Police are investigating several shootings that all took place within a span of a few hours during a violent night in Philadelphia.
Police say one person was killed while eight people were hurt during six separate shootings on Tuesday.
The first shooting occurred around 4:15 p.m in the Nicetown section of the city. Police say the unidentified victim was on 29th Street and Hunting Park when a gunman opened fire. The victim was struck and taken to the hospital. Police have not yet revealed his or her condition.
The second shooting took place shortly after 5 p.m. in West Philadelphia. Police say a 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old man were on the 4900 block of Haverford Avenue when an unidentified gunman opened fire.
The 22-year-old man was struck in the left foot while the 21-year-old man was struck once in the left side of his chest and four times in the back.
Both victims were taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The 22-year-old is stable while the 21-year-old is in critical condition.
Police also say a man was shot and killed in the Feltonville section of the city on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old man was on the 400 block of West Courtland Street around 6:20 p.m. when an unidentified gunman opened fire.
The 19-year-old man was struck in the back. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 6:46 p.m.
A fourth shooting occurred during a family reunion inside the 4 Points by Sheraton Hotel on the 4100 block of Island Avenue shortly after 7 p.m.
According to investigators, the father of a 1-year-old boy who was at the reunion showed up to the party, got into an argument, took out a gun and opened fire, striking a 34-year-old man in the face.
The victim was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he is in critical but stable condition. Police say the father was arrested though they have not yet identified him.
A fifth shooting occurred on the 2400 block of North Hollywood Street in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city. Two people were struck in the chest during the shooting. They were both taken to Temple University Hospital where they are currently in critical condition.
Finally, a sixth shooting occurred on 51st and Race Streets in West Philadelphia. Two people were struck in the shooting and taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Officials have not yet revealed their conditions.
Police have not made any arrests in any of the incidents besides the hotel shooting. Police continue to investigate.
Stay with NBC10.com for more details on these developing stories.
Police have identified the three people who were killed during a fiery crash on I-78 in Greenwich Township, Berks County.
Robert Rosner, 52, of Allentown, Edward Dearden, 57, of York, and Theresa Dearden, 54, also of York, all died during the accident.
On Monday, around 1 p.m. police say 56-year-old Vincente Espinvera of Belleville, New Jersey was driving a tractor trailer eastbound in the left lane of I-78 at mile-marker 41.5.
As he was driving, investigators say Espinvera tried to pass a slow-moving box truck in the right lane but didn’t notice the vehicle in front of him. Police say his tractor trailer struck the vehicle which was driven by Rosner.
The impact caused Rosner’s car to crash into other vehicles, creating a chain reaction. As Rosner’s vehicle continue to crash into others, it suddenly burst into flames.
The fire spread to two other vehicles along the center median. Police say Edward Dearden was driving one of those vehicles while Theresa Dearden was his passenger. The two were unable to escape and died in the fire.
Investigators say the driver of the other vehicle that caught fire managed to escape with minor injuries before his vehicle was fully engulfed in flames.
Police say Espinvera tried to back his truck away from the fire, not realizing that half of Rosner’s vehicle was stuck underneath. According to investigators, Espinvera drug Rosner’s burning vehicle with him as he backed up approximately 70 feet. Police say this caused the fire to spread from Rosner’s vehicle to Espinvera’s truck.
Espinvera managed to escape the truck before it became fully engulfed.
Rosner died from the injuries he suffered during the accident. Police say two other people were involved in the crash though they were not seriously hurt.
The highway near the accident scene was shut down for several hours before it finally reopened Monday night.
Officials continue to investigate the incident.
A man is in custody after he allegedly threatened flight attendants, passengers and U.S. Air Marshals on a plane that was heading from Philadelphia to London, forcing the plane to turn around.
U.S. Airways Flight 728 left Philadelphia International Airport for London Heathrow at 10:26 p.m. Tuesday.
According to tracking site Flight Aware, the plane was near Cape Cod, Mass., when it made a sharp turn and returned to Philadelphia.
