A bag recovered last week from inside the cover of a gas main tested positive for ricin, investigators tell NBC10.com.
On March 20, hazmat crews recovered a package from under the cover of a gas main on South New Street in Hatboro, Montgomery County -- near the Bybery Street apartment of 19-year-old Nicholas Todd Helman, who was arrested on March 19 on attempted murder charges.
"Late this afternoon we became aware of some information that the individual may have secreted some evidence into a gas main cover," said Hatboro police Chief James Gardner last week. "We believe we have located something of interest."
Even though officials emphasized there was no threat of imminent danger, residents were asked to stay in their homes while crews worked to recover the package. Authorities gave neighbors the okay to go outside later on.
On Tuesday, the Bucks County District Attorney told NBC10 that a vile found inside the bag tested positive for ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans that can cause injury and even death if chewed, inhaled or swallowed.
At this point, police have not yet confirmed whether the bag and vile belonged to Helman. They continue to investigate.
Helman allegedly sent a scratch-and-sniff birthday card laced with ricin to a man dating his ex-girlfriend. Police say they were tipped off to the card after Helman's co-worker notified them about his possible intentions. They were able to stop the man's family from opening the card, officials said.
The victim is from Warminster, Bucks County, which is why the Bucks County District Attorney's Office is taking the lead on the investigation, officials said.
The union representing Philadelphia firefighters and paramedics is worried a change in staffing could cause problems.
The union objects to a city plan for replacing one of the two paramedics on ambulance runs with an emergency medical technician. The combination of one paramedic and one EMT isn't as effective, said paramedic Dan Oakes, because EMTs are not trained to do everything a paramedic can do.
"You give oxygen, you can perform CPR -- but you can't give medications, you can't intubate a patient, you can't do some of the more invasive techniques, decompressing a chest for lung-type injuries," he said.
However, Michael Resnick, the city’s Director of Public Safety, claims one paramedic and one EMT is the standard for the state and the recommendation from a study commissioned by the city.
“Other jurisdictions practice this way,” Resnick said. “This would be the best practice for the city of Philadelphia.”
Fire Department Deputy Commissioner David Gallagher said such pairings of paramedic and EMT happen routinely now. By making it permanent, he said, it will expand the department's capacity by adding up to eight ambulances at peak times.
"Everything we are focusing on is an increase -- increase in ambulances, increase in paramedic distribution, increase in total staffed units per day, seven days a week," Gallagher said.
The change will be gradual and monitored to make sure it's progressing smoothly, he added.
However, Joe Schulle, the president of the firefighters union, argues the only reason paramedics and EMTs are paired is because there aren’t enough paramedics. Schulle tells NBC10 that the city should follow standards according to the National Fire Protection Association, which recommends two paramedics on a call. According to Schulle, this plan makes more sense because paramedics are trained to handle more serious medical calls.
“A patient needs to be intubated,” Schulle said. “They need a tube placed in their throat to help their breathing. They need IV’s put in.”
Gallagher, however, believes that the way the new EMTs are being phased in will allow the city to evaluate quickly whether more paramedics are needed and how many.
“We are sending two paramedics on a basic call that maybe neither of them are needed on,” Gallagher said. “We’re trying to distribute all of our resources equally seven days a week.”
Schulle doesn’t buy the explanation however.
“This is a cost-cutting measure at the expense of public safety,” Schulle said.
This story is reported through a newsgathering partnership between NBC10.com and NewsWorks.org.
Philadelphia Police said the release of surveillance video in the case of the brutal brick attack of a Temple University student by a gang of teenage girls has led to an arrest.
A 15-year-old girl has been arrested Tuesday and is expected to be charged with aggravated assault for allegedly hitting a 19-year-old Temple University student in the face with the brick, nearly knocking her teeth out. That alleged assault took place on Friday evening, police said.
Four other teens, a 17-year-old, two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old, have also been taken into custody related to the assault. Detectives say these teens may also be arrested soon.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Capt. Frank Banford, commanding officer of Philadelphia Police's Central Detective Division said two teens turned themselves into police after surveillance video from near the attack was posted online on Monday night.
The arrest came four days after the unprovoked brick attack took place near 17th and Norris Streets, just off of Temple University's main campus in North Philadelphia.
The 19-year-old woman, who spoke exclusively to NBC10.com, was walking with her 20-year-old boyfriend around 6 p.m. on Friday evening when she says a group of girls and boys began taunting and touching them. When they pushed back, the girls allegedly started swinging.
“My boyfriend pushed the girl away from me that hit me in the face and then the girl’s sister came at me with a brick,” said the victim, who asked that we not share her identity.
