One township is making the commitment to add more full-time staff to its fire department improve response times and safety. Deanna Durante tells you why the decision was made, and how it could lead to changes in your area.

More than 20,000 breath tests conducted by police in DWI and other cases in New Jersey are not admissible because the machines used to administer the tests were not calibrated properly, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. 

That raised the prospect that people convicted on the basis of those tests could have their convictions overturned.

Last October, New Jersey prosecutors notified 20,667 people charged with drunken driving that their cases were being reviewed after a state police sergeant was accused of skipping a required step in the calibration of three alcohol breath-testing devices.

Officials accused the officer in 2016 of not using a thermometer to check that a control solution on the instrument was at body temperature. If the control solution doesn't work correctly, it calls into question the accuracy of the results of every test done on the machine.

"For those cases already decided, affected defendants may now seek appropriate relief," the court wrote in its unanimous opinion, also lifting a stay on pending cases that were on hold while the court considered its ruling. 

The original plaintiff in the lawsuit over the tests has since died, but the court took up the case anyway -- and vacated her conviction. 

The machines in question were used in Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and Union counties. 

Tamara Breeden spent 10 years captive in what came to be known as Philadelphia’s basement of horrors.

Her body still bears the scars.

Born developmentally disabled, Breeden was forced to urinate in a bucket and then empty it herself. She wore clothes found in trash cans and did not bathe regularly. She was pistol-whipped across the head more times than she could count.

The now-36-year-old was one of several people trapped inside the Tacony basement dungeon. Four victims were rescued in 2011, found by Philadelphia police huddled together under a stained blanket, a putrid stench wafting up from the basement of a seven-floor apartment building.

One man was chained to the furnace. They had been beaten, burned, tortured and robbed, their identities stolen by a small group of criminals living off their victims’ disability benefits.

In an exclusive interview, Breeden, told NBC10 how desperate she and the other victims became during their captivity.

WATCH LIVE: Tune to NBC10 at 11 p.m. tonight for the full story, or watch the livestream of NBC10 News at 11 here.

“I think I was going to die there,” Breedon said.

Seven years have passed since her unthinkable ordeal. And just last month, the last person charged, a caretaker named Eddie Wright, was finally sentenced to prison.

Two of the assistant U.S. attorneys who handled the case also talked to NBC10 recently about the more technical aspects to the cruel imprisonment: the extensive Social Security fraud.

"She lied every month to the Social Security Administration as to what she was using the money for," Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Barrett said in an interview.

All these years later, the story still holds a person in disbelief upon hearing the details.

Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey called it “absolutely the worst thing you will see in terms of what one individual can do to another.”

Linda Ann Weston, the ringleader and mastermind, was sentenced to life in prison plus 80 years. She and her partners - Wright, Nicklaus Woodward and Jean McIntosh - were charged with stealing the identities of mentally disabled people and using their Social Security benefits for their own gains.

In September 2018, Wright was sentenced to 27 years in prison. McIntosh and Woodward were sentenced up to 40 years in prison.

In all, five people were charged with 196 counts, after police rescued four people from the basement in October 2011.

Federal prosecutors said they had never seen anything like it. Assistant U.S. attorneys Richard Barrett and Faithe Taylor argued that the heinous deeds constituted hate crimes because Weston and her partners targeted people with disabilities who could not otherwise care for themselves.

The scheme was simple. Weston talked the victims into naming her their legal representative payee. She would claim Social Security benefits intended to fund their daily care, but instead used it for herself or her family, prosecutors said. In total, Weston and her co-conspirators stole upwards of $225,000 taxpayer dollars, according to prosecutors.

Weston did so by pretending to be her victims’ friend.

“If you were a man, she would be your girlfriend,” Taylor said. “If you needed a mother, she would be your mother.”

Within a few weeks of taking in her victims, Weston would soon earn between $400 and $800 per person from the federal government. The money was meant to help provide for the victims. Instead, Weston used the money her own family prosecutors said.

