A teenage driver rushing to see his father in the hospital ran a red light along Philadelphia's Roosevelt Boulevard causing another driver to collide with his car overnight Friday, police said.
The collision killed two teen friends of the driver who were headed to the hospital with him.
The teens were speeding southbound in a red Hyundai Sonata along the busy boulevard around 12:30 a.m. when they flew through the intersection at Rising Sun Avenue in the city's Olney neighborhood, police said.
A 55-year-old woman, driving a Ford Explorer SUV, collided with the sedan as she drove along Front Street. The impact sent the car into a light pole.
Maggie Goloff, who was sitting in the back, appeared to have head trauma and a broken neck, police said. Medics pronounced the 16-year-old Northeast Philadelphia girl dead at the scene.
"Just a beautiful person inside and out," said Goloff's friend Jamie O'Connor. "She always had everybody’s back, even if they were in the wrong situation."
Medics rushed Osman Zeylnov, 19, to Einstein Medical Center where he died a short time later.
Zeylnov's friend, Ahmed Shain, was behind the wheel, police said. The friends were rushing to Temple University Hospital to be with Shain's father who had been robbed at gunpoint and physically assaulted with a gun while delivering pizza, according to preliminary information obtained by investigators.
(Police initially said the Shain and Zeylnov were brothers, but family members tell NBC10 they were close friends.)
Shain, 18, remained conscious as medics took him to the hospital in stable condition with facial injuries. The SUV driver, who wasn't identified, also was hospitalized in stable condition, police said.
Police reviewed surveillance video and interviewed both drivers as they investigated the crash. Investigators determined Shain "disregarded the red signal at the intersection," police said.
Witnesses said it appeared the sedan was going faster than the speed limit at the time.
"He was going too fast, trying to run the light. Probably about 70 miles an hour," witness Emile Stanton told NBC10.
"Oh man, when I saw him hit that car, I just shook my head. I just began to start praying," she said.
No word if any charges will be filed.
The deadly crash had at least one of Goloff's friends reconsidering getting her own license.
"My driver’s test is coming up on October 21st and I’m not taking it now because of this," said O'Connor. "I don’t want to drive."
A bus driver with a suspended license hit an 11-year-old boy walking to school in Jersey City Friday morning, killing him, officials say.
George Gonzalez was walking to school in the vicinity of John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Neptune Avenue Friday morning when he realized he forgot his football jersey. His aunt, who was across the street, was ready to give him his jersey when he was hit by the bus.
The boy's uncle, Nelson Rodriguez, told reporters, "As he was crossing in the crosswalk, there was a Snapple truck parked here. And the bus went around it, speeding, and dragged my nephew to where that van is."
"He wasn't moving, he was bleeding," said his aunt, Christy Gonzalez, still in shock.
The boy was taken to Jersey City Medical Center in what a hospital spokeswoman described as "very critical" condition and died several hours later.
"I just can't believe it," said Gonzalez. "He was laying right here."
The bus stopped after hitting the boy; it's not clear if it had any passengers at the time of the accident.
The driver, 44-year-old Raul Delatorre-Galaza of Elizabeth, was taken in for questioning and later arrested on a charge of causing a death while driving with a suspended license, the Hudson County sheriff said. He was also issued a summons for driving while suspended.
Delatorre-Galaza had as many as nine license suspensions on his record, law enforcement sources said.
Delatorre-Galaza is being held at the Hudson County Correctional Center on $50,000 cash bail. Attorney information wasn't immediately clear.
Neighbors say the area is always busy, particularly during the morning rush as children head to school nearby. Many are heartbroken by the loss.
"He was a good kid, he was really happy," Martha Melendez said, she wiped tears from her eyes. "He used to come downstairs [to my apartment] to play with my daughter."
"Every day after school he walks his dog," another neighbor said. "This is a sad, sad day."
A child was rushed to a nearby trauma center after being struck by a car along a busy road in Philadelphia's Mayfair neighborhood, police said.
The 13-year-old was hit along the 4000 block of Cottman Avenue near Frankford around 4 p.m. Friday, police said.
Paramedics took the child to nearby Aria Torresdale Trauma Center.
The child's age and condition was not immediately known, but police said he was conscious on the way to the hospital.
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A New Jersey man was arrested after moonwalking through the aisles of a gas station convenience store.
Officers responded to the Speedway gas station on Hooper Avenue in Toms River Wednesday night after the store clerk reported a man acting "erratically," according to police.
Police say Mark Wixler was moonwalking through the station's convenience store aisles while choosing what he wanted to buy. The 39-year-old, who had a warrant for his arrest out of Neptune Township, was in possession of six hypodermic needles and some heroin.
Wexler was then placed under arrest. He is being held in Ocean County Jail. It's not clear whether he has retained an attorney.
NBC10 and CSN traveled to North Dakota to explore star quarterback Carson Wentz's roots.
A true Midwesterner who loves his family and faith, Wentz is a hero in the City of Brotherly Love, but he’s a god in Bismarck.
CSN's John Clark spoke with Wentz's family, friends and coaches to offer you an exclusive glimpse into how he grew into the person he is today.
Watch "From Wentz He Came" in the box above!
Police are investigating the death of a man inside a lobby bathroom at the Marriott hotel in Center City Philadelphia.
The 47-year-old man was found just before 8:30 p.m. Friday, police said.
Detectives were treating the case as a "sudden death." It did not appear that foul play was involved, investigators said.
Philadelphia cultural powerhouse The Kimmel Center is in talks to bring a storied city theater into its portfolio: The Merriam Theater.
The Kimmel is seeking to buy the Merriam from University of the Arts for $11 million, a Kimmel spokeswoman confirmed Friday night.
The terms of the deal are not yet finalized, but both parties expect it to close next week.
The Merriam opened 98 years ago as the Sam Shubert Theater. It stands along South Broad Street, just north of The Kimmel Center and adjacent to the iconic Academy of Music at Locust Street.
The Kimmel Center already handles sales, rentals and promotion for the theater. After the property changes hands, the Kimmel is considering backstage and front-of-house renovations to the space, officials said.
The purchase is being financed through $5 million in gifts from Kimmel board members, a $5 million grant from the William Penn Foundation and a $5 million loan to cover capital expenses and other fees.
A Delaware County woman says her political views made her a target for vandals.
Desiree Walker got a rude awakening Friday morning when she found her car had been egged and vandalized. The Hillary Clinton sign that sat in the lawn of her Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania home was also uprooted and tossed across the street.
Walker is a volunteer for the Clinton campaign.
"I just hope people aren't getting the wrong kind of passion about the person they want to support and take things to another level," she said.
None of Walker's neighbors have political lawn signs and no one else's property was vandalized.
While property damage is rare, local Republicans have also complained about political signs being stolen.
Walker filed a police report in the incident.
A home fire is ignited every 86 seconds and yet half of parents say their kids wouldn’t know what to do in the event of a fire. Nationwide’s “Make Safe Happen” program is hoping to change that and get families prepared.
Nationwide and its partners have launched Home Fire Drill Day on October 15- the last day of Fire Prevention Week. Families can visit the Home Fire Drill Day website to learn more on how to make a home fire escape plan and then practice that drill today.
New survey data from Nationwide Insurance finds only one in five parents regularly practice fire escape plans at home. The initiative hopes to encourage and empower parents to teach their children what to do in the event of a fire.