The woman was hit twice in the face with the brick, the impact nearly knocking out her teeth. The assault forced her to get emergency surgery.
Speaking with the woman on Tuesday, she tells NBC10.com that she's doing better. She now has braces on her teeth to keep them in place.
Police say there were two other attacks that took place within minutes of the brick attack.
NBC10.com talked to another Temple student, a 20-year-old junior, who said she was walking down her street when she was punched by a several girls. That alleged attack took place along the 1700 block of Willington Street, which runs behind Philadelphia Police's 22nd District headquarters, around 5:45 p.m. on Friday -- just 15 minutes before the brick attack.
The co-ed said she was typing a text message to a friend and when she looked up, the girls attacked.
“I typed [the message] and lifted my head to start walking again and as I lifted my head up, there was a girl coming at me, swinging at me, and I was able to lean back. She barely hit my chin, and then she swung again and hit my mouth area and my neck and I was able to shove her away and sprint away,” said the woman who also asked that we do not share her identity.
Banford said the girls are also responsible for a third attack at 17th and Cecil B. Moore Streets in which they allegedly assaulted another woman who is a Temple University student.
Detectives said the motive for the alleged attacks is currently unclear. They are also investigating how the girls met, because, police say, they all go to different high schools.
A LACK OF INFORMATION?
Temple University has come under fire from students and parents following NBC10.com's coverage of the attacks. A number of students said they were frustrated the university did not notify them about the off-campus assaults.
"They can't honestly expect us to feel protected when they don't even let us know when one of our own students is getting hurt," said Jamie Fitzgerald, a junior.
Calley Rodden, a senior who lives two blocks off campus, said the university gave her the impression that off-campus safety was a priority, but she feels otherwise after learning about attacks like these through news sites like NBC10.com.
"This stuff happens and we just don't know about it because they don't tell us. We find out through the grapevine," she said. "And if you live on campus, how would you know."
A Temple spokesperson said the university's westerly jurisdiction ends at 16th Street and that the school pays the Philadelphia Police Department $1 million a year to enhance security in the neighborhoods around campus. Officials say off-campus is Philadelphia Police's territory.
The editorial board of The Temple News, the student-run newspaper, ran an op-ed on Tuesday criticizing the Temple administration's dissemination of information related to several crime incidents on and around the university's campus recently.
The editors said the university should also be sharing information about crime issues in the surrounding neighborhoods where many students live.
"Temple should be doing everything in its power to build a stronger alert network that includes both local and campus police so that threats in the expanding university area can be notified to the student body as soon as possible," the editorial read.
Temple University did send out a campus-wide email on Monday evening explaining why they did not alert the university community about the attacks.
In the message, university officials explained that they were not made aware of the brick attack until hours after it happened and that the school's "TU Alert" system is reserved for imminent dangers and threats, like bomb threats or an active shooter.
Temple spokesman Ray Betzner tells NBC10.com the university has no immediate plans to review its notification procedures. He says that could come at the end of the semester when officials typically review all university procedures.
Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.
Take a look at conditions down the shore as the spring nor'easter drops snow on the region. Some of the heaviest snow is expected to fall at the Jersey Shore and Delaware Beaches.
As students and parents continue to criticize Temple University officials for their handling of a series of off-campus assaults, a picture has surfaced allegedly showing a Temple Police officer sleeping on the job.
Ankit Patel, a Senior and Broadcasting Major at Temple, sent NBC10 a photo of what he claimed was a Temple Police officer sleeping inside his vehicle.
Patel says he spotted the officer shortly before 7 p.m. sleeping inside a vehicle on Cecil B. Moore Avenue and 15th Street. Patel also sent the photo to Temple Police who told the student that the officer would be "pulled from duty while investigated."
NBC10 reached out to Ray Betzner, the Assistant Vice President of Communications at Temple.
"The officer has been pulled from duty for the night, pending an investigation," Betzner said. "If true, this behavior is not indicative of the behavior we expect from a Temple police officer, and full action will be taken."
After multiple attacks at Temple, temple police like to sleep on the job rather than keep us safe. @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/eHrAYAln3o
— Ankit Patel (@ankitpatel92) March 25, 2014
The photo was tweeted the same day police arrested a 15-year-old girl for allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old Temple University student with a brick. Four other teens, a 17-year-old, two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old, were also taken into custody in relation to the assault which took place on Friday. Detectives say these teens may also face charges soon.