But Weston, speaking to NBC10 by phone from a prison in West Virginia, maintained her innocence.

“I was lied on,” she said.

Over the course of a decade, Weston moved her victims from a trailer in Texas, to an attic in Virginia before eventually landing in Northeast Philadelphia. Prosecutors counted at least a dozen victims throughout that time, including some who died in captivity. Others, like Breedon gave birth in captivity, as well.

“Some of the victims recount children they had that there is no record of,” Taylor said. “They recount other victims we could not trace.”

Breeden first met Weston near 9th and Lehigh streets. Weston asked Breeden if she would be willing to babysit. Breeden would not be paid in cash but instead with a roof over her head. Breeden agreed, she told NBC10.

“She was nice before, but then she turned on me,” Breeden said. “She kept on whooping me with bats and sticks.”

Breeden never received medical attention, she said.

“I kept on praying to Jesus … hoping to get back home,” Breeden said.

The Social Security Administration declined an interview with NBC10 but issued the following statement:

“Social Security’s comprehensive policies and procedures to determine the suitability of a representative payee serve to protect the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits of nearly 8.1 million beneficiaries who are served by almost 5.8 million representatives payees. We have made significant improvements in our Representative Payee Program.”

These improvements include implementing a nationwide policy that protects vulnerable beneficiaries from potential misuse of benefits by excluding individuals who have committed certain serious crimes from serving as representative payees. Also, new legislation enacted in 2018 strengthened oversight and beneficiary protections, proved payee selection and quality, Codified the existing ban on individuals with specific felony convictions from serving as a representative payee and required the SSA to recheck all payees for felony convictions at least once every five years.

Philadelphia’s police union filed a lawsuit against the city's district attorney's office, mayor and police commissioner Tuesday over a list that aims to keep certain officers off the witness stand because of alleged wrongdoing.

Mayor Jim Kenney, District Attorney Larry Krasner and Police Commissioner Richard Ross were all named in the suit filed by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, which represents about 6,500 officers.

A list of 66 officers was obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News back in March. The list was in two groups: 29 officers whose serious misconduct rendered them problematic as witnesses and 37 others whose offenses were less serious. Those 37 could still testify, but their legal issues had to be shared with defense attorneys.

The list was drawn up by prosecutors in 2017 at the order of former District Attorney Seth Williams, who ended up resigning in June 2017 after pleading guilty to corruption. Williams created a special police misconduct committee before resigning to identify officers whose testimony might be problematic in criminal cases.

The lawsuit contends that Krasner is combing through thousands of officers’ personnel files with the intent to add more names to the list. It accuses Kenney, Krasner and Ross of failing to create due process protections for officers and harming the reputations of officers on the list. It asks the court to find that the officials violated officers’ rights and wants it to prevent the mayor and police commissioner from helping Krasner unless due process protections are implemented.

Ben Waxman, a spokesman for Krasner, said the office hasn’t seen the lawsuit and could not comment. A message seeking comment from Kenney wasn’t returned Tuesday. A spokesman said Ross would not be commenting.

John McNesby, president of the Philadelphia police union, said the Fraternal Order of Police has tried and failed to get information from the district attorney’s office about how the list works, how officers get on it and how they can, or if they can, get off it.

He said there should be some protocol in place for such a list.

“We want to find out what’s going on, Krasner is affecting multiple lives, just by the stroke of a pen,” he said. “I’m hoping they will throw this list out and put up some guidelines that everybody can adhere to.”

It’s marathon weekend in Philly and that means the city is expecting thousands of new runners -- and a lot of road closures.

What is now the AACR Philadelphia Marathon started small in 1994 with 1,500 participants. Now, as one of the top 10 marathons in the nation, it expects to have nearly 20 times that number in its 25th annual event.

