue westbound to New Jersey.  

Police told Johnson to continue through the tunnel, but she ignored them and reportedly turned into oncoming traffic. 

She hit one Port Authority police officer as she drove against traffic. The officer was treated for a wrist injury at a hospital, Port Authority police said. 

Johnson continued driving against traffic across an underpass at 39th Street and 40th Street, and ran a red light before being stopped near Times Square, police said.

Johnson was arrested and charged with assault, unlawfaul fleeing and other traffic violations.

Attorney information for her was not immediately available.  

A three-vehicle crash left left at least one person hurt in Montgomery County Tuesday morning.

The vehicles collided at S Trappe Road and Paperbirch Drive in Collegeville, Pennsylvania around 7:30 a.m., said county dispatchers.

County dispatchers said one person was taken to Paoli Hospital with undisclosed injuries.

No word yet on when the roadway could reopen.

The father of Ahmad Rahami, the suspected bomber in a series of explosions in New York City and New Jersey Saturday, says he had "no idea" his son was involved in any alleged terror plan. 

Mohammad Rahami, who owns the fried chicken restaurant in Elizabeth, New Jersey, that was raided by FBI and other officials as law enforcement escalated their manhunt for the suspect, had little else to say about his son's arrest. 

Asked by NBC News if he knew his son was allegedly involved in bomb-making, Mohammad Rahami said, "No. No idea." 

Federal investigators interviewed Mohammad Rahami in 2014 after a neighbor heard the father scream, "You are a terrorist!" at his son, who had just allegedly punched his sister and stabbed his brother in the leg during a fight, senior law enforcement officials tell NBC News. The neighbor called police, and police told counter-terrorism officials, who questioned the father and relatives.

The father said he had made the comment out of anger and denied feeling as if his son were a terrorist or in any way radicalized, the officials told NBC News. Mohammad Rahami admitted his son was hanging out with a bad crowd, but described his friends as drinkers and thugs, the officials told NBC News. The FBI interviewed Rahami again later and the father reiterated his statements. The FBI conducted additional interviews and found no indication of terrorism. 

Ahmad Rahami spent three months in jail after the domestic dispute, but a grand jury declined to indict him and the matter was dropped. 

Meanwhile, authorities are looking to question Ahmad Rahami's wife, who was out of the country at the time of the bombings. A senior law enforcement official says investigators do not consider her travel suspicious.

Ahmad Rahami, a 28-year-old native of Afghanistan, was taken into custody Monday after a shootout on the street with police officers in Linden, New Jersey. Two officers were shot in the chaos, but are expected to make full recoveries. One left the hospital Monday night; the other was released Tuesday. Rahami, who was also wounded and remains hospitalized, has been charged with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. 

No charges have been filed yet in connection with the Saturday bombings in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood that left 29 injured and the explosion at a Marine 5K race in Seaside Park, New Jersey. Federal charges were still pending, and the U.S. attorneys in New York and New Jersey will likely charge him with terrorism in the coming days, FBI officials said in Linden Monday.

In addition to the counts of attempted murder, Rahami is charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Monday evening. Bail for Rahami in the Linden shootout was set at $5.2 million. It wasn't clear if he'd retained an attorney as of Monday night.

Authorities had been looking for Rahami in connection with bombings that rocked a crowded Manhattan neighborhood and a Jersey shore town over the weekend. A senior law enforcement official says a fingerprint collected from an unexploded device led investigators to Rahami as a suspect in the bombings at the Marine 5K race and the blast in Chelsea. 

Investigators said Tuesday Rahami was also linked to a cluster of pipe bombs found at a commuter rail station in Elizabeth, New Jersey, late Sunday, not far from where the suspect was later captured. A robot trying to disarm one of the bombs inadvertently detonated it, but no one was hurt. 

The blast in Chelsea injured 29 people, though all have since been released from the hospital. The explosion left twisted metal and shrapnel scattered across 23rd Street. An unexploded pressure cooker with a cellphone attached and wires protruding was found four blocks away; it was taken to a firing range, where it was safely detonated. Mayor de Blasio was set to visit the scene Tuesday as the neighborhood worked to return to normal. 

