A suspected drunken driver slammed into a Philadelphia Police officer’s sport utility vehicle as that officer secured a scene of a deadly police shooting overnight.

The pickup truck driver struck the side of the officer’s SUV as the yet-to-be-identified officer blocked traffic along Cobbs Creek Parkway near Christian Street around 2 a.m. Thursday.

The officer, who was sitting in the patrol vehicle at the time, suffered bumps and bruises but didn’t break any bones, said police. Doctors at Penn Presbyterian Hospital treated him for the injuries.

The uninjured DUI suspect was arrested and is expected to be charged.

The officer was on the scene after officers shot and killed a man who injured five people, including his son and daughter, during a stabbing spree.

More than 600,000 U.S. military veterans will go without health insurance in 2017 if 19 states fail to expand their Medicaid programs, according to the Urban Institute.

The report found that many veterans fall into the “Medicaid gap” -- not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, but making too much to qualify for federal subsidies stipulated in the Affordable Care Act. Some uninsured veterans may be able to obtain VA care, but not all of them choose it or meet the eligibility requirements. 

Thirty-two states have expanded their Medicaid programs since Obamacare passed in 2010, and 20 million more Americans have health insurance than did six years ago. Many Republican-controlled states refused to do it, leaving many of their residents in what's now called the "Medicaid gap."

Multiple passengers who were on a crowded commuter train that plowed into New Jersey Transit's Hoboken Terminal Thursday morning said the train did not brake before the crash. 

"We approached the station and the train just felt like it never stopped," Jamie Weatherhead-Sal, who was standing at the door between the first and second car, told NBC4 New York. "The train just kept going, the lights shut off, people started yelling."

A 34-year-old Hoboken woman was killed and more than 100 were injured in the crash, officials said. There were conflicting reports about the number of casualties throughout the morning.

A New Jersey Transit spokesperson speaking at a short media briefing would not comment on how fast the train was going when it entered the platform.

Another passenger, Bhagyesh Sha, told MSNBC the train was traveling at its usual speed when it neared the terminal, but it never stopped.

“It did not brake at all,” said Shaw, who was standing in the back of the second train car when it rammed through the platform. 

He said the train hit a couple of pillars, causing the roof to collapse onto the train. 

"It was for a couple seconds, but it felt like an eternity," Shah said of the crash. "I saw a woman pinned under the concrete. A lot of people were bleeding, one guy was crying." 

New Jersey Transit machinist Michael Larson saw the train entering the platform at a "higher speed" than the usual two to three mph. 

“It was horrific. It was an explosion of concrete, dust, electrical wire," Larson said of the crash.

He said passengers were scrambling to exit the train through windows but he and others tried to warn them of live wires hanging at the scene and to wait for emergency responders to arrive. 

"One woman had a gash the entire length of her leg," Larson added. 

The train came to a halt in a covered area between the station's indoor waiting area and the platform. 

"It simply did not stop," WFAN anchor John Minko, who witnessed the crash, told 1010 WINS. "It went right through the barriers and into the reception area."

Ross Bauer, 32, a system engineer from Hackensack, New Jersey, who was riding at the back of the train, said the train was going into the station but "the car never decelerated."

Bauer told NBC News he felt a "big jolt" before the train slammed into the platform. 

Nancy Bido, who was sitting in the middle of the train, told NBC 4 New York that it felt like the train was "going really too fast" and "never stopped." 

"Everybody was pretty shaken up and upset," said Bido who hit her head on the person in front of her. She was waiting to be taken to one of three hospitals in the area treating people.

"It was a really disastrous scene," she said. 

Weatherhead-Sal said she saw people get thrown on impact and one woman got her legs caught in the door. Fellow passengers were able to pull her up to safety. Another man was bleeding from a gash in his forehead but was still trying to help fellow passengers.

"People in front of me were badly injured and then we just heard people were screaming in the first car; they were trapped, they couldn't get out," Weatherhead-Sal said. She said the conductor helped them get off the train. She said she was no injured. 

NBC staffer Aracely Hillebrecht, 32, was on the platform at the time the train hit the station.

