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Man Held Captive, Forcibly Tattooed by Roommates: Police

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A Philadelphia man claims his roommates beat, trapped and forcibly tattooed him with profanity and obscene pictures.

The unidentified 52-year-old man, from the 3100 block of Brighton Street in the Mayfair section of the city, told Philadelphia Police that three of his roommates held him captive inside the home for three days as they beat and forced him to undergo tattooing, police tell NBC10.com.

A police spokesperson said the tattoos consisted of several “inappropriate racial and sexual terms and images.” The man’s debit card was also allegedly stolen.

The man said he was trapped in the home from Saturday, March 30 at 3 p.m. through 9 a.m. on Monday, April 1, police said. After leaving the house, the man flagged down officers along the 3100 block of Tyson Avenue for help.

Police said the man was severely bruised along his face, legs, ribs and torso and had swollen hands. The officers immediately went to the home and found the alleged attackers, his roommates, sleeping in the basement. During a search of the home, officers also found 155 grams of marijuana, the victim’s debit card, several prescription pill bottles, a tattoo gun, ink and needles.

The roommates -- Corey Campbell, 20, Sandra Ng, 19, and Jennifer Pratt, 29 -- and another man, 27-year-old David Thomas, were all arrested. Each have been charged with 10 crimes including Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, Kidnapping and Robbery, police said. They have yet to be arraigned.

The victim was taken to Aria Hospital Frankford for treatment. There’s no word on his condition.

Police say the investigation is on-going.



Photo Credit: AP Images

Officer Arrested for Allegedly Threatening Pedestrian

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A Philadelphia Police officer has been arrested for allegedly threatening a pedestrian after an minor early morning traffic accident last year.

Officer Edward Sawicki, a 9 year veteran of the force assigned to the 25th District, was arrested on Wednesday following an investigation by Philadelphia Police's Internal Affairs Division.

Police say Sawicki, who was off-duty at the time, was driving down the 100 block of S. 9th Street in the Bella Vista section of the city at 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2013, when he got into an accident involving a 37-year-old pedestrian.

That pedestrian alleges the officer got out of his car, lifted his shirt to show a gun, rushed towards him and made a verbal threat while holing a hand on his gun holster, according to police. Police say the incident then ended without escalating further.

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office charged Sawicki with Terroristic Threats, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, Simple Assault, Harassment and Disorderly Conduct.

He has been suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.



Photo Credit: Philadelphia Police

Pa. County Seeks to Reverse Firefighter Shortage

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Have a desire to help your neighbor and volunteer with a fire company? Bucks County wants to hear from you.

There's a shortage of volunteer firefighters in the county and the Bucks County Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Association has launched a campaign to do something about it.

"It’s an ongoing problem and it’s all aspects of the fire service. It’s not just firefighting," said Upper Makefield firefighter Robert Kay. "We need help with running the business of the firehouse. We need help running carnivals and pancake breakfasts."

In 1976, there were 300,000 firefighter volunteers state-wide. Today, there are 50,000, according to Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Edward A. Mann. To help bridge a shortage gap in Bucks County, officials were awarded a federal grant, called SAFER or Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, for $750,000 to be used over three years to recruit volunteer firefighters.

A online campaign was launched to attract volunteers in one of four positions: volunteer firefighter and rescue, volunteer fire police, volunteer associate and volunteer opportunities for teens.

Northampton fire chief Adam Selisker welcomes the recruitment efforts. To become a fully certified volunteer firefighter, you must complete 180 hours of training, a tough hurdle, according to Selisker. But, his department sees a key to retention is getting volunteers into a shorter orientation program so the recruits can ride on the apparatus in support roles within three months. 

"It's is one of the most rewarding situations you can be in. Many volunteers end up in full-time careers, springboarded from their volunteerism," Selisker said.

In addition to the website, advertising and commercials are being run in Regal and AMC Bucks County movie theaters, at large-scale events and on Comcast cable in Bucks County. (Comcast is the parent company of NBC10.com)

Visits to schools and community colleges have also been added to the outreach plan.

