A nasty head-on crash and fuel spill closed a South Jersey road for about five hours Wednesday morning.
Two dump trucks contracted by Seashore Asphalt collided along Route 50 near where it intersects with the Atlantic City Expressway in the Laureldale section of Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, shortly before 3:30 a.m.
Hamilton Township Police said the tri-axle trucks were traveling to and from a road paving project along Route 30 in nearby Egg Harbor Township. The crash caused one of the trucks to overturn and left fuel on the roadway.
A photo of the crash posted to twitter showed both vehicles badly damaged.
Hamilton Twp: Truck Crash #Hazmat Rt 50 near Atlantic City Expressway Rt 50 closed long term detours active AvoidArea pic.twitter.com/7sBbDOrrra
— 911__ICE (@911__ICE) June 11, 2014
Unbelievably, both drivers -- Lionell Powell, 28, of Millville and Shawn Virgillo, 35, of Bridgeton -- only suffered moderate injuries, according to police. Crews had to extract Powell from the wreck.
Doctors at AlanticCare Medical Center treated each driver.
Crews cleared the scene around 8:30 a.m. The cause of the wreck remained under investigation Wednesday.
Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania say a woman found dead in a Berks County Prison cell had been ordered to prison for the weekend for failure to pay truancy fines related to her children.
The Reading Eagle reports that 55-year-old Eileen DiNino of Reading was found unresponsive at Berks County Prison on Friday. She was pronounced dead shortly afterward at nearby St. Joseph Medical Center.
State police said troopers found no evidence that the death was suspicious but were investigating. Officials said an autopsy was inconclusive, and toxicology test results are awaited.
Officials said DiNino was sentenced to 48 hours because of more than $2,000 fines levied in nine active truancy cases. Court records show a total of 55 citations between 1999 and last year.
Didn't have a chance to catch up on local news yesterday?
Del. Teen Injured by Apparent Shark Bite
Delaware officials are investigating a local teen's claim that he was bitten by a shark. Andrew Vance posted a photo of himself pointing to a wound with the following Facebook status update, “Guys, I got bit by a freaking shark!!”
Escaped Prisoner Stabs Police Officer
A prison escapee went from misdemeanor to felony charges in the blink of an eye after he stabbed a Bensalem police officer in the stomach in Bucks County Tuesday afternoon, Bensalem Public Safety Director Fred Harran said.
Husband Dead in Attempted Murder-Suicide
A man is dead and his wife critically injured in what the Delaware County District Attorney is calling an attempted murder-suicide.
Couple Arrested for Having Sex in Front of Beachgoers: Police
An extreme case of PDA landed a local couple in hot water, according to police.
Mom Charged After Girl Brings Heroin to School: Police
The mother of a 6-year-old girl and her boyfriend face charges after the girl allegedly brought heroin to her Philadelphia elementary school.
Man Dies After Jumping From Hospital Window
A man died after falling out of a Lehigh County hospital window last week.
A man was shot and killed during a home invasion in the Feltonville section of the city.
Police say the 25-year-old man was sitting on the front steps of a home with three of his friends on the 400 block of W. Caskey Street at 4:47 p.m. on Tuesday. Suddenly, police say, three men, one armed with a gun, walked up the street and chased the man into the house.
One of the suspects then allegedly opened fire, striking the victim in the living room. Police say the suspects then stole cellphones and cash from the victim's three friends.
The 25-year-old man, who was shot in the side, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:07 p.m.
“This is crazy,” said Lisa Nieves, a neighbor of the victim. “And we do need more police out here.”
The victim’s three friends as well as two other witnesses were questioned by police. The three robbers remain on the loose.
Police are investigating after a 15-year-old boy was fatally shot on a residential street in Newark Tuesday afternoon, authorities say.
The teen, Coulibabry Zoumana Wilson, was found after police responded to the shooting on the 100 block of Leslie Street at about 3:30 p.m., officials say. The teen was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Little other information on the shooting was available, but prosecutors say the killing does not appear to be random.
Wilson was a student at Weequahic High School, authorities say.
No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Essex County Prosecutor’s Major Crimes Task Force at 1-877-7432.
An international developer is adding two more towers to the city skyline with a mixed-use project that will reinforce John F. Kennedy Boulevard as the link between West Philly and Center City.
