Residents in a quiet New Jersey neighborhood say thieves have been taking wheels off their cars in the middle of the night, and authorities think a demand for car tires and rims is spurring the thefts.
On Monday, Catherine Nuesa of Linden woke up to find all four tires gone from her 2013 BMW 3-series. Some sophisticated thieves had pried them off before dawn, disabling the motion-sensing light above her garage to avoid getting caught.
"They have the right tools, they know what they're doing, and they seem to have a plan when they come here," she said.
Later that day, Nuesa's neighbor Eleanor Novalany opened her trunk and discovered the spare tire and jack were missing. Police say the thieves went to Novalany's driveway first to steal the tools out of her Honda, and then used them to remove Nuesa's BMW wheels.
"We are very nervous about it. My neighbor Colleen said, 'I didn't sleep last night. She said we are not used to this,'" said Novalany.
Crime is extremely low in the Sunnyside section of Linden, but in the last few months, police have gotten reports of three tire thefts. Neighbors believe the actual figure is higher.
Police Capt. James Sarnicki says the potholes created during the brutal winter are partly to blame.
"With the amount of tires and wheels being damaged from potholes, there might be a demand for car tires and rims," said Sarnicki.
The wheel theft in Linden follows similar reports in the Glen Oaks section of Queens, where dozens of cars have had wheels stolen. No one is connecting the incidents, but police believe the many flat tires and dented rims from all the potholes are creating a hot market for stolen wheels.
Police in Linden recommend motion-sensing lights and wheel locks. Both cars burglarized Monday had alarms, and it's not clear how the thieves were able to bypass them.
As milder temperatures moved into the region, gun violence spread to various neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Camden, N.J.
A violent early morning left seven shot and one dead on in four separate shootings both sides of the Delaware River.
The most recent shooting happened outside a bar in Philadelphia’s Feltonville neighborhood outside Marmeliz Bar & Restaurant along Wyoming Avenue around 3 a.m. About 20 shots rang out leaving a 29-year-old man shot twice in the back and another man, who was inside the bar, shot in the foot.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott said the prognosis didn’t look good for the man shot in the back.
Small said surveillance video from several local businesses could help in the investigation.
The violence began shortly after midnight with a triple shooting along the 2100 block of Ridley Street in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia. The shooting left a 31-year-old man dead and two others -- a 36-year-old man and 18-year-old male -- injured.
About 10 minutes later gunshots rang out along the 5500 block of Matthews Street in the Germantown neighborhood of the city. A 20-year-old man was struck in the knee and rushed to Einstein Hospital in stable condition.
One of the victims from the Ridley Street shooting lives on the block of the second shooting but police said the shootings weren’t immediately connected.
Around 1 p.m. shots rang out at S 8th and Hunter Streets in Camden, N.J. A man was struck twice in the chest and rushed to Cooper University Hospital where his condition wasn’t released.
No arrests were made in any of the shootings.
These shootings came just hours after a tense standoff that ensued following a deadly double shooting in Philadelphia’s Logan neighborhood.
Despite the sudden brash of violence, overall deadly violence has been kept in check so far this year. Homicides are down in Philadelphia as there have been 49 homicides in the city going into Wednesday -- that’s a 33 percent increase from last year.
Small said the warmer weather the last couple of days could have played a role in the violence.
"When the weather gets warmer and more people are out and about -- walking in the streets, going shopping, just haning out -- you sometimes do see an increase in crime," said Small.
Anyone with information should contact police.
A former hero police officer in Philadelphia wants to withdraw his guilty pleas and go to trial on charges he drugged and assaulted two alleged prostitutes.
Defense attorney Charles Peruto Jr. said that Richard DeCoatsworth wants to go to trial on the original 32 charges against him. Peruto says that decision goes against the advice he gave his client.
"I think the prudent thing to do was take the deal, otherwise I wouldn't have taken the deal," Peruto said. "But if a defendant wants a trial, I'm not going to stand in his way."
The change comes a week after the 28-year-old disgraced former officer pleaded guilty to promoting prostitution, simple assault and a drug charge.
In exchange, prosecutors had dropped a long list of more serious charges including rape and making terroristic threats.
DeCoatsworth faced 10 counts including rape, assault case, false imprisonment, firearms and drug charges after he allegedly made two women take drugs and perform oral sex on him at gunpoint. The 28-year-old was also charged with assaulting his live-in girlfriend in an incident on May 9.