The discovery of the Manhattan devices came hours after a pipe bomb exploded in a trash bin at the Marine 5K in Seaside Park. Authorities had said they believed the device had been timed to go off as participants were running by, but the race had been late. It was canceled and no one was hurt. 

Old-fashioned flip phones were found on the devices in Manhattan and in Seaside Park, law enforcement officials close to the investigation told NBC 4 New York. All of the phones were purchased at the same New Jersey discount store — and were made with commonly available materials that can be bought without raising law-enforcement suspicions, authorities say.

After hedging on any potential terror angle over the weekend, Mayor de Blasio said at a news briefing Monday that there is "every reason to believe" the bombings in the city and in New Jersey were "an act of terror." 

Authorities said, though, that there was no indication of a terror cell in the area, and officials believe the suspect acted alone.

A trip to the bathroom early Tuesday morning likely saved a Delaware man's life when a tractor-trailer crashed into his home.

"That's where I was sittin' this morning," homeowner Bob Iwanowski told NBC10's Tim Furlong, pointing to the toilet in his New Castle home.

Iwanowski would normally have been outside smoking a cigarette at that time of morning, he said — but nature called.

He was in the bathroom when suddenly the entire house shook.

"The house went this way, this way, this way," Iwanowski told NBC10, swaying his body side to side.

It turned out the tractor-trailer had left the nearby Canada Dry plant shortly before the crash. Police said the driver told them he struck a parked car and lost control of the big rig on Iwanowski's block of Moores Lane near East 14th Street, then careened into the man's home. The home sustained serious damage, but Iwanowski wasn't injured.

"I came outside, there's the driver standing in my driveway, and I just laid into him," Iwanowski said.

The driver went to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries and was expected to be OK.

Other neighbors on the block said tractor-trailers zooming through their neighborhood are a common problem.

Authorities at the Canada Dry plant haven't returned a request for comment on the incident.

Red Hot Chili Peppers fans rejoice, the legendary band is returning to Philadelphia early next year.

Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer will rock the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 12 as part of their North American Tour in support of their latest album The Getaway.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will support the concert, one of only three – along with Boston & New York – announced for the Eastern Seaboard at this point.

Tickets range from $53 to $103, according to the Wells Fargo Center. Presale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday on the Chili Peppers' website for RHCP Community members. General tickets go on sale Friday at noon online and at the Wells Fargo Center box office.

With each ticket purchased, buyers will get the choice of a digital download or physical copy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members' latest album.

Kellogg is recalling about 10,000 cases of Eggo Nutri-Grain whole wheat waffles over the possibility they were contaminated with Listeria bacteria.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with the products, Kellogg said in a Monday news release, but Listeria monocytogenes can cause infections in young children and others with weakened immune systems, like the frail or elderly.

The recalled waffles can be identified by looking for UPC code 38000 40370, dated better if before used by Nov. 21 and 22, 2017.

They were distributed in the following 25 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Anyone who purchased the product can receive a full recall by calling 1-800-962-1413 or visiting https://www.kelloggs.com/en_US/contact-us.html, Kellogg said.

A University of Pennsylvania police officer who was wounded in Friday’s rampage shooting fought back tears Monday night as he was honored by his peers.

"I was happy to see them," said Officer Ed Miller. "Very happy."

Miller attended the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police 4th Annual Monday Night Football Tailgate Party. Proceeds from the event went to both Miller as well as Philadelphia Police Sergeant Sylvia Young who remains hospitalized after she was injured in the shooting.

Miller was also visited by Philadelphia Eagles' players Jordan Matthews, Trey Burton, Zach Ertz and Jordan Hicks while he recovered at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Saturday. Miller was released from the hospital Sunday.

Miller suffered gunshot wounds to his hip and leg when he confronted a rampaging gunman, later identified by authorities as Nicholas Glenn, on 48th Street.

"At that time it was just about subduing the threat and protecting the public," Miller said during Monday's event. "That's it."