Minnesota-based NP International will construct a 42-story skyscraper and a 21-story high-rise in Logan Square on a parcel bounded by the Schuylkill Riverfront, Cherry and 23rd streets, and JFK Boulevard, according to a presentation given to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) Tuesday.
The PCPC approved two bills that rezone the property to accommodate the developer's desired building height and allow retail space above the ground-floor.
Before applying to rezone the approximately 8-acre parcel, the real estate firm spent nearly 18 months working with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association to refine their vision for River Walk Philadelphia.
The currently proposed iteration of the mixed-used development best met the locals’ wants -- to minimize the number of neighbors whose river view would be obstructed by the new buildings and prevent established residents from fighting with new ones over parking.
“We fully support both bills,” Ed Panek of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association told the PCPC. “These two bills really do facilitate what the neighbors want to see built.”
The taller of the two towers will be built on a piece of land sandwiched between the Amtrak-owned bridge that runs east out of 30th Street Station and JFK Boulevard, while the smaller high-rise, a third building and a public plaza will rise from the flood-prone parking lot at 23rd and Cherry streets, the presentation showed.
The project, which includes residential, commercial and hospitality components, will add a pedestrian staircase and handicapped-accessible ramp from JFK Boulevard, which hovers about the Schuylkill, to the ground below at 23rd and Cuthbert streets – an area located beneath an overpass that holds several lines of train tracks.
The developer has not yet filed construction permits for the project, according to city records.
The specific plan still needs to be reviewed by multiple city agencies, but the PCPC’s rezoning approval and the support of the neighborhood association leave few hurdles in NP International’s way.
Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.
A South Jersey-based ice cream giant is looking for anything but soft serve justice as it battles to protect its trademark from a fleet of faux ice cream trucks.
Iconic ice cream truck company Mister Softee filed a lawsuit earlier this year claiming that a former franchise owner with a fleet of about 15 trucks in the New York area is violating trademark regulations by calling his trucks “Master Softee.”
Master Softee trucks serve soft serve just like Mister Softee trucks do in 15 states but Mister Softee claims that its knockoff competitor isn’t paying franchising fees and is misleading consumers in the process.
In the federal lawsuit, Runnemeade, N.J.-based Mister Softee (a company dating back nearly six decades) claims that Dimitrios Tsirkos is “infringing on Mister Softee’s trademark rights by operating his ice cream trucks using Mister Softee’s trademarks.”
Last week, Mister Softee obtained a preliminary injunction against Master Softee because its trucks and logos are confusingly close to the Mister Softee look and feel. The injunction includes banning the familiar jingle and menu boards of Mister Softee trucks.
That didn’t stop Master Softee trucks from hitting the streets. NBC New York cameras captured the trucks serving up soft serve despite the court order.
Tsirkos didn’t replay to a request from NBC New York for comment. Mister Softee however did respond to NBC10’s request for comment.
“For 58 years we’ve spent our time, energy, and money developing brands,” said Mister Softee’s vice president Jim Conway. “We’re one of the most recognized brands. The people who are infringing on our trademark are not only hurting Mr. Softee, but also hurting our mom & pop franchisees. We take these actions to protect them as much to protect our own brand. We’re confident the court will continue to rule in our favor. We expect additional fallout against those committing contempt of court."
Tune in to NBC10 News at 5 for more local reaction to the ice cream showdown.
An extreme case of PDA ended with the arrest of a couple who police said had sex in broad daylight in the ocean.
Matthew McPeak, 27, and Stephanie Wallington, 23, both of Philadelphia, were arrested after they allegedly had sex in the ocean near the 46th Street beach in Sea Isle City.
Investigators say the public romp took place shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday. According to Mike Geraghty, of Lower Merion, a crowd of about 30 onlookers formed as the duo went at it, seemingly oblivious to their audience on the beach.
"They appeared to be heavily intoxicated," said Geraghty. "When police arrived they were pretty confused."
Both McPeak and Wallington were directed out of the water by responding police officers and taken into custody.
They were eventually charged with lewdness and released on a summons.
Wow there's a couple having sex in the ocean on 43rd st. Good Lord.
