Beware of "creepy clowns."

That’s the message from Pennsylvania State Police disseminated ahead of the release of the feature film It in September.

In a Community Awareness Bulletin, state police say they are worried that “creepy clown” sightings like the ones seen around the country in the fall of 2016, including in Pennsylvania, could bring back scares.

The 2016 costumed craze even resulted in at least one dozen arrests nationwide due to menacing or false reports, police said. A teenage girl was even arrested in Berks County for posting a threatening clown message because police say she didn't want to go to school.

It was also no joke for actual clowns who look to entertain people, law enforcement left chasing clown hoaxes or to the people scared along the way.

The It reboot — it was originally a novel by Stephen King that was adapted into a 1990 two-part miniseries — again features Pennywise the clown stalking children from sewers and killing them.

Police say that "creepy clown" sightings are nothing new having been reported by young children as far back as the 1980s.

It's been 20 years since Princess Diana died. But many Philadelphia-area natives may not know that she had a connection to the City of Brotherly Love. It all links back to a chance encounter at a funeral.

NBC10's Rosemary Connors speaks with Geoff Gordon about what Live Nation is doing to help Hurricane Harvey victims.

The charitable cooperative based in Kansas City has arrived, with BBQ pit masters from at least nine states, to feed first responders and victims. Known as Operation Barbecue Relief has numerous volunteers in Houston cooking for hundreds.

Nearly three-quarters of New Jersey voters believe the state is going in the wrong direction, the highest level of voter dissatisfaction in a quarter-century, according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Thursday.

Some 73 percent of voters said the state was on the wrong track, the poll said, the highest since 1992. 

At least two-thirds of voters in every politiical, gender, race, age and geographic group felt that way. 

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The poll's authors attributed much of the voter discontent to Gov. Chris Christie, whose job favorability rating is now just 16 percent. 

That makes him the least-popular New Jersey governor in at least 40 years.

"Views on the state’s direction have marched in lockstep with the governor’s spiraling ratings since the Bridgegate scandal broke in 2014," said Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University, in a statement.

Christie will be succeeded by either his lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno, or by the Democratic businessman and diplomat Phil Murphy. The poll found Murphy's favorability rating is six points higher than Guadagno's, though roughly four in ten voters have not heard of either one. 

In a head-to-head matchup, most polls give Murphy a lead of 20 points or more in the November election. 

The telephone poll of 714 adults, including 660 registered voters, was conducted Aug. 24-28. The margin of error was 4 percentage points. 

The U.S. Energy Department announced Tuesday it will release half a million barrels of crude oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve as Hurricane Harvey continued to wreak havoc on U.S. oil production and gas prices remained on the rise.

The supply — the first emergency release since 2012 — won't give drivers much relief at the pump ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend, one of the top travel weekends of the year.

Retail gas prices in the U.S. climbed another 4 cents Thursday, and 10 cents in the past week to a national average of $2.449 per gallon, according to AAA. The automobile organization said that is one of the summer's largest one-week price surges.

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In North Texas, drivers reported fuel prices as high as $8.02 per gallon, NBC DFW reported.

Patrick DeHaan, an analyst for GasBuddy, predicts that U.S. gasoline prices will top out around $2.50 or $2.55 a gallon, an increase of up to 20 cents since Harvey hit, with bigger spikes closer to the Gulf.

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"In terms of product price increases, it might get worse before it gets better," Rob Smith, an energy analyst with IHS Markit, told The Associated Press.

It could take two weeks or longer before big refineries in the Houston area can recover from a record-setting deluge and resume normal operations, assuming they didn't suffer serious damage, which is still unknown.

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With Americans using about 9.7 million barrels per day of gasoline, the threat of a fuel supply crunch has grown as the storm and flooding in Harvey's aftermath brought a huge chunk of U.S. oil production and refining capacity to a halt.

As of Thursday, some 15 refineries representing about 25 percent of U.S. refining capacity were offline from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Port Arthur, Texas, the Energy Department reported. That includes Motiva Enterprises, the nation's biggest refinery, which announced Wednesday it would begin a "controlled shutdown."

As a result of the outages, major pipelines began to close lines outright because of a lack of supply. On Thursday, Colonial Pipeline shut down a crucial artery in the nation's fuel supply network that provides more than 3 million barrels of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel daily to major cities from Houston to New York.

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Half of the 26 refineries that connect to Colonial's pipeline system are between storm-ravaged Houston and Lake Charles, which is just east of the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro area, the AP reported. Colonial did not indicated how long it expects the closure to last.

