A Northampton County firefighter, who was set to dress up as Santa Claus to deliver presents to kids, lost his home in a fire that also damaged two other properties.

The two-alarm fire started at a duplex on the 1500 block of Washington Street in Wilson Borough Sunday morning and spread to another home as well as a business. The sound of screaming and heat from the flames woke up Salima Kaushial. 

"The heat was just unbearable and we were just all so scared," she said.

Flames from the fire melted siding and parts of a nearby car.

"I was there within four minutes of the call if not sooner and there were flames out past the sidewalk," said Wilson Borough Fire Department Chief Joseph Sipel.

A man and a responding firefighter both suffered burns to their hands. The fire also destroyed the home of Charlie Wacik, a firefighter who is set to retire in a few months and who also planned on volunteering as Santa Claus Sunday to deliver gifts to children on a firetruck. Those plans were canceled due to the fire.

The Wilson Borough community plans on helping Wacik and his family get back on their feet.

"They give out candy to the kids," Kaushial said. "They're here for us. And to have this happen to them? It's just devastating."

Officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire and are interviewing residents on the block.

Carson Wentz's day was cut short. The Eagles hope there's not more bad news coming.

The Eagles' quarterback left Sunday's win over the Rams at the LA Coliseum late in the third quarter with a knee injury. The Eagles announced he would not return.

The Eagles fear that Wentz has a torn ACL, a team source confirmed. Wentz will have an MRI on Monday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the possibility of a torn ACL.

A few plays before Wentz hit Alshon Jeffery for a two-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal, he took a pretty hard shot as he dove into the end zone on a touchdown that was nullified by a penalty.

After the drive, Wentz went to the sideline to be evaluated in the blue medical tent. He was then walked into the locker room and did not return.

Nick Foles began to warm up on the sideline and then replaced Wentz.

That touchdown pass to Jeffery was Wentz's fourth of the game and 33rd of the season. That broke the Eagles' franchise record for touchdown passes in a single season. It was set by Sonny Jurgenson in the 1961 season.

Wentz has been having a tremendous season and his name is at the forefront of the NFL's MVP race.

Here are the top news stories you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.

TODAY'S TOP STORY 

Woman Dies After Being Pushed Out of Car: A woman who was pushed out of a truck in Philadelphia and then hit by an SUV has died, police said. The woman was riding as a passenger in a Ford F-150 in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia at about 1:50 a.m. Sunday when someone shoved her out of the pickup truck. She tried to cling to the door, but fell off and was hit by a black Dodge Challenger, police said. Officials are looking for the vehicles and drivers involved in the crash, as well as surveillance video. Police say the truck is silver and has a tailgate missing and a sticker on its back window. The woman's name was not immediately available but police believe she was 30-years-old. They are investigating her death as a murder.

• MORE ON THE INVESTIGATION
  

WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY

Firefighter, Volunteer Santa Loses Home in Fire: A Northampton County firefighter, who was set to dress up as Santa Claus to deliver presents to kids, lost his home in a fire that also damaged two other properties. The two-alarm fire started at a duplex on the 1500 block of Washington Street in Wilson Borough Sunday morning and spread to another home as well as a business. The sound of screaming and heat from the flames woke up Salima Kaushial. Flames from the fire melted siding and parts of a nearby car. A man and a responding firefighter both suffered burns to their hands. The fire also destroyed the home of Charlie Wacik, a firefighter who is set to retire in a few months and who also planned on volunteering as Santa Claus Sunday to deliver gifts to children on a firetruck. Those plans were canceled due to the fire.

• MORE ON THE FIRE
  

YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST  

Monday is expected to be partly sunny with temperatures in the 40s. Morning rain and snow showers are possible for Tuesday morning. Wednesday is expected to be very cold with wind chills in the teens. Thursday is expected to be similiar with temperatures in the teens. There is a chance of snow on Friday. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.

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Eagles Fear Wentz Suffered Torn ACL: Carson Wentz's day was cut short. The Eagles hope there's not more bad news coming. The Eagles' quarterback left Sunday's win over the Rams at the LA Coliseum late in the third quarter with a knee injury. The Eagles announced he would not return. The Eagles fear that Wentz has a torn ACL, a team source confirmed. Wentz will have an MRI on Monday. ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the possibility of a torn ACL. A few plays before Wentz hit Alshon Jeffery for a two-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal, he took a pretty hard shot as he dove into the end zone on a touchdown that was nullified by a penalty. After the drive, Wentz went to the sideline to be evaluated in the blue medical tent. He was then walked into the locker room and did not return.