Marathon weekend, which runs Nov. 16 to 18, features:

• A free two-day Health & Fitness Expo Friday from 11 a.m to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
• The Dietz & Watson Half Marathon at 7:30 a.m. Saturday
• The Rothman Orthopaedics 8K at 10:45 a.m. Saturday
• The Dunkin’ Munchkin races: family activities start at 11 a.m. and the age group dashes and Fun Runs start at 12 p.m. Saturday
• The full AACR Marathon at 7 a.m. on Sunday

The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team is tracking the city forecast for runners and spectators. For the 26.2-mile race Sunday, they are predicting sunshine and chilly weather, with low chances of precipitation. Temperatures will hover around the 40s during the day.

Traffic delays are expected and drivers are advised to find alternate routes, avoid areas near the racecourse and allow for extra driving time. When possible, police will allow cross traffic through intersections along the course, police said.

Road closures

On Friday, there will be lane closures on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. On the outer lanes of the road, the lanes closest to the middle of the Parkway will be closed from 9:30 a.m. until 2:45 p.m.

They will reopen for the afternoon rush hour. Inbound, inner lanes from Binswanger Triangle to 22nd Street will remain closed.

On Saturday, Philadelphia no-parking regulations will be strictly enforced and all vehicles on the race route will be relocated beginning at 2 a.m. Street closures will be in effect for the Dietz & Watson Half Marathon, the Rothman 8K and the Dunkin’ Munchkin Run from 2 a.m. until 3 p.m.

All affected streets are scheduled to be reopened Saturday by 2 p.m. You can check the complete list of closures here.

On Sunday, Philadelphia no-parking regulations will be strictly enforced and all vehicles on the race route will be relocated beginning at 2 a.m. In addition, the Parkway from 20th to 25th streets will be closed from 2 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other streets along the race course will reopen as runners pass by and the streets are cleaned.

All road closures are expected to be reopened by 6 p.m. on Sunday. Click here for a list of Sunday closures.

Signage for street closures and parking will be posted in advance along the race course, which includes neighborhoods such as Center City, Old City, South Philly, Rittenhouse Square, University City, Powelton Village, Mantua and Fairmount Park for both big races and also East Falls and Manayunk for the full marathon.

Museums are open

If your weekend plans involve visiting a cultural institution along or near the Franklin Parkway, you may want to consider using public transportation. These institutions generally maintain normal weekend hours and include the Barnes Foundation, the Franklin Institute, the Free Library of Philadelphia/Parkway Central Library, the Philadelphia Museum of Art & the Perelman Building Annex, and the Eastern State Penitentiary.

For more information on exhibit hours, admission and parking accommodations, consult each institution’s website or go to the Parkway Museums website. 

Saturday road closures:

• 18th Street, from Arch to Callowhill streets
• 19th Street, from Arch to Callowhill streets
• 20th Street, from Arch to Callowhill streets
• 21st Street, from Spring Garden to Arch streets
• 22nd Street, from Spring Garden to Arch streets
• Benjamin Franklin Parkway, from 16th to 22nd streets
• Arch Street, from 6th to 16th Street
• 6th Street, from Market to Chestnut streets
• 5th Street from Chestnut to Race
• South Penn Square
• Juniper from Chestnut to Market
• John F. Kennedy Blvd., from Juniper to 17th streets
• 15th Street, from Race to Chestnut streets
• 16th Street, from Chestnut to Race streets
• Race Street, from 6th Street to Columbus Boulevard
• Columbus Boulevard (southbound lanes), from Vine Street to Washington Avenue
• Southbound off-ramp, from I-95 at Washington Avenue
• Washington Avenue, from Columbus Boulevard to Front Street
• Front Street, from Washington Avenue to South Street
• South Street, from Front to 7th streets
• 6th Street, from Bainbridge to Locust streets
• Lombard from 5th to Broad streets
• 13th Street from Bainbridge to Chestnut Street
• Walnut Street from 6th to 34th streets
• 34th Street, Walnut to Girard Ave.
• Girard Ave., 40th to 33rd St.
• 33rd St. from Girard to C.B. Moore
• Reservoir Drive from 33rd to Diamond Street
• Mt. Pleasant Drive
• Fountain Green Drive
• Kelly Drive