"When you're charged with a million crimes that will give you a million years and you're offered a sweetheart deal, a lot of people will take it," Peruto said. "This guy doesn't want a deal. He wants his day in court and I can't blame him. He doesn't want to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit."
After DeCoatsworth made his decision on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Lynam told NBC10 the previously withdrawn charges against DeCoatsworth would be reinstated if the case goes to trial.
"They will be reinstated," Lynam said "He'll be facing a massive sentence if he were to be convicted of all of those charges."
DeCoatsworth has remained behind bars since last May. Last month, Peruto argued that time served in jail while awaiting trial would earn DeCoatsworth an early release but the judge rejected that idea.
According to an earlier indictment, the DeCoatsworth allegedly forced a woman into prostitution at a Days Inn motel in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia in May of last year. DeCoatsworth's previous attorney petitioned the court to release text messages from DeCoatsworth’s cellphone in hopes that the text messages would show the full extent of the former officer’s relationships with all parties involved.
DeCoatsworth was shot in the face during a September 2007 traffic stop. After being shot, he chased the suspect for some time before collapsing. Police say he was able to radio enough information about the shooter for other officers to nab him.
He was honored for his heroism in 2008 with a Top Cop award and sat next to First Lady Michelle Obama during President Barack Obama’s first address to congress at the U.S. Capitol.
His reign as a top cop began to unravel in the coming years. The city has already spent at least $1.5 million defending itself against DeCoatsworth's checkered past in the department including a couple alleged violent incidents.
DeCoatsworth left the Philadelphia Police force on disability in December 2011.
Outside of court last month, DeCoatsworth's mother Evelyn DeCoatsworth Myers said "it was a good day" and that her son should already be out of jail on time served. His family has claimed the whole thing was a setup to tear him down.
He had become addicted to painkillers prescribed following being shot, according to Peruto.
The time in prison has given him time to take stock of his life.
"He really has had time to reflect for the past 10 months," said Peruto.
In light of Wednesday's decision, Peruto said he would continue to represent his client.
"I'm going to represent him at trial and we're going to prevail," Peruto said.
Dozens of packets of heroin were found in a toddler's jacket by a worker at a New Jersey daycare center, police said.
Paterson police say the 2-year-old showed up at the daycare center on Oliver Street Monday with 48 glassine envelopes.
The child's father was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child.
Parents at the daycare said Tuesday that they hadn't been told about what was found.
"My daughter sees something on the floor, puts it in her mouth thinking it's candy -- same thing could have happened here," said Dulce Ibanez, a parent.
Authorities don't believe any other children came into contact with the drugs.
The daycare, Michael's Energy Factory, had no comment.
--Brynn Gingras contributed to this story
A half-naked, hammer-wielding man claimed he was Tupac Shakur as he smashed up more than one dozen Philadelphia Police vehicles early Wednesday morning.
The vandal did damage to at least 14 police cruisers parked outside the 6th Police District at 11th and Winter Streets in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood, Philadelphia Police Capt. Brian Korn told NBC10's Jesse Gary.
"He wanted to prove a point that he could actually shut down the police department," said police Lt. Paul Hammer.
The man carried an archaeology hammer -- a pickax-like device -- when he got out of his car near the police station around 5:15 a.m.
He was wearing only boxers and boots as he began to swing the hammer at police cars, SUVs and even the front door of the station, according to investigators.
"We heard the sound of breaking glass, we went out to investigate to see what was going on and I observed a male in his boxers with a hammer in his hand," said Hammer -- one of the first officers on the scene. "By the time we had got to the corner he had already broken multiple windows and he had been apprehended by one of our other officers."
Police said the unidentified man claimed he is Tupac Shakur -- the rapper died in 1996 but conspiracy theorists have long rumored that 'Pac actually survived being shot.
Hammer said the man basically gave himself up but that a stun gun was called upon just in case it was needed.
Officers took the suspect to Jefferson University Hospital for observation.
No officers were hurt during the rampage.
Some of the damage done to the police cars included broken windshields and dented doors. Police didn't put an immediate price tag on the havoc done.
Originally it was believed the suspect carried a baseball bat but police later clarified it was actually the hammer in his hands.