• MORE ON THE INJURY
  

AROUND THE WORLD

GOP Rushes Tax Bill Ahead: Start the countdown clock on a momentous two weeks for President Donald Trump and the GOP-run Congress. Republicans are determined to deliver the first revamp of the nation's tax code in three decades and prove they can govern after their failure to dismantle Barack Obama's health care law this past summer. Voters who will decide which party holds the majority in next year's midterms elections are watching. Republicans are negotiating with Democrats on the contentious issue of how much the government should spend on the military and domestic agencies to avert a holiday shutdown. An extension of the program that provides low-cost health care to more than 8 million children and aid to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida need to be addressed. And further complicating the end-of-year talks is the fate of some 800,000 young immigrants here illegally. Lawmakers are trying to get it all done by Dec. 22.

• MORE ON THE BILL
  

That's what you need to know to Catch Up Quickly, but we've got more stories worthy of your time. Click here to check them out. 

Editor's note: This story contains graphic details.

A child rapist in Bucks County was sentenced to 60 to 100 years in prison Monday afternoon.

The judge called William Thomas, 58, a "monster" and his home a "house of sexual horrors."

Thomas, 58, of Morrisville was charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors and other related offenses after the woman told police he sexually assaulted her when she was a child.

A woman told investigators she interacted with Thomas in the mid to late 1990s at his Pleasant Lane home, his Falls Township home, his Pennsbury Woods apartment and a home in Yardley. Police say in addition to sexually abusing her, Thomas also showed her child pornography, watched her as she took showers, gave her marijuana, groped her and professed his love for her.

Thomas is also accused of sexually assaulting at least six other underage girls throughout the years in Bucks County including two sisters who spoke out at the beginning of March.

He was first charged in February with child rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault on a child, possession and dissemination of child pornography and other related offenses.

Investigators say the child rape allegations date as far back as 40 years.

Falls Township Police first zeroed in on Thomas in November of 2016 after receiving a call about sexually explicit writings found on a piece of plywood at the Midway Village mobile home park, said a criminal complaint obtained by NBC10 that contains graphic details of alleged assaults. Thomas had worked as a handyman on a vacant trailer and a new owner found the words describing the sexual assault of two young girls, including names, physical descriptions, parents' names and a date of an alleged assault — Christmas 2014 — police said.

The writer referred to his penis as "one-eyed Willie," police said.

Police compared the writing on the wood to numerous work orders written by Thomas to find that the writing matched, according to police.

Police interviewed the alleged victims but due to the trauma of their assaults, they didn't name Thomas directly by name, officials said. Investigators described many of the victims as "broken people."

Investigators searched Thomas' home at Midway Village and found more than 1,000 prominently displayed photographs and pictures that "depicted naked children, the majority of which were prepubescent" and some that chronicled "molesting," according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators also found writings dating back to the 1970s that documented molestation of children as young as 3 years old, police said.

They also found 500 to 1,000 pairs of prepubescent girls' underwear, some hanging above Thomas' bed, as well as toys and dolls, some with "aftermarket genitals which Thomas created," according to investigators.

"We don't know whether or not he was distributing it," said Weintraub.

The search also uncovered drug paraphernalia and baggies that tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine.

Police interviewed Thomas and he allegedly admitted to having sexual attraction to children dating back to his adolescence. He admitted to pleasuring himself to the child pornography that he has gathered over the decades, police said.

He also admitted to sexually assaulting a family member and a couple children he babysat and also exposing himself to another child, according to police.

In 2010, police investigated Thomas' former Levittown home after a homeowner looking to flip it found "some disturbing items" including a handmade "child-size sex doll," Polaroids of naked children and graphic handwritten notes about performing sexual acts on young girls, according to the criminal complaint. No charges came from that early police report and some of the discoveries were made after police were alerted.