• 18th Street, from Arch to Callowhill streets
• 19th Street, from Arch to Callowhill streets
• 20th Street, from Arch to Callowhill streets
• 21st Street, from Spring Garden to Arch streets
• 22nd Street, from Spring Garden to Arch streets
• Benjamin Franklin Parkway, from 22nd to 16th streets
• Arch Street, between 16th to 3rd streets
• 4th Street, between Arch to Vine streets
• Race Street, from 6th Street to Columbus Boulevard
• Columbus Boulevard (Southbound lanes), from Vine Street to Washington Avenue
• Southbound off-ramp, from I-95 at Washington Avenue
• Washington Avenue, from Columbus Boulevard to Front Street
• Front Street, from Washington Avenue to South Street
• South Street, from Front to 7th streets
• 6th Street, from Bainbridge to Market streets
• Chestnut Street, from 6th to 34th streets
• 34th Street, Chestnut Street to Girard Avenue
• Lansdowne Drive, from Girard Avenue to South Concourse Drive
• South Concourse Drive, from Lansdowne to West Memorial Hall Drives
• West Memorial Hall Drive, from South Concourse to Avenue of the Republic
• Avenue of the Republic, from West Memorial Hall Drive to Catholic Fountain
• Belmont Avenue, Montgomery to Parkside Avenue
• Black Road
• Martin Luther King Drive
• Kelly Drive
• The Falls Bridge
• Ridge Avenue, from Schoolhouse Lane to Manayunk Avenue
• Main Street, from Ridge Avenue to Green Lane

The missing New Jersey teen who was spotted at New York's Penn Station and possibly in Ohio in the last two weeks has been found safe, authorities say.

Thomas Kolding, 15, of Mountain Lakes, was located safe Tuesday after he left his home on Oct. 30, according to Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

Police in Miami Township in Ohio said over the weekend it received several reports from people who believe they may have spotted the teen in the area, the department said on Facebook. 

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office wouldn't confirm Tuesday whether Kolding was picked up in Ohio, but it thanked the Miami, Ohio police department for their help in the investigation, along with the Camden, Philadelphia and Delaware police departments, as well as New Jersey Transit Police, Amtrak Police and New Jersey State Police. 

Prosecutors also acknowledged the transportation agencies that assisted in the coordination of a multi-state search for Kolding. 

Kolding, an honors student, left home with around $1,000 after "an argument with his father about his grades," according to NorthJersey.com. He left behind his cellphone and other electronics, as well as notes for his family and a friend, but his parents haven't shared the contents of the notes. 

Prosecutors say he traveled to Newark before heading to Penn Station. He was last spotted at the Walter Rand Train Station in Camden, New Jersey on Nov. 3. 

Kolding's father, Nicolai Kolding, posted a video to Facebook last Friday showing himself retracing the steps his son took on Nov. 3.

"Thomas: please forgive me if this video embarrasses. It does me. Just please come home," Nicolai Kolding wrote. 

Eighth grader Anna Welsh started her own business before she started high school. The Lower Merion student's organization "Little Bags, Big Impact" both helps the environment by recycling fabric and promotes literacy by providing books to North Philly communities.

Many of you may have heard of the popular women's apparel brand LuLaRoe, which says part of its goal is to empower female entrepreneurs. NBC10 Responds got a call from a local consultant for the brand who needed our help with a refund for inventory she purchased -- and says that to her, the brand felt anything but empowering.

Police are searching for a man who attacked a woman jogging on a running trail in Haddon Lake Park in Mount Ephraim, New Jersey.

Two former administrators are accused of stealing around $130,000 from the Bucks County ambulance company they worked for. The thefts led to the company shutting down.

