A Brooklyn comedian was forced to run for cover as bullets rang out in a New Jersey comedy club while she was just moments into her comedy set.
Dramatic video of the event shows the moment comedian Toni Byrd is startled by the gunfire mid-joke and runs from the stage.
"I only did about five minutes and the next minute the whole place was being shot up," she said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Six people were wounded in the Friday night shootout which saw about 30 shots fired in the club that had up to 40 people inside at the time, NJ.com reported. The six victims were treated for non life-threatening injuries.
Byrd was being filmed by a friend as she performed on stage at Sports in the City Food and Lounge in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and she later uploaded the footage to Facebook.
On Tuesday, Byrd appeared on Facebook to express her gratitude to those who had offered her support.
"It was so unexpected," she said. "It really broke my heart, to see all those people laid out on the floor and not knowing if they were alive or not."
On Tuesday, officials announced the lounge had been temporarily shut down after inspectors found various code violations, NJ.com reported.
Bloomfield police, working with colleagues from Newark, were making progress in the investigation, township Police Director Samuel DeMaio told NJ.com.
Crime Stoppers has offered a $5,000 reward for any information about the shooting that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information can call 973-680-4090.
With Hanukkah several weeks away, Target is reminding customers it has recalled thousands of menorahs because they post a fire hazard.
The clear acrylic menorahs, sold in Target stores nationwide from October 2015 through December 2015 for about $20, can melt when the candles burn, Target says. The company said it has received eight reports of the menorahs melting, including three reports of fire. No property damage or injuries were reported.
The 2,600 menorahs were originally recalled in May, but if customers still have them, they should toss them before the holiday or return them to Target for a full refund.
State police say holiday music was blaring from a Pennsylvania woman's car as she tore up the yard of her ex-boyfriend's home, nearly running the man and his family over.
Forty-seven-year-old Mary Jo Smith was charged Tuesday with multiple offenses stemming from Monday's incident.
Alan McCutcheon says he was setting up a Christmas light display outside of his Fayette County home when Smith yelled "Merry Christmas" and made several passes through his yard.
State police say Smith attempted to hit the 64-year-old along with his wife and adult daughter. No one was injured.
The holiday joyride caused more than $500 in damage, leaving behind tire tracks and a trail of broken lights and decorations.
It's unclear if Smith has an attorney to could comment.
New details about the moments before a crash that killed a New Jersey State Police trooper and a South Jersey psychiatrist emerged Wednesday with the release of 911 calls.
"He’s all over the road," says a caller in an recording released by the Cumberland County Communications Center.
The driver, later identified as Dr. Lloyd Rudley, of Elmer Township, crashed head-on into Trooper Frankie Williams just moments later on Route 55 in Cumberland County Monday night, police said.
Rudley, 61, died at the scene while Williams, a 31-year-old newlywed in his first year with the state police, died later at the hospital.
The 911 calls revealed more about what state police said was Rudley’s erratic driving in the moments before the crash.
"It's a little red car," said one 911 caller.
"I think there’s a drunk driver right here in front of me," another caller told 911 dispatchers. "He’s swerving on the road."
Police haven’t revealed results of toxicology results for Rudley. However, a friend of Rudley's told NBC10 he suffered from severe diabetes and she believes that it may have led to his erratic driving.
"We’re doing like 20 mph because this car made contact with a tractor-trailer," said a third caller. "They’ve got traffic completely backed up. We’re doing 20 on (Route) 55."
"OK we actually have a call on that for a possible drunk driver," replied the dispatcher.
"A red car. Looks like it’s a drunk driver," said another caller. "He’s almost all over the road. He almost hit us."
Rudley’s red Toyota Corolla crossed the grass median at about 7 p.m. and slammed into Williams’ police cruiser in the northbound lanes, said state police.
Williams, of Egg Harbor Township, was assigned to the Port Norris Station. He was a member of the 156th State Police Class which graduated on Jan. 29, 2016. NJSP called him a "bright and promising trooper." [[405006266, C]]
Williams grew up in Lakeland, Florida before moving to New Jersey. Donna Wood, Williams' former neighbor, told NBC10 he was always fearless, even as a boy.
"I know that child that grew up and I knew he was doing something that he was passionate about," Wood said, while fighting back tears.
After Williams moved to South Jersey he earned a degree in criminal justice from Rutgers at Atlantic Cape Community College. He was in the process of getting his Masters degree prior to his death. [[405135426, C]]
"He without a doubt was one of the best students I've ever had," said Williams' former professor Dean Wyks.
Information on funeral services for Trooper Williams weren't finalized Wednesday. A candlelight vigil in the trooper's honor was planned for Thursday night at 7 at Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company, 550 Main Street, Leesburg, NJ 08327. [[405126895, C]]
Rudley was a doctor affiliated with Pennsylvania Hospital who worked primarily in Elmer, New Jersey and specialized in psychiatry as well as neurology, according to the Vineland High School Class of 1973 Facebook page.
As poverty across the country and Pennsylvania inches downward, food insecurity – meaning not having enough food or money to get through the month – in Philadelphia has grown to include about one-quarter of the population, according to a recent report in Grid Magazine.
The article looks at how a wide range of groups from mega nonprofit like Philabundance to smaller food pantries, soup kitchens and church groups as well as supermarket chains and restaurants are trying to keep Philadelphia fed.
Alex Jones’ article particularly focuses on youth hunger and its greater implications.
“Hunger doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Kate Scully, policy director at Drexel University’s Center for Hunger-Free Communities told Grid. “When kids are food insecure, they’re often energy insecure, housing insecure.”
Click here to read the entire article.
Upper Merion Township Police are looking for a man who robbed an ATM user at a Wells Fargo Bank in King of Prussia on Monday, Dec. 3.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. when the suspect approached a customer that was making a transaction from behind. The offender displayed a handgun and stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the victim. He then fled the scene in an unknown direction in a light colored 2010-2011 Ford Fusion or a similar vehicle, police said.
Shortly before the incident, the suspect pretended to use the ATM machine as he waited for a victim, according to investigators.
No one was injured during the crime, police reported.
The suspect is described as a 5-foot-11-inch thin-built man with a scraggly beard. He was last seen wearing glasses, a dark gray hoodie with emblems on it, blue jeans, and a light-colored striped knit hat.
Anyone with information on this crime or suspect should call the Upper Merion Township Police Department’s Investigations Division at 610-265-3232
American Airlines repaid its Flight 728 customers after their Sunday night flight to London from Philly didn’t go smoothly.
The 9:15 p.m. flight diverted back to Philadelphia International Airport when a passenger smelled smoke from inside the plane. The inconvenience caused a three-hour delay before a replacement craft boarded the passengers.
American Airlines' Customer Relations department reached out to travelers who experienced the lengthy delay via email Tuesday evening and thanked them for their patience and rewarded them with extra miles.
“While we are sure you can appreciate our decision to return to Philadelphia was motivated by our commitment to your safety, we also can appreciate that many of our customers’ important plans were affected, and for that, we are sorry,” the email said. “In appreciation for your patience, we have added 4,000 AAdvantage bonus miles to your account.”
Valentin Vesa, a traveler on the flight, documented the incident and posted updates on his Twitter until the replacement aircraft took off.
He praised the airline crew and staff for the way they handled the situation, and felt pleasantly surprised to receive the reward.
“It was, again, a gesture of professionalism that I salute,” he said.
