A former Pennsylvania English teacher posted bail after an investigation uncovered that she sent nude photos and a video of a sex act to a 17-year-old student through a private Twitter account.

Stephanie France Luckey, 37, taught English at Muhlenberg High School in Reading, Pennsylvania until she resigned over the summer while under investigation for an inappropriate sexual relationship with her male student, said the Berks County District Attorney’s office.

County detectives learned of the alleged relationship in June, said the DA’s office. In April, Luckey created a private Twitter account so that she and the boy could privately converse with each other, said investigators.

Between April and June, the conversations turned sexual, said investigators.

"The defendant sent Victim No. 1 five to 10 partially nude and nude photographs of herself," said the DA in a news release. "Also, the defendant sent a video recording of herself performing a sexual act."

The boy, in interviews in June and July, also told investigators that he and Luckey would kiss in her classroom after school, said investigators.

Luckey admitted the allegations to investigators in early July, said the DA’s office. She resigned a month later.

The Richlandtown woman turned herself in Tuesday afternoon to face charges of corruption of a minor, having sexual contact with a minor and unlawful contact with a minor, said court records. She posted $25,000 bond and was released from jail ahead of a preliminary hearing next month.

Muhlenberg High and Luckey’s attorney Matthew Kopecki didn’t return calls for comment.

A gunman shot and killed a Philadelphia resident who stepped out for a smoke overnight.

Police responded to the Vandike Street near Higbee Street in the city’s Wissinoming neighborhood just before midnight to find a 32-year-old man slumped in the front doorway, said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

"He was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, the abdomen and both of the legs," said Small.

Police rushed the man to Temple University Hospital where doctor’s pronounced him dead a short time later.

"(Witnesses) said the victim had just exited the property, he was standing out front smoking a cigarette that's when they heard multiple shots," said Small.

Police found 10 shell casings on the sidewalk and front porch of the victim's home.

"It appears that this victim was the intended target," said Small.

Police didn't immediately release a motive for the shooting.

A school bus crash in Philadelphia left two children and a pregnant woman hospitalized.

The bus and another vehicle collided at Richmond Street and Allegheny Avenue in Port Richmond just after 8:15 a.m.

Medics transported two children on the bus to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children for treatment for minor injuries, said Philadelphia Police.

A pregnant woman in the other car was taken to Hahnemann Hospital for observation, said police.

No word yet on what caused the crash.

First Alert for Heavy Rain

Let’s start with the final product. Here’s the latest rainfall total predicted by the National Weather Service, based on averaging several different computer models:

[[395145401, C, 499,456]]

While this map will obviously not end up being perfect, it does reflect our current thinking. Overall, the heaviest rain with this whole system should be well west of our area-in parts of Maryland and Northern Virginia. The rain totals in our area should be highest in all of Delaware and Chester and Berks counties in Pennsylvania. That is why we’ve issued a FIRST ALERT for those areas. The FIRST ALERT may have to be expanded eastward later.

That’s a LOT of rain. But most of our area has been very dry lately. The rivers and creeks are unusually low for this time of year. And this “event” is going to last for multiple days, and is not expected to be concentrated over just a few hours. That would be much more of a flash flood threat.

Other Areas to Watch

Even though our weather has been quite dry overall, some areas have been wetter than others. A certain amount of rain over a 6 hour period could cause flash flooding. Here’s the map that shows the most vulnerable areas:

[[395145561, C, 467,530]]

So, parts of Chester and upper Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, and parts of Kent and Sussex Counties in Delaware could flood with about 3 inches of rain in a six-hour period (in some spots, only 2 inches could cause flooding). Since some thunderstorms are going to be hitting during this event, it is possible that one of those vulnerable spots could get a heavy burst of rain.

A Rough Morning Rush Thursday?

Some computer models are suggesting the heaviest burst of rain occurs during the Thursday a.m. rush. Look at the map from the Canadian model, valid 11 a.m. Thursday. The yellow and orange colors show the heaviest rain in the period 8 to 11 a.m.

[[395146231, C, 512,387]]

The Setup

The above map shows LOW pressure to our west and a giant area of HIGH pressure just north of Maine. That combination means a persistent and rather strong wind off the ocean. This will keep feeding in Atlantic moisture, and also keeping temperatures down. It’ll be hard to get out of the 60s for days.

At upper levels of the atmosphere, the picture looks extreme:

[[395147331, C, 512,348]]
 
There is an unusually intense upper-air LOW centered in Kentucky. The blue colors show just how extreme it is (WAAAY below normal pressures). But take a look in Canada. Those reddish colors indicate pressures WAAAY above normal. This type of combination of extreme reds and blues have been found ahead of dangerous weather setups.