A police officer shot a man who was armed with a gun in Northeast Philadelphia Tuesday night, according to investigators.

The incident took place around 7:15 p.m. along the 8700 block of Crispin Street. Police say a 66-year-old man was armed with a loaded gun and was arguing with family members while drunk.

When police arrived, the man allegedly screamed at them and pointed his gun at two of the responding officers. He refused to drop the weapon after repeated commands, police said. An officer then fired one shot, striking the man in the thigh.

"I was cooking dinner and heard a shot and went out the side door," a neighbor said.

The officers then wrestled the gun out of the man's hand, police said.

"The fact that one officer fired just one shot, that is a lot of restraint," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

The man was taken to the hospital. Officials have not yet revealed his condition but say he is expected to survive. No officers were injured during the incident.

"I have a daughter who's a police officer," Joanne Casey, another neighbor, told NBC10. "It's very scary. It just doesn't happen here. This is a nice neighborhood."

A woman and man were shot multiple times while on their porch in West Philadelphia. The incident happened around 4 a.m. Wednesday along Horton Street. They were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The New Jersey homeowners who started receiving threatening letters from someone identified as "The Watcher" after they bought a home in Westfield have spoken out and shared the letters in a new interview.

Derek and Maria Broaddus had just purchased the home for nearly $1.4 million in 2014 when they started receiving letters from someone who claimed to be its rightful owner and said he or she was watching the house.

In an interview with New York Magazine published this week, the Broadduses spoke out about the terrifying ordeal.

The family ultimately decided they couldn’t live in the house after receiving the letters, which contained threats toward their children.

“657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming,” the first letter read, according to New York Magazine.

“My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out,” the letter went on to say.

Subsequent letters made disturbing mentions of the Broaddus’ children.

“It has been years and years since the young blood ruled the hallways of the house. Have you found all of the secrets it holds yet? Will the young blood play in the basement? Or are they too afraid to go down there alone. I would [be] very afraid if I were them. It is far away from the rest of the house. If you were upstairs you would never hear them scream,” one letter read, according to the outlet.

The family decided to move in with Maria Broaddus’ parents as they dealt with the issues at their new home before deciding to sell it, but weren’t able to find a buyer.

“I was a depressed wreck,” Derek Broaddus told the outlet.

Later, they filed a lawsuit against the former owners of the home claiming they failed to disclose a note they’d received from “The Watcher” before they sold the home, but a judge ultimately threw out the suit. The Broadduses were eventually able to find renters who didn’t mind living at the property.

The Broadduses also shared a recent letter from The Watcher with the outlet.

“You are despised by the house,” the letter reads, according to the outlet. “And The Watcher won.”

Some Westfield residents and people who followed the news story believed the Broadduses could have sent the letters to themselves, among other conspiracy theories, according to the outlet.

“What happened to my family is an affront to their contention that they’re safe, that there’s no such thing as mental illness in their community,” Derek Broaddus told the outlet. “People don’t want to believe this could happen in Westfield.”

Home DNA tests have become hugely popular for people looking to find family or trace their ancestry. Those companies are expanding into the medical market, collaborating with pharmaceutical companies and even offering cancer screening.

A New Jersey man was arrested on a DUI charge after telling police he “drank too much because the Jets suck,” authorities say.

Christopher J. Greyshock, 57, of West Milford, is facing assault by auto, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence, reckless driving and open container of alcohol in the motor vehicle charges stemming from the Sunday afternoon incident.

Wayne police say they were called to a vehicular accident with injuries at Alps Road and Route 23 around 5:15 p.m. When they arrived, Wayne First Squad was assessing an injured female and another person lying on the grass.

Police say that Greyshock approached them “staggering and swaying, unable to walk straight in danger of falling onto the highway.”

Greyshock allegedly told officers he rear ended the car that was stopped in traffic in front of him.