"Flight 728 from Philadelphia to London Heathrow returned to Philadelphia because of a disruptive passenger," US Airways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said.
Investigators identified that passenger as Robert Coppack, who officials say has dual citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom.
According to officials, two female passengers told flight attendants that Coppack had touched them inappropriately and that they felt uncomfortable sitting next to him. The women claimed that Coppack told them he was drinking vodka and that he appeared to be intoxicated.
After the flight attendants told Coppack not to touch anyone, he allegedly became aggressive, hurling vulgar language at the attendants as well as the passengers around him.
The flight attendants then repeatedly told Coppack to stand up and walk to the back of the aircraft, according to officials. As Coppack walked to the back, he allegedly touched another female passenger, who happened to be a retired flight attendant, on the arm and breast. The passenger claimed Coppack did this on purpose and that the touch was “sexual in nature.”
Officials say Federal Air Marshals who were on the flight then confronted Coppack and told him to behave properly. Coppack allegedly became verbally aggressive and threatened to assault the Marshals if they didn’t leave him alone.
The Marshals then placed Coppack in handcuffs, patted him down and restrained him in a seat in the back of the aircraft, according to an affidavit.
Airport police say the pilots then turned around the Airbus A330-300 jet. The plane landed back in Philly around 1 a.m. and Coppack was removed from the aircraft by several law enforcement officers, a moment captured by passenger Kevin Weissman on Twitter.
Coppack was moved to a detention area with the Federal Inspection Area for an interview. Law enforcement officials also interviewed the flight crew and several passengers about the alleged disturbance.
During his interview, Coppack was allegedly physically aggressive, belligerent and requested to speak to the Consulate of the United Kingdom.
As Coppack remained in custody, the all clear was given for the plane which took off again around 2 a.m. The plane landed in London just after 10 a.m. EST -- the normally 6 ½ hour flight wound up taking more than 11 ½ hours.
Officials say Coppack will be detained in Federal Court in Center City until his scheduled preliminary hearing on Monday. They also say he will be charged with intimidating and interfering with a flight crew.
Coppack's mother told NBC10 her son left California on Tuesday to live in London.
"Obviously my husband and I are shocked and disappointed that Robert would do this," she wrote in an email. "We feel terrible for the other passengers affected by his actions."
A mystery couple treated a group of 25 students with autism and their teachers to lunch last week while they were on a school trip to a restaurant in New Jersey, a gesture made even more significant on Teacher Appreciation Day.
The special needs students from Matthew Jago School in Sewaren were dining out at Jose Tejas restaurant in Woodbridge to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and to learn how to behave in a social environment, along with 21 teachers, paraprofessionals and speech therapists.
At the end of their meal, the restaurant manager informed the teachers that the check for the whole group was being taken care of.
"The manager came up to us and said, 'I just want to let you know that a fellow patron wants to pay your bill," said teacher Jeannette Gruskowski. "We were speechless. We were all crying."
The couple wanted to remain anonymous, but the manager told the teachers they were regulars at the restaurant and had a grandchild with special needs.
"They wanted to do something nice for the children, which was so touching," said principal Robert Patten.
The anonymous patrons also knew it was national Teacher Appreciation Day and wanted to give the 21 teachers, paraprofessionals and speech therapists a special gift.
"It was nice to realize that people do such nice things, especially for kids who deserve to have nice things done for them," said Patten.
Though the couple asked to remain anonymous, the students still wanted to show their appreciation.
When they got back to school, the students created a large card for the mystery couple and had it posted in the restaurant, hoping they will see it.
"There are no words to express how touched and grateful we are to you," the card read. "Your act of generosity will be embedded in our hearts."
The school says because the students didn't have to pay for the meal, they now have extra money for another trip or special party at the end of the year.
A former Liberian defense minister accused of lying about his past has been arrested on immigration charges, but his Philadelphia lawyer said he never took part in the atrocities that ravaged his country.
Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu, 68, has lived in the U.S. for about 40 years, while intermittently serving in the Liberian government under former President Charles Taylor. Taylor is now serving a 50-year sentence for war crimes.
Woewiyu is campaigning to return to his country's senate, and was returning from Liberia when he was arrested Monday at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. He was charged with lying on his 2009 application for U.S. citizenship when he said he had never engaged in political persecution or tried to overthrow a sitting government.
He briefly appeared in federal court in Philadelphia on Tuesday, but his arraignment and detention hearing were postponed until Friday to give him time to meet with defense lawyers. He did not enter a plea to the charges, which include perjury and immigration fraud.
Woewiyu served under Taylor in the 1990s, and helped start the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, which mounted a violent campaign to depose Taylor's predecessor, Samuel Doe, the indictment said. He has served at times as the party's defense minister, labor minister and president pro tempore of the senate, officials said.
“The NPFL, it's alleged at least, was involved in atrocities, and he was their defense minister,” U.S. Attorney Linwood C. Wright said Tuesday. “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Liberia has alleged that he is a war criminal.”
In the U.S., Woewiyu has settled in Collingdale, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, and invested in real estate, according to his immigration lawyer, Raymond Basso. He has a son serving in the U.S. military, Basso said.
The indictment links Woewiyu to his party's campaign to execute political opponents, force girls into sex slavery and conscript boys to become child soldiers.
"Tom had nothing to do with any of that," said Basso, who said he and his client met with immigration officials as part of the application process in 2011. "Politically, it's not very popular to be tied to Charles Taylor."
The investigation is being conducted by several agencies, including homeland security investigators from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and an ICE center focused on human rights violators and war crimes. ICE says it's arrested more than 290 people for human rights violations since fiscal year 2004.
The agency pursues people who have sought shelter in the United States after taking part in genocide, torture, the use of child soldiers and other war crimes.
Police had to put down a mother black bear that invaded a home in New Jersey over the weekend, but state wildlife officials and a bucket truck operator were able to rescue the animal’s three orphaned cubs, according to published reports.
Officers shot the female bear after it made its way into a home in a wooded neighborhood in West Milford Sunday and ransacked the place, reports The Bergen Record. Officers were forced to kill the animal because it was no longer fearful of people and was a potential threat, state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese said.
“When a bear enters a home, it’s a bad day for a bear,” Ragonese told the Record.
The bear ran from the house after being shot and didn't die immediately. Officials told the Record later found two cubs clinging onto their mother's body and a third that had climbed about 50 feet into a nearby oak tree.
Authorities called in a tree service owner to help get the third bear on Monday. After some maneuvering, the owner's son was able to pull the cub from the tree.
“The cub kept trying to scoot away, but he managed to net him,” the tree service owner told the Record. “He was only a little guy.”
All three cubs have been placed with with someone who rehabilitates bears.
The decision this week by the 9th District Court of Appeals didn't provide an opinion about whether the judge's order was appropriate. Instead the appeals court said it didn't have enough information to decide the merits of the case without a copy of the pre-sentence report detailing Asim Taylor's background.
In January 2013, Lorain County Probate Judge James Walther said Taylor couldn't have more children while he is on probation for five years. The judge said the order would be lifted if Taylor pays nearly $100,000 in overdue support for his four children.
The (Elyria) Chronicle-Telegram (http://bit.ly/1lxnYwS) reports that Taylor's attorney is arguing that the order violates his right to reproduce.
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Information from: The Chronicle-Telegram, http://www.chronicletelegram.com
Cabela's is recalling approximately 600 electronic jerky blasters because of a possible fire hazard.
The outdoor sporting goods company said Wednesday that the battery charger adapter can overcharge causing the electronic jerky blaster's battery and battery charger adapter to overheat.
The hand-held, battery powered appliance resembles a caulking gun, Cabela's says, and is used for making jerky sticks or strips.