A 20-year-old Temple student also told NBC10 that she was attacked by several girls just 15 minutes before the brick attack. Police also said the girls were responsible for a third attack at 17th and Cecil B. Moore Streets in which they allegedly assaulted another woman who is a Temple University student.
Following NBC10.com’s coverage of the attack, Temple University came under fire from students and parents. A number of students said they were frustrated the university did not notify them about the off-campus assaults.
A Temple spokesperson said the university's westerly jurisdiction ends at 16th Street and that the school pays the Philadelphia Police Department $1 million a year to enhance security in the neighborhoods around campus. Officials say off-campus is Philadelphia Police's territory.
Monday night, Temple University sent out a campus-wide email explaining why they did not alert the university community about the attacks.
In the message, university officials explained that they were not made aware of the brick attack until hours after it happened and that the school's "TU Alert" system is reserved for imminent dangers and threats, like bomb threats or an active shooter.
Betzner also told NBC10.com the university has no immediate plans to review its notification procedures. He says that could come at the end of the semester when officials typically review all university procedures.
Be sure to watch NBC10 News Tonight at 11 for an exclusive interview with the Temple student as well as the officer accused of sleeping on the job.
-- Brian Thompson contributed to this report.
A southeastern Pennsylvania man was arrested after he allegedly gave heroin to his teenage sister.
Back on Jan. 27, police were called to a high school in Edgemont Township, Delaware County. When they arrived, they found a 14-year-old girl who they say was high on heroin.
The incident sparked an investigation which led police to the girl’s brother, Matthew Robbins. Robbins, 32, allegedly confessed to police that he had provided heroin for his sister for two months.
Last week, police arrested Robbins and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of minors and recklessly endangering another person, according to court records.
Online court records don't list an attorney for Robbins who remained in Delaware County Prison unable to post 10 percent of $20,000 bail.
He faces a preliminary hearing next week.
The invitation to Pope Francis to come to Philadelphia was extended, in person, Wednesday morning.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and other Philly delegates, including Gov. Tom Corbett and his wife Susan, made their way to the Vatican early Wednesday to meet the Pope outside his residence, in St. Peter's Square.
It was there that the delegates extended the personal invitation to his Holiness.
"We Invited him," said Gov. Corbett in a briefing following the leaders' meeting with the Pope. "I feel very optimistic."
"We were very well received," Nutter said. "He was very gracious. He asked me to pray for him. I said 'yes.' I asked him to pray from me."
Nutter and other leaders also took their meeting as a chance to give Pope Francis a few gifts from the City of Brotherly Love.
"We gave his Holiness a St. Joe's Prep Jersey," said Nutter. "There are jerseys from all five major sports teams, PHL pins, a book about Philadelphia's history and letters from all the juniors at St. Joe's Prep who will be seniors next year, asking the pope to come."
Whether Pope Francis will make his way to Philadelphia for next year's World Meeting of Families remains to be seen. But, should he choose to attend, at least he'll have plenty of Philly gear to wear.
Sunday afternoon the Philadelphia delegation that's here to organize next year's World Meeting of Families, being held in Philly, got to tour the Sistine Chapel.
It was a private tour that Gov. Tom Corbett described as "unbelievable." The group was able to visit areas that are normally not open to the public.
Bob Ciaruffoli, President of the 2015 World Meeting of Families, said the highlight of the tour was The Room of Tears, where the newly-elected pope is immediately taken and asked two questions: Do you accept the election? What name do you choose?
Because no one knows for certain ahead of time how the election may turn out, there is a tailor standing by to fit the new pope into his cassock. There are three cassocks in the room, Small, Medium and Large. And also three pairs of shoes sized the same.
The tailor makes the alterations and as soon as he's finished, the new pope walks out and greets the crowd in St. Peter's Square.
Pope Francis can now call himself a Philly fan -- well at least a fan of one of the city's high schools.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter gave The Holy Father a "Pope Francis" jersey from his Alma mater, St. Joe's Prep.
The pope smiled and shared a handshake with Nutter and the mayor's chief of staff, Everett Gillison.
They also presented Pope Francis with a small replica of Philly’s own Liberty Bell as well as a selection of Philly sports jerseys including Sixers, Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and Union jerseys.
NBC10's crews captured the meeting in Saint Peter's Square Tuesday.
Nutter and Gov. Tom Corbett each gave a thumbs up following the meeting.
Nutter and other area dignitaries went to Rome to meet with the Pope at the Vatican in hopes that they could sway the leader of the Catholic church to officially come to the City of Brotherly Love for next year’s World Meeting of Families.
Millions could flock to Philly if Francis holds a mass in the city. The event would also pump millions of dollars into the economy.