Police say they noticed a “heavy odor” of alcohol on his breath and “stains of liquid” on his clothes and subsequently performed a field sobriety test on Greyshock, which he allegedly failed.

During the test, Greyshock allegedly told police, “I drank too much because the Jets suck!”

Police arrested Greyshock for allegedly driving while intoxicated and causing injury in a motor vehicle accident while intoxicated.

Police say an ensuing vehicle search revealed a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey on the front passenger seat in plain view, which was 3/4 full.

Authorities also allege that a marijuana “roach,” a clear zip lock bag with suspected marijuana and two packages of EZ wider rolling papers were also found.

Test results indicated a blood alcohol content of .13 percent, according to police. BAC limit in New Jersey is set at 0.08 percent.

Attorney information for Greyshock was not immediately known.

PennDOT, DelDOT and N\JDOT are all preparing for the first snowfall of the season and if they are doing that so should you. Hardware stores are stocked with all of your snowfall needs. A reminder to take it slow and give yourself extra time Thursday.

Police arrested a suspected drunken driver who they say he tried to drive home after a hit-and-run crash along a busy Bucks County road Tuesday night that left a 79-year-old great grandmother out on a casino trip dead.

Arturo Guzman-Jimenez is charged with homicide by vehicle, DUI, driving without a license and related counts in the deadly wreck that closed Easton Road (Route 611) between Kelly and Bristol roads in Warrington Township for more than five hours.

Sigrid Davis, who lived near the crash scene and had just been dropped off from a casino trip, died in the wreck. She was a great grandmother, family members said.

Police recovered pieces of the striking vehicle, a 2018 Kia Sportage, and quickly zeroed in on Guzman-Jimenez, arriving to his home one hour later, police said.

Investigators later found Guzman-Jimenez at his home after finding his badly smashed up Kia SUV near his home in nearby Plumstead Township, police said. Guzman-Jimenez smelled of alcohol and failed a field sobriety check. He doesn't have a valid driver's license, police said.

A judge arraigned the 31-year-old suspect on homicide by vehicle charges and set bail at $700,000. It was unclear if Guzman-Jimenez had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, Pillow Pets and Nerf guns may seem like good holiday gifts for children, but one group is warning otherwise.

World Against Toys Causing Harm, also known as WATCH, released its 2018 top 10 list of "worst" holiday toys and featured all of the above. The nonprofit organization says the toys included in its list pose choking hazards, risk blunt injuries and have the potential to cause facial injuries.

For more than four decades, WATCH has released these lists to warn parents of the potential dangers that come with their children’s selection of toys on their holiday wish lists.

This year’s list includes:

• Nickelodeon Nella Princess Knight Pillow Pets Sleeptime Lites for its "potential for ingestion and battery-related injuries"
• Nerf Vortex VTX Praxis Blaster for its "potential for eye injuries"
• Marvel Black Panther Slash Claw for its "potential for eye and facial injuries"
• Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel Superstar Blade for its "potential for blunt force and eye injuries"
• Cabbage Patch Kids Dance Time Doll for its "potential for choking injuries"
• Zoo Jamz Xylophone for its "potential for ingestion and choking injuries"
• Nici Wonderland Doll: Miniclara the Ballerina for its "potential for choking injuries"
• Stomp Rocket Ultra Rocket for its "potential for eye, face and other impact injuries"
• Cutting Fruit for its "potential for puncture and blunt force injuries"
• Chien Á Promener Pull Along Dog for its "potential for entanglement and strangulation injuries"

WATCH presented its list on Tuesday at Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Boston.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports an estimated 240,000 toy-related injuries happened in the U.S. in 2016. Between January 2017 and October 2018, an estimated 3.5 million units of toys were recalled in the U.S. and in Canada, according to WATCH.

The Toy Association disagrees with the non-profit's claims.

"Each year, WATCH's dangerous toys list needlessly frightens parents and caregivers," the Toy Association said in a statement. "By law, all toys sold in the United States must meet 100+ rigorous safety tests and standards."

