Crews found a woman dead in a parked minivan outside a New Jersey Wawa.

Authorities say they are trying to determine the source of an apparent chemical odor coming from inside the white minivan parked where the woman's body was found.

Emergency responders were called to the parking lot at 595 Spring Street in Elizabeth at around 4 p.m. Monday and found a woman inside a vehicle with the doors and windows closed, police said.

The EMTs were able to get into the van but were immediately overpowered by some sort of chemical smell, police said. Once they determined the woman was dead, the workers backed away and alerted firefighters and hazmat crews.

Hazmat units responded to figure out the nature of the odor and to make the scene safe for investigators. The car and the parking lot, which also serves an AutoZone store, were cordoned off as authorities investigated.

Police didn't immediately identify the woman, and a medical examiner will determine a cause of death.

The soft-spoken brother of a girl, kidnapped from her Philadelphia school and then brutally sexually assaulted her last year, kicked off the second day of a trial against her alleged rapist: Christina Regusters.

He was one of three family and friends who took the stand Tuesday morning.

The boy, 9-years-old and dressed in a white shirt, was asked to identify his sister in surveillance video from Bryant Elementary School on the day she was kidnapped last year.

“That’s my little sister. That’s me next to her,” the boy said from the stand while watching the video. NBC10.com is not naming the boy because it would identify the victim.

The video was recorded on the morning of January 14, 2013. Hours later, the young girl was led from the school by a woman dressed in traditional Muslim clothing. Prosecutors say that woman was Regusters.

By the end of the school day, the boy told prosecutor Jessalyn Gillum he was asked where his younger sister was, but he didn't know.

The DA's Office says the girl was placed in a laundry bag and brought to a home along the 6200 block of Walton Avenue. It was there, while blindfolded, she was put under a bed and raped with a sharp object over a 19 hour period, according to officials. She was dumped, like trash, in a Delaware County playground severely injured and wearing only an oversized T-shirt.

An older sister of the victim also took the stand and described the family’s close bond. She regularly picked up her young siblings from after school daycare.

"I love my siblings to death. We are close," she said.

Prosecutors then turned to the young girl's regular babysitter, Tiffany Banks, who regularly picked up and dropped off the victim from the school.

“She’s amazing. Very smart, very resilient, bubbly, bright and wonderful. I can’t say enough positive things about her, very smart,” said Banks, who is the girlfiend of the girl's uncle.

It was Banks who was first sought after the day the girl went missing as an Amber Alert was issued. Police originally thought she may have taken the child.

"My name was caught up in it," Banks said.

After the child’s mother called to check in with Banks, it became clear she was not involved. Banks described the family’s frenzy as they called around to try and find out who had taken the girl.

Banks testified the child’s mother was “hysterical” outside the elementary school as police processed the girl's last known location.

“It was surreal, like an out-of-body experience,” said Banks.

Regusters says she's not responsible for the crime. She and the victim are also expected to testify this week.

A man was arrested inside a restroom at a Toms River Park after he was caught masturbating in front of another man, according to police.

Carl Kowalski, 52, of Mayo Drive was inside the public restroom in Winding River Park when a police officer who was conducting surveillance following complaints of inappropriate behavior witnessed him touching himself while facing a 74-year-old man.

The incident happened last Friday. Kowlaski was arrested, charged and released.

A court date has not been set.

Authorities evacuated a Macy's in a New Jersey mall after a fire erupted on the roof of the department store Tuesday afternoon. 

Officials say no one was injured in the Macy's rooftop fire at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus. There was no fire in the store, though it was evacuated as a precaution.

Other stores in the mall remained open.  

Chopper 4 showed firefighters standing on the charred roof after the flames were extinguished. Macy's was reopened a few hours after the fire. 

Investigators are looking into whether construction work being done Monday night on the Macy's roof may have contributed to the fire. 

It wasn't clear how many people were in the store when it was evacuated.

A man has been arrested and charged in the execution-style murders of two women inside a Northeast Philadelphia home. James Mears, 25, is charged with two counts of murder, robbery and other related offenses.