Glenn had already shot Sgt. Young, along with four civilians, one of whom died, according to investigators. Young, a 19-year veteran, remains in a local hospital in stable condition. She suffered numerous gunshot wounds to her left shoulder, arm and torso when Glenn approached her patrol car and opened fire through the window, police said.

Glenn subsequently died in a shootout with other responding officers. Police found a note on him addressed to "doomed people" that they say contained rants and raves about his hatred for police and for his probation officer.

Miller served as a Philadelphia Police officer for 33 years before retiring as a sergeant and joining Penn’s police department. During Monday's event he showed his gunshot wounds to his right hip and ankle as well as his right arm which was grazed. Miller said he's lucky but isn't planning on ending his career in law enforcement.

"It's in my blood so I'll be back," Miller said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Penn Police Superintendent Maureen Rush praised Miller's heroic actions during the night of the rampage shooting.

"Ed didn't care who was being attacked," she said. "He didn't care their race. He didn't care about any of that. He wanted to protect people and he did a darn good job of doing that. Thank God he's here."

A New Jersey father faces child abuse charges after police said he left his two young children in a hot car while he inquired about getting a gym membership.

Berkeley Township Police and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office detectives arrested and charged Yordy Santanacastillo on Monday and charged the 28-year-old Forked River man with two counts of fourth-degree child abuse.

Witnesses told county investigators that Santanacastillo turned off his car and left two children, ages 1 and 3, in his car for about 19 minutes on Sept. 9 as he went into the Retro Fitness on Route 9 to ask about a gym membership, said investigators. The temperature outside at the time reached above 90 degrees, said prosecutors.

Law enforcement officials identified Santanacastillo as the children’s father.

Authorities processed Santanacastillo and released him on his own recognizance, said the prosecutor’s office.

A major stretch of Lincoln Drive in Philadelphia will be closed for more than a week.

One lane and the shoulder will be closed on Lincoln Drive southbound from Wayne Avenue to Greene Street starting Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 7 a.m. until Friday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. The closures are for restorations following ongoing water main replacement work that began earlier this summer.

Signs will be posted alerting motorists of the restrictions ahead.

Richard Basciano, owner of the "Hoagie City" building that collapsed during demolition in June 2013 and left seven dead and 12 injured, appeared in court Tuesday on day two of the catastrophe’s long-coming civil trial.

The elderly developer wore headphones to hear his defense attorney Thomas Sprague present his opening statement. He left after Sprague finished a nearly three-hour presentation, hobbling out of court with the help of two associates and a cane.

He did not return, following a break, to hear defense attorneys present their openings for fellow defendants Griffin Campbell, the contractor for the demolition of 2136-38 Market St., or Plato Marinakos, Basciano’s project representative. Marinakos was again in court Tuesday. He was the lone named defendant to appear Monday when attorneys for the 19 plaintiffs gave their openings.

The six defendants are Basciano and his company STB, Marinakos, Campbell, Campbell’s demolition excavator operator Sean Benschop, and the Salvation Army, which owned the store that Basciano’s building crushed the morning of June 5, 2013 when four stories of concrete, brick and steel fell suddenly.

Campbell and Benschop were the only people criminally charged and are each serving lengthy prison terms for involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment. The Salvation Army, plaintiffs’ attorneys argued Monday, are at fault because company officials failed to heed warnings that the attorneys claim were evident in numerous emails from those working for Basciano.

Attorneys for the Salvation Army will present their opening statement Tuesday afternoon.

In his opening, Sprague argued that Basciano had no direct connection to the demolition work being done by Campbell and Benschop. On several occasions, Sprague told the jury, that Basciano had nothing to do with "the means and methods" of the contract and excavator operator.

Sprague also said the evidence would show over the course of the lengthy trial ahead that Basciano’s representative, Marinakos, also failed to communicate any potential for catastrophe in the days before the collapse.

"Mr. Campbell allegedly called Mr. Marinakos and told him the morning of June 5 that the wall is down," Sprague said of a dangerously free-standing four-story wall of concrete and bricks attached to the Salvation Army store. But the wall was not taken down, Sprague said.

