Federal lawmakers from New Jersey have announced legislation aimed at improving fire safety on college campuses.

The proposed Campus Fire Safety Education Act would increase fire safety awareness among college students and help improve their fire training. It would allow colleges to get funding through a competitive grant program that they could use to start, expand or improve a fire safety education program on their campus.

The measure was inspired by a January 2000 dormitory fire at Seton Hall University that killed three students and injured 58 others.

The bill is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr. and Donald Payne Jr. The three Democrats discussed the measure Monday during an event staged at the university's South Orange campus. [[238427591, C]]

A 92-year-old woman pulled from a fire Tuesday in Bensalem died a short time later at a nearby hospital, officials said.

Julia Pachucki died at Temple University Hospital after firefighters found her inside a house on Byberry Road at 5:30 a.m., officials said. Her home near Knights Road was engulfed in flames and she had become trapped on the first floor.

"When I saw the stuff come flying out of the house I just said, 'Oh my God. I just hope they got to her,'" said Pachucki's friend and neighbor Bertha Kolias. "I saw more smoke than I saw anything."

Pachucki's son was also in the home at the time. He escaped the fire and called for help. He was taken to the hospital and is currently in critical condition.

The fire continued to burn more than two hours later causing Byberry Toad to be closed from Hulmeville to Knights roads. One firefighter suffered a minor injury while fighting the flames.

Firefighters found Pachucki in the front bedroom. They told NBC10 it was difficult getting to her due to items that were piled floor to ceiling.

"Every room in the hallways, in the kitchen, basement, first, second floor, anywhere you can think of there's debris everywhere," said Bensalem Battalion Chief Robert Sponher. "The fire was difficult enough with the smoke and the heat but then you add the amount of debris."

Kolias told NBC10 Pachucki had an issue with hoarding.

"I saw a whole bunch of flames and I said, 'Oh, my God,'" Kolias said. "And I know she's a hoarder. I know that she has huge collections. I just couldn't imagine that she'd get out of there."

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A Montgomery County zoo excitedly -- and unexpectedly -- welcomed a pair of jaguar cubs last week.

The Elmwood Park Zoo announced that Inka the jaguar gave birth the cubs on Jan. 24, the zoo announced Tuesday. "The birth was unexpected," said the zoo in a news release.

"Inka and the cubs have been under constant observation since their discovery on the morning of the 24th," said the zoo. "The cubs look great, are actively nursing for long periods of time, and are very vocal. Inka is a very attentive mother; she's so attentive that it took nearly a week before the staff was able to separate her in order to examine the cubs." 

The jaguars’ father Zean and Inka were introduced at the Norristwon, Pennsylvania zoo in October 2016, said the zoo.

The yet-to-be-named jaguars are the first in 2017 born at an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited facility, said the zoo.

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Inka and her cubs will remain out of the public eye for the next couple of months, said the zoo. The zoo, however, will be holding a gender reveal event -- the cubs won't be shown off -- Friday at noon on its Facebook page and in person.

The jaguar family is expected to reside in the zoo’s new "Trail of the Jaguar" exhibit, which is set to open in the spring, said the zoo.

Carnivorous jaguars, which usually live between 12 to 15 years, are South America's biggest cats, weighing in between 100 to 250 pounds and measuring up to 6-feet long as adults, according to National Geographic. 

More than 9,200 acres of farmland have been preserved by Montgomery County, part of a vision by the planning commission to keep agriculture part of the culture.

In 2017, the budget for preserving more farmland is bigger than before, commission executive director Jody Holton said.

"This year, the amount that Montgomery County has to invest in the Farmland Preservation Program will triple," she said in a statement.

To bring in voices from farmers and residents, the county is hosting an all-day conference, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 10, in Telford. The location is Franconia Heritage Restaurant, 508 Harleysville Pike.

The topics for the summit titled "Keeping Farming in Montgomery County: A Conference Focusing on Sustaining Farming for the Future" will be farmer-centric: funding sources for on-farm improvements, emerging sectors of the farm marketplace, soil health, diversifying farm products and transitioning farms to the next generation.

The keynote speaker will be a third-generation farmer from New Jersey, Lawrence Kuser, owner and president of Fernbrook Farms in Chesterfield, Burlington County. Kuser will discuss how he has diversified his farm's business over the last 30 years.

The conference will be split into morning and afternoon sessions.

Anyone interested should register with the county Farmland Preservation Program or contact program administrator Danielle Weiden at (610)278-5239 or dweiden@montcopa.org.

An hours-long lockdown at Linden High School in New Jersey has been lifted after authorities searched the school following a threat posted to social media.

