Police are on the hunt for a man accused of shooting and killing a teenage boy who was like a brother to him, according to the victim's family.

Police issued an arrest warrant for 22-year-old Sergio Santiago on Monday.

Santiago allegedly shot and killed 17-year-old Antonio Flores Sunday afternoon in the Spring Garden section of the city and then ran off with the gun.

"He[[Flores]] looked up to him[[Santiago]]," said Janine O'Donnell, the victim's aunt. "If anyone else out there thinks he's a friend of theirs, he can easily turn on anyone." 

Flores was found with a gunshot wound in the head on the third floor of an apartment at 1616 Wallace Street in the Spring Garden section of the city.

Medics rushed Flores to Hahnemann University Hospital where he later died.

The circumstances of the shooting remained under investigation later Sunday but homicide detectives did say that it was possible that someone was playing with a gun.

Monday night, police announced that Santiago was a suspect in the shooting and issued a warrant for his arrest.

"I never thought he would harm my son," said Antonia Flores, the victim's mother.

According to the family, Santiago was a friend and mentor of the victim.

"I can't believe he would do that to my son and I don't believe he would run away and my son was in that building all by himself until someone found him," Flores said.

According to investigators, Santiago is known to frequent the area of 17th and Wallace streets. They continue to search for him.

"I want justice for my son," Flores said. "I want him to be put away for a long time because he took the life of a 17-year-old boy who doesn't mess with anybody and who has love for everybody."

If you have any information on Santiago's whereabouts, please call Philadelphia Police.

A woman and her newborn daughter are healthy and doing well thanks to the quick-thinking actions of a police officer and EMT.

Shahira Patterson, 26, told the Bucks County Times she was at her home on Fieldcrest Drive in Westampton Township on Saturday when she began to experience contractions about 15 minutes apart.

The Times reports that Patterson, who wasn’t due until April 21, called the doctor to see if she should come in. Patterson claims the doctor told her to wait until the contractions were stronger and closer together before going to the hospital.

While Patterson’s mother, Olga Patterson, told her that they should still go, Patterson claimed she didn’t think she had to go just yet, according to the Times.

Patterson says her mother then went to Wawa to pick up a few items. That’s when the contractions suddenly grew stronger. The next thing she knew, Patterson was in the bathroom, about to give birth to her second child.
Patterson’s mother arrived back home from her Wawa trip and heard her daughter screaming upstairs that the baby was coming out.

In a panic, Patterson’s mother dialed 911. That’s when Westampton Township Police Officer Marc Scherzer received the call that he’ll never forget.

After being alerted of a woman in labor, Scherzer arrived at Patterson’s home and heard screaming inside. He rushed into the home where he found  the mother-to-be.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Scherzer said. “My first reaction was to reach down and grab the baby’s head because I was afraid it was gonna hit the floor.”

Scherzer, a 10-year veteran of the force, jumped into action and calmed Patterson and her mother down, assuring them that everything would be okay,

“He was amazing,” Patterson said. “He really settled my mom down and got us both calm, feeling secure and safe.”

Scherzer stayed with Patterson until firefighter/EMT Julian Vallery arrived. Neither men have any children and had never delivered a baby before. Despite this, they successfully delivered the baby girl.

Vallery told the Bucks County Times that the baby’s first cries were “the most beautiful thing you could ever hear.”

Patterson and her baby girl, named “Issa” were taken to Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro. The mother and her 5-pound, 11-ounce daughter are both doing well.
 

Officials continue to investigate a US Airways flight that was forced to abort takeoff at the Philadelphia International Airport earlier in March.

On March 13 around 6:25 p.m., US Airways Flight 1702 was forced to abort take-off on its way to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

• Plane Evacuation 'Selfie'

As quickly as the A320 Airbus lifted off, it came crashing back down.

"As we first hit the ground, flight attendants were yelling to keep our heads down," said Dennis Fee, one of the passengers. "There was a lot of screaming and crying."

The aircraft was leaving from Philadelphia International Airport when it experienced a mechanical failure that forced the nose of the plane into the ground, according to airline officials.

"I just sort of held onto the seat and tried not to panic," Fee said.