What did Marinakos do? Sprague asked. "He doesn’t notify police. He doesn’t notify L&I. He does not notify Mr. (Thomas) Simmonds (Basciano’s project manager). He doesn’t notify Mr. Basciano.”

Marinakos’ attorney, Neal P. Clain Jr., told the jury in his opening that Marinakos did find fault in the way the demolition was being performed and demanded on June 4 that Griffin take the dangerous wall down immediately. Clain also told jurors that Benschop, who had experience demolishing "hundreds of buildings" in Philadelphia over his career, was operating the excavator at the moment the collapse occurred and that Campbell had direct oversight of Benschop, not Marinakos.

He said at no point during the trial will anyone testify that "Mr. Marinakos controlled or knew about what Mr. Benschop was doing in the excavator that morning."

Mr. Campbell’s attorney, Brian Werley, said his client was never included in any of the emails and other communication between Simmonds, Marinakos, Salvation Army officials and attorneys for both Basciano and the Salvation Army that discussed the project and potential risks it posed to those who worked and shopped inside the Salvation Army store at the corner of 22nd and Market streets.

Opening arguments, as Sarmina told the jury Monday and Tuesday, do not count as evidence.

Day one began with an attorney for nine plaintiffs, Robert Mongeluzzi, delivering a stinging two-hour appraisal of what led up to the collapse.

"The evidence in this case will show you this was the blind leading the blind leading the blind," Mongeluzzi told the jury.

After Mongeluzzi, who is representing nine plaintiffs, finished his opening, several other attorneys representing other plaintiffs gave short introductions to the 12-person jury.

They were followed by a motion from the attorney representing STB, Peter Greiner, asking Sarmina for a mistrial. Griner argued that the use of the phrase "buried under the rubble" by some of the plaintiffs’ attorneys may have poisoned the jurors’ minds before the presentation of any evidence had commenced. Opening arguments, as Sarmina told the jury, do not count as evidence.

The judge denied Greiner’s motion.

Defense attorneys made two more motions for a mistrial Monday afternoon after plaintiffs' attorneys Steven Wigrizer and Andrew Stern gave their opening statements. Each told jurors they'd prove the Salvation Army was grossly negligent and reckless for failing to investigate warnings of potential danger, not communicating any of the information to workers or customers and for failing to close the thrift store until the safety issues and arguments with Basciano's team were worked out.

"By simply not closing that store, they did the most harm," Stern said of the Salvation Army, referring to the organization's own promise: Doing The Most Good.

Judge Sarmina denied those motions as well.

The trial is expected to last two months or more. Sarmina said at one point Monday that as many as 150 people could be on the witness list, which has not yet been made available. The judge did rule that it would become available to the press as soon as possible.

Testimony is expected to begin as early as Wednesday.

A suspected armed robber apparently chose the wrong man to target in the parking lot of a Northeast Philadelphia bank late Monday night.

The outlandish investigation began when police officers responded to the parking lot of the Wells Fargo bank on Bustleton Avenue near Bleigh, behind the Roosevelt Mall, about 11 p.m. for what they initially believed to be a victim in a hit-and-run crash. When they arrived, officers found a man with severe head injuries and a hood pulled tight over his head lying on the pavement, according to Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum, of Northeast Detectives.

After medics took the man to a hospital, accident-investigation officers arrived at the scene, and learned there might be more to the story: As they investigated, the officers found a large knife apparently belonging to the injured man in the parking lot, Rosenbaum said.

Other officers managed to track down the striking vehicle parked on Rutland Street near Tyson Avenue, in the Castor neighborhood, not far from where the man was struck, Rosenbaum said. They found the windshield broken, he said -- damage consistent with striking a person -- but also discovered what appeared to be a hole in the glass made by a knife.

"[Accident investigation] goes over there and notices it looks like the knife went through the windshield, so right away, he knows something's up," Rosenbaum explained. "There's something more to this."

Officers finally managed to track down the car's owner, a man who Rosenbaum said didn't speak much English. Through an interpreter, police learned that the man had stopped at the drive-up ATM at the Wells Fargo bank earlier that night, about 10:50 p.m., with his wife and child in the car. As he used the ATM, a robber approached him at gunpoint, Rosenbaum said.