The school was put on lockdown for more than four hours Tuesday after authorities said they had received information about an Instagram post containing a direct threat to the school at about 9 a.m.

Officers from both Linden and surrounding towns searched the school, and students reported sitting on the floor waiting during the lockdown hours.

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Officials said the lockdown was lifted at about 1 p.m., however a heavy police presence remained at the scene scene. School officials implemented an early dismissal, but after-school activities will proceed as scheduled.

Linden Chief of Police Jonathan Parham said the investigation was still "very active."

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"For that reason we will not comment as to the specifics of the case other than to say have conducted a thorough search of the school and are confident that the students and faculty are safe," he said.

The public school on Saint Georges Avenue serves more than 1,700 students in grades 9-12. 

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Immigration lawyers representing a Syrian family denied entry into Philadelphia Saturday morning filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against the Trump administration.

The complaint filed on behalf of the Asali family alleges President Donald Trump's executive order violates several constitutional guarantees, including those belonging to members of a protected class and the right to due process.

The lawsuit asked that the family’s visas, which were legally obtained and granted, be reinstated and that reentry into the United States be paid at the government’s expense. Lawyers also sought a guarantee that the Asalis not be detained upon arrival on U.S. soil.

“These are not people seeking asylum. These are not people seeking any relief,” said Jonathan Grode, one of the attorneys working on this case. “This is a family-based sponsorship.”

This lawsuit comes one day after U.S. Customs and Border Protection denied a resolution to bring the family back to the U.S.

The family — including four adults and two children — planned to settle in Allentown — about 60 miles north of Philadelphia — where relatives who are U.S. citizens had bought a home for them. It took the family 13 years to secure visas and passports to relocate to the U.S.

All six family members returned to Syria over the weekend, and have been described as “tired and exhausted” by their Allentown relatives.

“They’re on overdrive,” said Sarmad Assali, whose brother-in-law required oxygen to be administered to him mid-flight after becoming faint.

“They were treated like criminals. Their paperwork and their passports were taken away from them. They were not allowed to have them until they reached Beirut, Lebanon, where they had to travel by land back to Syria.”

Sarmad Assali’s husband, Dr. Ghassan Assali, first immigrated to the U.S. more than 30 years ago. He joined relatives already living in Allentown and received his dentistry degree from New York University. In 2003, Assali sought to bring his remaining brothers from Syria to join his family in Pennsylvania.

Basam and Hassan Asali and their wives, Jozfin and Jurjeet, and Hassan’s two children, Sara and M.A.A., were issued visas in December 2016. They waited to relocate until January in order to spend the holidays in Syria. The Asali family is Christian.

After arriving at the Philadelphia Internatioal Airport, the Asali family was met by two U.S. Customs and Protection officials. The six were removed from the plane, detained and told they could either leave the U.S. on the same plane or stay and be arrested, according to court documents. They were denied phone calls and prevented from speaking to their relatives waiting at the airport.

The lawsuit referenced a weekend court decision in New York, which ruled that authorities could not remove people from the seven Muslim-majority countries who arrived in the U.S. after Trump issued his executive order banning immigrants from those nations. The Asalis were mid-flight when the executive order was issued, the family said.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the agency will continue "to work with our partners in the departments of justice and state to implement President Trump’s executive order to protect the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States."

DHS added that it is "committed to ensuring that all individuals affected by the executive orders ... are being provided all rights afforded under the law."

The government agency is working closely with airlines to prevent travelers who cannot enter the United States from boarding flights heading to the country, according to a statement.

"We are and will continue enforcing President Trump’s executive order humanely and with professionalism," DHS said.

The agency did not comment specifically on the Asali lawsuit.

Defendants named in the litigation include President Trump; the Department of Homeland Security and its secretary, John Kelly; Customs and Border Protection and its Acting Commissioner, Kevin McAleenan; and Kevin Donohue, the port director of the Philadelphia field office of CBP.

The family members last names are spelled differently due to a name change during immigration into the U.S., a spokesman for the ACLU said.

A Philadelphia police officer, whose arm tattoo of an eagle created a social media firestorm in September because some linked it to a Nazi German symbol, has been cleared in a department investigation, police said Tuesday.

Mayor Jim Kenney at the time described the photograph of Officer Ian Lichterman posted to Twitter Sept. 1 as "incredibly offensive."

"I know many others do as well," he said a day after the photo was tweeted.

The photo showed Lichterman, a bike cop, standing with his bicycle and most of a tattoo on his left forearm that appeared to be an eagle below the word "Fatherland." The eagle was drawn in a way some linked to a prominent Nazi German symbol.

