A woman is in the hospital after she was struck by an SUV that crashes into a Boston Market on Tuesday in Allentown.

Police say an 80-year-old man was driving a Lexus SUV around 7:15 p.m. when he somehow lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the Boston Market on the 300 block of S. Cedar Crest Boulevard.

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The vehicle struck a 40-year-old woman who was inside the restaurant. She was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital. Police have not yet revealed her condition.

The man was briefly trapped inside the SUV but was freed by emergency workers. According to investigators, the man appeared to be intoxicated and smelled like alcohol, which they believe played a role in the crash.

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The man was taken to the Lehigh County DUI Processing Center for a blood test. Charges have not yet been filed.
 

A man accused of robbing gun range customers of at least nine weapons and shooting a 67-year-old man is now in custody, according to Philadelphia Police.

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Investigators say 27-year-old Jeffrey Chandler was arrested in Burlington Township, NJ on Tuesday.

Chandler and 21-year-old Samiyyah Poteat were allegedly involved in two holdups at two different gun ranges -- the first at Yury's Gun Range in Philly's West Poplar neighborhood and the second at the Delaware Valley Sports Center in the city's Bustleton neighborhood.

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The suspects waited in a parked car, a late model dark colored 2-door coupe, outside of the ranges until potential victims exited, according to police.

They robbed a 68-year-old man at gunpoint outside Yury's at 544 N. Percy St. around 6:40 p.m. June 11, emptying the victim's pockets and taking off with his backpack, which contained two .22 caliber handguns, according to authorities.

The following day, the pair went to Delaware Valley Sports Center at 101 Geiger Road and pulled off the same heist on an unsuspecting 67-year-old man, who was leaving the range with a friend around 8:40 p.m., according to police.

• Rittenhouse Rape Arrest

Officials say they demanded the two men hand over their cash and guns. Even though the victims were cooperating, Chandler fired a shot, striking the 67-year-old and critically wounding him, according to authorities.

Investigators also recovered the getaway car used in the crimes June 14. It was located on the 200 block of South Hanson Street in West Philly.

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Poteat turned herself in to authorities on June 13 after seeing herself in surveillance video of the crimes. She faces multiple charges including attempted homicide, robbery and aggravated assault.

Police have not yet revealed the specific charges against Chandler.

Police are investigating whether the Rittenhouse rape suspect exposed himself to another woman an hour before he allegedly raped a young doctor inside her apartment.

A 27-year-old woman told police that she spotted a man on a bike on Friday around 11 p.m. who matched the description of 28-year-old Milton Mateo Garcia. The woman says the man then exposed himself to her.

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According to the woman, the incident took place only five blocks away from where police say Garcia repeatedly victimized a young doctor.

Police say Garcia followed the 26-year-old doctor as she walked home around midnight Saturday from a local bar where she had been drinking with friends. Surveillance video from the 1900 block of Spruce Street shows the suspect biking up to a tree, tying up a bike and then walking up to the victim from behind and grabbing her.

"This appears to have been a crime of opportunity," Philadelphia Police Captain John Darby said. "We believed that this male followed this woman for some distance and then positioned himself at a point where he could intercept her path."

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Garcia walked the woman into her apartment building and forced himself into her home, investigators said. There, police say, she was repeatedly raped. Garcia stole the woman's smartphone and keys before leaving the apartment and cycling away, according to police.

Detectives were able to track the victim's phone to the suspect's South Philadelphia neighborhood, but not to his house on the 1800 block of South 8th Street, Darby said. But by Saturday afternoon, after "good old detective work" Darby said investigators began watching the house. They gathered enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant on Monday. Among the evidence seized, were two bicycles and the victim's smartphone. The phone was found in a second-floor bedroom, detectives said.

Garcia wasn't home at the time of the raid, but police say they found him working at an Indian restaurant at Broad and Christian Streets -- just a few blocks southeast from the attack scene. It's one of three jobs he had in Center City and South Philly. Detectives said he was carrying the victim's keys.

Garcia was taken into custody on Monday along with three of his roommates. After hours of questioning, Garcia made a statement, was arrested and charged with Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Kidnapping and related offenses. The other men were released. Darby would not elaborate about what the man said in his statement to detectives.

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"We have this guy off the street and you can rest easy today. More importantly, this young professional woman and her family can begin to rebuild," Darby said during a news conference.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division is assisting in the investigation as Garcia is a Honduran citizen, Darby said.

ICE told NBC10 they lodged a detainer against Garcia with the Philadelphia Police. Garcia was previously removed from the United State in June of 2013, according to ICE.