Wicked Cool Toys, which manufactures the Cabbage Patch doll that was named in WATCH's list, said safety is their priority.

"We take safety very seriously, and all of the products we bring to market have been through and passed all required safety testing," their statement said. 

The manufacturer reminds consumers that all toys sold in the U.S. are required to exceed safety testing before hitting store shelves.

Hasbro, which manufactures the Nerf Vortex and the Black Panther claw, also said their top priority is safety.

"Our products comply with all applicable global safety laws, regulations and standards, including those enforced by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission," Hasbro said in a statement. 

PlayMonster manufactures the Cutting Fruit set and also said they take consumer safety seriously and that it is their priority.

As for the Miniclara the Ballerina doll, a NICI representative said the toy is safe for children.

"This plush kitten is fixed to a plush bag with a 5mm polyester woven tape," a NICI representative said in a statement. "Because the product passed the physical tests necessary to receive the allowance to be sold to consumers we are confident that the product is safe."

Vtech says WATCH's list unnecessarily inflicts concern onto guardians.

"This dangerous toys list, released annually before the holiday shopping season, is biased, inaccurate and greatly misinforms the public, needlessly frightening parents and caregivers," a Vtech spokesperson said in a statement.

"Toymakers and The Toy Association are committed to toy safety year-round," the Toy Association said. "These efforts include providing useful tips for families and caregivers to help them choose age-appropriate toys and ensure safe play."

Toy manufacturers CJ Products, D & L Company and Janod; Juratoys did not immediately comment on the list.

Toys that were featured in 2017’s list included a Wonder Woman sword, fidget spinners, a Spider-Man drone and more.

The Blue Cross RiverRink is back for its 25th season, and this year organizers have a special surprise up their sleeve for the event's winter edition.

Set to hit Penn's Landing starting Nov. 23, the 2018 WinterFest will once again bring all the trappings of a true winter wonderland to the waterfront, including an ice rink, a holiday lodge and plenty of delicious food.

"It's a beautiful addition to the Philadelphia winter season," said Delaware River Waterfront Corp. spokeswoman Emma Fried-Cassorla.

Though organizers were coy about what the big announcement will be, Fried-Cassorla said people should expect something "very exciting."

Opening week activities will be capped off by the Holiday Tree Lighting on Friday, Nov. 30, set to take place between 6 and 9 p.m. Fireworks will add an additional magical touch to the tree lighting finale.

Other activities that day include performances by skaters, dancers and singers including Jackie Verna, of "The Voice" fame, "America's Got Talent" winner Bianca Ryan.

WinterFest will be open starting Nov. 23 of this year and will conclude March 3, 2018.

A jealous handyman used his fists and steel-tipped work boots to beat his girlfriend to death inside their Chester County home earlier this month, authorities said.

Mark Turner is accused of attacking Rachel Yeager after returning to his East Pikeland Township home after a night out at some bars after work on Nov. 1, a criminal complaint said. He had gone up to sleep in bed but went downstairs to confront Yeager, who was wearing a robe and long shirt, because he suspected she was cheating on him.

After waiving his Miranda Rights, Turner told police he repeatedly punched Yeager in the head and used his steel toe boots to repeatedly kick her in the crotch, police said.

“It is not easy to kill somebody with just your fists and feet,” Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said while announcing murder charges against Turner Wednesday. “But the defendant was determined to kill the victim. This is the ugly face of domestic violence.”

Police arrived after receiving a 9-1-1 call about the domestic incident. Turner who led the responding officer to an unresponsive Yeager on the sofa, police said. She died at the hospital the next day.

The coroner ruled Yeager’s death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to her head.

"The defendant does not appear to understand that his girlfriend was not his property," Hogan said. "She was a human being, free to make her own choices, but the defendant destroyed her."

Turner remained jailed without bail on first- and third-degree murder charges Wednesday. It was unclear if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.