A police spokesman said Tuesday that the investigation of Lichterman's tattoo cleared the officer last month and that he remains in his post.

The police department remains without a tattoo policy, according to Philly.com, which first reported the end of the investigation into Lichterman. He was hired by the department in April 2000, according to city records.

Despite the end of the investigation, Kenney said in a statement he believes the tattoo is "completely inappropriate" and that the city will work to foster a "culture of acceptance, diversity and inclusion throughout the police academy and the force." He went on to credit the department's professionalism amid the many protests in Philadelphia during January.

Here is Kenney's statement Tuesday after hearing about the conclusion to the Lichterman investigation:

"I am deeply offended by the tattoo and I think it is completely inappropriate for any law enforcement officer to have such a tattoo given its impact on those they are sworn to protect and serve. Since the investigation determined that the officer couldn't be dismissed because PPD does not have a policy against tattoos, we will draft such a policy so this cannot happen again.

"Additionally, PPD will continue to conduct thorough background checks and psych tests for new recruits. We also work to foster a culture of acceptance, diversity and inclusion throughout the police academy and the force.

"That spirit has been on display the past several weeks as officers have protected thousands of individuals’ right to protest and done so with respect and with dignity, and not a single arrest. I am confident that the actions of this officer is not reflective of our entire force."

A police spokesman said the department is working on a tattoo policy to implement in the near future, but details are not yet finalized.

Troopers with the Pennsylvania State Police are currently undergoing body inspections by superior officers for any tattoos that are visible to the public, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The administration has even pushed for troopers to have any such tattoos removed, but the demand is now in negotiations between officials and the troopers' union.

There is no need to run if you plan on registering for a spot in the 2017 Blue Cross Broad Street Run.

Runners can begin registering online for the 2017 Blue Cross Broad Street Run beginning Feb. 1 at 12:01 a.m. Lottery selections are random and the sign-up period is 13 days long, so you'll have an equal chance no matter when you sign up, said organizers.

People can register as individuals or as groups of two to seven runners, said organizers. An alphabetical list of runners who got a bib number -- and charged the $50 registration fee -- will be made available on the Broad Street Run's website on Feb. 16.

This year’s 10-mile dash down Broad Street from North Philadelphia to the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia will be held on Sunday, May 7. The Health and Fitness Expo will take place on May 5 and May 6 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

NBC10 and Telemundo 62 will broadcast the entire race live from start to finish.

The race is the largest 10-mile road race in the county. The first Broad Street Run was held in 1980. Since then the race has swelled to about 40,000 runners.

Anyone who has ran 10 previous Broad Street Runs is guaranteed a spot in the race as a "tenured runner" but they must apply during the lottery registration period, said organizers.

Get more information about registration specifics on the run's website.

All six defendants in the landmark civil trial for the Market Street collapse catastrophe have been found liable by a jury after just several hours of deliberations.

The trial now enters a second phase in which the jury will determine how much each defendant owes the nineteen plaintiffs, who are made up of the families of seven people killed and 12 others injured when a four-story wall crushed the Salvation Army thrift store at 22nd and Market streets, June 5, 2013.

The defendants in the nearly five-month trial are developer Richard Basciano and his company STB, his project representative Plato Marinakos, demolition contractor Griffin Campbell, Campbell’s excavator operator Sean Benschop, and the Salvation Army.

In the damages phase, attorneys are expected to call expert witnesses to testify how much value can and should be assessed when life is lost, people are injured, and trauma is incurred upon victims.

Check back for more details on this breaking story as they become known.

Pennsylvania is home to the sixth highest amount of hate groups in the country, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights and advocacy organization. The SPLC says they compiled a list of hate groups by using publications, websites, news reports, field sources and law enforcement reports.

Based on their data, the SPLC found that Pennsylvania is home to 40 hate groups, the sixth highest number in the country. Their map includes the names of the organizations and their locations. Take a look at their “hate map” here.

The SPLC’s selection of hate groups has caused controversy. Some of the selected groups as well as their advocates have rejected the label and questioned the SPLC’s criteria. The SPLC defines a hate group as an organization that has “beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.” The group activities can include “criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing,” according to the SPLC.

Police rescued a woman after two men abducted her in Philadelphia Tuesday night, investigators said.

The ordeal began around 8 p.m. when plainclothes narcotics officers received a tip about a possible abduction at a shopping plaza on Aramingo Avenue and York Street in the Kensington section of the city.

As the officers walked towards the shopping center they witnessed a 25-year-old woman leaving work and walking to her car in the parking lot. They then saw a red Jeep Cherokee with four to five people inside pull up near the woman. Two men then jumped out of the Cherokee and forced the woman into the backseat of her own car, police said.