"Once Colonial is able to ensure that its facilities are safe to operate and refiners in Lake Charles and points east have the ability to move product to Colonial, our system will resume operations," the company said in its statement.

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The Department of Energy hopes the release of 500,000 barrels of reserve crude will offset the fuel shortage and stabilize prices. The SPR, established in the 1970s, currently contains 679 million barrels of oil.

"The Department will continue to provide assistance as deemed necessary, and will continue to review incoming requests for SPR crude oil," the department said in a statement.

The crude is headed to Phillips 66′s refinery in Lake Charles, Louisiana, one of the few refineries in the Gulf Coast that has not been affected by the storm.

A police officer at the center of a standoff at a Montgomery County church had recently been fired after allegedly stealing a gun and ammunition from a patrol car, NBC10 has learned.

After his dismissal from the Lower Providence Police Department, Charles Murray parked his car at St. Teresa of Avila at Parkview Drive and Trooper Road in Norristown Wednesday morning and attempted suicide through carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC10.

A priest spotted Murray around 8:15 a.m. and convinced him to come into the church to talk, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said.

Murray, 37, allegedly admitted to investigators that the day before he had broken into his former Lower Providence police vehicle and stole an M16 patrol rifle, two .233-caliber M16 magazines containing more than two dozen rounds and two Glock .40-caliber magazines containing numerous hollow point bullets, the criminal complaint said. Police found the patrol vehicle with its rear windshield smashed out around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.

Murray then tossed the stolen weapons and ammo under the Collegeville Bridge where investigators found them more than 24 hours later, police said.

The district attorney’s office announced theft, weapons and reckless endangerment charges against Murray Thursday.

Murray, a former Marine, had been fired over procedure violations from the Lower Providence department in early June after serving 10 years with the department, investigators said. 

Murray, who lives a short distance from the police station, knew the code needed to get the M16 from his former patrol car, the criminal complaint said. 

A detective told Murray Tuesday afternoon that they wanted to discuss an important matter with him but Murray wouldn't commit to coming into the station, police said. Murray left his home in his 2016 Jeep Patriot and neither family or officers could get a hold of him for hours before he turned up at the church Thursday morning.

Murray was being evaluated at a mental health treatment facility in Montgomery County after Wednesday's incident at St. Teresa's where he holed up for more than an hour.

Police obtained a search warrant for Murray's Jeep where they found a loaded handgun with a round chambered, police said. Murray doesn't have a license to carry a concealed weapon.

No weapons were found on Murray during the church incident.

The standoff ended when the former officer came out without incident, police said.

SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes, CEO of the American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania, accepts a check from NRG general manager Mike Starck to benefit Hurricane Harvey victims.

An 18-year-old Norristown man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly shooting and killing in July a 16-year-old boy, whose family at the time believed the murder may have been the culmination of a social media argument.

Isaiah Freeman was taken into custody at a house on North Third Street in Philadelphia after information came in to police following a $1,000 reward offered this week.

Freeman allegedly shot Jordan Scott, also of Norristown, and another teenager about 6:30 p.m. July 6 in the 600 block of Chain Street, according to the criminal complaint against Freeman.

Scott died from multiple bullet wounds. The complaint alleges that Freeman fled in a car driven by William Wilson. It also alleges Wilson initially lied to police when first questioned about the shooting, but he eventually gave a full account of the shooting.

Freeman waited at the corner of a building with a .22-caliber handgun as the boys approached, according to the complaint.

In the hours after the shooting, Freeman asked Wilson to drive him to Philadelphia because Norristown was "hot," the complaint said.

Family members told NBC10 the day after the shooting that they had reason to believe Scott was gunned down over online verbal fighting.

A spokeswoman for the Montgomery County District Attorney's office said she could not discuss a motive, or any details beyond what is in the complaint.

"Beyond what is contained within that public document, I can’t comment on specifics of the investigation," she said.

Hundreds of people dressed in black marched through Philadelphia’s Kensington section Thursday evening to bring awareness to the city’s opioid crisis.

The ‘March in Black’ began at the York-Dauphin stop off of SEPTA’s Market Frankford line around 6 p.m. The group is currently marching on Kensington Avenue toward Allegheny Avenue.

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“It is no secret that Philadelphia is in the grips of an opioid epidemic,” organizers for the event wrote. “With an estimated 70,000 (1 in 22) Philadelphians currently afflicted, we must take swift and bold action to reduce the public harm, encourage responsible addiction management and bring those struggling out of the shadows.”