The suspect could be charged with felony criminal mischief, according to investigators.
The wife of convicted child sex abuser Jerry Sandusky broke her silence for the first time since the former Penn State assistant football coach was sent to jail, saying the case against her husband was based on lies and his accusers motivated by money.
“Do I believe him? I definitely believe him. Because if I didn't believe him, when I testified at trial, I could have not said what I said. I would have had to tell the truth," Dottie Sandusky said in an exclusive interview with NBC’s “Today” show from her home in State College, Pa.
“I think it was, they were manipulated, and they saw money,’’ she told NBC's Matt Lauer. “Once lawyers came into the case, they said there was money.”
Jerry Sandusky, 70, was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison after being convicted in June 2012 on 45 of 48 charges of sexually abusing young boys over a 15-year period.
When asked if her husband of 47 years was guilty of inappropriate behavior with some of the young boys who have accused him, Sandusky said, “I don't believe that, I believe he showered with kids. That’s the generation that Jerry grew up in ....There were always people coming in and out no matter what time that was.”
Sandusky was joined during the interview by filmmaker John Ziegler, who researched the case for two years and has interviewed Jerry Sandusky twice in prison. He believes Jerry Sandusky is innocent.
“I presumed, like a lot of people, that Dottie has to be delusional or not understand the case,’’ Ziegler said. “I'm certain of one thing above everything else after two years of investigating this case, and that is that Dottie Sandusky is not delusional. She knows the case better than the vast majority of media members, and she is positive that Jerry Sandusky is innocent.”
During the interview, Sandusky took Matt Lauer to her basement where the accusers said some of the abuse occurred.
"It is not a dungeon," she said. "It is not what those kids said. You can scream, and you can hear it up to the second floor.”
Lauer pointed out that the house is quite small and that one of the victims said he screamed in the basement while he was sexually abused and that Dottie never came down to check what was going on. Dottie said she never heard anyone “because he didn’t scream.”
Lauer also asked about an article in The Washington Post in which Melinda Henneberger wrote, "We know that predators prey on the more vulnerable, who they can later paint as unstable; that’s standard. But they also tend to choose spouses who can be counted on to suppress any unpleasant ideas that might occur to them."
"I'm not a weak spouse,'' said Sandusky, who visits her husband once a week at a maximum security prison in Waynesburg, Penn., a three-hour drive from her home. "As you know...they call me 'Sarge' because Jerry said I kept everybody in line. If they want to say that, let them say that. I know who I am. And I know who Jerry is. And I know he did not do the horrible crimes that he's convicted of.”
Lauer pointed out to Ziegler and Sandusky that it may be hard for the public to believe that everyone in the case has been manipulated or is lying.
“Look, the reality is, I understand exactly what you're saying,’’ Ziegler said. “People will think that this is insane because they were given a perception of this case that was totally wrong.”
An 8-year-old in Montgomery County has been hospitalized after being diagnosed with a meningococcal infection, the bacteria that can lead to meningitis, school officials tell NBC10.com.
The child is a 3rd grade student at Skippack Elementary School in Collegeville, Pa. School officials say they were notified of the infection diagnosis on Tuesday and notified parents via email.
The Montgomery County Health Department says the child is in stable condition at a local hospital.
The infection is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. Left untreated, the infection can morph into bacterial meningitis, a dangerous disease which causes inflammation in the lining of the brain, health officials say. In the worst and most rare cases, meningococcemia, an infection in the blood stream can form.
A letter to parents obtained by NBC10.com says that the Montgomery County Health Department and school staff have been working to identify anyone who has had close contact -- such as sharing food or drinks -- with the student.
"It's a really scary thought," said Tina Kelly. "I have kids in the district."
Anyone who has had close contact may be given antibiotics, officials said. Officials also advised parents to watch their children for sudden fever or nausea.
Perkiomen Valley School District spokeswoman Jessica Lester says the school is in the process of being disinfected. Additional staff is being brought in to clean surfaces as a precaution, she said.
Skippack Elementary has 127 students in the third grade and 775 students total.
Some of the symptoms of meningitis include nausea, vomiting and light sensitivity as well as confusion and a stiff neck. The bacteria that causes meningitis is spread through close contact with an infected person and being exposed to their nose and throat secretions. This can be done through kissing or sharing toothbrushes, cigarettes, and utensils with an infected person.