Airport officials say the front wheel of the aircraft blew out, causing the front of the plane to crash into the runway.

At the time of the emergency evacuation, 149 passengers and five crew members were aboard, according to airport officials.

Passengers were safely evacuated & we are reaccommodating passengers on a new aircraft, scheduled to depart later this evening.

— US Airways (@USAirways) March 13, 2014

Emergency crews were able to evacuate the plane safely through traditional and emergency exits.

Only two people on the grounded flight required treatment for minor injuries.

• WATCH: Social media reacts to plane evacuation

Most passengers from the evacuated plane boarded a new aircraft that departed Philadelphia for Florida around 11:45 p.m. that night. That flight landed safely in Fort Lauderdale after 2 a.m. on March 14.

Flights at Philly International were temporarily grounded, but resumed shortly after all passengers were safe inside the terminal.

Crews worked through the night to right the plane. Around 4:30 a.m. on March 14 they moved the plane from the runway with the assistance of other vehicles.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation after the incident. NBC10 reporter Harry Hairston also obtained documents on the history of the A320 from the US Department of Transportation.

The 300-page report shows that the aircraft had its required airworthiness certificate. Nothing in the report indicated any past mechanical problems.

An NTSB official told NBC10 on Monday that they are currently reviewing airport surveillance video of the incident. Investigators plan to release a preliminary report by the end of this week at the earliest.

NTSB officials also say they may eventually make surveillance video of the incident public after they complete their investigation.

• WATCH: Raw video of the plane being evacuated

Drivers who parked inside a University City lot Monday night say they were shocked when they returned and their cars were nowhere to be found. At first they thought their cars had been stolen. It turns out however, that their cars had been towed, leaving them stranded.

“It makes me angry,” said Marcus Lindsay, whose car was towed. “It makes me feel helpless.”

The drivers say they parked at the lot near 36th and Filbert streets, next to the former University City High School, which was closed last year. The cars were towed however by the Lew Blum Towing Company on 40th and Girard Avenue.

Victoria Edwards, a Drexel University student, told NBC10 that about 200 cars in all were towed. Of the 200, only eight of those were released after each driver paid a $205 fine.

“I freaked out because I don’t have $205 to get my car out right now,” Edwards said. 

Now the question remains whether those vehicles should have been towed in the first place. Lew Blum, the owner of Lew Blum Towing, tells NBC10 that not only should the vehicles have been towed but that his company also gave the drivers a warning well in advance.

Blum says he contacted the School District’s Facilities and Operations Department back on March 26, alerting officials that only drivers who worked at the nearby Samuel Powel Elementary School would be allowed to park in the lot.

Credit: Lew Blum Towing

“That watermark that you see in the middle there is what the people will have on their dashboard if you go by the Walnut Center,” Blum said. “This again is from the school board. This is what they’re saying!”

Blum also says he sent Philadelphia Police a fax back on March 27, telling them his company would enforce towing, starting on Monday.

Credit: Lew Blum Towing

“We told them what we were about to do,” Blum said. “We told them that towing would start at 3/31 at 7 a.m. until the property is sold. We told them that we already started to put flyers on vehicles and that it would continue for the rest of the week.”

Blum says the warnings were placed all over the lot and were clearly visible for drivers.

Credit: Lew Blum Towing

“We did that for three days,” Blum said. “The 27th, the 28th and the 29th. We must have done about 150 of those flyers! We went beyond the call of duty to warn people by doing what we did! We notified the police and we also notified the violators that they were gonna get towed! Some of them called us asking if we were gonna start towing. We said yes but that they would be okay during the weekend but that we’d start on Monday. We told a couple of students who were parking there the same thing!”

Blum claims the signs were actually there for the past five years, but it wasn’t until Monday when his company started to enforce them again.

“At one point, when Walnut Center was open, we were towing the cars,” Blum said. “Then we got a call from Jeffrey Caldwell, the school district's Senior Vice President of Facilities and Operations, telling us to stop towing cars so we stopped but we left the signs up still.”

Even though cars were not towed at the lot for several years prior to Monday, Blum says the drivers still should have known better.

“Ignorance is not an excuse,” Blum said. “The signs were still there. But what gives them the right, no matter whose property it is, to park on that property? It’s not a public street! You know you’re not supposed to do that! You took a chance with what you did!”