"I was about 30 feet from it," she told NBC News. "I heard screeching and we saw the train and someone yelled 'run.'"

"We heard the train crash and heard the sound of water as the roof collapsed. People were scrambling and running away from the train." Hillebrecht said she saw people who were "really hurt" and "some people couldn't walk."

Hillebrecht, who lives about 10 to 15 minutes away from the station, said she was not injured.

Alexis Valle, a 24-year-old woman who is five months pregnant, told NBC 4 New York that part of the train collapsed on her head. She was dazed, but was picked up and passed out a window by someone else aboard the train. She said afterward, she was taken to the hospital, where she got four staples to the head.

"I can't really take anything, so I had to get staples without medication or numbing," she said. 

Another passenger, Steve Mesiano, told MSNBC he heard a "huge, huge bang, and the lights went off." He was in the second train car, and said he saw the roof of the first car collapse.

When he got out, Mesiano saw bloodied passengers everywhere. 

"There was blood on the floor," he said.

Roseanne Colletti contributed to this report.

'Officer' Tim Tebow?

Atlantic City Police are keeping their job offer to former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and current New York Mets minor league baseball player Tim Tebow but they don't expect him to take them up on the offer.

The South Jersey Police department tweeted out a photoshopped image of "Officer Tebow" congratulating him on hitting a home run in his first instructional league at bat in the Mets' system. [[395278121, C]]

AC police wished Tebow luck and said they guessed "there won’t be an Officer Tebow." Over the summer, AC Police offered him a job in case pro sports don't work out.

Tebow last played in the NFL last season with the Eagles, getting cut shortly before the season opener. His Christian beliefs, positive attitude and leadership has gained him massive fame despite his NFL career (one playoff win and a 75.3 passing rating) never living up to the hype generated after he won a Heisman Trophy and two NCAA BCS National Championships at the University of Florida.

He turned his attention to baseball this summer and inked a minor league deal with the Mets after a tryout for various major league teams. [[247269581, C]]

A fire that killed two Wilmington firefighters and left others burned has been ruled an arson and a woman who lived in the home has been arrested on murder charges, the Wilmington Fire Department said.

Beatriz Fana-Ruiz, the 27-year-old daughter of the homeowner at 1927 Lakeview Road, was arrested without incident Thursday morning, said the state fire marshal. In earlier interviews with law enforcement she admitted to using an open flame to light the fire inside the basement of her family's home, said a criminal complaint.[[395341311, C]]

The blaze left Wilmington Fire Lt. Christopher Leach, 41, and Wilmington Senior Firefighter Jerry Fickes, 51 dead. Leach, who was assigned to Ladder 2, and Fickes, who was assigned to Squad 4, were two of the several firefighters who responded to the fire at a row home in a development called Canby Park in Wilmington.

Fana-Ruiz was temporarily living in the home when it caught fire early Saturday, said the fire marshal.

Investigators said Fana-Ruiz told them she went down to the basement to retrieve some items. Initially she told investigators she didn't remember what happened next because she was drunk and on anxiety medication, said the criminal complaint. Two people in the home saw Fana-Ruiz go to the basement shortly before the fire broke out.

[[395299111, C]]

Fana-Ruiz faces two counts of 1st-degree murder for the firefighters' deaths. She also faces four counts of assault for injuries sustained by Lt. John Cawthray, Senior Firefighter Ardythe Hope, Senior Firefighter Terence Tate and Firefighter Brad Speakman.

The suspect also faces one count of arson and seven counts of reckless endangerment, said the fire department.

Local and federal investigators, including ATF officials, could be seen sorting through the rubble for clues in the days after the fire.

The news of an arrest comes as the community mourns the two fallen firefighters with viewings and funerals set to begin Thursday night with a public viewing for Fickes. Both funerals on Friday are private but a public memorial service is set for Saturday at the Chase Center on the Riverfront.

A judge arraigned Fana-Ruiz Thursday and sent her to New Castle County jail on $3 million bail. [[394677321, C]]

Three months after a rail car defect caused a commuting nightmare for SEPTA Regional Rail riders, train schedules will return to regular next week.

