Police are searching for a gunman who ambushed and shot a man shortly after he left a bar in Upper Darby.

The victim had just left the Sabor Latino restaurant early Monday morning and was helping his girlfriend get inside their car on the 7000 block of Terminal Square. As the man started searching for a cigarette inside the vehicle, a gunman suddenly approached him and opened fire.

“He shot almost at point blank range,” Upper Darby Police Chief Michael Chitwood said. “The bullet goes into his left arm, out his left arm, into his back.”

Surveillance video captured both the incident and the suspect.

The victim was taken to the hospital where he is in guarded condition. Police say the gunman and victim have no apparent connection. They continue to investigate.

“There’s too many bad guys with too many guns,” Chitwood said.
If you have any information on the shooting, please call Upper Darby Police.

[[500963471, C]]

We're days away from Black Friday and many people are looking for deals. But if you're using apps, police have a warning for you.

Dorlisa Goodrich Young of the Delaware Valley School of Etiquette has some easy tips for how children (and parents) should behave at the Thanksgiving dinner table. She emphasizes the focus on face-to-face interaction between everyone at the table, no matter how old they are, to keep them engaged and interested.

Firefighters arrived at a mansion fire in Colts Neck, Monmouth County, on Tuesday afternoon to find two adults and two children dead. Investigators are treating the case as arson because one of the people was found shot outside.

Pay close attention while prepping your turkey and exercise extreme care when setting up your holiday decorations. Statistically, you'll be playing with fire.

There are more in-home fires during the holiday season than at any other time of the year, according to data from the National Fire Protection Association. Thanksgiving is the single worst day for fires, NBC News reported.

An estimated 2,090 home fires were reported to fire departments around the United States on Thanksgiving 2016, according to the association. That’s more than twice the daily average for the rest of the year. Of the Thanksgiving fires, three-quarters were cooking-related. On average, Thanksgiving fires killed five people, injured 25 and caused $19 million in property loss from 2014 to 2016, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. 

Distractions are the main cause of cooking fires, according to the NFPA, adding that hosts are inclined to talk to guests instead of managing the kitchen at all times. To stay safe during the holidays, experts suggest keeping combustible items like aprons and towels away from flames, installing or checking smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and paying attention while cooking.

From support for Saudi Arabia to Ivanka Trump's emails to the Mueller investigation, President Donald Trump and his administration are dealing with controversy ahead of the holiday.

Dickinson street collapsed at 12th Street in South Philadelphia just around midnight. The Philadelphia Water Department is working to fix the water main break and collapsed street.

Police are looking for a gunman who fired nearly 30 shots outside a Chinese restaurant in North Philadelphia, killing a woman as she sat in a parked car.

The 58-year-old victim was sitting in the passenger seat of an SUV parked outside the 2900 N 5th St. restaurant Tuesday night when the gunfire erupted, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. That's when another car pulled up alongside and a shooter unloaded from the passenger side, firing at least 27 bullets and striking the woman twice in the chest.

Police believe one or two shooters were involved.

The suspects may have been targeting the driver of the SUV but could not see who was inside, since the vehicle had tinted windows, Small said.

After the shooting, a man ran outside, got into the SUV and drove the woman to St. Christopher's Hospital, where she died.

During the hailstorm of gunfire, seven bullets went into the restaurant, four piercing the door and three going through a window, Small said. Though several people - including two employees - were inside, no one else was struck.

Police reviewed surveillance video and say the suspects drove away in a dark-colored sedan.

AAA is expecting this year to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel season in more than a decade. In an effort to keep lines moving at Philadelphia International Airport, TSA has lines that do not require travelers to remove their jackets, shoes or items from their bags.

Slippery rail season has arrived on SEPTA lines. Falling leaves can be dangerous for people traveling. SEPTA has taken the precautions needed to keep you safe this season putting together a special team to clean the rails six nights a week. They use a special gel and high-tech trains to make the ride safe and smooth for commuters.