The drivers claimed however that Blum had no right to tow their vehicles because Drexel University recently bought the lot, rendering Lew Blum Towing’s contract void. Therefore, according to the drivers, it was illegal for Blum’s company to tow them. Blum denied this however.

“I don’t know where they come off thinking that Drexel bought the property,” Blum said. “But take a ride around Drexel’s Property and see who tows for them. Us! Those people were just taking advantage. They were just parking anywhere they wanted to park on that property and that was illegal.”

Blum also claimed there was a double standard in terms of how police react to complaints made to the PPA compared to private towing companies, even sending NBC10 a copy of PPA rates to further illustrate his point.

“People see our signs,” Blum said. “They don’t see PPA signs! Police surrounded my building tonight! They shut me down for over three hours! Would they go to the PPA and shut them down? When people complain about the PPA, you can’t even call the police! The Police won’t even get involved! They say, ‘oh, that’s out of our jurisdiction. But if a private tow gets you, we’ll stick it to ‘em!’”

Despite the strong statements from both sides, Philadelphia Police say that everything will boil down to who actually owns the parking lot. If Blum’s company does not have jurisdiction to tow on the property, police say the towed vehicles would be considered stolen and they would treat the situation accordingly. Police continue to investigate. 

A crash involving a taxi this morning closed one of the major roads that gets people to and from Philadelphia International Airport for nearly an hour.

The crash closed the Platt Bridge (Pennsylvania Route 291) in both directions between the Schuylkill Expressway and Interstate I-95 in South Philadelphia around 6:30 a.m.

The crash occurred in the eastbound lanes (headed away from the airport) but caused issues in both directions as crews worked to free a person from the wreckage.

• Get the latest traffic from NBC10.com

A 54-year-old man and an 18-year-old female were hurt and taken to the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. Police didn't reveal either victim's condition.

The crash was cleared and the roadway reopened just before 7:30 a.m.

The trial for a man accused of exposing himself to women and propositioning them with Swiss cheese has been continued.

The trial for 42-year-old Christopher Pagano was scheduled to begin Tuesday, but was continued because the defendant changed attorneys. NBC10 spoke to Mark D. Hauser, a criminal defense attorney out of Philadelphia, who confirmed that he was recently hired to represent Pagano.

Pagano, dubbed the "Swiss Cheese Pervert" by a community activist group, is facing multiple charges including stalking, indecent exposure, harassment and open lewdness after he allegedly approached women, asked them if they'd like to get paid to watch him put Swiss cheese on his genitals and then exposed himself.

Pagano was arrested at his Norristown home in January following a joint investigation between Norristown and Philadelphia Police for incidents in Montogomery County and several Philly neighborhoods.

One woman, who asked that she only be identified as Priscilla, presented police with a video of a man they say is Pagano, propositioning her and her passengers while waiting at a light in East Falls last October.

"He told me he liked to put Swiss cheese on his private area," said Priscilla

Priscilla is one of two other victims that came forward prior to his January arrest claiming that Pagano offered them money to watch him put Swiss cheese on his privates.

A fourth woman contacted police shortly after he was arrested.

Pagano's trial is scheduled to begin April 10, according to Hauser.


 

Emergency personnel rushed to a Bucks County business park after an employee came in contact with a suspicious white powder while opening the mail.

The powder turned out to be nothing more than common baking soda, according to the fire marshal, but that didn't stop dozens of emergency personnel from responding to 1900 block of Frost Road in Bristol, Pa. when they didn't know if the suspicious powder was actually dangerous.

A MetaSource employee found the powder after opening an envelope sent to the company's Bristol facility, according to Bucks County dispatchers.

The entire building was evacuated as the Philadelphia Police Rapid Response team investigated in full decontamination suits.

Dispatchers said there were no immediate medical transports from the location.

After a couple of hours, crews cleared the scene and allowed employees back into the office after it was determined that the powder was baking soda and posed no threat.

MetaSource is a business process outsourcing company the employs more than 4,700 employees at its various locations. It does a lot of mail outsourcing that involves opening lots of mail. at its Bristol office.