Back in 2000, Thomas was indicted for child abuse after he admitted to writing a graphic note and giving it to a child in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, police said. He told investigators he was taking drugs and on pills at the time and didn't mean to write the note. No word yet of what came of that allegation.

There will be a mix of sun and clouds throughout the day. Temperatures will be in the low 40s. NBC10's First Alert Meteorologist Krystal Klei has your most accurate neighborhood forecast.

A mission fueled by the memory of a little girl who's one wish was to help others. Officers in one Delaware County community are carrying on Jillian's legacy by making sure that no kids go without something special this holiday season. Click here to donate. NBC10's Dray Clark shows us how.

Very cold temperatures move into our area, but the sun will be shining. NBC10's First Alert Meteorologist Krystal Klei has your most accurate forecast.

New Jersey Transit buses have resumed normal service into New York City after the Port Authority Bus Terminal reopened following a "terror-related" subway pipe-NJ Transit on Monday diverted buses to Newark, Secaucus and Hoboken. From there, passengers could take trains or PATH into the city.

NJ Transit says its trains will continue to cross-honor bus tickets all day. Ferries will accept bus tickets until 8 p.m.

PATH is no longer cross-honoring.

A 27-year-old man had a crude pipe bomb strapped to him and it went off in a passageway from Seventh and Eighth Avenues near Times Square.

Three people suffered minor life-threatening injuries. The suspect was also injured and was taken into custody.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson confirmed Monday that star quarterback Carson Wentz tore his ACL Sunday. He will not finish the season. 

"We will keep going," Pederson said, adding that Nick Foles is a veteran player who will have no trouble stepping into Wentz's position.

Wentz, a favorite in the NFL MVP race, had an MRI on Monday that confirmed the severity of the injury. He was hurt late in the third quarter at Los Angeles.

Backup Foles rallied the Eagles (11-2) to a win that secured the NFC East title and put them in first place in the conference with three games remaining.

The Eagles now face the reality of a playoff run without their superstar QB and leading MVP candidate. But Pederson assured fans the Eagles are in good hands with Foles. 

"You don't waver. You don't let people see you sweat," he said. "It was evident yesterday. You saw Nick come in and there was a victory in that game."

The Eagles have overcome several key injuries and now have to move forward without their most indispensable player. Nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, return specialist/running back Darren Sproles, star linebacker Jordan Hicks and special-teams captain Chris Maragos already went down for the season.

If you're thinking about bringing a new four-legged friend to your family this holiday season, there's an event happening this weekend just for you! NBC10's Erin Coleman sits down with Linda Torelli and Chloe Elmer from the Brandywine SPCA to talk about their Mega Adoption Event this weekend.

Police arrested a man accused of leaving his infant son alone on the sidewalk.  
Patrick Rossi of Reading, Pennsylvania was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Reading Police say they received a call reporting an unattended baby boy inside a baby carrier on the sidewalk on the 1100 block of Perkiomen Avenue in Reading back on Nov. 16. Temperatures were approximately 48 degrees at the time and responding police officers placed the baby inside a warm patrol vehicle.

Police say Rossi, the father of the child, arrived about 30 minutes later and admitted that he accidentally left his son alone while he was loading items into a vehicle before leaving. Rossi told police he didn’t realize he had left his son until he arrived at his destination in Temple Borough, investigators said.

Rossi was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he spoke to police.
The Berks County Children and Youth Services took custody of the baby.

Berks County Detectives obtained an arrest warrant and Rossi turned himself in Monday. He was arraigned and released on $10,000 unsecured bail.

NBC10's Ted Greenberg spoke to a former FBI special agent as well as a Homeland Security expert about Monday's attempted terrorist attack in New York City.

Police have identified a teen boy who they say was shot and killed by a Delaware State Trooper during an “exchange of gunfire” over the weekend.

Juliun Pitcher, 16, of Smyrna, Delaware, was the front seat passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for a traffic violation on Fieldstone Court in Dover, Delaware around 3:10 a.m. Saturday, investigators said. The 18-year-old driver and a 17-year-old rear seat passenger were also inside.

A 35-year-old Delaware State Trooper, who police have not identified, approached the vehicle. According to police, Pitcher displayed a handgun and an “exchange of gunfire” ensued. Both Pitcher and the 18-year-old driver were struck during the shooting. Neither the trooper nor the 17-year-old passenger were injured.