Mayor Nutter gives Pope Francis a St. Joe's Prep jersey! #popeinphilly #NBC10pope pic.twitter.com/Sakbi1OjZU
— Karen Araiza (@KAraiza) March 26, 2014 A man was killed at the New Jersey Transit station in New Brunswick when he leaned into the path of an oncoming train Tuesday evening, and four others were injured when they were hit by body parts, authorities say.
Three of those passengers were taken to Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, while a fourth person refused medical attention.
About 300 people were aboard the New York-bound Northeast Corridor train, but no injuries were reported to passengers.
"Everybody got up panicking to see what happened," said one rider.
Service on the Northeast Corridor was temporarily suspended as police responded, and was restored shortly afterward.
-- Checkey Beckford contributed to this report.
The Philadelphia man accused of murdering a man for a pair of expensive headphones was ordered to stand trial.
A judge on Wednesday ruled that there was enough evidence for 20-year-old Arkel Garcia to proceed to trial on murder, robbery and related charges.
Garcia is accused of gunning down Christian Massey on Saturday, Nov. 30 in an alley near 58th Street and Lebanon Avenue in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia.
Massey, 21, was walking to a nearby friend’s house just before 5 p.m. when he was confronted by a robber. Witnesses say the robber demanded Massey’s Dr. Dre Beats headphones, which retail for around $300, and when Massey tried to run, the robber opened fire.
Massey was hit in the chest and left bleeding on the ground. The suspect ran, leaving the headphones he'd sought next to Massey’s body. When police arrived, Massey was still conscious and told officers an unknown male tried to rob him, officials said. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he later died.
Police eventually arrested Garcia and charged him with murder, robbery and related offenses. He has remained behind bars without bail since Dec. 10.
Garcia has maintained his innocence.
His mother Lakasha Hardy, who lives on the same block where the shooting took place, told NBC10 that Garcia was at home watching movies on the front porch at the time of the shooting. She says her 14-year-old daughter also saw him there.
“I told him about the murder, because I seen it on the news that morning. He said ‘I don’t know.’ He was like ‘I was here,’” she said. “It’s at the corner of my block. There’s no way he did that. I searched his room, there are no weapons in his room.”
Hardy says her son spent time hanging out with his girlfriend at the house and did not leave except for two hours on Sunday.
Garcia has a past criminal record for possession and was on probation at the time of the shooting. Hardy says Garcia was working hard to stay out of trouble since that incident -- only going to school to get his high school diploma and to a court-ordered drug treatment program.
A man got into the door of a Philadelphia apartment building and from there forced his way into several units -- making off with thousands of dollars worth of savings bonds, jewelry and watches, according to investigators.
Philadelphia Police released surveillance video Wednesday of a man entering the DuPont Tower Apartments at 6100 Henry Avenue in the city’s Roxborough neighborhood on the morning of March 7.
You see the man, believed to be in his 20s or 30s, wearing dark winter hat and hoodie moving around the building.
Police said while inside the man forced open the doors of several apartments. He is eventually seen leaving the building with two bags of stolen items slung over his shoulder.
In total, the suspect took $15,600 in savings bonds, gold jewelry worth around $4,000 and four watches valued at $2,100.
Investigators said they believe the suspect has “knowledge of the building and placement of cameras.”
If you recognize this man or have information you are asked to contact Philadelphia Police Northwest Detectives at 215-686-3353.
Pennsylvania SPCA Humane Law Enforcement Officers were busy Wednesday morning removing hundreds of cats from the home of a self-proclaimed "cat lady" in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.
About 260 cats were discovered in an "unsanitary" row home on the 1600 block of Filmore Street. This came after officers found dozens of other felines during an earlier visit to the home.
A sign on the gate of the home reads "I'm the Crazy Cat Lady. And this is the crazy cat house."
SPCA officials arrived at the home around 10 a.m. on Wednesday after they say they received a tip from someone outside of the neighborhood. Officials say the "cat lady" initially cooperated with them and turned over as many as 30 cats during the earlier visit. However, officials say they asked her to surrender more cats after conditions worsened but she refused.
"She declined to continue cooperating with us," said Sara Eremus of the SPCA. "It was a situation where we needed to just go in there and take them."
Workers from the SPCA spent the day at the house removing the cats. The felines that were removed were transported to PSPCA headquarters on Erie Avenue for vet exams, treatment and shelter.
"PSPCA's ultimate goal here is to find the cats good homes once it obtains legal custody of them," according to a press release.