There has been one report of the battery and the battery charger overheating. No injuries have been reported.
The product has a black handle, a gold-toned 15" tube that holds the meat and an interchangeable tip at the end. The tube is marked with "Cabela's Power Jerky" written on it. The device was sold as a set with interchangeable tips and cleaning brushes.
The recalled item number IK-540848 can be found underneath the barcode on the product's cardboard packaging and on the front of the instruction manual.
The device was sold exclusively at Cabela's locations nationwide from August 2013 through March 2014. It sold for about $150.
Consumers should stop using the product and contact Cabela's Inc. for a full refund. The company can be reached at (800) 237-4444. Consumers may also visit www.Cabelas.com and click on "Consumer Product Safety" at the bottom of the page for more information.
Philadelphia Police have charged the man they say shot another man in the face outside a family reunion in Southwest Philadelphia.
Jose Williams, 49, was charged on Wednesday with Attempted Murder, Simple Assault and related offenses for the alleged shooting inside the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel along the 4100 block of Island Avenue on Tuesday night, police said.
Williams, who is the estranged father of a 1-year-old child attending the party with his family, unexpectedly showed up and got into an argument with another person in attendance, police said.
The 34-year-old shooting vicitm then asked Williams to take a walk outside to calm down, but as they walked down the hallway, the man allegedly pulled out a pistol and fired at the victim's face, according to investigators.
The alleged shooter then fled the scene -- running across busy Interstate 95 -- before being spotted by a cab driver who alerted police. Williams was arrested a short time later.
The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, police said.
This shooting was one of six that took place over a few short hours Tuesday night -- resulting in nine shooting victims, one of whom died.
Eight schools in a New Jersey district are on lockdown after a prisoner has escaped in the area.
The Monroe Township Superintendent's Office says no one is being let in or out of its schools.
There was no immediate word on how the prisoner escaped.
Officials from a Chester County school district under fire after a 7-year-old brought heroin into his elementary school admitted that mistakes were made during their response to the incident.
The Coatesville Area School District Board of School Directors discussed the May 2 incident at Caln Elementary School in Thorndale, Pa. were the boy distributed the drug to at least one other child.
Critics are upset that school officials didn't call 911 or alert medical personnel once the drugs were found.
The boy's grandmother Pauline Bilinski-Munion was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of children and other related drug offenses.
Police say Munion’s grandson went to his first grade class with the drug after finding it on the floor inside Munion's home. After a teacher at the school overheard that one of the students had drugs, teachers spoke to the boy and found nine bags of heroin in his pants pocket, according to investigators.
Police say the heroin was stamped “Victoria Secret.” The boy told police he found the drugs in the school yard but later admitted that he brought the drugs from his home, according to officials.
Officials say the CASD solicitor, James Ellison, sent a letter home to parents warning that a “dangerous and illegal” substance was found in the grass at recess and that parents should check to see if their children had any of the substance. The notice also suggested that parents might want to take their children to the emergency room for an evaluation, according to investigators.
That response was criticized by the county's top prosecutor, District Attorney Tom Hogan.
“CASD and the CASD solicitor utterly failed to handle this incident correctly both from a student safety and law enforcement perspective,” Hogan said. “From a student safety perspective, heroin loose in a grade school is a major emergency. CASD should have immediately called 911 and brought in emergency and police personnel to check on the physical condition of the children and make sure none of the other children had been given heroin. A late and vague notification to parents about a ‘dangerous and illegal’ substance is too little and too late.
"From a law enforcement perspective, CASD’s Solicitor should have immediately notified the District Attorney’s Office. CASD’s notification to the parents was inadequate to help the children, but served to tip-off the defendant, putting the investigation at risk. It was only through the outstanding efforts of the Chester County Detectives that this crime was solved.
"CASD and its Solicitor completely failed in their duty to protect the children in their care. CASD should be ashamed and the parents of these children should be outraged.”
Deborah Thompson, a member of the school board, admitted that officials did not handle the situation properly.