Last year, approximately 13 people per day died of a drug-related overdose in Pennsylvania, according to the report released in July by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Division and the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Pharmacy.

The 4,642 deaths marked a 37 percent increase from 2015.

While Philadelphia's drug overdose death rate dropped, the city still led the state in total number of fatalities with 907. Montgomery County came in third with 230.

Opioids were found in 85 percent of overdose deaths across the state, according to the report. Fentanyl and related synthetic opioids were the most frequently identified controlled substance.

In fact, more than 95 percent of Pennsylvania’s counties reported fatal overdoses involving fentanyl, which is 50 percent more potent than heroin.

At the beginning of August, crews began clearing and securing "The Tracks," a notorious train stretch in Philly's Kensington and Fairhill neighborhoods that earned a reputation over the years as a place for the drug addicted to get high mostly out of sight from police and neighbors. The clean up project included the removal of tons of debris and trash, used syringes and a lockdown of the trench's perimeter.

NBC10 chronicled the region’s opioid epidemic in the award-winning 2015 documentary “Generation Addicted.”

A South Jersey man already accused of sexually assaulting a woman then posting the incident to Snapchat is now accused of sexually assaulting a teen last year.

Gibbsboro police found the 18-year-old bloodied, bruised and disoriented inside Maison Mallon’s home on Aug. 19 after a friend of the victim alerted investigators to Mallon’s Snapchat post, Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo said in a news release.

The woman became unconscious after drinking at Mallon's home, investigators said. She required two surgeries following the attack.

On Tuesday, a judge ordered Mallon held without bail as the 24-year-old awaited trial on aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault and related charges in this case and other charges stemming from two earlier accusations of sexually assaulting two minors in Feb. 2016.

On Wednesday, the county prosecutor announced that a 17-year-old came forward to allege that Mallon sexually assaulted her in his home in March 2016. She told investigators that she couldn’t move her body after Mallon gave her a drink – he then sexually assaulted her, investigators said.

Mallon faces additional charges in that case.

Anyone with more information about Mallon is asked to contact Detective Allison Dube-Smith at (856) 225-7105.

Eagles Wide Receiver Nelson Agholor and the Stepping Stones Scholars program provided 100 backpacks filled with school supplies to area schools in need. He also played reporter on the scene with our NBC10 mic.

Earlier this year, Eagles offensive lineman Brandon Brooks fulfilled a promise by attending a loyal fan's wedding. NBC10's Erin Coleman spoke to the couple several months later.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins was honored at a West Philadelphia school for his continued fight for social justice. NBC10's Erin Coleman has the details at the Jubilee School in West Philly.

Police are searching for a Philadelphia teen boy who went missing earlier this week.

Kcajjahn Ward, 13, of the 2400 block of 75th Avenue, was last seen on Monday around 5:30 p.m. He is described as a black male with a heavy build standing 5-foot-9 and weighing 155 pounds with his hair braided above the ears. He was last seen wearing a tan, black and red t-shirt, black shorts and a red cast on his right hand.

If you have any information on Ward’s whereabouts, please call Northwest Detectives at 215-686-3353/54.

Six Flags just announced a new, “first-of-its-kind” thrill ride.

The new ride is inspired by the DC Comics superhero "Cyborg" and is scheduled to be unveiled in the spring of 2018.

What does the ride do? According to Six Flags Great Adventure, the CYBORG Cyber Spin will “deliver an unrelenting and intense anti-gravity experience as it whirls guests on three axes high above the ground.” It has unpredictable flips and pivots that take place up to seven stories high. Every rider is secured by an over-the-shoulder harnesses.

“Six Flags leads the industry in thrill ride innovation; it is part of our DNA,” said Park President Neal Thurman.

“Six Flags Great Adventure is home to an unparalleled collection of record-breaking attractions and we are excited to be adding CYBORG Cyber Spin, the first of its kind in North America. This futuristic, hi-tech ride will be unlike anything our guests have ever seen or experienced before.”

Along with the new ride, Six Flags is having a sale on its 2018 Season Pass through Labor Day weekend as well as free upgrades to the Gold Season Pass.

Harvey's impact on gas prices is starting to be felt in our region. NBC10's Aundrea Cline-Thomas has the details.

We start this Friday morning with an autumn chill, with temperatures staying below normal. Plus, our 10 day on 10.