The officers who witnessed the abduction then chased after the suspects as they drove the woman's car. The chase lasted for four blocks until one of the suspects lost control of the vehicle on the 2600 block of Emery Street, according to officials. Police say the suspects then ran off on foot while the woman was still inside her vehicle. 

"The guy was running," said Michael Kremen, a witness. "I don't know what happened after that."

Responding officers captured one of the two suspects and took him into custody. Both the woman and the plainclothes officers identified the man as one of the abductors.

Police are still searching for the other suspects.

"We believe the suspects in this abduction are also involved in other crimes," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small. "Possible home invasions."

The woman is currently speaking with police. She was shaken up but was not seriously injured.

Police are searching the Cherokee, the woman's vehicle and cellphones for evidence as the investigation continues.

Montgomery County’s nascent borough boom seems destined to explode in Lansdale, where its downtown is on the cusp of expansion by way of a shiny, new parking garage and dozens of new homes.

Everything seems in place for more development in the years ahead, and it’s about time, says longtime county planner-turned-consultant Carmen Italia.

“Lansdale has had plans for years. ‘We’re going to do this. We’re going to do this,’ they’d say,” according to Italia, who spoke with borough officials at a recent meeting.

Lansdale would be following in the path of other boroughs like Ambler, Phoenixville and Doylestown, which have Main Streets that mix restaurants, boutique shops, apartments and condos.

These boroughs provide residents of surrounding towns with places to go on the weekend for a date, or to take kids to a movie, or to simply window shop. Main Streets are mirroring the comebacks that many cities are enjoying.

But what if boroughs decided that only residents of those locales could park on their streets or in their public lots? What if their revitalized movie theaters like The Grand Theater in East Greenville or The Ambler Theater would only sell tickets to folks who live within borough limits?

It’s a silly notion, admittedly, since borough centers thrive in part from residents of nearby towns visiting and spending money on businesses and food.

But it’s not much different from the feelings expressed by a roomful of residents at a Jan. 12 meeting in Lower Frederick about a county-proposed trail.

The trail would run eight miles along Swamp Creek on the outskirts of another Montgomery County borough, Schwenksville. It’s a quiet, rustic place, and residents clearly want to keep it that way.

Their anger with the county blazing a new trail has somewhat to do with fears of eminent domain -- the government possessing private land. It’s something that they saw happen a decade ago when the county created the Perkiomen Trail. Back then, the county reached settlements with roughly a dozen landowners for easements that allowed for the 20-mile trail, which stretches from King of Prussia up to and through Schwenksville.

So the area’s residents have heard this song before. And they clearly don’t like the tune.

County planner Michael Stokes, who ran the meeting, said the resistance to the idea for a new eight-mile trail called Sunrise appears stronger at first glance than it was for the Perkiomen. He also helped develop that trail. Sunrise would be an offshoot of the Perkiomen.

“A lot of these people clearly don’t like trails,” Stokes told me after the meeting. He cautioned that initial public meetings on a proposal can elicit stronger sentiments than might accurately represent the overall community.

What a thing to say: “I don’t like trails.”

What the residents of quiet, woodsy townships like Lower Frederick and Upper Salford and Skippack actually don’t like is the prospects of increased use of their remote greenways.

Many at the meeting said that if they want to visit Sunrise Mill -- an 18th century mill that would bookend the trail -- it’s an easy-enough drive. And instead of a trail, how about the county spend its money on the mill and surrounding land so anyone can drive there and enjoy the historic spot?

The mill, they say, isn’t officially open to the public because it needs an expensive makeover to bring it out of a dangerous state of disrepair.

Stokes believes the trail comes before the mill. What’s a destination without a way to get there?

“But we can drive there already,” local folks insisted.

At first, you might think they miss the point: A trail is for people who don’t want to drive.

But for residents, it’s more than that. It’s about leaving Swamp Creek as it is.

One resident suggested that the county abandon the trail idea and focus its efforts on getting a whole bunch of state fishing licenses to give out. That way, he said, hikers could use the licenses to explore the creek without the need of a trail.

Of course, he added, they would have to walk in the creek, since some stretches of the waterway are banked by private land.

That’s a silly idea too, one you’d think was made sarcastically in the midst of a heated meeting. But the man wasn’t laughing.

These days, talk of trails in Montgomery County is serious business.

The Montgomery County Planning Commission is conducting a feasibility study for the creation of Sunrise Trail. At least two more public meetings will be held through the spring. Findings from the study are expected in the summer.