"Our investigation revealed that there were multiple failures in several respects which contributed to the accurate perception that the incident at Caln should have been handled better," Thompson said during a news conference on Wednesday. "There was a failure to conduct a complete search of our students as well as a sweep of the building once the foreign substance was discovered.“
Officials with the District Attorney’s Office say they found out about the incident a day later through media reports. Hogan then assigned Chester County detectives to conduct an emergency investigation.
Detectives interviewed the boy along with his relatives. Investigators say the boy normally stays with his aunt in Coatesville but recently had been living with his mother, father and grandfather in Modena. The boy told police he found the drugs on the floor by a washing machine at the home.
Detectives executed a search warrant at the Modena home and found several heroin bags inside, including one empty bag in a pair of children’s shorts, according to investigators. Police say no one was home at the time.
Police say they also found another 7-year-old student from Caln Elementary School who had been in contact with the boy. The student’s mother told detectives that she found her son in possession of a heroin bag labeled “Victoria Secret.” The student claimed that Munion’s grandson gave him the drugs.
Based on interviews, investigators determined that Munion, an alleged heroin user, was babysitting her grandson as well as a 1-year-old baby at the Modena home back on May 1. Munion allegedly brought heroin into the house but lost track of it. Her 7-year-old grandson later found the drugs and brought it to school, according to investigators.
Ellison told NBC10 that school district officials contacted the Caln, South Coatesville and Coatesville police departments. According to Ellison, the district’s expectation is that once they contact law enforcement, police will handle the investigation from there and presumably contact the district attorney’s office. Ellison also denied reports that he canceled the sweep of the school.
School board officials say there will be policy changes going forward and possible disciplinary action.
Munion remained behind bars in county jail Wednesday, unable to post $25,000 cash bail, according to court records.
A Bucks County native has teamed up with two college friends to bring Sweat Tailor – a modern take on sweatpants -- to Philadelphia, where the trio expects the city's well-known penchant for comfort will lead to success in sales.
“I don’t know if it is because we are such a sport-indulgent city,” said 34-year-old Adam Bolden, who grew up in Richboro, Pa. and consults the year-old company on apparel marketing. “Maybe it is because we all want to be like Rocky or maybe because we have so many colleges in the area.”
Aaron Hoffman, 32, who co-founded Sweat Tailor with 30-year-old Benjy Smith, explained, “We really went for all the features of a pair of jeans but in the comfort of sweatpants."
Bolden said they will retail for around $98, pricier than traditional sweatpants and other crossover products like PajamaJeans. But, he added, Sweat Tailor’s product distinguishes itself from other sweats with options for skinny or regular fit, belt loops, a true zipper fly, a reinvention of the fifth pocket – capable of holding a cell phone, and sizes based on waist and inseam measurements.
Hoffman estimated nearly 10 percent of the more than $45,000 raised through a Kickstarter campaign has come from the Greater Philadelphia region – a solid showing considering dollars have come from at least 15 states and 17 different countries.
More than 450 sweatpants in Sweat Tailor's three color choices, black, gray or olive, have already sold through the crowdfunding site, he added.
The interest, combined with Bolden’s homegrown knowledge and the purchasing habits of Philadelphians, has led Sweat Tailor to hone in on the area for its rollout in boutique retailers this fall.
“Twelve to 15 shops in the Philadelphia region have been targeted—heavier than other cities,” Bolden said. And the group is working to develop an Eagles tailgating event to market the product.
Considering locals’ style choices -- day-to-night wear that fits in at the office and after work at happy hour -- and the high concentration of college students, one local fashion expert expects Philly-area sales to be successful.
“This could be a staple item,” said Nioka Wyatt, a Philadelphia University professor in fashion merchandising and management. “It is a really innovative concept.”
She suggests attracting undergrads and young professionals, who are used to wearing jeans daily.
“They like to be comfortable,” she said. “So this is another versatile product that they can dress down and dress up.”