Pitcher was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries. The driver was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg and later released from the hospital. Police also say they recovered a handgun from the scene.

The Trooper, who is assigned to Troop 3 patrol in Camden, Delaware and has been with the Delaware State Police for two years, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

If you have any information on the incident, please call Detective D. Grassi of the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit at 302-365-8441. You can also call the Delaware crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.

Nearly two weeks after her critically-needed walker was taken from her front yard and scrapped, a Delaware girl with cerebral palsy received a new walker from a local children's hospital.

NBC10 was there Monday as Kirsten "Kiki" Edwards-Alexander tried out her brand new walker donated to her by A.I. duPont Hospital for Children.

"I feel fine now," the 10-year-old girl said.

Kiki recently spent months in the hospital after having her hamstrings lengthened and a bone removed from her foot. She needed to use a walker to get around and stretch out her muscles.

On Nov. 30, Kiki's mother Brittany Murray placed her daughter in her car outside their home in Wilmington, Delaware but accidentally left the walker in the front yard. While they were gone, surveillance video from a neighbor captured two men taking the walker, loading it into a truck and driving away. Police say the men later crushed and scrapped it.

Police identified the men as Donald Cale, 49, and Leland Watson, 51. Both men were arrested and charged with felony theft and conspiracy. Watson was also charged with possession of heroin.

Without her walker, Kiki was forced to use a wheelchair but was unable to stretch her legs out. She then used a walker loaned to them by her neighbor but it didn't have the custom features she needed. After receiving an outpouring of support and offers to help buy a new one from people around the region, Kiki got a brand new walker from A.I. duPont.

"We were honestly really blessed," Murray said. "They've always had our backs since the time she came in to have surgery."

Before they were arrested, both Cale and Watson visited Murray and apologized.

"I'm very sorry for the way it looks," Cale told NBC10. "But no, it's not the way it was intended to be at all."

Cale insisted it was an honest mistake and that he and Watson thought the walker was trash.

"If we knew that it was usable, we would not have touched it or nothing like that, period," Cale said. "We did not mean to bother you people or nothing like that. We are sorry. We're sorry."

Murray initially told NBC10 she didn't believe Cale's story. She said the walker wasn't at the curb like most trash but instead was halfway up the driveway. She also said the men never knocked on the door before taking it.

"You're not going to sit and tell me the fact that you can feel as though it was scrap when it's a shiny blue little thing," Murray said last week.

Yet Murray appeared to have a change of heart when she spoke with NBC10 again Monday after her daughter received a new walker.

"I honestly from my heart, I feel as though it was an honest mistake," Murray said. 

Murray also said she hopes the charges against the two men will be reduced or even dropped.

"I would hope nobody would get jail time from this," Murray said. "Some people may feel as though I should let them keep going with the charges but I don't feel as though it's that serious. It's a holiday time getting ready to come up. Luckily she was blessed enough to get a walker so fast."

A viewer called Harry Hairston and NBC10 Responds after her security device stopped working and she never received a refund.

A man and woman are accused of stealing holiday gifts that were left for trash collectors in Chester County.

On Monday at 12:19 a.m., Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police officers responded to the 1200 block of Upton Circle in East Goshen Township after a resident spotted a man searching through trash cans that were placed out in the neighborhood for trash collection.

When police arrived they found a Ford Explorer illegally parked on Upton Circle with a woman sitting in the front passenger seat. Police confronted her and a short time later the man who had been spotted searching through the trash cans approached the officers, according to investigators.

Police identified the suspects as Joshua Swavely, 28, of Narvon, Pennsylvania and Kimberly Verdi, 30, of Essington, Pennsylvania. Investigators say the duo came to East Goshen Township to look for gifts and tips left by residents for the trash collectors. Swavely and Verdi also allegedly committed similar thefts on MacKenzie Drive in West Goshen Township.

Swavely and Verdi were both arrested and charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, loitering and prowling at night. Swavely was also charged with driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked.

The two were processed and released pending summons.

Officials advise residents who want to tip trash collectors or give them gifts to either hand deliver the gift directly to the team or contact the proper trash hauler for the jurisdiction.