The man got back into his car and took off, but realized he left his card in the ATM, according to police. He drove around the block and stopped back at the ATM to get his card, but when he got there, Rosenbaum said, the robber jumped back out at him -- this time, armed with a knife.

Rosenbaum said that's when the man hit the armed robber with the car, according to his statement to police.

As the man lay injured on the ground, Rosenbaum said, the driver -- who police now say is the true victim in the case -- went to him and took back the cash and ATM card he'd stolen, then drove to his home.

Rosenbaum said police obtained some surveillance stills from the incident that do indeed show the man who was struck by the car approaching the victim with a gun in his hand. Police still haven't located that gun, the lieutenant said, although they did recover the knife he used later from the parking lot.

The suspected robber remained hospitalized later Tuesday in critical condition, Rosenbaum said. He'll face armed-robbery charges when he's released.

"We did get the bank's surveillance still shots, and that corroborates the complainant's version of the events," Rosenbaum said. "So we're going to request a warrant and formally charge him with robbery and related offenses."

Rosenbaum said the suspected robber, whose identity has not yet been made public, has had several prior run-ins with the law. He said detectives will also be looking into the possibility that he could be connected to at least one other recent armed robbery done in a similar fashion in the same neighborhood.

Ahead of the first showdown between presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, NBC10 will host a debate viewing party at Xfinity Live! In South Philadelphia Monday.

The NBC10 News Debate Night will take place in the Main Room of Xfinity Live! at 1100 Pattison Avenue from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. NBC10 will also broadcast a live, one-hour program from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on air. The event will also be streamed live in its entirety on NBC10.com and the NBC10 mobile app.

The event will feature a live audience that will share their thoughts about the candidates and discuss the issues that matter to them the most. NBC10 News anchors Jim Rosenfield and Denise Nakano will host the program while NBC10 digital reporters Vince Lattanzio and David Chang will interview members of the audience.

“We are pleased to partner with Xfinity Live! to provide a public platform to discuss the issues most important to our viewers during this national and historic political event,” said Ric Harris, President and General Manager of NBC10 and Telemundo62. “We are committed to providing the most extensive local coverage of the 2016 Presidential Election on-air, online, on the NBC10 app and on site.”

The NBC10 News Debate Night program will be followed by a pre-debate discussion from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. which will be moderated by Jeff Rosen, the CEO of the National Constitution Center. Then at 9 p.m., NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt will moderate the first nationally-televised debate of the 2016 election season between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton live from Hofstra University in New York. Xfinity Live! will show the debate on multiple screens throughout the venue.

“Coming off the heels of the Democratic National Convention in our backyard, we are thrilled to now play host for NBC’s Presidential Debate programming,” said Anthony Dagrosa, Director of Marketing for Xfinity Live!. “Along with continuing to be the number one place for all Philly sports, events like this help to grow our identity and show our venue as the incredible entertainment venue it is.” 

The event is free to attend but you must arrive by 6:30 p.m. No outside food or drink is allowed in the venue.

A teen boy is facing charges after he was caught on camera fighting with a teacher at a Northeast Philadelphia high school.

Police say the incident took place at Lincoln High School on Ryan Avenue Monday. The 16-year-old boy was late to class leading to a dispute with a 44-year-old teacher, according to investigators.

A video posted on Facebook shows the student and teacher fighting each other in the hallway as other students watch though it’s unclear from the clip how the fight started. Police told NBC10 however that the fight began after the teen punched the teacher in the face.

The teen is charged with simple assault, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. The teacher has not been charged. Officials have not yet revealed whether the teacher will face any disciplinary action.

"We take the safety of our students and our teachers very seriously,” said H. Lee Whack Jr., a spokesperson for the Philadelphia School District. “Violence of any kind in our schools is unacceptable, and will not be tolerated. We are working in cooperation with the Philadelphia Police Department and we are conducting our own investigation to gather all of the facts regarding this incident.”