"By issuing a detainer, ICE requests that a law enforcement agency notify ICE before releasing an individual in order to allow ICE to assume custody," wrote Harold Ort, the Public Affairs Officer for ICE, in a released statement.

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Garcia was arraigned without bail around 5 p.m. on Monday.

Police continue to investigate whether Garcia was also the man who flashed the 27-year-old woman and whether he was involved in any other unsolved sexual assaults in the city.

Four people were hurt, including a firefighter and two police officers, after a late night blaze in Camden.

The fire started inside a home along the 600 block of Kaighn Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Camden Fire officials tell NBC10.com.

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The home was supposed to be vacant, but there was a man inside when the blaze began. Firefighters and Camden County Metro Police officers rushed inside to rescue the man.

They were able to pull him out, but he suffered severe smoke inhalation and was taken to Cooper University Hospital, officials say. He remains there in critical condition.

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Officials say one firefighter and two police officers also suffered smoke inhalation. The firefighter was treated inside an ambulance at the scene. The officers were taken to the hospital.

The fire was placed under control within 30 minutes, officials say.

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The Fire Marshal is investigating the cause.

Trauma doctors are working to save the lives of a man and woman who were stabbed nearly two dozen times inside, what police are calling, a hoarder's home in North Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small says officers responded to the house along the 5900 block of North 4th Street in the Olney section of the city around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

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When officers arrived they found a 54-year-old man in the doorway of the home. He had been stabbed at least two times in the chest. Nearby, on a neighbor's front porch, a 71-year-old woman, riddled with 15 stab wounds from head to toe, lay bleeding.

Paramedics quickly rushed both victims to Albert Einstein Medical Center where they are in extremely critical condition, Small said. "It's unknown whether they are going to survive," he said.

The man and woman are roommates and that their two-story rowhome is filled to the brim with furniture, trash and debris, according to Small. There are also up to 20 cats and kittens inside. He says the condition of the home is hindering the police investigation.

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"Inside the home, it's very hard to tell what happened because it's a hoarder location," Small said. "You'd have to walk through little trails to traverse the mess and the debris."

Police found a 6-inch kitchen knife on the walkway near the man's body. It's unclear whether it was the weapon used in the stabbing.

A rear window appeared to have been forced open, but Small said there were a number of broken and boarded up windows at the house, so detectives are working to figure out if that was prior damage or an entry point for an attacker.

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Detectives are interviewing a teenage neighbor. Small said the 18-year-old was hosing down the large amount of blood on the walkway and the female victim when police arrived at the scene.

"From the first officers on the scene, they tell me, he was actually squirting the hose on the female, which isn't good. So we had that individual transported to Northwest Detectives so he can tell us what actually transpired prior to our arrival," Small said.

The teen is being treated as a witness, he added.

The man was still conscious when he was rushed to the hospital and Small said officers jumped into the back of the ambulance to interview him. But, officers were not able to get much information.

Detectives are on the scene investigating further. The Pennsylvania SPCA is being called in to remove the cats from the home.

A 16-year-old high school sophomore in New Jersey is accused of breaking into his school's computer system to change grades and attendance records for as many as 24 students.

Prosecutors in Essex County say officials from Orange High School alerted police that someone without authorization had gained access to the school's computers. Cyber crimes investigators were then notified.

Authorities say the teen used a faculty member's password to get into the system and changed the grades and attendance records. 

"This is not a case of sophisticated computer hacking by any means -- this is really the oldest trick in the book," prosecutor Robert Laurino told NBC 4 New York. 

One 18-year-old student told NBC 4 New York that the teen charged kids for the work. Laurino confirmed prosecutors are looking into that.

"I think they probably didn't think that they would get caught," said Scott Thelusma, 18.

The district disciplined several other students who were allegedly involved, prosecutors say.

The teen is charged with several counts of second-degree computer theft and has been released. The case will proceed in Family Court and his identity is not being released.

The school's graduation is Thursday.

Classes at a New Jersey school were canceled the morning after a serious threat was made involving the safety of students at the school.

Northfield Community School was closed early Wednesday morning and will remain closed for most of the day after an "unsubstantiated threat" was made to the building and students, according to Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Janice D. Fipp.

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Northfield serves elementary and middle school students from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Graduation for 8th graders will take place tonight as planned.

Fipp made the announcement on the school's website early Wednesday:

"There has been an unsubstantiated threat to our students and building. I became aware of this at 11:00 last night. Between 11 pm and 2 am two police officers and I went from home to home of students who may have information about this situation. The investigation is ongoing.

The threat is being taken seriously by the police, as it should be. The entire building is being inspected by the police and Sheriff’s office staff. I am very sad to give you this information."