SEPTA announced Thursday that they will resume regular weekday Regional Rail service on Monday (Oct. 3).

"We are excited to bring Regional Rail service back to the level our loyal customers expect and deserve," said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel. "We are grateful to our customers for their patience, and we sincerely regret the inconvenience this situation has caused."

SEPTA took 120 Silverliner V rail cars – about one-third of the Regional Rail fleet – out of service over July 4th weekend after cracks were found in equalizer beams in the rail car suspension system.

The transit agency ran fewer trains and put some lines on express service in the days after the defect turned up. Over the coming months they would run on modified schedules using rail cars borrowed from neighboring transit agencies.

Repairs continued Thursday and by Monday, SEPTA said that more than 50 repaired Silverliner V rail cars would be back in service.

SEPTA urged passengers on all lines with the exception of the Media/Elwyn Line to refer to the June 19, 2016 schedules. The Media/Elwyn Line will follow a new schedule to be put into effect on Sunday.

Despite being back on track, SEPTA warned passengers to remain patient as they may continue to experience crowded trains due to more than half of the Silverliner V cars remaining off line.

Bruce Springsteen fans lucky enough to have a ticket, lined up Thursday for their chance to get a few moments with "The Boss" at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Hundreds of Springsteen fans waited in line for a chance to meet the rock icon, shake his hand and grab a photo.

They also went home with a signed copy of Springsteen’s new memoir Born to Run.

The fans that got to meet Springsteen were among the lucky ones, $33 tickets to the meet-and-greet sold out in 9 minutes.

Christopher Sowell was at home with his children when he suddenly snapped and went on a stabbing spree in Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek section Wednesday night, the city's police commissioner said Thursday.

The 32-year-old seriously hurt five people, including his kids, before being shot and killed by police.

His daughter, 12, told officers her father began choking her just before 7 p.m. Wednesday inside their home along the 6200 block of Hazel Avenue.

"All of a sudden his eyes were wide as could be. And then he just starts to choke her for no reason whatsoever," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross told NBC10.

Sowell then grabbed a switchblade knife and stabbed his 8-year-old son and the boy's 13-year-old friend multiple times in the neck and chest, police said.

The boys were rushed to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where they remain in critical condition. Detectives are working piece together what led Sowell to carry out the stabbings and assaults. His daughter told police it appeared he was high on narcotics.

"He just was a bubbly little kid, and I'm just praying that he pulls through," one neighbor who did not give her name told NBC10 Thursday of Sowell's son.

Sowell then walked around the corner to the 700 block of Cobbs Creek Parkway and entered into a neighbor's home, where he asked for food.

Detectives said Sowell once again turned violent, grabbing a steak knife and cutting the throat of the 70-year-old woman who lives there.

He also punched a 41-year-old woman multiple times in the face while in the home.

The elderly woman was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where she remains in critical condition. The other woman was taken to Mercy Hospital in stable condition.

A swarm of officers surrounded the area after the initial call for help. They found Sowell on the street outside the woman's home. Six officers opened fire on him after he pulled what they believed to be a handgun from his pocket, officials said.

Sowell was taken to Penn Presbyterian for treatment, but died from his injuries a short time later.

A gun was not found on or around the man's body, but a cell phone was. The knives police believe were used in the stabbings were found in the homes where the assaults took place, officials said.

Philadelphia Police Internal Affairs division is also investigating as is protocol when an officer discharges their weapon.

An anonymous tip led Philadelphia Police to the man they ran down a woman along a Northeast Philadelphia road before Christmas nearly two years ago.

Christopher Cook, 43, was arrested Wednesday and charged in the death of 33-year-old Theresa Pozzi.

Pozzi was crossing State Road on Dec. 23, 2014 when she was hit by a dark colored, older model Ford pickup truck, police said. The driver kept going as the woman's life drained away from her body in the street.

Witnesses stayed with Pozzi as they waited for paramedics to arrive. She later died at a nearby trauma center.