The United States’ first Thanksgiving parade marches on again this year despite bitter cold.

The annual Thanksgiving Day Parade runs through Center City from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday.

We got you covered with the parade route, road closures and bitter cold NBC10 First Alert Weather forecast.

Parade Route

The parade starts at 20th Street and JFK Boulevard. The route heads east on JFK to 16th Street where it turns north toward the Ben Franklin Parkway. The parade heads west on the inner lanes of the Parkway, around Eakins Oval and toward Kelly Drive before wrapping up in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Road Closures (care of the City)

Wednesday:

• 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Eakins Oval between Kelly Drive and MLK Drive closed for street rehearsals.

• 6:30 p.m.: Eakins Oval closed for street rehearsals.

• 7 p.m.: Inbound lanes of JFK Blvd. from 20th Street to Schuylkill Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic until conclusion of parade.

• 9 p.m.: Outbound lanes of JFK Blvd. from 20th Street to Schuylkill Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic until conclusion of parade.

Thursday:

• 2 a.m.: 20th Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from JFK Blvd. to Market Street until conclusion of parade.

• 4 a.m.: Market Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from 19th Street to 21st Street until 11 a.m.

• 5 a.m.: 20th Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from Arch Street to Cherry Street until conclusion of parade.

• 6 a.m.: 20th Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from Market Street to Benja.m.in Franklin Parkway until conclusion of parade.

• 8 a.m..: Parade route closed to vehicular traffic.

“Traffic delays can be expected during the event, the City said. “Motorists are advised to avoid the area by using alternate routes and allow for extra driving time in areas near the event. Please refrain from double-parking, which creates congestion, limits traffic flow and is illegal.”

All event-related road closures will be lifted no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday after street cleaning takes place.

Parking Restrictions

Temporary no parking signs will be posted Wednesday along the parade route.

“Please obey instructions on posted signs and follow directions from Philadelphia Police and parade officials,” the City said. “Vehicles parked in posted areas will be relocated.”

Parade Performers

The cast of Matilda” at Walnut Street Theatre, “American Idol” finalist Justin Guarini, Miss America Nia Franklin, “the Geator With the Heater” Jerry Blavat, Flyers mascot Gritty and rapper Doug E. Fresh are among the many stars taking part in the parade. Marching bands and dance teams from Lenape High School, A.I DuPont High School, the Dance Arts Conservatory and many more will be performing.

Frigid Forecast

Records could fall Thanksgiving as the high isn’t expected to break the 20s. Temps could feel like the single digits and teens during the actual parade so bundle up. And, check back throughout the day with the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team for the latest.

If you want to stay warm inside, you can tune into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC10 instead.

Three years after the NBC10 Investigators first reported that parishioners questioned what their church donations were used for, a Burlington County court found in a civil trial no wrongdoing by the church.

Sisters Dorothy Lutes and Nancy Randolph alleged that Light & Love Evangelistic Center took their joint donation of $48,000 with the promise to build a physical church facility. In the lawsuit, the sisters alleged "misdirection" and "12 years of delay" were used as church pastors earned "a profit of more than $120,000" on land secured using parishioners’ donations.

After a three-day trial, Judge Patricia Richmond dismissed the fraud allegation and the jury found against the plaintiffs on the other two causes of action. The jury ruled 7 to 0 that Lutes failed to prove Light & Love Evangelistic Center breached its contract. The jury found 6 to 1 that Lutes’ sister, Randolph, failed to prove she entered into a contract with the church.

Court records showed that Light & Love pastors, Evelin Dean and Frederick Dean, argued that the parishioners' own tax records showed the donations were "gifts."

“We are still standing,” Evelin Dean said. “The effects of this accusation has taken its toll. We have lost some members. But we are still doing what God has intended us to do.”

In a statement to the jury, the pastors' lawyer argued, “The money donated was used to complete the purchase of land with the hopes of building a new church. Numerous delays occurred and the new church was never constructed. It is believed several members got a refund of their donation.”