Once again, as of now, it looks like that most dangerous weather will occur west of our area, but it will need to be watched closely.

Tropical Storm Matthew Forms

September is the historical peak of hurricane season, and now the latest storm has developed-Matthew. It’s a pretty large storm, and was quickly evaluated as a storm with winds of 60 mph. It’s moving quickly westward, but is expected to take turn to the north late in the weekend.

[[395147951, C, 448, 358]]

Matthew is expected to become a hurricane by the weekend, and many computer models take it to major hurricane status (111-plus mph – Category 3 and above).

Friends and family are mourning a Hamilton Township man who was taking out the trash when he was struck and killed by a car that then crashed into his home Tuesday night.

A 40-year-old Lambertville, New Jersey man was driving a 2004 Toyota Sequoia westbound on Edinburg Road shortly before 8 p.m. when he left the roadway and struck Daniel Quinlan, 53, of Hamilton Township. Family members say Quinlan was taking the trash out of the garage when he was hit by the vehicle. The driver then crashed into his home.

“The car was in the house and still running,” said Mike Nowicki. “The guy just jumps out the driver side. He’s standing in the front yard after this happened. Everyone else was getting away from the house. He hit that hill, got airborne, flew up over the set of bushes near your van.”

Quinlan was pronounced dead at the scene.

“My dad heard the bang,” said Quinlan’s sister, Jennifer Stagg. “I don’t believe my dad even knew Danny was outside. They didn’t know. I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say. I still can’t process it.”

Stagg told NBC10 her brother was taking care of their parents at the home.

“Danny was an amazing, caring, kind, loving, sweet man,” Stagg said. “He was their caretaker. He lived with them to help out my parents who are almost 90. So he was a gift and he will be missed terribly.”

The driver was taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

No charges have been filed but officials continue to investigate the crash. If you have any information, please call the Hamilton Police Traffic Unit at 609-581-4024. You can also leave information anonymously on the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at 609-581-4008.

A police officer's dachcam video captured a driver fighting off a deer to prevent the buck from jumping inside her car after she pulled over on a New Jersey road.

Howell Police Officer Nicholas Austin was on Oak Glen Road on Sept. 17 at about 8 p.m. when he saw the deer run across the road directly toward a car in front of him that was pulling over. 

The car had struck the deer moments before, police said. 

Video shows the driver of the car opening her car door and the deer immediately trying to rush into the vehicle. 

The driver then kicks the deer out of the car and shuts the door.

The driver was not seriously injured, but the deer died because of its injuries, police said.  

A Delaware woman was arrested after she allegedly stole from a Philadelphia nonprofit that serves children.

Sonja McQuillar, 50, of New Castle, is charged with theft and embezzlement.
McQuillar was the director of Health and Management at Northern Children’s Services (NCS), a nonprofit organization that provides mental and behavioral health treatment services for children. As director, McQuillar verified the accuracy of consultants’ invoices and submitted them for payment.

McQuillar is accused of preparing consulting invoices for relatives and friends who were never consultants for NCS. She also allegedly prepared invoices for people who were consultants for NCS but for work they never performed. She then allegedly forged the names of the recipients to cash the checks.

Officials say McQuillar stole approximately $607,067 from NCS between December of 2002 and April of 2014. 

“Every nonprofit that receives taxpayer funding accepts a responsibility to give charitably with integrity. These funds were designated to help some of Philadelphia’s children who are most in need,” said Inspector General Amy L. Kurland. “I'm grateful for our federal law enforcement partners for their close cooperation in this investigation.”

A blind man died from his injuries after he fell on the tracks and was struck by a SEPTA train Wednesday afternoon.

Police say the 53-year-old man was at the Race-Vine station at 4:30 p.m. when he stumbled and hit a pole and then fell on the tracks. He was then struck by southbound train #524. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

SEPTA has suspended Broad Street line service to the Race-Vine station. Passengers may also experience residual delays of up to 20 minutes.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Authorities have released a sketch of a suspect wanted in three attempted lurings in a New Jersey community last week. 

The incidents happened last week in Roselle, the victims ranging in age from 12 to 16, according to the Union County prosecutor's office. In each case, the suspect either asked the victim if she wanted a ride or physically grabbed her on the street. 

The attempted lurings happened between Locust Street to Chandler Avenue, between East 5th and East 10th avenues in Roselle, near Abraham Clark High School and Leonard V. Moore Middle School, between 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. or 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

State Police produced a sketch of the suspect.

Authorities are also investigating luring attempts of a 14-year-old girl in Kenilworth last Wednesday afternoon, and two 10-year-old girls in Linden Tuesday morning. 

Anyone with information is urged to contact police. 