Fipp updated the announcement a short time later, assuring parents and staff that the graduation ceremony scheduled in the school's gym for tonight at 7 p.m. will go on as planned.

No further information about the threat was given.

NBC10.com reached out to the school for comment. Calls and emails were not returned by the time of publication.
 

Two women were attacked at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware after telling a group of guys to stop videotaping them.

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The women, ages 33 and 35, were on the beach early Sunday, around 12:30 a.m. near Wilmington Avenue. They noticed a group of men in their early twenties -- 6 or 7 of them. One of the men looked like he was trying to record video of the women with his phone. They told him to stop.

• Hoarders Stabbed, Washed Off With Water Hose

Their demand was answered violently. The women told police that one of the men assaulted them, hitting them in the head and face and then took off with his friends.The women tried to follow the men to the boardwalk, but lost sight of them.

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The women then drove themselves to a hospital in Beebe where one was treated for a concussion and the other an eye injury.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Rehoboth Beach Police at 302-227-2577.

The Methacton School Board of Directors picked its ninth and final member during the meeting Tuesday night after reviewing the final three candidates. The position was left vacant, the third in the school year, when Mark O’Neill left his position, citing the need for more work and family time.

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In the end, the eight-member board changed to nine unanimously, welcoming Peter McFarland as a new board member. McFarland, who stated he’d lived the district for more than 25 years, had five children, three of whom were educated by the schools in Methacton.

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Immediately following the vote, the Hon. Judge Thomas P. Rogers swore McFarland in, making him a voting member for the Tuesday night meeting. The newly appointed member took his seat after the swearing in and continued the remainder of the meeting on the board, officially.

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Through the course of filling the most recent positions, one left by O’Neill and another by Joyce E. Petrauskas, a total of 16 candidates applied for the two seats, according to Board President S. Christian Nascimento.

Finalists including Matthew Cox, who was also interviewed for the Petrauskas seat, and Zahn Lee were also interviewed for the role. Just as the board had done for the prior appointment, Nascimento asked five identical questions of the three finalists, then turning over the candidate to the board.

Each had to tell district solicitor, Frank Bartle, that they were indeed over the age of 18, a resident of Methacton School District for at least one year, and that they were registered voters.

McFarland stated that he and his wife, Mary, had been quite active while their children were in school, including work as home and school president and volunteering for the Post Prom committee. Additionally, he volunteered time with Habitat for Humanity, as well as becoming a part of SCORE. He also assists on a scholarship program for both a male and female player as appointed by Methacton United Soccer Club. The couple also volunteers and participate in fundraising for “Small Steps in Speech,” a charity for which Mary is president.

“Every Christmas morning, we go to the VA Hospital in Philadelphia to visit with the veterans, many of whom don’t ever get a visit,” said McFarland.

In addition to a vast volunteering experience, McFarland also has 28 years of work in the sales and marketing fields, spending most of his time as a general manager in the manufacturing industry.

“I’ve dealt with a budget, the need to reach a consensus, and I’ve been very successful in that environment,” said McFarland. “Those skills and experiences will serve me well as I participate on the board.”

McFarland, who has since retired, said he was looking for a way to stay active with his business skills, while at the same time giving back to a district that had educated his children.

“I believe I have the skills and experience that I’d like to continue to use now that I am no longer working,” he said. “I enjoy doing and enjoy being a part of the process.”

School board member Kim Woodring asked the candidate what “indicators of success” he would use to rank a public school system.

“I think the success of the students is not just in test scores but in life itself, and their ongoing pursuits, college or otherwise, is the measure of success of a school system,” said McFarland. “Students of a system are the measurement of success. They are the reason the school system exists, and success of educating those children in various elements, is not only show in the tests and metrics, but in their sense of citizenship, athletic endeavors, or things that help them cope with the world as they go on.”

McFarland was suggested as an appointment member via the motion from board member Jim Phillips. Herbert Rothe III seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved. The board now sits at its full nine members.

This story was published through a news content partnership between NBC10.com and The Alternative Press of Lower Providence

A woman drenched her body in gasoline and lit herself on fire in a parking lot at a local mall Wednesday afternoon, Lehigh County officials say.

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Officials say they were called to the parking lot of the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall, where a woman had set herself on fire.

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Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze and get the woman to a hospital to be treated for her injuries.

This story is developing. Please check back for details.

What started as a domestic violence call led to a gun battle between a Delaware State Trooper and a suspect in Kent County, leaving the suspect dead and the trooper injured.

State Police say the trooper, Corporal Lloyd McMann, was looking for a 29-year-old suspect, Dennis Hicks, who fled a Magnolia home where police say he tried to strangle his girlfriend early Wednesday.