Other parishioners confirmed receiving a letter from the Deans saying, in part, that “Light & Love decided to abandon the project” and “Light & Love has offered to return to contributors their contributions.”

Court records showed Lutes and her sister did not get their contributions returned.

Court records also showed the pastors' attorney argued against allowing Lutes and Randolph from testifying at trial because “statute of fraud bars the plaintiff’s oral testimony at the time of trial.”

“I’ve had people call me who saw me on TV thanking me for doing the right thing,” Lutes said. “It did not seem fair the way things went down, but I’m not going to let it control or ruin my life.”

But “blind ignorance can’t shield the plaintiffs from the conduct,” the pastors' attorney, Daryl Winston, argued in court. “Over 10 years had passed and the plaintiff’s took no affirmative steps to challenge or question the land purchased of the lack of a new church building.”

The court agreed that time had expired on any expectation for the church to notify the sisters of the status of their donation.

“Our plans are to continue to do what we’ve always done - feed the poor, support the community, continue to evangelize,” Frederick Dean said.

Travelers packed Philadelphia International Airport Wednesday on their way to their Thanksgiving destinations. If you're heading to the airport, TSA recommends arriving two hours before your flight and having your boarding pass and ID ready when heading to security.

Amtrak reports that Thanksgiving travel is the busiest time of year on the American rails. Last year, they had move than 770,000 passengers on their rails and expect similar numbers this year.

The family of Tiyaniah Hopkins, one of the victims in the brutal, execution-style murder of two men and two women in a Southwest Philadelphia basement Monday, said Hopkins went to hang out with the other victims that night. Her uncle said Tiyaniah called him on the phone hours before she went over to the house where she and three others were murdered.

The family of Tiyaniah Hopkins, one of the victims in the brutal, execution-style murder of two men and two women in a Southwest Philadelphia basement Monday, said Hopkins went to hang out with the other victims that night.

Her uncle said Tiyaniah called him on the phone hours before she went over to the house where she and three others were murdered. 

"She called me to check in on me. She always called to check on me," Tiyaniah's uncle, Timothy Hopkins, told NBC10. "She said, 'I love you, Uncle Tim.' And that was it."

Three of the four killed have been identified: Hopkins, who was 20, Maurice Taylor, 31 and his half-brother Akeem Mattox, 28. The other woman has not yet been publicly identified by police.

Each person, found just after noon in a home along the 5100 block of Malcolm Street, just off Baltimore Avenue, was shot in the head, police have said.

Preliminary information made it appear the victims were "led down to the basement" then each shot in the head, police said.

Sources told NBC10 there was no forced entry into the home, no signs of a struggle, no weapons recovered and no witnesses.

"That's what's so absolutely evil about it that you would take people downstairs and absolutely execute them," a "heart-broken" Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Tuesday.

Taylor and Mattox were living in the home while it was being renovated, according to police. Family members described the two men as loving fathers.

A neighbor heard loud bangs late Sunday night and thought it to be construction work at the property, Ross said. Investigators believe those sounds could have been the fatal gunshots.

[[500931412, C]]

There's no word yet on a motive for the shooting or any identified suspects.

"We're hoping that we will get some tips to get us some direction because we absolutely have to bring this person or persons to justice," Ross said. "We can't have individuals like this walking the streets."

Tuesday night, loved ones released balloons in honor of Mattox. His mother, stepfather and siblings stood before the crowd, overwhelmed by their support.

"My nieces have lost their father," Mattox's sister said. "When is this going to stop?"

The victims' young daughters attended Tuesday's tribute.

"They're crying for all day long," the girls' grandmother, Harriet Rice, told NBC10. "They want their dad. They want to see their dad. They ask can they see him again."

The temperatures outside will feel like the single digits when those waking up early to begin working on the holiday feast stir from bed. It won't improve much outside for about 48 hours, until a rainy weekend warms up the region a bit.