Benefits include free training, excitement, pride from helping others, according to the website. Kay serves as the co-chair of the recruitment committee and says every department's needs are different, but emphasizes firefighters are wearing more hats than ever before.

"You have guys running carnivals and leaving to run out to a fire, and there's the time needed to spend with families," Kay said.

Some Bucks County fire companies have paid support, such as Bensalem, Newtown, Bristol and Northampton. However, every Bucks County fire company has volunteer staff.

"Your payments and the gratitude you get from the community that you get for saving somebody's house or their pets or their family. There's no payment that can amount to that feeling," said one volunteer in a campaign video.

For more information and to volunteer, visit here.


Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.

Wednesday's Child: Kevin

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Kevin is an active and outgoing 14 year old who loves basketball. We were there when he met two of the Harlem Globetrotters to get some tips on his game.

Parents Push for School Bus Drivers to Use Epi-Pens

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Each morning and afternoon as 8-year-old Maddie Psaila sits on the bus on her way to school, her mom Karen worries that the girl's life could be in danger if she comes into contact with a classmate’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Staff at Maddie’s elementary school in the Southern Lehigh School District are permitted to administer an epinephrine auto-injector if her severe allergy causes her to go into anaphylactic shock. But the bus drivers, contractors from an outside company, would be forced to just stand by and watch should the girl suffer a potentially fatal allergic response.

“The bus drivers are fearful that if they administer the Epi-Pen auto-injector and there is a bad outcome, they will be personally sued,” Karen wrote in a letter asking for support of Pennsylvania House Bill 2049.

  • Hear more from Karen Psaila and why she's making this push on NBC10 News at 4 p.m. today.

The bill, introduced by Pa. State Rep. Justin Simmons (R -131st) in February, would amend the Public School Code of 1949 to allow drivers who complete a training program to administer the Epi-Pen auto-injector under a Good Samaritan civil immunity.

“If they administer the medication and there is a bad outcome, they would be protected just as teachers and personnel in the school building are protected,” Karen wrote. “The bill should relieve the apprehension that the bus drivers have and make for a safer bus ride for all kids who need the life-saving medication.”

The medical device is easy-to-use and there are even high-tech options that have a recording instructing the administrator how to use it, she said.

The concerned mother worked with lawmakers to craft the bill, which is being reviewed by the education committee. The legislation already has the support of Simmons and the 29 House members who co-sponsored it.

Plus Karen is leading the charge to get other parents in the Southern Lehigh School District on board, writing: "The bill is a step in the right direction for there to be safe traveling on the school bus for all kids who carry an epi-pen auto injector for anaphylaxis."


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

PennDOT Official Suspended: Attorney

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A top official with PennDOT was suspended, according to his attorney.

Anthony Voci, the attorney for Nicholas Martino, told NBC10 that his client was suspended by PennDOT for “alleged inappropriate conduct with another employee.”

Martino was the Assistant District Executive for PennDOT’s Maintenance Unit. Voci also told NBC10 that Martino was a cooperating witness in a Philadelphia grand jury case, but did not mention specifically what the case was.

NBC10 reached out to PennDOT for a response to the attorney’s claims. A spokesperson told us that they "cannot comment on personnel matters."

This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.

Also on NBC10.com:


 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Couple Charged in Robbery of Elderly Woman

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A husband and wife were arrested on Wednesday after they allegedly kidnapped an elderly woman and forced her to withdraw thousands of dollars from her account.

The 80-year-old woman told police she was walking towards the Salvation Army on 5th and Market Streets around 12 p.m. on Monday when she was approached by a woman, later identified as 51-year-old Lorpu Korlewala.

Police say Korlewala told the victim that she had money she wanted to give her. The two women were then joined by Korlewala's husband, 57-year-old Vickson Korlewala, who also told the victim he had money for her, according to investigators.

The victim says she became scared and told the suspects to leave her alone. The suspects allegedly followed her as she tried to walk away.