Original article HERE

The executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority resigned amid sexual harassment allegations.

The PPA confirmed with NBC10 Vince Fenerty, 60, stepped down Wednesday and they accepted his resignation.

Fenerty was suspended Tuesday by PPA board chairman Joe Ashdale after two women came forward and accused him of sexually harassing them. The board decided to reverse its initial decision to stand by Fenerty after the second woman reportedly said she had been sexually harassed by him.

"We understand that some disagree with our decision and nothing short of termination would suffice," PPA Board Chairman Joseph T. Ashdale told a room full of reporters and a handful of frustrated members of the public early Tuesday. His statement indicated the PPA board and its counsel learned of the previously reported sexual harassment claims on the same day in June 2015 as the HR department."

Addressing reports that independent investigators concluded Fenerty sexually harassed one of his employees, Ashdale continued his statement saying, "We weighed all the facts available to us at that time. We were confident that we reached the correct decision 15 months ago and I remain just as certain today."

Only a few hours later, however, the board changed course and suspended Fenerty with the intent to dismiss after a second woman provided the Philadelphia Inquirer with "documentation showing that the parking authority offered her $150,000 to settle her complaint. She turned the money down."

"Earlier today, I made a statement regarding the recent disclosure of a sexual harassment claim made against Executive Director Vince Fenerty. After that meeting, it was brought to our attention that a prior claim from 2006 was made alleging inappropriate conduct with another employee," Ashdale said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon. "That complaint was not filed with our human resources department. It should have been part of the information used in making the decision to permit Mr. Fenerty to remain in his position."

The Inquirer's latest report – referencing documents filed in 2007 – indicates the woman brought her claims against Fenerty to the authority shortly after the alleged inappropriate conduct occurred.

Councilman Al Taubenberger, a PPA board member who did not attend the Tuesday morning meeting, characterized Fenerty's behavior last week as a "high-school puppy-love situation." But on Tuesday afternoon, similar to the board, the Republican City Councilman had a drastic change of heart.

"I am stunned and appalled by this new revelation of an additional sexual harassment incident involving Fenerty. Chairman Ashdale was right in suspending Fenerty with the intent to dismiss," Taubenberger said in a statement. "I will be calling in Thursday from Germany to vote for Fenerty's termination. Had I known about this earlier incident, I never would have voted to retain him. His actions are abhorrent and he needs to go."

Philadelphia Police shot and killed a man who they say injured five people, including his son and daughter, during a stabbing spree in the Cobbs Creek section of the city.

Police say the unidentified man first attacked his 15-year-old daughter at a home on the 6200 block of Hazel Avenue Wednesday night and grabbed her throat. He then allegedly stabbed his 8-year-old son as well as a 13-year-old family friend in their chest and throat.

The man then allegedly went over to a family friend's home on Webster Street and asked for something to eat. He then stabbed a 70-year-old woman and then punched a 42-year-old woman in the face, according to police.

Police responded to the scene and confronted the man. Officials say the responding officers demanded several times that the man take his hands out of his pants. The man then allegedly moved abruptly and the officers opened fire, striking and killing him.

Investigators say they're unsure if the suspect had a gun but also say they recovered a knife.

The 8-year-old boy and 13-year-old family friend who were stabbed are currently in critical condition. Officials have not yet revealed the conditions of the three other victims.

Police have not revealed a motive behind the alleged stabbing spree but say a witness told them the suspect may have been high on drugs.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

In October of 2014, the Abington Township implemented a Red Light Camera Program to three of their most dangerous intersections in an attempt to reduce red-light related crashes.

Almost two years since the program’s implementation, red light camera violations, combined, have dropped 48% at Automated Red Light Enforcement (ARLE) intersections. Crashes have dropped 30% and crashes with injuries have dropped 29% overall.

The three intersections with red light camera enforcement technology are Old York Road and Susquehanna Road (all 4 directions); Old York Road and Old Welsh Road (all 4 directions); and Moreland Road and Fitzwatertown Road(2 directions on the Abington Township side, East Bound Moreland Road and North Bound Fitzwatertown Road). Theses locations were chosen based on the comparatively large number of violations, crashes, and especially injuries that occur there, The Township of Abington Police Department said in a press release.

“Red Light Camera photo enforcement is designed to encourage drivers to think twice before running a red light. Experience has indicated that in cities where Red Light Cameras operate, drivers also tend to obey the signals more frequently at non-camera intersection,” a township spokesperson wrote in reference to the efficacy of the program.

The Red Light Camera Program is “revenue neutral," which means that it generates no income for the Township. All fines go towards the cost of the program, and any extra charges go to a special PennDOT fund, which is earmarked for traffic safety grants throughout the Commonwealth of PA.