Mears allegedly killed Dollie Evans, 67, and Ruby Nell Thomas, 59, inside Thomas' home on the 4700 block of Vista Street in the Holmesburg section of the city just before 6 p.m. Saturday.

Thomas' body was found in the living room with a cord around her neck and a gunshot to the head. Evans' body was on the floor in an upstairs bedroom. She was also shot in the head.

Evans had an open-door policy, according to homicide investigators, and was known to let people from the neighborhood stay with her. Police say Mears knew both Evans and Thomas. They believe robbery was his motive.

Mears was brought in for questioning Monday and officially charged Tuesday.

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

Strolling through Old City and hoping to eat at a farm-to-table restaurant? Shopping along Walnut Street and interested in buying eco-friendly fashions? Now thanks to Milk Crate — a smartphone app launching this week — sustainable-minded shoppers can discover nearly 2,000 “green” businesses located in Philadelphia and Montgomery and Bucks counties.

"Our goal is to provide a central digital hub for all organizations in the Philadelphia area that care about sustainability and the local economy," said Morgan Berman, the founder and CEO of Milk Crate.

The free-to-download app became available on Droid devices Monday — Berman’s 29th birthday. An iOS version for iPhone users will be available to download by the end of the week, she said.

A Philly native, Berman said she was inspired to create Milk Crate in 2011 when she was seeking out sustainable businesses but found there was no single database listing all those in our region.

“All this information was so spread out,” she explained. “I kept thinking this takes a lot of energy and a lot of time. What is it like for people who have the inclination to do this stuff, but don’t necessarily have enough energy to dedicate to this?”

Two years later -- when she began a master’s degree program in sustainable design at Philadelphia University -- she dedicated her thesis to developing a mobile app that serves as a hub for consumers to easily find environmentally friendly businesses.

“Instead of going to Yelp, they can go to Milk Crate to find a place that uses farm-to-table produce,” she said.

The app is likey to gain users given the growing interest in eco-friendly products and services, said Pinar Yildram, a marketing professor with University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

"Consumers obtain a 'warm glow' from using [eco-friendly products]," Yildram said. "These products and services make consumers feel good and look good to their social circle."

Having access at their fingertips to a directory of sustainable businesses makes it even easier for an educated shopper to determine how to spend their dollars, she added.

Berman, and her team of more than a dozen interns, collaborated with other organizations that verify a business’ sustainable practices -- including B Corporation, the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, Fair Food and The Humane League -- and used their lists to create a database of almost 2,000 eco-friendly restaurants, retailers, fitness centers, salons and other services.

Soon Milk Crate will add the various cooperatives mapped out by students at Haverford College. Companies interested in a mention on Milk Crate that are not yet verified as sustainable with one of its collaborators can submit information and the firm will determine if they meet the necessary standards to get listed, Berman said.

“We are the app that will help you find everything you put in your milk crate when you ride around the city,” said Berman, referencing the repurposed plastic containers often fastened to bikes.

Users can select icons to filter by category and also search what’s nearby with results showing up in a directory format.

But Berman said a second version, which she plans to release by the end of the year pending funds raised by an IndieGoGo campaign, will include a map mode, a “bucket list” for users to earmark businesses they want to try and a favorites list for those shoppers already know they like.

The next version also helps the company — so far built entirely on “sweat equity” — to add ways to become more profitable, Berman said.

Users can pay $20 per year, or $2 per month, for a premium account, which will offer Groupon-like discounts, and businesses can pay to advertise or obtain a more prominent placement on the site.

And plans are also in the works for Milk Crate to catalogue sustainable businesses outside of Philly, in cities like Washington and San Francisco, Berman added.

“We want to help consumers everywhere when they are making decisions about what to do, where to eat, where to go."

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

A man accused of targeting and robbing elderly victims in Philadelphia is now in custody while his alleged accomplices are still on the loose.

Keith Perkins, 43, of Philadelphia, surrendered to police on Monday. He's charged with robbery, theft, simple assault, criminal conspiracy and other related offenses.

• Arrest Made in Northeast Philly Double Murder

According to investigators, Perkins, along with Joseph Donaldson, 28, and Ronald Singleton, 52, were involved in eleven robberies between April and August at various locations throughout the city. During the majority of the incidents, police say the suspects followed an elderly victim as they took out money from a bank and returned to their homes. They then assaulted the victims, stole their cash and then fled.