Didn't have a chance to catch up on local news yesterday?
Meningitis Suspected in Drexel Sorority Death
Philadelphia’s Drexel University was put on alert Tuesday morning after a college sophomore died suddenly from a suspected case of meningitis.
Deadly Shooting Leads to Barricade
After a tense standoff that lasted for over an hour, seven men were taken into custody Tuesday night in connection to a double shooting that left one man dead and another injured.
Funeral Plans for South Philly "Band of Brothers" Hero
South Philadelphia native and American hero William "Wild Bill" Guarnere will be memorialized in the same city where he was born.
Woman Left in Restroom as Baby Searches for Mom
Nearly three decades later, the baby is all grown up and looking for her biological mother — and tens of thousands of people are trying to help.
Woman Charged in Grandfather's Stabbing Death
An Allentown woman was charged in the stabbing death of her grandfather.
A gas leak forced residents to evacuate to a Northeast Philadelphia Catholic school this morning.
The reported leak forced evacuations along the 7200 block of Torresdale Avenue in the Tacony section of the city around 9:30 a.m.
Authorities took the evacuees from both sides of the street -- four homes in total -- to nearby Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls.
A PGW technician was at a local business when he noticed the slight odor of gas, according to PGW.
Police blocked off the 7200 block of Torresdale while the PGW crews looked underground.
A further investigation uncovered that the source of the fumes was a CURB box -- a device that helps to regulate pressure.
The technician called the fire department and PGW dispatched a repair crew to the scene. It took crews about 90 minutes to make repairs and clear the scene.
PGW said no local gas service was interrupted and no pipes appear to be leaking.
The fourth annual Philly Tech Week kicks off this year with some outrageous gaming on a University City high-rise -- sound familiar?
On April 4, a massive Tetris match will be showcased on both sides of the 437-foot Cira Centre in University City. Players will take their joysticks at Eakins Oval and square off against opponents near Drexel University (the exact location is still yet to be determined), where they’ll see the classic video game displayed on the 29-story “screen,” which is really just a skyscraper embedded with LED lights.
Last year, Drexel University professor Frank Lee, who also founded the school’s Entrepreneurial Game Studio, wowed us with a similar feat – a game of Pong on the Cira Centre, which earned a Guinness World Record accolade this past November for the largest architectural video display ever conducted.
Lee said this year’s Tetris game actually was his original plan. In 2008, when he was jogging on I-76 one day, he said the sparkling lights on the Cira Centre reminded him of the iconic puzzle pastime. Read more about this story on PBJ.com.
For more breaking business news go to PBJ.com
The trials of the U.S. dollar have been debated for years. Sure, it’s gotten some of its foreign counterparts beat, but it’s also taken a backseat to other major players such as the euro. Now it seems that investors may want to brace themselves as reports show that a long-term decline may be in the near future for the greenback.
A report by Merck Investments has provided reasons as to why the strength of the U.S. dollar may not be so evergreen. Let’s take a look some of the highlights from the report:
Higher interest rates spell a weaker U.S. dollar
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan announced the arrest of a Delaware County teacher for inappropriately touching young students Wednesday afternoon.
Paul E. Hochschwender, 54, of the 2900 block of Pennview Avenue in Broomall turned himself in Wednesday morning and was charged with inappropriately touching students, corruption of minors and sexual assault, according to Whelan.
Hochschwender, a second grade teacher at Darby Township Elementary, was charged following an investigation into reports that he touched a 7-year-old girl's private parts while she was seated at her desk.
The young victim told police that her teacher put his hand on her shoulder before touching her vagina and that he would often pick her up, hold her close and touch her behind.
She also told investigators that she saw Hochschwender touch a classmate in a similar fashion. That girl, who is also 7 years old, confirmed she was touched "in not a good place," Whelan said.
A third victim also emerged during the investigation. She says that two years ago, Hochschwender touched her butt while she was standing at her locker.
The DA says two more students have come forward since Hochschwender's arrest.
The teacher has been released from custody after posting 10-percent of his $100,000 bail.
Women in New Jersey can block a baby's father from the delivery room.
A state judge, citing a woman's right to privacy, ruled the mother can decide who will be with them when giving birth.
In an opinion released Monday, the Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed cited privacy rights outlined in two federal abortion cases.