Police say Lorpu then went inside a green-colored Saturn SUV with a New Mexico license plate and drove it towards the victim. Vickson then allegedly forced the victim inside the vehicle.

Once she was inside the SUV, both suspects then asked the victim which bank she used, according to police. Investigators say the victim told them she used Citizens Bank and the suspects drove towards the branch at the Penrose Plaza on the 2900 block of Island Avenue.

The victim and the two suspects then went inside the bank and approached an employee, according to police. The victim says she asked the employee to withdraw $8000 from her account.

Vickson allegedly told the employee that the money was for the victim’s sister who had just passed away.

After the employee brought out the cash, Vickson allegedly pushed the victim’s hand away, took her money and placed it in his pocket.

Police say the suspects and the victim then left the bank and drove towards the Verizon building at 57th and Chestnut Streets. Vickson then allegedly pushed the victim out of the car and drove off with his wife, fleeing east on Chestnut Street.

Credit: Philadelphia Police

On Wednesday, both suspects were arrested at their home on the 5500 block of Market Street after an officer recognized their vehicle, according to investigators.

They were both taken into custody and charged with kidnapping, robbery, theft, simple assault and other related offenses.



Photo Credit: Philadelphia Police

Did Company Illegally Tow Cars From Lot?

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After the towing of hundreds of cars from a University City parking lot sparked outrage from drivers, police confirmed that the towing company was within its legal rights.

Drivers told NBC10 on Monday that 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. 

The drivers claimed that their cars were illegally towed. Lew Blum, the owner of Lew Blum Towing, reached out to NBC10 however and disputed those claims. Blum claimed that not only should the vehicles have been towed but that his company also gave the drivers a warning well in advance.

Blum told NBC10 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. (*Note* Documents from Blum Towing in the link embedded on the left)

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

“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.”

According to Blum, the warnings were placed all over the lot and were clearly visible for drivers.

“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 said 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 claimed 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 and claimed the Philadelphia School District still owned the property.

“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.”

On Wednesday, Philadelphia Police confirmed that Blum's company had jurisdiction over the lot and that the cars were towed legally. They also confirmed that Blum's company warned drivers several days in advance.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Truck Crashes Into Home

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A truck crashed into a home in Feasterville, Bucks County Wednesday night, injuring three people and causing a partial collapse. Check out photos from the scene.

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Teen Boy Shot Inside South Philly Home

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A teenager is in the hospital after he was shot inside a home in South Philadelphia.

Police say the 16-year-old boy was inside a home on the 2000 block of Wilder Street Wednesday night shortly before 9 p.m.

A person inside the home pulled out a gun and opened fire, according to investigators. The teen was struck once in the inner thigh.

The boy was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Police have not yet revealed his condition.

Police say they recovered a weapon from the scene of the crime and also captured a suspect. They have not yet revealed the suspect's identity or the specific charges.

Stay with NBC10.com for more updates on this developing story.

Also on NBC10.com:



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

3 Hurt After Truck Crashes Into House

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A school teacher and her two young daughters are recovering after their truck crashed into a Bucks County home, causing a partial collapse.

Officials say Dawn Thompson, a teacher at Neshaminy High School, was driving her truck with her two daughters inside in Feasterville, Pa. Wednesday night. Suddenly, police say, she somehow lost control of her vehicle.

The truck hopped a curb, drove across a front lawn and then slammed into a home on 357 Fox Hollow Drive.

"You could feel a rumble and you heard what sounded like a small explosion," said Joe Doyle, who lives across the street from the home.

The homeowners, Jeff Murtha and his mother Rita Murtha, were both inside during the crash.

"It didn't sound like a crash at all," Jeff said. "It sounded like an explosion, like if a big truck with steel beams on it flipped over and just metal crashing everywhere."

Unharmed, Jeff and his mother sprang into action and checked on Thompson and her daughters. The woman and the two girls were trapped inside the vehicle.

"My son was carrying one girl and trying to help my neighbor with the other," Rita said.