A crash closed lanes of a major Delaware County road and landed three in the hospital this morning.

The three-vehicle wreck in the northbound lanes of Wilmington West Chester Pike (U.S. Route 202) closed the inner lanes of the roadway in both directions just south of Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route 1) in Glen Mills, Pa. around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday.

Three people suffered moderate injuries. Two victims were taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center while the other was taken to Riddle Hospital, according to police.

Only one lane got by in both directions as crews tended to a disabled car while loading a sports utility vehicle onto the back of a tow truck.

The scene was cleared after about one hour.

• Get the latest traffic from NBC10.com

This crash came just hours after another bad Delaware County crash. That deadly wreck snarled traffic along the Blue Route (I-476) northbound during the morning rush Tuesday.

A rollover crash this morning left a man dead and caused a traffic nightmare along one of Delaware County’s busiest roads.

The deadly wreck left traffic snarled along the Blue Route (I-476) northbound near the Broomall/Upper Darby (Route 3) Exit around 5:25 a.m.

Brian Bagley was thrown from his gray Chevrolet Trailblazer after the vehicle hit the guard rail head on near mile-marker 8, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Bagley wasn't wearing his seat belt, according to police. The 34-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

The SUV came to rest upside down in the middle of the highway.

For more than an hour, crews continued to clean up the crash as only one lane got by.

• Get the latest traffic from NBC10.com

The backup went for nearly four miles approaching the wreck. Drivers approaching the scene were urged to seek out alternate routes including getting off the Blue Route at the Lima.Springfield Exit (Route 1) or just take Route 322 northbound instead.

It took more than two hours to finally clear the scene.

Police are investigating a suspected suicide on the Moore College of Art campus Tuesday.

The college issued a statement to faculty, students and staff Tuesday afternoon: "It is with great sadness that I share with you that Elizabeth Winegarden has passed away. Elizabeth was a junior in Graphic Design. We have been in contact with the family and have expressed our deepest condolences from the Moore community. Our thoughts and prayers are with Liz’s family and friends at this difficult time."

The women's college is "devoted to teaching art and design and to educating women for lifelong learning and involvement in the visual arts," according to the school's website. Moore's enrollment was 482 undergraduate students in 2012.   

A 21-year-old Philadelphia man is in a Montgomery County prison after police say he admitted to choking his ex-girlfriend with a belt and raping her at a suburban SEPTA train station late at night on March 16.

Alexi Nicolai Katsenelinboige of the 900 block of North 26th Street is facing rape, aggravated assault and other related charges after he called 911 and told authorities "he feared he really hurt her" following the brutal assault inside a vestibule on the inbound side of the North Wales train station near the 400 block of School Street, according to police.

In response to the 911 call, officers was dispatched to the train station just after midnight March 17, police records show.

According to the police affidavit, an officer says the suspect flagged him down, told him he raped his girlfriend about an hour earlier and then pointed out the victim, who was standing in the area.

Police records show Katsenelinboige and the victim attended a birthday party for his brother at the suspect's mother's home in the afternoon on March 16 and the victim accompanied the suspect to the station, where he planned to catch a train back to his Philadelphia residence.

They sat inside the heated vestibule, chatting and eating snacks, as they waited for the train to arrive, when the suspect took off his belt and began beating her with it, police records show.

The victim tried to walk away from Katsenelinboige, but he wrapped the belt around her neck from behind and began choking her until she passed out, police say.

The suspect told police the victim was gasping for air, so "he loosened the belt and asked her if she was still breathing," before he began choking her with his hands and pulling her hair, according to the complaint.

Katsenelinboige then forced the victim to perform a sex act while she was on her knees, even though she repeatedly told him "No" and tried multiple times to escape, the complaint says.

Next the suspect forced the victim to lay on the floor of the vestibule, pulled her pants down and raped her -- all while she told him "Stop - No" and cried, police records show. 

Katsenelinboige told authorities "he realized that he had raped her" afterwards and tried to talk to the victim, who started running away and telling him not to touch her.

Officers transported the suspect and the victim separately  to the North Wales police headquarters, where individual interviews were conducted.

After taking her statement, authorities transported the victim to a local hospital for treatment and evidence collection, police records show.