Doctors and staff at emergency rooms of three Philadelphia-area hospitals claim they haven't been paid for the shifts they worked in October and the first half of November. The hospitals are Lower Bucks, Roxborough Memorial and Suburban Community. The hospitals say they have fulfilled their obligations by paying the staffing services that hire doctors for contract work at the hospitals. The two staffing services, Legacy Physicians Partnership and Prime Healthcare, could not be reached for comment after repeated calls and messages from NBC10.

In the middle of the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, garbage disposal on American military bases was historically a simple thing.

"Anything and everything burned in a burn pit — from mail to dead animals to anything," Ryan Conklin, a former soldier, says.

Asbestos and other chemicals? Yes, retired Army Lt. Col. Dan Brewer, says.

Medical waste? Yes again, according to a doctor now researching the effects of burn pit dust.

"It was always burning, always black smoke coming of there," another veteran, Michael Ray, says.

Several former soldiers and medical doctors spoke to NBC10 Investigators about their experiences with burn pits: large holes dug by crews who then filled the pits with trash and lit them on fire with jet fuel. For many soldiers deployed to the desert and living on bases adjacent to the debris disposal, the billowing black smoke was just part of their daily life.

Some now say exposure to these pits has adversely affected their long term health. And thousands of soldiers who served overseas have now submitted claims that blame burn pits for chronic illnesses.

A spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs said in a statement, "VA doctors treat all manner of Veterans health issues and the department continually looks at medical research and follows trends related to medical conditions affecting Veterans."

Army National Guard officer Cindy Aman is one of the former soldiers who remembers the smoke, the smell, the coughing.

She served in Iraq in the early 2000s. Once she returned home to Delaware, she began to notice new symptoms: shortness of breath, fatigue. More than two years later, she was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease called constrictive bronchiolitis.

She blames it on her near-constant exposure to burn pits, and told NBC10 that her fight for care has been "the longest journey ever."

Aman is among more than 9,600 vets who have submitted claims for illnesses they blame on burn pits, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Less than a quarter of them have, like Aman, have had their claims granted as of Aug. 30, 2018, the VA said.

In 2014, Congress mandated that the VA create a burn pit registry. So far, more than 157,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have reported symptoms on the voluntary registry. But the VA still says it isn’t ready to place all blame on the pits.

“There are still questions that we don’t have good answers for,” Dr. Drew Helmer, director of the Army-Related Illness and Injury Study Center for the VA in East Orange, New Jersey.

But Aman thinks the clock is ticking on veterans’ health.

“They’re saying it’s, you know, the new Agent Orange," she said, referring to an herbicide used during the Vietnam War to clear jungles that has since been linked to leukemia, lymphoma, and cancer in exposed veterans.

"Agent Orange took 35 years to have recognition," Aman said. "Here we don’t – I’m not waiting 35 years. God, we have veterans that are too sick to wait for 35 years. That’s not fair."

Melissa Bryant, who works with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, said her group is pushing a bill called the Burn Pit Accountability Act – legislation that would hold the Department of Defense accountable for the health of its service members before they leave the military.

“Never before has the DoD looked to be accountable for the toxic exposures that we face,” said Bryant. “We’re already 17 years into this. So something’s gotta give.”

The VA said in a statement from a spokesman that every claim is "will be adjudicated using the latest scientific and medical evidence available."

"VA has granted service connection for various ailments associated with burn pits, and does so on an individual, case-by-case basis after review of a Veteran’s case," department spokesman Rick Fox said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The Veterans Affairs Department's Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry is available online at https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/registry.asp

Two veterans' advocacy groups are also working to raise awareness and on behalf of vets: Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran of America and BurnPits360.

Officials in Jersey Shore towns are sending out alerts to vacation homeowners who may not have prepped their houses for freezing temperatures normally not worrisome until the winter months. But the bitter cold expected on Thanksgiving and Black Friday have many scrambling to winterize.