"Any interest a father has before the child’s birth is subordinate to the mother’s interests," Mohammed wrote. "Even when there is no doubt that a father has shown deep and proper concern and interest in the growth and development of the fetus, the mother is the one who must carry it to term."
The case was argued over the telephone last year in Passaic County while Rebecca DeLuccia went into labor and delivered a girl. Her estranged fiance, Steven Plotnick, wanted access to the baby at birth.
Plotnick's attorney, Laura Nunnink, tells The Star-Ledger of Newark it was important to her client to bond with the baby.
"It was important that he have the right to bond just as the mother would. … It was unfair that he not have that right from the day the child was born."
DeLuccia's lawyer, Joanna Brick, says DeLuccia was going to allow Plotnick to visit.
Construction work is expected to begin in late spring on a major expansion of the King of Prussia Mall.
The estimated $150 million development will consist of constructing roughly 250,000 square feet of space that will connect the Plaza where Neiman Marcus is located with the Court where Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s are housed.
IMC Construction of Malvern, Pa., was selected by the mall’s owner, Simon Property Group, as construction manager. Requests for proposals have gone out for subcontractors, which means Simon is preparing to move forward with the work. Officials from Simon couldn’t be reached for comment.
Once completed, the 1.68-million-square-foot Plaza will be connected to the Court, which totals 902,000 square feet. It will briefly mean the mall will be the largest in America until the owner of Mall of America completes a $225 million, 5.6-million-square-foot expansion. Read more about this story on PBJ.com.
For more breaking business news go to PBJ.com
A veteran of Philadelphia's police force could lose his job after being charged with misdemeanor counts of unlawful restraint and false imprisonment for alleged attack on a war veteran.
The charges against Officer Kevin Corcoran stem from an Easter morning incident in which Corcoran was caught on camera roughing up a man before taking the man on a 16-minute ride, according to Philadelphia Police.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office alleges Corcoran, a 9.5-year veteran of the force, began yelling at a group of people near 13th and Lombard Streets in the early morning hours of March 31, 2013.
Someone a group, including Roderick King, had questioned Corcoran allegedly making an illegal turn with his patrol car, according to prosecutors.
King’s own lawyer Kevin Mincey identified his client saying that they filed a lawsuit against the city, police department and Corcoran.
Corcoran, in full uniform, exited his vehicle and began to yell at King’s group prompting witnesses to videotape the encounter.
Witnesses said that Corcoran slapped the phone out of one person’s hands and then began to berate King saying “Don’t f##?!g touch me,” according to prosecutors. An incensed Corcoran continued to approach King -- who claimed he never touched the officer -- who continued to make an effort not to touch the officer.
"My first thought was that I was getting ready to get beat up," King said through a release from his attorney. "It’s dark, I don’t know where I am, I feared for my safety."
According to prosecutors, Corcoran grabbed King by chest, threw him against the police SUV, cuffed him and put him the back of the vehicle.
Authorities allege that Corcoran then drove King somewhere off North Broad Street -- the opposite direction of the 17th District officer’s station -- telling King that he was under arrest for public intoxication.
King told Corcoran that this was the first time he had been arrested and that he was an Iraqi War veteran having served in the U.S. Air Force.
After learning about King’s service, Corcoran drove to 13th and Rodman Streets where he uncuffed the victim and let him go without charges.
In total, King remained in cuffs for about 16 minutes.
Corcoran surrendered Wednesday on the misdemeanor charges. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said he suspended Corcoran for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.
Officials are investigating a house fire that killed a person in Chester County Wednesday afternoon.
Police say they responded to reports of a fire at a home on Charles Street in Coatesville around 1:40 p.m.
The fire was placed under control but investigators say one person died in the blaze.
Officials have not yet revealed the victim's identity and continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan told NBC10 that the fire does not appear to have been suspicious.
Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.
The rain is gone but the heavy winds and cold temperatures are here and will last into the morning.
A Wind Advisory will last from now until 11 a.m. on Thursday for Philadelphia, Delaware and the western suburbs.
NBC10 First Alert Meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz says winds will gust up to 50 mph and thunderstorms will hit neighborhoods across the region as the front sweeps through.
“People should bring their trash cans inside or anything that is not tied down,” Hurricane said as he analyzed future wind data in the NBC10 First Alert Weather Center.
