A driver rear-ended a vehicle, fled the scene of the crash, jumped a curb, ran over and killed a homeless woman who was lying on a mattress and then ran away on foot in the Kensington section of the city, police said.

The ordeal began around 8:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Cambria Street. Police say a woman in a minivan rear-ended a vehicle stopped at a red light. The woman in the van then drove away from the scene and lost control of her vehicle.

The woman then jumped a curb and ran over a 22-year-old homeless woman as well as a man who were both lying on mattresses on the sidewalk, police said.

The woman in the van continued to flee but was followed by the vehicle she had rear-ended earlier, police said. She then exited the van and fled the scene on foot, according to investigators.

The 22-year-old homeless woman suffered severe head trauma. She was taken to Temple University Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 9:12 p.m. The man who was run over suffered bumps and bruises but was conscious when responders arrived.

Police later recovered the hit-and-run vehicle. The entire front bumper fell off after it struck the two victims, investigators said.

Police located an address where the minivan was registered and are speaking with people at that location. They are also looking through private cameras to find surveillance video.

During the hit-and-run, the van also crashed into a container full of used syringes. Dozens of syringes were spotted on the ground at the scene of the crash.

If you have any information on the incident, please call Philadelphia police.

Three people were killed while five others were hurt during a violent night in Philadelphia.

Extra officers were on patrol at an event paying tribute to the Jewish faith in Center City in the aftermath of the deadly synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. We're also learning more about the victims.

A college security officer and volunteer fire captain is accused of sexually assaulting three teen boys a month after he was arrested for allegedly having explicit conversations with a teen boy online.

Alan Berman, 58, of Bordentown City, New Jersey, is charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and showing obscenity to a minor.
Investigators say Berman sexually assaulted three teen boys between the ages of 12 and 15 inside his home.

He also allegedly gave marijuana to one teen, showed pornography to another and allowed five teens unrestricted access in his home to a handgun, ammunition and magazines. One of the teen boys also claimed that another boy pointed Berman’s loaded firearm at him.

The victims and their families knew Berman at the time of the incidents, according to investigators. Berman was arrested at his home on the 100 block of Lucas Drive. Neighbors told NBC10 they had spotted teen boys walking in and out of the house.

“A lot of young kids around here and some of them live in the neighborhood and I’m almost sure that he had activity with,” Najee Burroughs, Berman’s neighbor, said.

It was Berman’s second arrest in two months. In September, he was arrested for allegedly pretending to be a teen girl online and trying to convince a teen boy to send him nude photos and videos of himself through an online video streaming app. He also allegedly had sexually explicit conversations with the teen boy and possessed child pornography.

At the time of his initial arrest, Berman worked as a campus security officer at Rider University in Lawrence, New Jersey.

“The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office has made the university aware of the additional charges against Mr. Berman,” a spokesperson for Rider University wrote. “He remains on administrative leave from Rider University.”

Berman also served as a captain in Bordentown City’s volunteer fire department. One of the alleged victims said Berman told him nobody would believe him if he reported the abuse because of Berman’s status with the fire company.

The investigation into Berman began earlier this year when an Arkansas woman reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a man was trying to have inappropriate conversations with her son online.

Investigators then identified the man as Berman. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit was then notified.

If you have any information on Berman, please call the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-265-5035 and ask to speak with a detective in the High-Tech Crimes Unit.

Many people are making big money on the internet. We learn from three local people who are finding huge success applying their passions online.

Taking selfies with friends could be leading to an increase in lice cases among older students, a Jefferson University doctor says.

A college student accused of stabbing and killing a real estate developer during a confrontation near Rittenhouse Square over the summer is set to appear in a Philadelphia courtroom Tuesday.

At the preliminary hearing, Michael White is facing third-degree murder charges in the July 12 stabbing death of Sean Schellenger. The 21-year-old has has been on house arrest, with electronic monitoring, since two bail advocacy groups posted his bail after first-degree murder charges were downgraded in the weeks following White's arrest.

A third-degree murder charge carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years. Prosecutors plan to proceed with the voluntary manslaughter and possession of an instrument of crime charges against White.