While they were able to rescue the girls, Thompson was still stuck inside the driver's seat. That was until rescue workers arrived at the scene.

"My first rescue on scene deployed the jaws of life into the garage and had to pop the door open," said Lower Southampton Fire Chief Steve Krippel.

"She looked like she was in and out of consciousness," Jeff said. "She didn't really know what was going on. She was in shock."

Thompson and her daughters were taken to the hospital. All three are in good condition, according to officials.

Police are still investigating what caused Thompson to lose control of her vehicle.

Meanwhile, despite the severe damage to their home, Jeff and his mother are still thankful.

"I'm just glad that everybody got out safe for the most part," Jeff said. "That could all be fixed."



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

WATCH: Woman Fights Robber Outside Walgreens

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A woman who managed to fight off a robber near a West Chester Walgreens is speaking out for the first time, hoping her attacker will be found before he strikes again.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, says she was leaving the Walgreens store on the 300 block of N Bradford Avenue in East Bradford Township on Sunday around 7:45 p.m. Surveillance video captured a man creeping up behind her as she walked down a sidewalk.

“I didn’t notice him until he was right at my shoulder,” the woman said.

The man suddenly grabbed the woman and a struggle ensued.

“It’s just like he grabbed all of me,” she said. “He was trying to get it because it was held so closely to my body.”

At one point the video shows the suspect lifting the woman off the ground.

“They fell to the sidewalk twice in addition to rolling around on the sidewalk which exposed the victim to injury,” said West Chester Police Sergeant Louis DeShullo.

Despite being outweighed significantly by her attacker, the woman managed to fight back, punching him in the face several times and wrestling with him on the ground.

“I think instinct just kicked in and I did anything I could to protect myself,” she said. “I didn’t know if it was more than a purse he wanted.”

The struggle continued until the suspect managed to grab the woman’s purse, which contained cash and credit cards. He then fled the scene.

Police suspect the man was standing in the area for about an hour and a half before the attack.

“Our concern is that he continued to fight the victim after the victim showed signs of resistance,” DeShullo said.

The woman suffered scrapes and bruises during the ordeal.

“It’s disappointing there are people who think it’s okay to prey on other people,” she said.

The suspect is described as a man with curly or wavy hair in a ponytail. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call Sgt. Louis DeShullo at the West Chester Police Department at 610-436-1332 (desk) or 484-356-3844 (cell).



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Union: Odds of SEPTA Strike Are "Very Good"

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The president of SEPTA’s largest union was blunt and direct when asked what the odds were of a strike.

"The odds of a strike are very good," said Willie Brown, president of the Transit Workers Union Local 234.

The contract for most members of TWU Local 234, which represents around 5,000 SEPTA workers, expired on March 15. Union members have been working under an old agreement since then.

The last of three TWU and SEPTA contracts is set to expire at midnight on April 6. Local lawmakers have asked both sides to enter arbitration, which is normally used in the state to settle contracts with police, fire and other employees, in order to avoid a strike.

“We can get this contract settled,” Brown said. “We’re ready to accept binding arbitration rather than exercise our right to strike. It’s an option that works for the riders and for the taxpayers who make funding for mass transit possible. We’re ready to arbitrate. The City Council says both parties should arbitrate. A majority of Philadelphia legislators say both parties should arbitrate. The question is – why is SEPTA refusing to arbitrate?”

Brown says that the issues in dispute are submitted to a neutral third party under the terms of arbitration, meaning neither side will have any advantage.

“We’re very confident that our contract proposals are fair to our members and will keep the agency on sound financial footing,” Brown said. “We’re perfectly willing to let a neutral third party review what we’ve proposed. If SEPTA management is confident in their contract proposals, why aren’t they willing to do the same?”

A SEPTA spokesperson responded to Brown's comments Wednesday afternoon.