According to investigators, the suspects are responsible for the following robberies at the following times and locations:

• April 24: Suspect robs 96-year-old man returning from grocery shopping on the 2100 block of Bergess Street

• May 16: Suspect attacks 44-year-old man with a rock on North Leithgow Street, steals wallet containing ID, $55 and iPhone

• June 2: Suspect spots 87-year-old man on North 11th Street and steals $496 from his back pocket

• June 3: Suspect spots a 72-year-old man at the TD Bank on Cottman Avenue, follows him to his home on Leonard Street and steals $750 in cash after a brief struggle

• June 30: Suspect spots 91-year-old man at Wells Fargo Bank at Frankford and Girard Avenue, follows him to his home on West Wildey Street and steals $623 from his back pocket

• July 1: Suspect spots an 86-year-old man at the PNC Bank on Rising Sun Avenue, follows him to his home on Rhawn Street, punches him in the face and then steals an undetermined amount of cash

• July 5: Suspect spots an 80-year-old man at the PNC Bank on Cottman Avenue as well as the Wells Fargo Bank on Bustleton Avenue, follows him to his home on Saint Vincent Street, punches him in the chest and steals an undetermined amount of cash

• July 7: Suspect spots an 81-year-old man at Citizens Bank Park on Frankford Avenue, follows him to his home on Tyson Avenue, pushes the victim and steals an undetermined amount of cash

• July 21: Suspect spots an 81-year-old man withdrawing $1000 from the Wells Fargo Bank on Frankford Avenue, follows him to Gallo’s Seafood restaurant on Stanwood Street and steals the money from his car as the suspect waits for food.

• August 6: Suspect spots an 82-year-old man leaving Wells Fargo Bank on Aramingo Avenue, follows him to Tulip Street, punches him in the face, sprays him with mace and steals an envelope containing $600

• August 13: Suspect spots an 83-year-old woman and 87-year-old man at PNC Bank on Cottman Avenue, follows them to their home on Rutland Street, knocks them to the ground from behind and steals the woman’s handbag containing $300, keys and personal items.

After the robberies, police say the suspects fled the scene in a silver-colored Chevrolet Malibu. While Perkins is in custody, police continue to search for Donaldson and Singleton. According to investigators, Donaldson lives on the 100 block of North Paxson Street and was spotted on surveillance video wearing a superman shirt. They also say Singleton has a grey beard and lives on 5100 Hawthorne Street.

• Craigslist Murder Suspects Plead Guilty

If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS(8477).
 

In a voice that trembles, then breaks, Chulda Sofer pleads for her son, Aaron, who went missing during a hike in the Jerusalem Forest – a long way from the home he shares with 9 siblings in Lakewood, New Jersey.

“I want to thank everyone for all their help, but I ask you please, please, please, I beg of you I beg you please, if anyone sees any whereabouts of Aaron, please call the police immediately.” Chulda said, holding up a “missing” poster that shows her 23-year-old son, smiling in his traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing and black hat.

Aaron Sofer is an ultra-Orthodox yeshiva student pursuing his religious studies in Israel. He disappeared while hiking Friday in the Jerusalem Forest. He was there with a friend, and the two became separated while navigating a steep incline, the friend told police when he reported Aaron missing six hours later.

Sofer’s parents flew from New Jersey to Israel over the weekend to join the ongoing search, which has included hundreds of volunteers, K9s on the ground and helicopters overhead. Jerusalem Post reporter Daniel K. Eisenbud videotaped the emotional pleas from Sofer’s parents at Mount Herzl, which is the site of Israel’s national cemetery and also adjacent to the Jerusalem Forest.

The area where Sofer went missing is bordered by Jewish and Arab communities and the same forest where Israeli extremists are accused of killing a Palestinian teenager in retaliation for the three Israeli teens who were kidnapped and murdered in June. Due to escalating tensions recently in the Gaza-Israeli conflict, Aaron’s family is afraid he may have been attacked by Palestinian militants.