The quick moving weather system moved into the western suburbs around 6 p.m. Heavy rain started to fall in Philly shortly after 7 p.m. but turned to light rain after 8 p.m. The storm moved out of the region after 9 p.m.
The strong winds will remain, however. Hurricane says the most severe gusts will last through the night and sustained winds of 30 mph will continue until Thursday morning.
“There may be tree limbs that were left weakened by the brutal winter that could come down,” Hurricane said when asked about what potential issues people could see during this weather event. The possibility of falling tree limbs could result in power outages, he said.
Coupled with the blustery winds will be a drastic temperature drop. Hurricane says areas that saw highs in the mid-60s on Wednesday could see a drop of 40 degrees by the morning. Wind chill readings could drop by 60 degrees overnight, Hurricane says.
Temperatures will struggle to get to 30 degrees on Thursday.
Count on the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team, NBC10.com and our mobile apps to keep you up-to-date with the latest information on this severe weather.
Tattoos wind their way down his arms and up his neck, visible even when he is wearing long-sleeves. At 155 pounds and 5-foot 8-inches tall, Paul Marino is not your typical model.
"I have that ‘50’s style haircut," Marino said. "I’m not very muscular."
But Pinups for Pitbulls founder Deirdre "Little Darling" Franklin selected the 27-year-old tattoo artist to be one of the three men featured it its 2015 calendar – a first for the nonprofit that focused exclusively on females in its previous eight calendars.
"The guys are just as dedicated to the cause as the ladies," said Franklin, who founded Pinups for Pitbulls in 2005 to educate people about pit bull-type dogs.
Marino rescued his 8-year-old red-nosed pit bull, Lucy, in 2011, after friends discovered her abandoned in a South Jersey home.
"She was in there about five months by herself," he said. "She ate all the drywall she could reach and drank out of the toilet."
But he began advocating for the breed before Lucy even became a part of his family. About five years ago, Marino started volunteering with the Pennsylvania SPCA when he moved to Philadelphia from the Denver area, where breed specific legislation, or BSL, is in place.
"You don’t really hear about pit bulls [in Denver] because they aren’t allowed," Marino said.
BSL is any law that bans or restricts certain types of domesticated animals considered dangerous, with most of the legislation focusing on pit bull breeds, Rottweilers and German shepherds.
Those same laws that restricted Marino from having first-hand knowledge of pit bulls spurred Franklin into action.
"My concern was if specific legislation found its way to our front door that they could take my dog away simply because of how she looked," said Franklin about her beloved Carla Lou, who died in August 2012.
Pit bulls, along with a few other dog breeds, are often characterized as having an aggressive nature, Frankin said.
But, she says, typically careless owners, not the pets, are at the root of any of the dogs' behavioral problems.
"A dog is going to be what they are going to be as an individual," she said.
In an effort to restore the image of the pit bull-type dog, Pinups for Pitbulls launched its iconic initiative – a calendar.
"I wanted to do something that would generate interest, but in a tasteful way," said Franklin, who added that the model call is open to anyone – and their dogs – who applies on their website by midnight April 5.
Aside from the addition of men to the 2015 calendar, the nonprofit made a few other tweaks for the its 10th anniversary. Pinups for Pitbulls is accepting applications from people who use force training techniques including choke, shock or prong collars.
"It is an opportunity to explain what their perspective is and why they would use tools like that," she said.
Franklin won’t guarantee that someone who firmly believes in force training, which the nonprofit advocates against, will make the calendar. But she does promise that at least one applicant from the Philadelphia-area will.
"We are embracing our Philadelphia family," said Franklin, who relocated the organization from the Philly area to Asheville, N.C. in August 2013.
Nearly 100 people from around the country and the world have already applied to be a part of the 2015 calendar, a pace that is likely to surpass the several hundred applications they received for the 12 spots available in the 2014 Agents of Adventure calendar.
The shoot will take place in June at the Philadelphia studios of Celeste Giuliano Photography.
While a theme for the 2015 calendar has yet to be selected, Marino says he is ready and willing to support the cause.
"I don't know what will happen," he said, "but I'm really excited."
Even though it is stressful for the team of judges to whittle down the list of applicants to the finalists, Franklin encourages anyone interested to apply.
She says, “We really just want people who can talk on behalf of dogs and be their voice because they can’t speak for themselves.”
Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.