"SEPTA believes that the parties can best work out their differences by engaging in good faith negotiations,"  said the spokesperson in a released statement. "It is not in the best interest of SEPTA, its employees, the union or the taxpayers for a third party – with no vested interest in the day to day operations of the Authority - to dictate the wages, benefits and working conditions of SEPTA’s workers.  The union’s threat to strike does nothing to move the parties closer to an agreement.  SEPTA urges the union to continue bargaining at the table so that the parties can reach an amicable settlement."

Brown told NBC10 that SEPTA's offers were so full of concessions that they were "provoking a strike."

"With the proposals they come to the table with they are provoking a strike,' Brown said. "They know absolutely, positively that we can't accept some of the concessions they want. They know that." 

If a strike happens, Union leaders say SEPTA's backup plans won't be enough.

"There plan is to put people on regional rail," Brown said. "You can only carry so many people." 

Union members and SEPTA officials are scheduled to continue negotiations on Thursday. As for whether SEPTA passengers should make other plans for Monday morning, Brown says he's still unsure.

"I can't say yes or no," Brown said. "It depends on what happens the rest of this week." 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

NJ Transit Worker Sent to Rehab for Medical Marijuana

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Charlie Davis was a lead clerk in NJ Transit’s procurement office last October when he began using medicinal marijuana to treat the pain from nerve damage associated with his end-stage renal disease. In December, because he had been bumped from his clerk’s job, he applied for a position in the agency’s railroad division and learned he would have to take a drug test.
 
 
The 57-year-old Newark man, who has worked for NJ Transit for five years, identifies himself as a Christian and believes he is going through a temporary trial. He said he was upfront with the agency’s medical officer.
 
“I told them I was taking prescribed medical marijuana,” said Davis, who was issued a state card last September authorizing him to purchase the drug and get treatment from a certified physician in the state Department of Health’s Medicinal Marijuana Program. “I wanted them to know that. I was not hiding anything from them. I showed them the identification and everything.”
 
 
 

 



Photo Credit: Michael Karas/Bergen Record

NJ City's Security Cams Not Working

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Hoboken has failed to keep a network of city-owned surveillance cameras working since 2010, including at least two cameras positioned on the waterfront where a jogger went missing last weekend, the I-Team has learned.

Juan Melli, a spokesman for Mayor Dawn Zimmer, confirmed that the cameras went offline nearly four years ago, after a contract expired with the company that designed and maintained the network.

“A couple years ago, we brought in an engineer," said Melli. "They said this system is old and not maintained and the recommendation was that they really weren’t usable."

In all, the city of Hoboken owns a network of 10 inoperative surveillance cameras, including one that is mobile, according to Melli. He did not reveal the exact locations of the inoperative cameras for security reasons, except to say two of them are on the waterfront.

On Sunday, 27-year-old Andrew Jarzyk went missing after a late-night jog along the Hoboken waterfront. He was last seen by friends around 1 a.m. at the West 5 Super Club on Hoboken’s Madison Street. About an hour later, surveillance video from a private camera owned by a nearby restaurant showed Jarzyk in exercise clothing running along the waterfront. The video is grainy and the quality is poor; Jarzyk runs out of the frame in a matter of seconds.

Had Hoboken’s municipal cameras been operative, they may have captured better images of the missing man.

Hoboken’s municipal camera network was initially designed and maintained by PackeTalk, a Lyndurst company established in 2004 that promises “high resolution cameras and fail safe transmission systems.” The PackeTalk website lists other municipal clients including the City of Passaic, East Orange, West New York and Garfield.

Neither the Hoboken mayor’s office nor PackeTalk could say when or how the cameras first failed. However, PackeTalk founder Tamer Zachary told the I-Team he provided Hoboken with more than 10 cameras.

“I know for a fact it’s not 10," said Zachary. "Absolutely it’s more."

Zachary said his company had a contract with the City of Hoboken Police Department “from 2004 to roughly the end of 2009.” He estimated the city’s annual payments for upkeep and maintenance of the cameras were between $30,000 and $40,000.