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Trooper McMann spotted the car on Milford Rd., shortly before 7 a.m. and tried to get Hicks to stop. Instead, Hicks fled back in the direction of the house where the dispute happened on Bayhill Road and West Birdie Lane. Police say Hicks stopped his car, got out with a semiautomatic handgun and opened fire, hitting McMann in the hand and face.

The officer fired back, hitting Hicks in the upper body.

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Both the trooper and the suspect were rushed to Bayhealth Kent General Hospital where Hicks was pronounced dead. McMann was flown to Christiana Hospital Trauma Center where he is in serious but stable condition.

"He's doing well," said Colonel Nathaniel McQueen. "He's awake and alert and his family is with him."

McMann, 26, is a four-year veteran of the Delaware State Police. He is based in Camden, Del. He will be on administrative leave, which is standard procedure, until detectives from the state's homicide unit complete their investigation.

A severe thunderstorm warning is now in effect for parts of the Lehigh Valley as a storm system with heavy rain continues to move through Pennsylvania.

• Track the Storm With Our LIVE Interactive Radar
  

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Northeastern Berks County, Lehigh County and Southwestern Northampton County until 9 p.m. A line of severe thunderstorms moved into those counties shortly after 8 p.m. Officials say the storms are capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph.

A flood advisory for Berks County, Northwestern Lehigh County, Monroe County, Carbon County and Northwestern Northampton County is also in effect until 10:45 p.m.

The storms produced rain that fell at one and a half inches per hour. The heavy rain led to rising creeks and streams as well as excessive runoff.

According to NBC10 First Alert Chief Meteorologist Glenn Schwartz, the system should move into Montgomery County between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and the Philadelphia area around 10 p.m.

While no advisories are currently in effect for Philly, the rain could cause some localized flooding.

The system hit the State College area earlier on Wednesday dropping nearly an inch of rain in only 10 minutes, according to NBC10 First Alert Meteorologist Brittney Shipp.

The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for East Central Blair County, Northern Huntingdon County and South Central Centre County that remained in effect until 5:30 p.m.

Residents who live near the Penn State campus took several photos of the flood waters.

Here's College Avenue right now. A flood advisory has been issued. (photo: @skellingtonbaby) pic.twitter.com/UsRbk0kETh

— Onward State (@OnwardState) June 25, 2014

Stay with NBC10.com for the latest updates as we continue to track the storm.

Service lines for both Amtrak and SEPTA were impacted after a person was struck and killed by a train in Delaware County.

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Officials say an Amtrak Acela Express train with 272 passengers on board was traveling from Boston to Washington on Wednesday around 4:45 p.m.

As it traveled passed the Sharon Hill train station at Sharon and Woodland Avenues, it struck a person who was on the tracks. The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

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While the accident involved an Amtrak train, it still impacted SEPTA. Regional rail service on SEPTA's Wilmington/Newark line was suspended for several hours. Trains on the line resumed with limited operation around 7 p.m.

Amtrak service between Philadelphia and Wilmington is also under a delay due to only one track being used.

The victim has not yet been identified.

This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
 

Residents in two neighboring suburbs north of Philadelphia are set to celebrate Monday the reopening of Greenwood Avenue Bridge.

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“It cut us off,” said Jenkintown Borough Manager George Locke. “We felt the pinch more than we thought we would.”

PennDOT demolished the previous bridge, which was built in 1939 and linked Jenkintown to Cheltenham Township, in June 2012.  Crews spent the next two years constructing its replacement, which passes over SEPTA’s Jenkintown-Wyncote station and connects West and Glenside avenues.

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“This is a new bridge that is going to serve the transportation needs of the Cheltenham and Jenkintown communities for the next century,” Blaum said. “Barring anything unforeseen, the plan is to open the bridge Monday.”

The Greenwood Avenue Bridge will serve nearly 9,000 vehicles a day. The structure will have a single lane of traffic traveling in both directions and an 11-foot-wide left turn lane at each end, he said.  Pedestrians can walk the bridge on the 5-foot-wide sidewalk on either side.

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The $5.5 million construction project took about nine months longer than PennDOT initially estimated, party because a temporary bridge needed to be constructed to hold various utility lines, Blaum added.

The delay frustrated many community members, who dealt with increased traffic congestion.

“Being able to go out to Route 309 without sitting through bumper to bumper traffic,” Locke said, “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Along with adding at least another 20 minutes to Locke’s commute, the 2-year-long closure also contributed to one well-liked local business, Linda Jean’s Grille, closing its doors.