Unable to post $25,000 bail, Katsenelinboige remains behind bars awaiting his preliminary hearing Wednesday.

Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.

Hundreds are without power in South Jersey following an accident involving a tractor-trailer Tuesday afternoon.

PSE&G says 620 customers lost power after a tractor-trailer took down two utility poles on the Black Horse Pike and E. 9th Street in Runnemede just after 1 p.m.

No one was injured in the crash.

PSE&G workers are working to resolve the outages.

The roadway has not been shut down.

This story is developing. Check back with NBC10.com for more details.

A British sailor survived 90 minutes in the freezing Pacific Ocean after he fell overboard Monday while sailing from China to California in the Clipper Round the World Race.

Andrew Taylor, 46, of London, was being treated for severe shock and possible hypothermia and said he endured “horrible” hailstones during the rescue mission on the high seas, NBC News reported.

“I didn’t know if you were looking for me or not – didn’t know if you’d seen me,” he told crew members in footage posted to YouTube. “You just got further and further away.”

Taylor was on the tenth leg of the race from Qingdao, China to San Francisco when he landed in the freezing seas.

Derry Londonderry Doire’s skipper credits three things with the successful rescue: Taylor's dry suit, his personal locator beacon and the training of the crew.

According to the race website, Clipper Race organizers reminded sailors to take a moment to clip on and check the connection.

"Human life is far too precious to be thrown away by a moment’s forgetfulness," wrote race chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

• Read: NASCAR Driver's Brother-in-Law Killed Skydiving

Sailing races by nature are inherently dangerous.

British-born Andrew "Bart" Simpson died in May 2013 while training for the America's Cup in San Francisco. Simpson's catamaran, "Big Red," took a "nosedive" catching Simpson under the water for about 10 minutes.

In March 2013, a San Diego man died while competing in the Southern California Islands Race. Silver Gate Yacht Club member Craig Williams was found unresponsive in the water after the 30-foot sailboat was ripped apart by rocks and waves in an 8-foot surf.

In April 2012, a sailboat taking part in a race from Newport, Calif. to Ensenada, Mexico, disappeared from the online race tracking system. Four people died when The Aegean struck North Coronado Island. 
 

Bicyclists beware.

If you're caught running red lights or riding on the sidewalk in the area of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) campus, you may get ticketed.

According to UPenn's Division of Public Safety, the University's police officers have full authority to issue traffic tickets to bike riders found in violation of traffic safety laws.

"On occasion, especially if we have warned the same individual numerous times, our officers have issued motor vehicle traffic tickets," UPenn Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

Penn Police officers have been issuing traffic tickets in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police Department since 1996. According to Rush, the school's officers can legally issue tickets to both bicyclists and car owners, and the tickets carry identically hefty fines.

Bicyclists over the age of 12 caught riding on a sidewalk can be ticketed and fined $57. Bikers who disregard a red light or ride in the wrong direction on a street can be ordered to pay as much as $137.50.

On Tuesday, the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia issued a friendly reminder of UPenn's ticketing procedures via the organization's Twitter account:

We're told that Penn Police are ticketing bicyclists near CHOP. Remember to now, as always, stop at reds & stay off sidewalk. #bikePHL

— Bike Coalition Phila (@bcgp) April 1, 2014

Bike Coalition spokesman Nicholas Mirra said the group is in full support of the ticketing process, as long as its impartial to all persons on the road, not just bicyclists.

"This is not surprising to us. We had someone report it to us on social media and we just wanted to share that information," he said.

"We are fine with enforcement efforts as long as they're equitable. Whether it's bikers, cars or pedestrians, we recognize that the road is safer when everyone follows the rules."

According to Rush, UPenn would prefer not to have to issue tickets at all. The school's Public Safety office manages an annual campaign called Share the Road to inform motorists, bikers, and pedestrians about local laws, traffic violations, fines and basic safety practices.

The University launched this year's campaign with a press conference in front of the Penn Bookstore at 36th and Walnut Street on Tuesday morning. As part of the campaign, Penn Police and Allied Barton bicycle security officers will be posted at strategic locations around the campus providing information about safe bicycle practices and laws now through April 2.