Men ages 18- to 35-years-old are Sweat Tailor’s primary target and interest from a specific segment within that age range -- golfers -- has been particularly strong, Hoffman said.
“We tried to highlight that you can dress these up or down," he said. "We’d love to see somebody wear these for a job interview."
Wyatt cautions that Sweat Tailor pants might work in some professions like construction management where one needs to be comfortable and presentable, but not all white-collar jobs. “You need to dress the part,” she said.
Despite the warning, the three men behind Sweat Tailor don't want to rule any locale out for the casual, yet stylish pants.
“From the bar to the board room," Hoffman said. "Our goal is to create an everyday and everywhere pant.”
Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.
An Overbrook high-rise apartment building was evacuated on Wednesday after a fire broke out in one of the units.
Philadelphia firefighters were called to the Liberty Towers Apartments at 63rd Street and Columbia Avenue around 2:30 p.m., officials said.
Flames flickered inside a second-floor apartment forcing residents to use fire escapes to evacuate.
One resident, named Randy, who spoke with NBC10.com via Twitter said "a lot of smoke" filled the 10 story high-rise as the fire burned.
Randy said he evacuated the building using the fire escape and that it appeared at least one apartment was damaged.
Fire crews were able to knock down the flames quickly.
Officials say one person was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and treated for smoke inhalation.
A train passenger has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a conductor on SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line.
The assault took place around 3 p.m. on Wednesday at SEPTA's Ardmore Junction station located along Haverford Road and West Hathaway Lane in Havertown, Pa., transit officials said.
The nature of the assault is unclear, but a female train operator was struck by the passenger, officials said.
An NBC10.com viewer sent photos of a man being handcuffed by police at the scene. SEPTA said officers did apprehend a suspect.
While one train was stopped as a result of the incident, service was not interrupted.
Slaughter adopted a 32 pound, mixed African pygmy pig named Sheldon last April. She and her five year-old son are now being forced to part ways with their beloved pig because officials in the New Jersey town say it violates the city's code.
"There's all of these supposed animal lovers on city council and on the board. Where's the love? Where's the understanding? This whole thing is just ridiculous," Slaughter said.
According to Slaughter, early last year, an SPCA officer alerted the city that she was keeping a pig at her residence. Shortly thereafter, the city issued a notice for Slaughter to abate or get rid of the pig, but she disregarded the notice setting off a legal battle that has been going on now for more than a year.
An ordinance in chapter 120 of the Somers Point code states that "no person shall own, keep or harbor a potbelly pig, poultry, or other livestock within the City."
Other animals that the code bans include chickens, geese, ducks, and pigeons, as well as sheep, goats, horses, and other livestock creatures.
Violations of the code carry serious penalties, including fines from $200 to $2000, as well as up to 90 days imprisonment.
What Slaughter brings into question is the city's decision to amend its code, specifically adding pigs, and a host of other animals to the prohibited list just weeks after they hit the proud pig owner with her first citation.
Prior to the September 2013 code amendment, there was no specific rule against Somers Point residents keeping pigs as pets.
Slaughter argues that her pet should be allowed under the old law, since she had adopted the pig before the amendment was enacted. She believes the code amendment indicates a personal attack against her choice of pet.
"I think it is personal. I think its a power thing, to prove a point. And its unfortunate to see them playing small town politics like this," she said.
Somers Point County Clerk Carol Degrassi said amendments to the city's code are a regular occurrence.
"If something is brought to their attention as a problem and the code needs to be amended to address it, then yes, they will probably do that. I would say it’s fairly common," Degrassi said.
Somers Point Code Enforcement Official Jim McBrien, who is responsible for ensuring adherence to city ordinances, was unavailable for comment.
Slaughter has battled with the city through at least six court dates in her fight to keep her pet pig.
In October, she created a Facebook page for supporters of her effort called Operation Save Our Sheldon. The page has garnered more than 6,000 likes.