In the videotaped message, Aaron’s father, Moshe, thanks law enforcement agencies in both countries, including the FBI and Israeli police, for their help. “The police are working tirelessly on all fronts and all options are being strongly investigated.”

Back home in the Ocean County, N.J. community where Aaron grew up, two of his younger brothers made brief appeals today before attending a prayer service.

“Just please bring back our brother. I’m talking on behalf of the whole family that’s in America. He’s my brother right over me. I just have one message: Please bring back my brother,” said Yaakov Sofer.

Aaron’s brother-in-law Yehuda Wicentowsky described the yeshiva student as a very kind and nice person and asked the public to keep pressure on the governments involved in his search. The sentiment from a seasoned New York politician was not as diplomatic.

“There’s a sense that not enough was done from the very, very beginning,” said Dov Hikind, a NY assemblyman. He called for the Israeli government to ramp up their efforts and treat the search for Sofer the same as they would for an Israeli soldier.

“Because we know what the Israeli government does when an Israeli soldier goes missing. Every resource in the world is put into it. And Aaron is a soldier," he said.

The Sofer family is offering 100,000 shekels, which is equivalent to about $28,000, for information that leads to Aaron’s whereabouts. They’ve launched a website – Search for Sofer – to help fund the search and reward.

A female juror looked to the ceiling, brought a tissue to her face and wiped tears from her eyes.

She couldn't bear to look at the injuries sustained by a 5-year-old girl abducted last year from her elementary school and raped with a sharp object.

"Gruesome," said attorney Tom Klein, who is handling the civil case on behalf of the now 7-year-old victim. "The photos are shocking and disturbing."

The evidence was so disturbing that Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart asked the public to leave the room.

The images were shown Tuesday as part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's case against 21-year-old Christina Regusters. The woman, who allegedly committed the depraved acts on the girl over a 19 hour long period last January, stands as the only person charged in the case.

As the photos were flashed on a large projection screen in Criminal Justice Courtroom 1101, Regusters also diverted her glance -- looking down as her cheek rested in her left hand.

Police officers, jurors and media allowed to stay for the display were visibly jarred as Dr. Cindy Christian, a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) pediatrician who specializes in child sex abuse, detailed the damage done by the violent assault.

The doctor said the object used in the rape, which could have been a wooden broom handle, prevented the girl from controlling her own bowels.

"I can’t imagine it being any more severe," said Christian, who also testified about injuries to the girl's vagina.

After being found partially clothed in an Upper Darby playground, the girl was transported to CHOP's emergency room where she was examined and forensic evidence collected.

The girl was also given anti-retrovirals to try and protect her body from any exposure to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. Some of the drugs caused illness and vomiting, which the child endured for days after treatment in the ER.

Christian testified that the child’s mother called pediatricians days after leaving the hospital because the child remained in immense pain, had difficulty walking and was still not able to go to the bathroom.

The girl was taken to the hospital's Child Abuse, Referral and Evaluation Clinic where she was surgically examined under anesthesia. Christian said the internal exam helped them determine the need for a temporary colostomy bag to give her body time to heal.

That procedure was reversed in May, four months later, with another surgery, the doctor testified.

Christian said she has conducted “thousands and thousands” of exams on children who had been sexually abused. She said she can’t think of more than two handfuls of cases where the trauma and injury to the anus had been as severe as what the child went through in this case.

“Children shouldn’t have to have colostomies. They are very rare,” Christian said.

Regusters has maintained her innocence in the case. Her attorney has argued that prosecutors have the wrong person, despite the introduction of DNA evidence on the T-shirt the child was wearing when she was found.

Earlier in the day, the victim's brother and sister took the stand to recount the day of the abduction. The victim is expected to face her alleged rapist in court Wednesday.

A man is in custody after he allegedly carjacked customers outside an Atlantic City casino and then burned one of the vehicles.

On Sunday around 7:15 a.m., Atlantic City Police received a call from security at the Golden Nugget Hotel/Casino reporting that a vehicle was taken from their customers at gunpoint. When police arrived at the scene they were met by the victims who claimed a gunman approached them and stole their Silver Pontiac Grand Am.