Schellenger and two friends were driving in a Mercedes-Benz when a confrontation with White occurred near 17th and Chancellor streets in Philadelphia's tony Rittenhouse neighborhood late on July 12, police said. White pulled a knife from his backpack and stabbed Schellenger, investigators said.

Schellenger and two friends had been drinking at a nearby bar prior to the alleged deadly confrontation, according to witnesses.

White, a student at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, was making a food delivery on a bicycle at the time of the altercation, police said.

Greg Thompson, a spokesman for White's family, said he acted in self-defense and kept a knife in his backpack for protection because he delivered food late into the night. At a meeting with prosecutors, according to officials, White allegedly told investigators where to find the knife.

It remains unknown what exactly triggered the alleged incident.

The Wing Bowl, Philadelphia’s annual Super Bowl weekend celebration of excess, has come to an end.

Wing Bowl founders and 94 WIP morning hosts Angelo Cataldi and Al Morganti made the announcement on their show Tuesday morning.

“Wing Bowl, after 26 years, is being put to rest,” an emotional Cataldi said.

Station reps cited the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, which happened just days after the final Wing Bowl, as the reason for ending the annual chicken wing-eating competition.

Wing Bowl, held early in the morning on the Friday before the Super Bowl, was known as much for its outlandish entrances and scantily clad Wingettes as it was for chicken wing eating.

The first Wing Bowl was held in a hotel lobby. The event quickly grew to packing the Wells Fargo Center with thousands of (sometimes drunken) fans each winter and even becoming a ticketed event.

Over the years, celebrities from Snooki to Jon Bon Jovi took part in the festivities as the organizers looked to make each year bigger and better.

Molly Schuyler downed 501 wings to set the record at last year's final Wing Bowl.

Gun violence around Philadelphia left nine people shot, and four dead in just a matter of hours. The homicide rate in Philadelphia is up slightly from this time last year.

Voters will hit the polls in a week for this year's midterm elections, and several factors could influence their decisions. Pipe bombs mailed to President Trump's critics and a deadly mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue will be fresh on voters minds once they hit the booths Tuesday. The White House and President Trump, on the other hand, is sharpening their attacks against the media in the days leading up to the elections.

There's a nationwide movement encouraging people to use teal pumpkin decorations to indicate that they have safe, non-candy alternatives for trick-or-treaters with food allergies. Stickers, bubbles and toys are just a few examples of alternative treats.

The Camden School District is home to "School Base," a youth services program that aims to strengthen emotional wellness and academic success. It's helping students discover who they are and learn how to respect themselves and others.

More than two years after 17-year-old David Hess asphyxiated during a struggle with staffers at a Philadelphia residential care facility, no charges have been filed, police said.

His death was ruled a homicide by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office in February 2017.

But on Monday, law enforcement sources told NBC10 a suspect has not been arrested.

When NBC10 asked the city’s Department of Human Services (DHS) to confirm that no charges were filed, an official was stunned to learn the case had stagnated. A spokesperson from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office declined to comment.

The circumstances surrounding Hess’ final moments are well documented in a state report issued shortly after his death. He suffocated after a violent clash with Wordsworth Academy employees, who accused the teen of stealing an iPod, the report said.

A confrontation ensued when employees at the facility entered his room in search of the missing gadget. Hess’ legs were restrained while a staff member punched the teen in the ribs, according to the report.

Hess pleaded with them to stop. He couldn’t breathe, the report said. 

Hess died on Oct. 13, 2016, about 80 miles away from his family in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Change, Too Late for Some 

Stories like these have prompted a shift within Philadelphia’s child-serving agencies.

On Monday, the police department secured a $1 million grant to implement a new program aimed at keeping more children out of the criminal justice system by providing faster connections to diversion programs and referrals for at-risk juveniles to intervention services for housing, food, mental health counseling and other areas of need.

Meanwhile, city council, the district attorney, Mayor Jim Kenney, DHS and the police department are now working together on solutions to keep more of Philadelphia’s vulnerable youth closer to home.