On Tuesday, Slaughter suffered her first big loss when a judge ruled that she would have to remove the pig immediately or face continuous fines for every day the pig remained in her home.
Slaughter's supporters took to the Facebook page expressing their disappointment with the city's decision to remove her pet.
"I would never move to your town. Pets like Sheldon are no different than a dog or cat," Facebook user Paul Bartholomew wrote.
"The zoning board and city council are heartless people who don't know the facts about these pets. If I was a resident I would be looking to move elsewhere."
Another proud pet pig owner, Mary Vetter, argued that pigs are a lot less of a nuisance than dogs.
"I see the whole issue as being misunderstood. These animals make great pets. From what I've seen, people with negative opinions, lacking in the knowledge or understanding of them are the ones creating the problems," Vetter said.
"People really need to check with their townships prior to making the purchase. After all, there are no issues with contamination from run off and as far as odor - dog mess and mulch smells worse."
To avoid additional penalties, Slaughter temporarily sent Sheldon to live with a friend in nearby Egg Harbor Township.
Codes in Egg Harbor City, Gloucester Township, and the Borough of Glassboro do not specifically ban pigs as pets, but call for pet owners to keep any domestic or non-domesticated animal from being a nuisance to neighbors and public property.
Slaughter now has 20 days to appeal the judge's ruling. She could also apply for a variance under the city's code, but the process could cost anywhere from $750 to $1,500; amounts the single parent said she simply can't afford.
"I'm a single parent so I don't have an endless stream of money to just blow on a variance. A lot of this just comes down to the financial aspect and I just don't have that kind of money," she said.
"I think I will apply for an appeal. I don't know exactly where that will take me either, but I figure it's worth a shot."
Her only other option is to let the pig go.
"I'm not 100 percent sure what I'll do at this point. I have a friend a few towns over that has a farm; he offered to take him, and I guess I could give him back to the breeder I got him from, but I really don't want to get rid of him."
Police are on the hunt for two men who they say tied up a woman and robbed her during a home invasion in the Oxford Circle section of the city.
Police say the suspects went to a home on the 1300 block of Van Kirk Street around 1 p.m. on Wednesday. When a 68-year-old woman answered the door, the men told her they had a cell phone that belonged to her grandson, according to investigators.
The men then allegedly broke into the home and forced the woman upstairs. Police say they tied her up with a cord from an iron and placed her face down on the bed.
The men then allegedly ransacked her home, stole a TV, iPhone and laptop and then fled the scene.
The woman was not seriously hurt during the incident. Police have not yet released a detailed description of the suspects.
If it seems like there are more mosquitoes then normal this spring at the Jersey Shore, it’s not just in your head.
According to officials, there’s been a boom in the number of mosquitoes in Cape May, Ocean and Atlantic Counties. Many residents have already taken notice.
“Sometimes they’ll actually swarm around you,” said Jack Leming of Cape May Point, New Jersey. “The spring has been as bad as I’ve seen and I’ve been coming here since 1941.”
Experts say the insects are spring mosquitoes, which typically breed on the edges of salt marshes. The recent rainfall, cloudy days, humid conditions and warm temperatures are all playing a role in the high numbers at the Shore.
“In certain areas there are certain species of mosquitoes where all of the right factors have come together and those mosquitoes are exploding,” said Dr. Peter Bosak of the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control.
Mosquito Control officials say they’re conducting surveillance and using larvicide in mosquito breeding hot spots. They also say however that they don’t expect to ramp up their efforts until the summer when more people are at the Shore.
As for whether the mosquito explosion will continue in the summer, experts say it’s hard to predict at the moment. They do warn however that the approaching rain this week won’t help the situation for Memorial Day Weekend.
“They are very reactive to immediate conditions,” Dr. Bosak said. “So the more frequent rains that we have, the more mosquitoes we’re going to have.”
Officials say the spring mosquitoes don’t carry diseases like West Nile Virus. However, they also warn that the same can’t be said about the summer mosquitoes that will replace them by the end of June.