An independent review team is releasing its final report Friday morning on a deadly inmate uprising and hostage-taking at Delaware's maximum-security prison.

The report was ordered by Gov. John Carney after inmates seized a building at Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna in February and took several prison workers hostage, setting off a standoff lasting nearly 20 hours.

Correctional officer Steven Floyd was killed before authorities used a backhoe to breach a wall and rescue a female counselor. Two other guards who were taken hostage had been released earlier after being tormented and beaten by inmates.

In a preliminary report released in June, the independent reviewers described the Vaughn facility as dangerously overcrowded, critically understaffed, and poorly run and managed.

Check back at 9 a.m. when the report is released by Delaware officials.

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Philadelphia cops held a rally of their own Thursday night in response to a protest last week by local Black Lives Matter activists outside the home of a cop identified in a fatal civilian shooting.

The rally was held at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 headquarters and featured several speakers. Emotions quickly escalated and FOP President John McNesby made one jarring statement.

"When you go to work each day, you shouldn't have to worry that a pack of rabid animals will suddenly show up at your home and openly threaten your family," he told the gathered crowd of a couple hundred people, according to WHYY.

That "pack" he referred to is the dozen or so activists who protested last Thursday outside the Northeast Philadelphia house of Officer Ryan Pownall. He has been identified by the police department as the officer who shot David Jones in the back as Jones ran from a confrontation with Pownall in June.

McNesby went on to describe the protesters as "racist hate groups determined to instigate violence."

A local leader of the Black Lives Matter movement said Friday that McNesby's comments are ridiculous.

"We’re not going to dignify that with an answer," activist Asa Khalif said. "That ridiculous comment doesn't deserve a response. I’ll simply say, 'Justice for David Jones.'"

The Black Lives Matter demonstration last week occurred on Bridle Road in the city's Bustleton section for about an hour.

Shouting "If we don't get no justice, they don't get no peace," the group demanded Pownall be charged with murder.

Pownall, a 12-year veteran of the police department, shot the 30-year-old in the back and buttocks on June 8 following a struggle. The officer stopped Jones for riding an illegal dirt bike in North Philadelphia.

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During a pat down, Pownall felt a gun in Jones' waistband, police said.

A witness in back of Pownall's police vehicle watched Pownall pull his service weapon and warn Jones not to touch the gun, police said. The two men scuffled before Jones allegedly grabbed his handgun, according to police.

Jones then fled. Surveillance video obtained by NBC10 appears to show Jones running away when he was shot.

The same witness later told NBC10 that Jones had dropped the gun before running. A fully loaded .9mm handgun was recovered at the scene.

Jones died at Temple University Hospital.

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The shooting remains under investigation by both police and the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the department is looking into whether protocol was followed.

Pownall remains on administrative leave.

Black Lives Matter, along with others, have been protesting the shooting for weeks. In July, the group marched on the Police Administration Building and City Hall demanding a larger investigation. 

Pownall was called a "racist, bigot pig cop" and Khalif said he has "a murderous spirit" — referring to another shooting that the officer was involved. That 2010 shooting left Carnell Williams-Carney paralyzed when a bullet hit him in the back. The shooting was ruled justified and Williams-Carney lost a federal lawsuit against police.

McNesby's speech about Black Lives Matter followed a personal attack on Khalif last week, when he called Khalif a "punk" who shoud've been arrested for protesting without a permit.

"I can't use the words I want," McNesby said Friday. "To take it to someone's house, a police officer's house, he doesn't have any respect."

"He's a two-bit punk who doesn't have the respect of decent protesters, if there is any in this city."

Pa. Rep. Martina White (R - Pa. 170) also spoke at the FOP rally. White has twice proposed legislation that would bar police departments in Pennsylvania from releasing an officer's name shortly after a shooting.

Philadelphia Police Department policy directs the release of officers' identities within 72 hours of a police-involved shooting if there is no credible threat against the officer. The policy falls in line with U.S. Department of Justice guidelines.

White has sponsored House Bill 27, which would limit the release of officers' names to 30 days or until the investigation is completed — whichever is sooner.

Khalif said McNesby and others not happy with protests like the Bustleton action should get used to it.

"We have something in the tank," Khalif said of another demonstration soon. "There is nothing off the table, including coming back to the police officer's home."

He said that despite what McNesby and others say, his group had not advocated violence, though he did say his group may often sound forceful.

"The language is strong because the emotion is strong," Khalif said. "But we never advocated violence."