In total, animal officers estimate the woman, who was not immediately identified, kept more than 300 cats in her home.
No charges have been filed at this time. According to the SPCA, the woman was operating a cat rescue but became overwhelmed.
NBC10 did a records search of the home where the cats were found and were directed to the website Animals in Crisis. The website describes itself as a nonprofit organization working to rescue animals and “doing the work the PSPCA should be doing.”
“The number of cats being thrown out far exceeds the number of homes we can find, so we are forced to keep many of them and make them as happy and healthy as possible,” reads a statement on the website. “Due to this large number of cats, we need to expand our facility. We have two full-sizes basements that are completely cleaned out and ready for renovation.”
NBC10’s Deanna Durante called a number listed on the website and spoke to a woman who refused to identify herself. The woman claimed the animals were not being seized from the home on Filmore Street. Instead, she said the owner of the cats had gotten older and was too sick to take care of the animals and therefore called the PSPCA herself.
PSPCA officials told NBC10 that the woman we spoke to was “entitled to her side of the story.”
PSPCA officials say they removed about 260 cats from the home. The animals will be evaluated to determine whether or not they are fit for adoption.
Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.
Three teens, arrested for allegedly beating several Temple University students in random, gang-style attacks, will be charged as adults, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.
Najee Bilaal, 16,15-year-old Zaria Estes, and 15-year-old Kanesha Gainey were charged on Wednesday with Aggravated Assault, Conspiracy, Possession of an Instrument of a Crime (PIC), Terroristic Threats, Simple Assault and Recklessly Endangering Another Person (REAP) for three attacks which took place over a 20 minute span last Friday evening, according to the DA's Office.
On Tuesday, investigators with Philadelphia Police's Central Detective Division said they had taken five teenage girls into custody for the assaults -- arresting one and questioning the other four. They range in age from 17 to 14-years-old.
The additional arrests were made on Wednesday and the charges upgraded.
Bilaal and Estes are being held on $100,000 bail and Gainey on $75,000.
According to state court records, this is the sixth time Bilaal has been charged with a crime. She's previously been arrested for theft and criminal trespassing, among other crimes.
The attacks, the most serious of which took place at 17th and Norris Streets where a 19-year-old was beaten in the face with a brick, all occurred within blocks of Temple University's North Philadelphia campus.
The 19-year-old woman, who spoke exclusively to NBC10.com, was walking with her 20-year-old boyfriend around 6 p.m. on Friday evening when she says a group of girls and boys began taunting and touching them. When they pushed back, the girls allegedly started swinging.
“My boyfriend pushed the girl away from me that hit me in the face and then the girl’s sister came at me with a brick,” said the victim, who asked that we not share her identity.
The woman was hit twice in the face with the brick, the impact nearly knocking out her teeth. The assault forced her to get emergency surgery.
Speaking with the woman on Tuesday, she tells NBC10.com that she's doing better. She now has braces on her teeth to keep them in place.
Police say there were two other attacks that took place within minutes of the brick attack.
NBC10.com talked to another Temple student, a 20-year-old junior, who said she was walking down her street when she was punched by a several girls. That alleged attack took place along the 1700 block of Willington Street, which runs behind Philadelphia Police's 22nd District headquarters, around 5:45 p.m. on Friday -- just 15 minutes before the brick attack.
The co-ed said she was typing a text message to a friend and when she looked up, the girls attacked.
“I typed [the message] and lifted my head to start walking again and as I lifted my head up, there was a girl coming at me, swinging at me, and I was able to lean back. She barely hit my chin, and then she swung again and hit my mouth area and my neck and I was able to shove her away and sprint away,” said the woman who also asked that we do not share her identity.
Investigators said the girls are also responsible for a third attack at 17th and Cecil B. Moore Streets in which they allegedly assaulted another woman who is a Temple University student.
Detectives said the motive for the alleged attacks is currently unclear. They said the girls, who do not live in the neighborhood, took a bus into the area before the alleged attacks and left on a bus after. Police are also investigating how the girls met, because, police say, they all go to different high schools.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Capt. Frank Banford, commanding officer of the Central Detective Division said two teens turned themselves into police after surveillance video from near the attack was posted online on Monday night.
Temple was criticized by students and parents for not being notified about the off-campus attacks, only learning they happened after seeing a series of reports on NBC10.com and NBC10 News on TV.
The university said it reserves such campus-wide alerts for imminently dangerous situations that require immediate action.
Late Monday, Temple officials announced they would be expanding bike patrols off campus and working with Philadelphia Police and Pennsylvania State Police to enhance security in the areas directly west of campus.
Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.