That same morning, around 11:45 a.m., police received another call from Golden Nugget security reporting the armed carjacker stole another vehicle on the 5th floor of the self-parking garage at the casino. The victims told responding officers that the armed suspect approached them and stole their White Silverado pickup truck.

Atlantic City Police Detectives say they later spotted the Grand Am on the 700 block of North Maryland Avenue. Police say the interior of the vehicle had been set on fire.

Moments later, the detectives found the suspect in both carjackings, identified as 39-year-old Rahim Adams of Newark, New Jersey. Police say Adams was walking on Maryland Ave and carrying two Golden Nugget bags. They also say he was in possession of a handgun.

When Adams spotted the detectives he allegedly dropped his bags and began to run but the officers caught up to him and placed him in custody. The officers recovered Adams’ handgun which had one round in the chamber, according to investigators. Police also say five rounds were found on the ground where the gun’s magazine had fallen.

Police also located the Silverado pickup truck on North Maryland Avenue.

Adams was arrested and charged with carjacking, armed robbery and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose. He was remanded to the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $250,000 bail.
 

For more than two centuries, the Darby Free Library has remained both a vital part of its community as well as a historical landmark. Built in 1743 by Quakers, it remains the oldest public library in the nation. But a financial crisis has left it in danger of shutting down by the end of the year.

Currently 60 percent of Darby residents and 1,500 people a month regularly use the library’s services.

“I use the computer,” said Kiarra Powell. “If I need any books, they help me find my books.”

Yet despite the community support, the library is in the midst of a financial crisis. Recent state cuts wiped out $50,000 in the library’s operating budget.

“Money is scarce here,” said Darby library board president Jay McCalla. “We’ve been able to stay afloat and keep our doors open by doing things we didn’t want to do: cutting back on the benefits to our employees, and cutting back on books that we were ordering.”

While the budget cuts keep coming, the bills continue to add up, including a $7,000 electric bill employees at the library say they’re unable to pay. Many local families who rely on the library for resources are concerned about the possible closure.

“I grew up here, to be honest,” Powell said. “This is kind of like family. Hearing that it could be getting shut down, it really affects me and my son.”

McCalla is hoping that doesn’t happen.

“It would be a crime to lose this unique resource that’s not just unique to Darby,” McCalla said. “No other community in America has this library, the oldest in the nation.”

McCalla says they may have to make a decision on whether or not to close the library sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

According to McCalla, state and federal officials can’t give them money to keep the library open. Instead, the money must come from the Darby Borough or those willing to lend a helping hand.

If you would like to donate or volunteer, visit the Darby Free Library website.
 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia

A teenage boy was shot and killed on a basketball court during a neighborhood cookout in North Philadelphia Tuesday night.

Investigators say the victim, identified by loved ones as 17-year-old Robert Reid, was playing basketball at the Hartranft Rec Center on the 2400 block of North 9th Street around 8:40 p.m. A cookout with around 100 people was also taking place next to the court.

Suddenly, police say, an unidentified gunman fired ten shots. Reid was struck several times in the chest and head. Responding medics tried to revive the teen but were unable to. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Witnesses told police they spotted another 17-year-old boy wearing a baseball cap and dark t-shirt, running down 8th Street moments after the shooting. Police suspect the fleeing teen was the shooter and that Reid was his intended target.

"We know that the shooter was in pretty close proximity to the victim," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

No one else was hurt during the shooting. Police are currently interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance video.

A referee during the game told NBC10 that Reid was a basketball player. He described Reid as a "great kid" who played at the Rec Center every day. The referee also said the goal of the rec center's basketball league is to get children and teens away from the violence in their neighborhood.

A family friend also told NBC10 Reid lived with his mother about two blocks away from the court.

The search is on for a vandal or group of vandals who are targeting the graves of military veterans at cemeteries in Bensalem, Pa.

Police say the vandals targeted the Roosevelt Memorial Park on the 2700 block of Old Lincoln Highway and the Rosedale Memorial Park on the 3800 block of Richlieu Road. The first incident occurred at Roosevelt Memorial a few weeks ago but was not initially reported to police. Another incident occurred at Roosevelt over the weekend and a third occurred at Rosedale on Monday. 