“They always paid for the cameras through grants but when it came time to pay their maintenance fees, they decided to stop paying,” Zachary said.

According to Melli, the payments for camera maintenance ended in 2009 because at that time, a state-appointed fiscal monitor deemed the contract with PackeTalk had not been properly bid out.

Although Hoboken’s maintenance agreement with PackeTalk ended in 2009, Zachary said there is no reason the Hoboken Police Department wouldn’t have been able to continue using the equipment.

“Everything was left functional the day they refused to renew the contract,” said Zachary.

Hoboken Police Chief Anthony Falco Sr. did not return the I-Team’s call for comment.

Although the city of Hoboken currently has no functional municipal-owned surveillance cameras, Melli said other public entities like the Hoboken Housing Authority and Hoboken Board of Education do have operative cameras.

Melli said the Zimmer administration has been working to get new surveillance cameras as expeditiously as possible.

Two weeks ago the city was notified it won a FEMA Port Security Grant that will pay for eight new security cameras on the waterfront, he said. The City Council must still vote on whether to accept the grant.

“We started applying for grants in 2010. It’s not that we haven’t made it a priority,” said Melli.
 


2 Shot Along Philly Street

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Two men were shot on Cumberland Street in North Philadelphia overnight. Police are still looking for the shooter.

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Bullet Hits School Bus in NJ: Cops

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Police say a man was wounded and a school bus carrying special needs children was struck by a bullet during a shooting in Newark Thursday afternoon. 

Officers were called to the 100 block on 1st Street at about 1:15 p.m. and found a man with a gunshot wound, according to police. He was taken to UMDNJ in stable condition.

Police said a Camptown school bus was also struck by a single bullet as it drove through the area. There were six special-needs teens on board, along with two aides and a driver.

None were hurt, but they were taken to the hospital as a precaution, police say. 

Police are searching for three to four suspects who escaped in a black vehicle going westbound on 6th Avenue. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Newark Police at 877-NWK-TIPS. 

Police Investigate Home Invasion

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A home in the Germantown section of Philadelphia was broken into early Friday morning. Police are investigating the case.

Most Philly Homes Are Affordable: Study

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About two-thirds of homes in Philadelphia are more affordable now than they have been historically, making inventory in the City of Brotherly Love more reasonably priced than nearly all of the other cities making up the 10 largest in the U.S., according to a new study.

Seattle-based Zillow Inc. released a report Friday that shows 66.1 percent of homes currently on the market in Philly are affordable based on the percentage of the area’s median household income needed to pay the mortgage on a median-priced home.

“The rental market is really strong and competitive,” said Laurie Murphy, a Realtor with Bershire Hathaway Fox & Roach of Bryn Mawr, who sells homes in the city and surrounding suburbs.

“There are still so many areas untapped in Philly that are in some stage of development,” said Murphy. “A lot of people are realizing buying is a lot more affordable than what they anticipated.”

Currently Philadelphia homeowners are dedicating 14.3 percent of their monthly income to their mortgage compared with the 19.6 percent needed to make the payments between 1985 and 2000, the report shows.

The figures put Philadelphia in line with the housing market across the country, where 66.4 percent of homes are affordable.

Across the U.S., homeowners are spending 15.1 percent of their median income on their housing payments, down from the 22.1 percent spent between 1985 and 2000.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/Image Source

Big Rig Blaze Stops Traffic

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Thick smoke poured from a tractor-trailer after it caught fire along a busy area road.

The big rig fire caused police to stop traffic along the access road to the Media Bypass (U.S. Route 1) and the Blue Route (I-476) northbound near where the road goes under the Blue Route in Delaware County around 6:40 a.m. Friday.

Traffic was completely stopped on the access road as firefighters rushed to the scene. After about 15 minutes, a firetruck arrived and crews extinguished the flames.

Traffic continued to move along the Blue Route despite the fire below.

There were no reports of any injuries.

After the blaze was put out, crews remained on the scene as they searched for a cause.

The roadway was reopened after less than one hour.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com
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