— Colin J. (@CJ_Can_I) June 8, 2014
An overturned tractor-trailer blocked lanes along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Montgomery County Wednesday morning.
The big rig wrecked on the westbound lanes Valley Forge (Exit 326) off-ramp in King of Prussia around 10 a.m., according to Pennsylvania State Police.
No word yet on any injuries.
Expect traffic delays in the area as the 18-wheeler blocked the right lane of traffic for hours.
A Delaware woman is recovering after police say her son dove in front of her when her neighbor broke into her apartment and opened fire.
Patricia Buckworth, 40, was with her 19-year-old son Roderick on Tuesday shortly before 6 p.m. inside her unit at the Foxwood Apartment Complex in Pine Creek, Delaware. Buckworth told NBC10 her son had just returned from Wesley College in Dover, where he is studying criminal justice.
As they were spending time together, police say their neighbor, 41-year-old Jason Brunson, broke into their apartment armed with a gun and immediately started shooting.
With little time to think, Roderick pushed a dresser in front of the door and then jumped in front of his mother. The teen was struck twice, his mother once.
After Brunson stopped shooting, the mother and son then ran outside and alerted a UPS driver, according to investigators. As police officers drove to the scene, Brunson shot and killed himself, investigators say.
Buckworth told NBC10 that she never had any interactions with Brunson prior to the shooting and had no idea why he would target her and her son. Other neighbors also said they never knew Brunson, even though records show he had lived at the apartment for several years.
“We’re unsure of his exact motive or his mindset as he stormed into their apartment and began shooting,” said New Castle County Police Officer Tracey Duffy. “That is unknown, and I doubt we’ll be able to get any of that information.”
Buckworth and her son were taken to Christiana Hospital, where they’re both in stable condition. Officials say one bullet was about a centimeter away from one of Roderick’s major arteries.
“God had his hands in this for sure,” said their friend Kim. “He [Roderick] saved his mother’s life. He’s a hero. There’s nothing like the love of a mother and son. It’s unbelievable.”
Police are searching for a bear that was spotted twice in Winslow Township, New Jersey on Wednesday.
Investigators say the animal was first spotted Wednesday morning along Wharton Avenue in the Elm section of the town. The second sighting took place around 4 p.m. in the Waterford Works section of the township.
The animal was last seen on Pennington Avenue crossing into Waterford Township.
If you spot the bear, please call the Winslow Township Police Department at (609) 561-3300 or the Division of Fish and Wildlife at 1 (877) 927-6337.
Click here to view bear safety tips.
The recent discovery of a dead whale on a popular New Jersey beach has sparked fears that the illness behind last year’s mass dolphin die-off could be infecting other animals.
A dead minke whale was found washed up on an Atlantic City beach May. While the discovery of graffiti sprayed on its carcass sparked outrage, officials say they discovered something else about the animal that’s even more disturbing.
“It did test positive for morbilli,” said Bob Schoelkopf, the founding director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
The Morbillivirus is the same ailment behind the deaths of 135 dolphins at the Jersey Shore last year and around 1,300 along the entire east coast.
“It’s not really what you would find in large whales,” Schoelkopf said. “At least, we didn’t think you would.”
Despite this, at least three humpbacks and two pygmy whales that died last year along the east coast also tested positive for Morbillivirus.
“It’s making us concerned that there may be something going on,” Schoelkopf said.
Schoelkopf says officials are currently awaiting test results on two bottlenose dolphins that recently washed up dead.
After a large dolphin die-off in the late 80s, there was no re-occurrence of the measles-like virus responsible for their deaths the following year. Experts say that may not be the case this summer.
“Our concern is that if it comes in contact with a large number of either common dolphins or the off-shore bottlenose, this could be even worse than last year,” Schoelkopf said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
If you notice a dead animal on the beach, call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center immediately.
Dozens of goats have been hired to help make West Laurel Hill Cemetery more eco-friendly this week.
The bill for 40 goats for about five days of grazing is $5,000. That's $25 per day per goat. Well, the money isn't what the goats love, it's the green.
"They are a riot. We have to clear a lot of areas and did not want lawnmowers and machines that use gas to do that," said Priyank Setty of West Laurel Hill.