Since the hit and run, a $10,000 reward was issued and police showed off a broken headlight recovered from the scene with the hope of finding the driver.

They didn't have any luck until recently when an anonymous tip came in. Police said the information provided led them to Cook.

Cook is charged with accident involving death, homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter.

It was not immediately clear if he had retained an attorney.

Cheltenham is poised to once again confront its sewer overflow issue as township officials told a large crowd Wednesday night that an ordinance requiring the inspection of all properties’ lateral pipes will be re-introduced before Christmas.

The proposed legislation could be introduced publicly as early as Nov. 2 when the Public Works Committee next meets.

It’ll be the second time this year that the township has tried to address what the state Department of Environmental Protection has been demanding of Cheltenham -- inspect all private sewer laterals and require property owners to fix pipes found to be faulty.

Unlike the first try in May, however, the time allowed between a failed inspection and the required fix will be considerably longer, Township Manager Bryan Havir and other officials told more than 100 taxpayers who gathered in an auditorium at Cheltenham High School.

“If it is found to have a hole or the pipe is broken and we determine it needs to be addressed immediately, and by immediately, I am referring to the timeframe which a property owner will have to fix, we’re still bouncing that number around,” Havir said. “But we’re trying to make it as fair and flexible in the ordinance as possible. We know that the community is not receptive to the 30 or 60 days initially proposed.”

The township has been working for months with the Philadelphia Water Department, which treats Cheltenham’s sewage, and the state DEP to bring the township’s inflow/infiltration (I/I) -- the amount of storm and ground water that enters sewers -- to levels that don't swamp the system. Too much I/I when combined with sewage can causes overflows, which affect the flow into Philadelphia's treatment facilities and can lead to environmental disasters. In 2014, the state DEP fined Cheltenham $280,000 for a massive overflow three years earlier, NBC10 Investigators reported. The overflow was caused by a harsh winter and compounded by Cheltenham's antiquated sewer system. 

Representatives from both the city and state agencies were at the Wednesday night meeting, which went for three hours as numerous residents asked questions of local and state officials.

For more than a decade, the township has been under a state DEP consent decree to upgrade both its sewer mains in the public right-of-way and the nearly century old system of thousands of private laterals that connect homes and businesses to the mains.

The fear for many homeowners has been the cost to replace 90-to-100 year old terracotta laterals, with some estimates running into the five figures.

“You’ve scared me tonight. I thought it was going to take a credit card to take care of this. And now you’re talking about a loan,” resident Maxine Carson told officials, to anxious laughter by the crowd. “I’m not going to be able to sell my house.”

Havir and others, including DEP regional engineer Jenifer Fields, tried to assuage the concerns about home values and other financial concerns, arguing that a new lateral would add to the value of a house, not decrease from it.

At a recent public hearing held by state Rep. Steve McCarter, who represents Cheltenham, Springfield, Jenkintown and a part of Philadelphia, experts weighed in on the problem of aging infrastructure in older municipalities surrounding Philadelphia.

Some of the panelists said Cheltenham is not unique when it comes to antiquated, faulty sewer pipes.

Cheltenham Commissioner Drew Sharkey, who as chairman of the township’s Public Works Committee ran the meeting Tuesday, echoed that sentiment. He also said the township began down the road to improving its entire sewer system in earnest five years ago.

“In 2011, the township started investing significant amounts of your money into the public sewer system,” Sharkey told the crowd. “The ordinance we presented in May was too scary. But if we don’t address the private portion, the portion that runs from your house to the street, it’ll all be for naught.”

In conjunction with introducing an overarching ordinance that governs the inspections and upgrades, as well as permitting, fees, and a timeframe for private lateral improvements, Havir said his staff is searching for low-interest loans and state and federal grants to help property owners.

State legislation has also been introduced to address sewer improvements at the municipal level, and group rates for property owners may eventually be established as Cheltenham’s ordinance moves closer to adoption.

If the ordinance is introduced in November, Havir said he hopes public hearings could be held before the end of the year. Formal adoption would follow those hearings.