“To happen at two cemeteries about a mile or two apart, clearly it seems like it’s the same person doing this and they’re upset over something,” said Bensalem Police Sergeant Bill McVey.

During the vandalisms, the suspects removed the American flags, flag holders and decorations from the graves, placed them in a pile and burned them. Police believe the vandals are specifically targeting the graves of military veterans.

“Most of them probably are veterans’ graves because some of the burn materials were veterans’ flag holders, for veterans,” McVey said. “So I would assume that most of them are veterans.”

Bensalem Police added extra patrols to local cemeteries as the investigation continues.

“I’m relieved that I came here and noticed that my parents’ grave was not touched,” said Barb Keenan, who buried her father, a military veteran, last June. “But I feel horrible for other families who have to come here and find that stuff is missing.

If you have any information on the vandals, please call Bensalem Police at 215-633-3719.
 

SEPTA is adding another round of overnight train service Labor Day despite the staggering cost of running the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines each weekend.

"There will be an extra night of overnight service for Labor Day, Sunday into Monday," said Manny Smith, a SEPTA spokesman.

The cost to operate the trains, which run every 20 minutes between midnight and 5 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, is approximately $47,000 per weekend, Smith said. 

In comparison, SEPTA spent about $13,000 for the Nite Owl bus service to cover the same time periods, he said.

The price tag includes staffing, security, maintenance and power costs, and train service warrants more of all those items, Smith said.

Since the program began June 15, about 14,000 passengers on average use the overnight train service each weekend -- nearly 5,000 more than the Nite Owl buses, according to SEPTA's initial analysis. 

Ridership peaked at 24,000 during the July 4th holiday weekend.

Data from the pilot program's first month shows most riders board between midnight and 3 a.m. at stops near nightlife like Girard Avenue, 2nd Street, 13th Street and 40th Street on the Market-Frankford Line and AT&T Station, Walnut-Locust and Lombard-South on the Broad Street Line.

But the increased ridership has not offset the additional cost.

"The overnight service has so far been pretty popular among riders who already use SEPTA," Smith said.

To put a dent into the extra expenses, SEPTA needs people who normally take taxis or other modes of transportation home to hop on the train, which has not been the case so far.

"There hasn't been any significant difference in drivers' earnings since SEPTA starting running the 24-hour [weekend] subway line," said Ronald Blount, president of the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania. "From what drivers have been telling me, it's been pretty much the same."

SEPTA will determine the future of overnight service on the Broad and Market-Frankford lines after the pilot ends Nov. 2.

Initially the pilot program was set to end Labor Day, but SEPTA extended the program so it could account for riders who are away in the summer months. 

"We really want to see how students and other residents in the area find the service to be once they return to their normal patterns," he said.

Even if the dollars do not work in SEPTA's favor, there is still a possibility weekend overnight train service will continue.

"SEPTA isn't necessarily in the business of making a profit," he added. "We are a public service agency."

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

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia

A large fire ripped through a New Jersey home containing several animals, sending up a ball of fire and heavy black smoke before part of it collapsed under the heat, killing 11 dogs inside, officials say. 

It's not clear what sparked the devastating fire in Clifton Monday afternoon, though authorities don't consider it suspicious. 

"It seemed to progress pretty quickly, seemed to be happening in the back of the house," said neighbor Jenna Ricciardi. 

It appeared to start as smoke coming from an annex to the house, but the fire quickly took over, officials said. The roof later collapsed under the heat.

No people were inside at the time, but there were numerous animals in the house, which was operating as a pet day care, though health officials say there was no registered listing for a business at the address. 

The operators of Your Family Pet Sitters, Tom and Laura Kieffer, promote daily and long-term care for pets from Laura Kieffer's mother's home. 

"It's really hard because we care so much about those animals," said homeowner Joan Maso. 

Tom Kieffer said he loved the animals he watched as if they were his own, but neighbors wondered if the outcome could have been different had the business been properly registered and vetted.