Brian X. McCrone’s columns appear each Wednesday in NBC10.com’s Montgomery County News section. In addition to the columns, McCrone and his colleagues at NBC10.com and NBC10 provide daily news and feature stories on Montco. Reach out to him at brian.mccrone@nbcuni.com or (610)668-5540.

Here are the 10 things you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.

TODAY'S TOP STORY

Police Rescue Woman After Abductors Grab Her: Police rescued a woman after two men abducted her in Philadelphia Tuesday night, investigators said. The ordeal began around 8 p.m. when plainclothes narcotics officers received a tip about a possible abduction at a shopping plaza on Aramingo Avenue and York Street in the Kensington section of the city. As the officers walked towards the shopping center they witnessed a 25-year-old woman leaving work and walking to her car in the parking lot. They then saw a red Jeep Cherokee with four to five people inside pull up near the woman. Two men then jumped out of the Cherokee and forced the woman into the backseat of her own car, police said. The officers who witnessed the abduction then chased after the suspects as they drove the woman's car. The chase lasted for four blocks until one of the suspects lost control of the vehicle on the 2600 block of Emery Street, according to officials. Police say the suspects then ran off on foot while the woman was still inside her vehicle. Responding officers captured one of the two suspects and took him into custody. Both the woman and the plainclothes officers identified the man as one of the abductors. Police are still searching for three to four other suspects they believe were involved in the abduction.

• MORE ON THE ABDUCTION

YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST  

Sunshine is expected to return for Wednesday and Thursday but temperatures will stay cool. Friday and Saturday are expected to be cold with temperatues in the 30s but sunny. Sunday could see some snow. High Temp: 42 degrees. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.

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WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY

All Defendants Found Liable in Market Street Collapse: All six defendants in the landmark civil trial for the Market Street collapse catastrophe have been found liable by a jury after just several hours of deliberations. The trial now enters a second phase in which the jury will determine how much each defendant owes the nineteen plaintiffs, who are made up of the families of seven people killed and 12 others injured when a four-story wall crushed the Salvation Army thrift store at 22nd and Market streets, June 5, 2013. The defendants in the nearly five-month trial are developer Richard Basciano and his company STB, his project representative Plato Marinakos, demolition contractor Griffin Campbell, Campbell’s excavator operator Sean Benschop, and the Salvation Army. In the damages phase, attorneys are expected to call expert witnesses to testify how much value can and should be assessed when life is lost, people are injured, and trauma is incurred upon victims.

• MORE ON THE VERDICT

AROUND THE WORLD

Trump's Secretary of State Pick Headed for Senate Approval: President Donald Trump's nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state is headed toward Senate confirmation after several Democrats crossed party lines to back the former Exxon Mobil CEO. The vote on Tillerson, scheduled for Wednesday, comes as tension continues to build among congressional Republicans and Democrats over Trump's executive order on immigrants and refugees. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declared the order a litmus test for Trump's remaining Cabinet choices. Any that refuse to publicly reject the "horrible" new policy should be opposed, the New York Democrat said. But the Democrats just don't have the numbers to block Tillerson from becoming the nation's chief diplomat. Republicans hold a four-seat advantage in the Senate and during a procedural vote Monday on the nomination, three Democrats — Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Mark Warner of Virginia — cast their ballots for Tillerson. They're unlikely to change their minds.

• MORE ON THE NOMINATION

Lehigh Valley Family Sues Trump Administration Over Syrain Relatives Denied Entry: Immigration lawyers representing a Syrian family denied entry into Philadelphia Saturday morning filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against the Trump administration. The complaint filed on behalf of the Asali family alleges President Donald Trump's executive order violates several constitutional guarantees, including those belonging to members of a protected class and the right to due process. The lawsuit asked that the family’s visas, which were legally obtained and granted, be reinstated and that reentry into the United States be paid at the government’s expense. Lawyers also sought a guarantee that the Asalis not be detained upon arrival on U.S. soil.

• MORE ON THE LAWSUIT

SPORTS SPOT

Flyers Lose to Carolina: The Flyers lost 1 to 5 against the Carolina Hurricane. Get your full sports news at CSNPhilly.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

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See more Top News Photos here.

THROUGH IGER'S EYES

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@bennett_cornelius captured this photo of the police mounted unit.

Have an awesome Instagram photo you'd like to share? Tag it with #NBC10Buzz.

TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO

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This angry woman decided to drive through a store window. Watch more here.

Mayfair Residents Have Dinner with Syrian Refugees: Families in Mayfair had dinner with Syrian refugees who moved in down the street, creating a moment of cross cultural bonding. Read more.

That's what you need to know. We've got more stories worthy of your time in the Breakfast Buzz section. Click here to check them out.