“They had a lot of business coming from Jenkintown,” said Harvey Portner, president of the Cheltenham Township Board of Commissioners. “Both the Jenkintown folks and we are very upset about it.”

PennDOT is currently putting the finishing touches, including painting traffic lines, installing signs and pouring decorative concrete caps, on the bridge.

Crews will complete some additional work, like staining the stone façade to match other stone walls in the community, after the bridge reopens, Blaum said. But it is unlikely that traffic will be impacted, he added.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. Monday. Ahead of the official reopening, the two communities are holding a joint celebration, dubbed the “Greenwood Ave. Bridge Un-Block Party,” at Ralph Morgan Park Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“The bridge will benefit everyone, not only in the immediate community,” Portner said, “But everyone that takes the train out of that train station.”
 

Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.

A man was caught on video stalking a woman in the Oxford Circle section of the city and then attacking her inside her apartment. But even after stealing her jewelry, he didn’t stop there, according to police.

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The 45-year-old woman was leaving her vehicle and walking towards her apartment on the 6000 block of Roosevelt Boulevard on June 15 around 10 p.m. As she was walking, surveillance cameras captured the suspect follow her inside.

As soon as the woman reached the entrance, the man grabbed and attacked her, holding his arm around her neck and pulling her back as she struggled to get out of the building. After restraining her, police say the man forced the woman to call her friend and ask to bring him money.

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The man then forced the woman into her Nissan Murano SUV and the two left the area before returning moments later to meet the victim’s friend who had just arrived with the money. Police say the suspect took the money, let the woman out of her SUV and then drove off in an unknown direction.

The suspect is described as a muscular, 20-year-old man standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray or green shirt around his face and long blue jean shorts.

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If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call Philadelphia Police.
 

The frustration and the fines have mounted over the past 12 weeks for David DePiano.

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Even though the 33-year-old software engineer purchased the required virtual parking permit for his motorcycle and always parks in spaces designated for motorcycles and scooters, he says he has received 15 parking tickets since April 1.

“The parking restrictions placed on motorcycles and scooters this year has made parking an extremely frustrating task,” said DePiano, who uses his motorcycle for his approximately 45 minute commute between Malvern in Chester County and Center City four days a week for about nine months of the year.

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The virtual parking permit cost $120 for three months and are only available for motorcycles and scooters. They allow the Philadelphia Parking Authority's enforcement officers to look up motorcycle plate numbers on their handheld devices before issuing tickets.

It is unclear if the tickets being issued to DePiano are due to negligence or technical issues.

DePiano, who is part of a coalition of motorcyclists and scooter drivers, was not speaking on the group's behalf when he voiced his irritation at the PPA board meeting Wednesday.

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His aggravation over the fines is valid, according to the Authority, which has been working with the coalition to determine the best parking setup for nearly nine months.

“I will admit that as we have gone through this conversation process, everybody has been unclear about what we can and can’t do,” said Richard Dickson Jr., PPA deputy executive director.

But Dickson said clarity is coming soon. 

The PPA has developed a pilot program, which the agency will share with the coalition’s representatives at a closed-door meeting July 2, he said.

“We want to ensure there is adequate parking, at a rate that is reasonable, and that allows them to do what they need to do in the city,” he explained. 

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If the coalition agrees with the plan, the Authority can implement it immediately, Dickson said. The first step will be distributing written materials detailing the parking regulations to enforcement officers, he said.

“We want to be really clear about these rules,” Dickson said.

DePiano recalled how easy it was to park his Honda 599 in the JFK Plaza last year, when the Philadelphia Parking Authority overlooked the motorcycles and scooters illegally parked on sidewalks and squares in Center City.

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“Last year, over 20 motorcycles and scooters parked their bike securely on the plaza,” he said. “They had spots to chain your bike too. Scooters used those a lot.”

The pilot program incorporates locking mechanisms, which reduces the likelihood of theft and creates a barrier between motorcycles and other larger vehicles, Dickson said.

The PPA also plans to roll out a Twitter campaign, similar to an initiative bicyclists used to inform the agency of cars illegally parked in bike lanes, said Sue Cornell, PPA’s senior administrative director.

“People can tweet if they see a car parked in a motorcycle and scooter zone,” she said. “Not that we can send someone out immediately, but I’ll give us an idea of where troubled areas might be.”

Once the pilot program concludes in October, the PPA will evaluate it and listen to the coalition’s feedback to determine if changes are necessary, Dickson said.

“We really needed to be sure that the their voice was heard, as well as all the other people that have a claim on the various spaces throughout the city,” he added. “Everything we do is a balancing act.”

As for DePiano’s remaining $414 in fines, the Authority said they will look into the tickets and make adjustments if necessary.

Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.