"It bothers me to know there were 11 dogs in there, and if you're sitting for the dogs, then you have to have some kind of backup plan for an emergency," said Justine Paitchell.

Officials say the bodies of the 11 dogs were recovered from the fire, and two are still missing but presumed dead. Two cats are still missing and also believed dead. 

Two dogs made it out of the home safely. 

Fire investigators, the ASPCA and police were on the scene. Three firefighters were taken to the hospital for minor injuries, mainly heat exhaustion, officials said. 

Two armed men pretending to be police officers made off with $100,000 from a Philadelphia food distribution center and police believe the heist could be an inside job.

The whole theft at Kawa Foods along N Delaware Avenue in the city’s Fishtown neighborhood went down in just a matter of minutes.

Investigators said it began with a knock at the door around 2 a.m. The two men at the door identified themselves as police and wore police hats – one even carried a police badge.

"We can assure you these were not police officers," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Three workers, including a male and a female business owner, were inside at the time. The owners opened the door and that’s when the attack began.

The armed men -- wearing surgical gloves and surgical masks --  put guns to each owner’s head and demanded, “the money,” according to investigators.

"They threatened to shoot them if they did not cooperate," said Small.

The suspects appeared to know where that “money” was kept because they went about 25 feet into the safe room and stole two bags of cash worth around $100,000, investigators said.

One of the men held the owners at gunpoint while the other stole the cash, Small said.

The men quickly left, but not before trying to cover their tracks.

“They then tried to tear some of the recording video equipment off the wall, which they did -- threw it to the ground – then they exited through the same door that they entered,” said Small.

The men then jumped into a dark-colored mid-2000s Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV and drove off west on Susquehanna Avenue.

Police said no one at the food warehouse, which distributes emergency food supplies and specialty foods, was hurt.

Investigators said despite the attempts to destroy video evidence that some surveillance video survived. Police hope that video will help them track down the suspects.

Investigators worked on the assumption that the robbers knew what they were looking for.

""It's dark, it's very convoluted back here," said Small. "There's always a possibility that somebody knew where they were going and knew where the money was inside this property."

A Northeast Philadelphia man accused of a strangling his wife and leaving her body at a local park -- a crime police say he confessed to committing -- was due in court Wednesday.

Christopher Murray was set to appear before a Philadelphia judge for a preliminary hearing. Murray, 48, faces a murder count in the Aug.4 killing of his wife Constance "Connie" Murray.

That hearing was delayed until October however.

Police say Murray confessed to killing his wife at Pennypack Park following an argument. According to investigators, there were ongoing domestic issues between the husband and wife which culminated in the deadly argument.

Investigators say Connie left her Tolbut Street home the night of Aug. 4 to go for a walk. While she was walking, Murray allegedly followed her while driving a silver Taurus. He pulled up beside her on Willets Road and the two began to argue, according to police.

"She sticks her head in the car, says something and she goes back on her walk," said Philadelphia Police Lt. Philip Riehl.

Police say Murray continued to follow her and got out of his vehicle on Holme Avenue around 9:30 p.m. The husband then met his wife at a bench area at the park where another argument ensued.

"She went up there voluntarily to talk to him about whatever was going on and things went bad," Riehl said.

According to law enforcement sources, Connie Murray accused her husband of infidelity, which he denied. Sources say she went to the park's snack stand to meet her daughter where she was met by her husband who wanted to discuss the issue further. According to sources, Christopher Murray told police his wife began to slap him which caused him to snap.

Murray allegedly strangled his wife and then left her body at the bench area near the Crispin Rec Center. Investigators say he then contacted police around 2 a.m. and reported that his wife was missing. A woman walking her dog later found Connie's body the next morning.

After receiving several neighborhood tips and looking at surveillance video allegedly showing Christopher Murray driving his silver Taurus, police identified him as a suspect. He was taken in for questioning the following weekend.

"State Trooper David Lang came in and helped us and administered a lie detector test," Riehl said. "After failing the lie detector test, Murray confessed to strangling his wife in the park next to the two benches where she was found."

Police also say they recovered Connie's headphones and cellphone in a sewer at Solly Avenue. They believe Murray took the items and disposed of them there.

Murray remains jailed without bail.