EARLY ARCTIC AIR-WILL IT LAST?
Unseasonably cold air is hitting our area for the middle of this week. In fact, it’s hitting the ENTIRE country east of the Mississippi River. It’s also unseasonably mild in the ENTIRE western half of the country. That’s quite a “half-and-half” picture!

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Now, take a look at the world’s leading model-the European-for exactly a week after the map above. It looks almost the same (except for a much warmer Florida):

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So, does this mean we’re going to be stuck in the Arctic air for the rest of December-and beyond? Probably not. For the answers, we have to look much higher up in the atmosphere.

UPPER-AIR CHANGES COMING
As we’ve discussed many times before, meteorologists look to a level nearly 20,000 feet up-known as 500 millibars (500mb). This is the level best used to track overall weather pattern changes.

Here is the 500mb pattern this Wednesday:

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The bluer the color, the more extreme pressure BELOW normal. And the redder the color, the more extreme pressure ABOVE normal. So, we have a major low pressure “trough” in the Eastern U.S., and a major high pressure “ridge” along the West Coast. Seeing this developing pattern a couple of weeks ago led me to confidently predict our current cold and first snow of the season. But that ridge in the west is just as important. It forces any air coming across the Pacific way up into the Arctic. The air then comes down from the Arctic into the Eastern U.S. Just follow the lines: the air at this level flows along the lines.

Now let’s see what happens a week later:

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There is still a general trough and low pressures in the Eastern U.S. But what happened to the western ridge? It’s gone. The upper-air flow is now coming across the Pacific and pretty much straight west to east through much of the U.S. We no longer have a blocking pattern that brings our air from the Arctic. At least for a few days after December 20th, our cold pattern should ease.

The above maps are known as “ensemble maps," which is the average of the 51 times the European model was run. Each one starts with slightly different initial conditions. This helps eliminate “bad” data, and the natural variation of computer models the farther we go out in time (“chaos”). So, we’re talking about the best solution from the best model-the European. There is no model, or ensemble of models anywhere in the world, that consistently beats this. It’s far from perfect, but it’s the best solution available.

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AND AFTER DECEMBER 20TH?
Here is where it gets tricky. Some models, including the EURO, re-develops the West Coast ridge by Christmas Day, the 25th. This is known as the pattern “reloading," and suggests a return to the cold east/warm west pattern.

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The only real difference between the maps from December 12th and the 25th is that the eastern trough and western ridge are both a bit farther west around Christmas. That slight change could lead to:

1.    Less extreme cold for us
2.    A wetter pattern for us

That combination could give us at least a decent chance of a White Christmas, or possibly even an icy Christmas. Stay tuned for any changes (small changes in the upper pattern can mean significant changes in our weather).

THE NEW MAPS
You might notice that the last three maps come from weather.us which is a new and incredible website. The brilliant map creator, Dr. Ryan Maue, is giving unprecedented access to many weather model maps and data that we’ve never seen before. I am in awe of this site, and what it provides. May it stay available (and free for all) forever!

Travel times broke the triple digits along Interstate 95 in Philadelphia due to a crash during the Tuesday morning rush.

The drive time from Woodhaven Road to Interstate 676 (Vine Street Expressway) on I-95 southbound, about a 14-mile trip, ballooned to 100-plus minutes before 7 a.m. due to the multi-vehicle wreck near Girard Avenue.

Average speeds dropped into the single digits as traffic slowly got past the scene.

U.S. Route 1 and Route 130 could be used as alternate routes, NBC10 First Alert traffic reporter Jessica Boyington said.

Drive times finally began to normalize again after 8:30 a.m.

No one was hurt in the crash.

SEPTA suspended service on some of its busiest Regional Rail lines for hours after a train struck an unoccupied car on the tracks in Montgomery County Tuesday morning.

The wreck at the rail crossing at Rices Mills Road, between the busy Glenside and Jenkintown stations, left service on the Warminster, Glenside Combined and Lansdale/Doylestown lines suspended until further notice, SEPTA said around 7:40 a.m.

Service on all other lines were delayed up to 45 minutes, SEPTA said.

The crash was cleared and service resumed, with some residual delays up to 30 minutes, around 10 a.m., SEPTA said.

No injuries reported to passengers or crew, SEPTA said.

It wasn't clear how the car wound up on the tracks. There are rail crossing signs and lights at the intersection.