This renewed contract to work together comes at a time when many members of Philadelphia's law enforcement community, including District Attorney Larry Krasner, are relative newcomers. It is an opportunity to start fresh, DHS commissioner Cynthia Figueroa said.

But for teens like Hess, the movement came too late.

His death, inside a residential facility for youth with behavioral health needs, sparked immediate action that has not necessarily extended to adolescents in similar facilities.

After Hess died, officials from both the state and local DHS launched their own investigations. Wordsworth was shut down and youth advocates were left to wonder what would come next for a system overburdened with children in need.

Oversight of these facilities ultimately rests with the state DHS. But with dozens of centers throughout the commonwealth and a tentacular system involving courts, social workers, advocates, lawyers and families, sometimes kids fall through the cracks.

Last month, two former employees of Glen Mills Schools were charged with choking a student.

In a separate incident at a Loysville, Pennsylvania, facility, a teen was beaten, arrested and then put into an adult jail. He remained there for nearly two months before a public defender was able to secure his release based on surveillance video.

The footage, later made public by the Defender’s Association of Philadelphia, showed employees hitting a teen while he sat in a chair.

Two youth sitting nearby stood up and found new seats as the attack continued.

“This is normal to them,” Philadelphia’s chief public defender Kier Bradford-Grey said after showing the video during a May city council hearing. “This is what happens in these placements.”

The teen was then taken to another room where employees pinned him against a wall before dragging him to the ground and repeatedly striking him. After, he was taken to a third room. The attack continued with several adult men jumping on top of the teen, the video showed.

'We Failed Them'

For teens like that one, what was meant to be a rehabilitative experience turned into trauma.

“In fact, it exacerbated his issues,” Bradford-Grey said. “Sometimes, we are sending kids to these facilities because they have dependent needs and they are coming out with criminal convictions.”

In 2017, the defender’s association represented 1,743 youth charged with criminal offenses and handled 3,827 cases involving child neglect or abuse in Philadelphia.

Those cases were initially reported through a hotline operated by the city’s Department of Human Services. Last year, the agency received 35,706 such reports. More than 17,700 were deemed serious enough to warrant an investigation by a social worker, DHS said.

As of June 30, nearly 6,000 youth were placed in DHS care and more than 900 had been sent to residential facilities throughout the state. These include minors who are delinquent, such as those who have committed crimes, and minors who are dependent on the state to care for them.

The defender’s association and Philadelphia DHS work in tandem to visit facilities throughout the state and ensure the well being of adolscents living there. Like many teens, the residents are hesitant to speak openly with adults about their experiences. But unlike many of their peers, these kids fear retaliation from abusive staffers.

“We failed them,” Philadelphia Councilwoman Helen Gym said. “They become extremely vulnerable so that when they don’t have family members advocating for them, they can be perceived as being … throwaway children.”

Lily Jimenez knows that feeling all too well. The 16-year-old first went into placement shortly after turning 13 years old. She spent time in two different facilities. In one, staff let students fight off campus where they couldn’t be seen, she said. Sometimes, residents were pepper-sprayed. Worms writhed in her food, Jimenez said.

On at least one occasion, Jimenez was body-slammed by an employee. She was strip-searched and her neck burned with a hair iron. When Jimenez had a seizure, it took 10 minutes before a staffer, not a nurse, came in to offer water.

Nearly three years later, Jimenez is now a youth advocate with Juveniles for Justice, which is operated out of Philadelphia’s Juvenile Law Center. She still has trouble at school and is taking remedial level classes, Jimenez said. She doesn’t trust adults.

“I didn’t think anyone would believe me,” she said. “I didn’t think anything would be done if I did speak up.”

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This is the first in a continuing series. Follow along as NBC10 continues to investigate solutions being undertaken to protect Philadelphia’s most vulnerable youth.

We are just one night away from Halloween. A night that kids of all ages look forward to all year long. But Trick or Treat is also one of the most dangerous traditions. Kids wearing dark costumes, and crossing the street in front of drivers who may not be paying attention. A local woman who survived a horrific accident is sharing her story and warning drivers to take it slow this Halloween.