One of the traffic issues the Public Safety team encounters is instances of people violating the 'right-of-way.' At intersections with turning cars, pedestrians are to cross first, bicyclists second, and motorist last. According to UPenn 80-percent of all accidents involving bicycles and motor vehicles occur at intersections with cars turning.

UPenn Public Safety uses the Share the Road campaign to inform bicyclists that they are legally obligated to follow the same laws as motor vehicle drivers, and to remind drivers to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists at all times. The purpose of the campaign, Rush said, is ultimately to prevent injuries and to keep travelers safe.

"Share the Road really looks at everybody. It centers on bicyclists, motor vehicles and pedestrians. So pedestrians, we obviously try to get them not to jaywalk; motor vehicles, we try to make sure they yield to pedestrians and not drive in the bicycle lanes; and, in turn, bicyclists have to give the right-of-way to pedestrians and follow traffic laws," she said.

"Our goal is not to issue tickets to bicyclists. It's just not something we try to do every day. We prefer the educational model. We stress the importance of sharing the safety responsibilities of all partners on the road and encourage all of the community to be SMART when traveling our streets. We have a lot of people walking and driving around campus here, and we need to make sure everyone is safe."

The countdown to the Punkin Chunkin Association's annual world championship pumpkin throwing competition is winding down. While thousands of spectators and vendors are already making plans to attend the nationally renowned Delaware event, the competition's organizers have yet to confirm exactly where the event will be hosted.

Each year, competitors from all over the country converge on the Wheatley Farm grounds in Bridgeville to see which team's homemade machines will be capable of slinging over-sized pumpkins the farthest distances.

The competition has been held at Wheatley Farms for the last seven years. But the farm's owner, Dale Wheatley now says he can no longer host the event, primarily because he's worried about potential liability issues.

"If I know I'm gonna get sued, it definitely won't be on my property," Wheatley told NBC10's Tim Furlong.

Wheatley's decision stems from a 2011 lawsuit in which a pumpkin spotter seriously injured his spine when he hit a bump on his ATV and it rolled over him. He is now suing the farm and the Punkin Chunkin Association for over four million dollars.

As of Tuesday, 205 days remain before the big event.

President of the Punkin Chunkin Association John Huber was unavailable for comment late Tuesday, but Association officials have hinted that the event could be moving to Maryland.

Delaware Tourism officials say they are scrambling to keep the event somewhere in state.

Meanwhile, competition teams and business owners are expressing concern about the potential venue change.

Ralph Eschborn is captain of The Big 10 Inch team, which has been participating in Punkin Chunkin since 1998. The team's pumpkin cannon won them three Punkin Chunkin World Championships and earned the team a Guiness World Record for farthest distance to fire a pumpkin--5,545.43 ft-- in 2010.

Eschborn said he's seen several venue changes over the years--most of them due to the event outgrowing the designated space--but he believes this one could have a big impact on local teams and residents who treasure the nostalgic value of the event.

"Having participated as long as we have, we've seen some moves but those didn’t really pose any problem; those moves were not unfavorable. This ones a little different," he said.

"There's some uncertainty about whether they’ll have proper accommodations for the event. Plus, this is a contest that has roots deep in Sussex County. As a competitor from out of state, it’s a little less of a concern for us, but I'm sure it’s a big deal to a lot of the Delaware teams. To an certain extent,  I’d like to see it stay in Sussex as well."

Delaware Tourism officials say the fall tradition attracts more than 100,000 visitors from around the world each year, and reels in millions of dollars in annual revenue for the state. The event also serves as a big revenue booster for area businesses like Jeff's Taproom and Grill.

"I look forward to Apple Scrapple every year and Punkin Chunkin every year. I mean those are your Christmases here," owner G.L. Jefferson said.

Jefferson also expressed his sympathy for Wheatley.

"It's just a shame that they have to take a chance on losing their family farm, something they worked their entire life for, for someone getting injured for a charitable event that does so much good for scholarships they give."

Funds generated from the event support scholarships for Sussex County high school seniors and recent high school graduates majoring in Agricultural Science, Mechanical Technology, Engineering, and other fields related to the event.

In 2013, $70,000 of the $100,000 in event ticket sales were distributed in scholarships.