The "eco-goats" are working to whip the green burial section known as Nature's Sancturary into shape in Bala Cynwyd. The forty mouths spend 18 hours per day grazing the weeds that have settled in. Their job at West Laurel Hill is to devour about an acre of growth mostly on a hill.
"Goats will come through and mop up the problem vegetation," said owner Bill Knox of Sustainable Resource Management. "They also improve the soil as they go by dropping fertilizer on the ground. We work on goat time, when they are done, they are done."
The goal is to remove invasive weeds and vegetation such as the Japanese knot weed. The goats consume a fourth of their body weight in grazing each day, according to Knox. The goats are a cross section of breeds and live on a 50-acre property in Davidonville, Md. They are on the road a majority of the growing season, which is May to October.
The West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a 187-acre arboretum and outdoor sculpture garden. Removing the invasive vegetation will help the landscape evolve naturally over time.
The animals have becoming an attraction for runners and passersbys, but they should not be pet.
"The goats work whenever they feel like it. They form cliques and stick together, and move around together," said Setty who observed them making noise.
Not a bad weeklong job as the goats take breaks and call it quitting time when they want to.
Police are on the hunt for a man who was caught on camera beating a deli worker unconscious during a robbery in the Roxborough section of the city.
On Tuesday, around 2 p.m., the suspect entered the M&M Deli on the 400 block of Markle Street armed with a handgun.
Police say the suspect then walked behind the counter while pointing his gun at a 50-year-old employee. The suspect then allegedly went through the victim’s pockets as well as the cash register.
As the suspect filled his bag with cigarettes, the employee pushed the silent alarm, according to investigators. Police say the suspect then began beating the employee, repeatedly punching him in the head until the victim fell unconscious.
Investigators say the suspect stole about $1500 in cash and merchandise before fleeing on foot in an unknown direction. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was treated for a broken orbital bone.
The suspect is described as a muscular man in his early to mid-30’s, standing between 6-feet and 6-foot-2 with light facial hair. He was last seen wearing a blue/white button-up hooded sweatshirt, tan baseball cap with a dark colored brim, white and black sneakers and checkered black and white boxer shorts.
Police also say he was carrying a white bag with a red star logo, possibly a Macy’s bag.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call Philadelphia Police.
A suburban Philadelphia mother is fighting for her son’s safe return after she says he and five other Americans were unfairly imprisoned during a scuba diving expedition in Honduras.
The family of Devon Butler says the Doylestown native and his dive team traveled to Honduras back on May 1 for a business and humanitarian mission. Butler, 27, is the lead diver for Aqua Quest, an ocean salvaging company based in Florida.
“They were taking mahogany logs from the bottom of a river, which would help with flooding,” said Mike Carroll, Butler’s cousin.
Butler’s mother, Rosemary Carroll, told NBC10 the team also planned on teaching Honduran lobster divers how to dive properly.
In order to protect themselves from pirates, the family said Butler and his crewmates were carrying five guns on their 65-foot boat. It was those weapons that ultimately landed the team in trouble with Honduran law enforcement.
On May 5, as the crew arrived on their boat in Ahuas, Honduras, they were intercepted by Honduran officials. The men were then arrested and charged with smuggling weapons. They have been detained in a Honduran prison since then.
“It’s unjust, it’s not right, and it’s illegal,” Mike Carroll said.
Family members of the crew as well as officials with Aqua Quest insist that the men broke no laws and that Honduran authorities had been alerted of their plans to bring weapons well in advance.
Stephen Mayne, a brother of one of the jailed Americans, told the Philadelphia Daily News that the weapons never even left the boat. Rosemary Carroll also told the Daily News the guns were legally permitted in compliance with international maritime law.
Since their imprisonment, the family has called upon lawyers and lawmakers to find a way to bring the men back home. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, who represents Bucks County, has also joined the fight, saying he is working with U.S. officials and has reached out to the Honduran ambassador for help.
"It is my understanding that these Americans were invited by a local Honduran government as part of a humanitarian mission," Fitzpatrick said in a statement. "I will continue to work for their swift release and respectfully ask the Honduran government to act with urgency."
Family members are also asking the public to sign an online petition urging government officials to help with the release of the crewmembers. You can find that petition here.