Your appliance breaks down and it’s time to use that extended warranty. But it might not give you the help you expect. One viewer tells us instead of protection, she only got frustration.

A Vietnam War veteran who lost his medals and commendations during Superstorm Sandy received a new set six years later.

It’s often referred to as "Snapchat Dysmorphia." The selfie world we’re living in is driving people to the offices of plastic surgeons. It’s trending and on the rise, around the country and right here at home.

We are now just one week away from Election Day. Normally it’s hard to get voters to turn out for a midterm election. But this year the interest is high. And for some, just voting isn’t enough.

Bucks County Detectives have charged a New Jersey woman with embezzling more than $430,000 from her employer in Morrisville and issuing false checks to pay her rent, her utilities, and her son’s college tuition, among other personal expenses.

Yolanda M. Torres, 43, of Hamilton, was arraigned Tuesday morning on 10 felony counts. She is charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, theft, receiving stolen property and other related offenses.

Investigators said that almost immediately upon starting her job as a bookkeeper at Shu Dental Laboratory, Inc. in 2016, Torres began issuing unauthorized business checks to herself, her son and other groups she was associated with. These unauthorized transfers totaled $439,637.19.

Torres made another series of large transfers earlier this year and issued 188 unauthorized checks fraudulently stamped with the signature of the company’s owner, the Bucks County District Attorney’s office said. She was also accused of giving herself three unauthorized raises. She obtained an additional $6,114 through these wage increases, investigators said.

“Over a period of two years, Yolanda Torres abused her position of trust at Shu Dental Lab to turn a personal profit and conceal a pattern of theft. She used her employer like an open checkbook and ravaged the company’s finances,” First Assistant District Attorney Gregg D. Shore said.

He added that they intend to hold her accountable for her actions.

The investigation began this past July, after a client contacted Shu Dental Laboratory to report an unauthorized charge of over $1,000 on his business credit card. After being questioned about the transaction by both the company owner and his assistant, Torres resigned from the company July 13.

At Lehigh University this week, some students are preparing for Halloween. Some are studying for upcoming exams. And some are searching desperately for affordable housing, shocked by a recent announcement and terrified that they’ll be left high and dry this next academic year.

On Monday, Lehigh’s housing and services department sent out a campus-wide message informing students of its plan to tear down the Trembley Park apartment complex and build a new residence hall in its place.

The time between Trembley’s demolition and the completion of the new building, the university newspaper reported, means that juniors and seniors will be ousted from the apartments and won’t have any on-campus living options next fall.

The university presented SouthSide Commons, a nearby complex of privately-owned apartments that’s currently under construction, as a viable alternative. But there, the lowest-price lease available is more than $1,000 a month.

Lehigh student Rebekah Nicholas said she was up until 2 a.m. trying to find housing. But even the cheapest rent could cost her in the future.

“Worst case scenario, I drop out, I transfer or I take a year off until I can find some place that I can be," she said.

Other students, many of them low income or out-of-state, say their financial situation leaves them with limited options. Like Nicholas, they may be forced to take time off, transfer schools or simply drop out.

Savanna James, another Lehigh student, wants the school to rescind its decision. It’s almost November, and she has nowhere to live next year, she said.

Nearly a thousand students are affected by this announcement, James added.

“It’s displacing two entire class populations,” she said.

A spokesperson for Lehigh University told NBC10 they sent an email to rising juniors and seniors Monday.

"Unfortunately, the email communication was incomplete and caused some confusion among students," the spokesperson wrote. "We are aware of the students' concerns and acknowledge the need to provide further information about the housing options available to them, including at SouthSide Commons, which is a Lehigh University housing facility."

The spokesperson also said they would send a message with "more complete information on residential options" to students by the end of the week.

"This exciting and historic period of expansion and evolution is designed to move the university forward, building the institution’s strengths to propel Lehigh into an even brighter future," the spokesperson wrote. "Lehigh acknowledges that these efforts can present challenges to the campus community, which we have been actively seeking to minimize."

Lehigh University students are holding meetings Tuesday night and also planning a protest for Friday.