Two drivers crashed into an oncoming vehicle after racing on a Philadelphia street early Wednesday morning.

The two racing drivers lost control as they sped north on Noth 2nd Street toward West Luzerne Street in the city's Juniata section around  2 a.m., according to police.

The vehicles collided with another oncoming car and smashed into several parked cars, authorities said.

The two drivers, who were racing, were rushed to a local hospital, but both should be okay, said officials, who added the driver of the oncoming vehicle did not suffer any injuries,

Amid cries of disapproval and pleas from players and parents, a New Jersey school district unanimously approved the decision to sideline a powerhouse high school football program for the remainder of the season in the wake of a criminal probe into hazing allegations.

The board that oversees Sayreville High School approved the decision to cancel team activities at all levels – freshman, junior varsity and varsity – just a day after parents were told in a private meeting that the teams wouldn’t play another down in 2014.

The decision comes after Middlesex County prosecutors said they were investigating reports of bullying, harassment and intimidation involving some seniors on the team. Authorities said last week that some of the allegations could constitute as sexual assault. 

The school, which won the Central New Jersey Section IV championship three out of the last four years, had already canceled and forfeited a game against South Brunswick last week.

Sayreville Schools Superintendent Richard Labbe said Monday in a statement that the incidents took place "on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level, and at a level in which the players knew, tolerated and in general accepted.” No single player has been suspended.

Before voting, school board president Kevin Ciak said the decision to cancel the remainder of the season was the right one.

“It’s a sad situation to be in, but I really believe, at the end of the day, when we come back next year, it will be with a stronger sense of commitment and character,” Ciak said.

Tuesday’s school board meeting was regularly scheduled but held in the school’s cafeteria to accommodate the massive crowd. Community members and parents expressed anger with the decision to end the season, while players decked out in blue and gray jerseys and letterman jackets made emotional pleas to the board.

One senior player, Justin Gallagher, told the board that he didn’t think any of his Bombers teammates – who he referred to as “brothers” – would harass or intimidate one another.

“We’re a team," he said. "We stick together and nothing makes me believe anybody’s after each other."

Another senior player, Derek Rodriguez, said a decision takes away from seniors who had wanted to play for the team their whole lives and weren't talented enough to go on to play college football.

“We’re not going to have that closure of finishing our senior year and going out like we wanted to go out,” he said. “It got taken from us for something that we didn’t even know that was going on.”

Parents also voiced disapproval, saying the decision unfairly punishes students who may have not known about the alleged hazing.

Madeline Valet said her son, a team captain, has dedicated himself to the team and was questioned by police about “a butt being grabbed.” She said she didn’t think the players should lose the season.

“No one was hurt, no one was died,” Valet said. “I don’t understand why they’re being punished… I don’t believe the punishment fits the crime.”

Still, school board members all decided to uphold the decision to cancel the season. In their own statements – peppered with boos and catcalls from the audience -- several members explained their reasoning for voting for the cancellation.

School board member John Walsh alluded to the case of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University student who committed suicide after being bullied by a roommate.

“It's sad and it’s terrible and it’s heartbreaking (to cancel the season), I get that," Walsh said. "But it's not tragic. Tragic would be walking in front of the casket of a victim who decided he couldn't take it anymore."

Meanwhile, police are also investigating assistant football coach Charlie Garcia, 38, after they found more than two boxes of steroids and more than a dozen syringes during a traffic stop late last month.

A necropsy conducted on a 300-pound black bear found circling the body of a Rutgers student who went hiking in a New Jersey nature preserve last month found that the animal did not have rabies, according to an official report released Tuesday.

Test results released by the state Department of Environmental Protection revealed human blood was found on the bear's front paws, and bits of human tissue, hair and clothing were found in its stomach, according to the report from the DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife. 

Darsh Patel, 22, had gone hiking in the Apshawa Preserve with four friends on Sept. 21 when they encountered the bear, according to authorities. The group ran in different directions and noticed Patel was missing when they regrouped. 

Recordings of the 911 calls after the bear attack captured Patel's friends' panic.

"Hey, hello, I'm on Macopin Road, it's 81 Macopin Rd., I believe I'm in West Milford or somewhere around there," said a friend in the first 911 call. "We were hiking and we saw a bear, and we all started running and it started chasing us."

"Two of us are OK, one other person (unintelligible), but two are really close, and I'm scared out of my mind for them. I want to go back, but I'm hurt and I don't know what to do," the caller said. 

West Milford police and other officers responded, and found Patel's body a short time after they arrived. Officials said Patel had bite and claw marks on his body that indicated he'd been attacked by the bear. 

An incident report filed by DEP officers also revealed that Patel's pants, phone and socks were found near his body, stuck to the briars. The cellphone had a puncture mark on the front screen.

The bear would not leave the area, even after officers tried to scare it away by making loud noises and throwing sticks and stones, and it eventually was killed with two rifle blasts. Authorities said it was 4 years old.

State and local officials have stressed that bear attacks are rare even in a region of the state that may have as many as 2,400 bruins in its dense forests. They said the attack was the first fatal bear-human encounter on record in New Jersey.

Kelcey Burguess, a black bear biologist with the department, has said it's possible the bear was looking for food, he said.

The four other hikers who'd gone with Patel told authorities the bear appeared to be following them; they were all carrying granola bars and water. The number of acorns in the woods where the bear was is far lower than it should be at this time of year, Burguess said. The bear was also stalking the body when police arrived, and Burguess said it's common for black bears to guard their food sources.

The Apshawa Preserve is a 576-acre natural area used for hiking and bird watching.

Rutgers said in a statement that Patel was a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in information technology and informatics. Patel's family has asked for privacy.

The NYPD says one police officer has been suspended without pay and another has been placed on modified duty after a video surfaced of them punching and hitting a 16-year-old drug suspect in the face with a gun in Brooklyn while the teen had his hands up to surrender.

The surveillance footage, which was originally obtained by DNAInfo.com, shows the officers catch up to the teen after a brief chase in Bedford-Stuyvesant. As the suspect stops running one officer throws a punch at his face. Then the other officer hits him with his gun after the teen raises his hands in the air.

The teenager was arrested Aug. 29. Prosecutors said the teen ended up pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and was released.

But the teen's lawyer said officers had no reason to stop him in the first place.

"My client was leaving a friend's apartment, he committed absolutely no crime, he did absolutely nothing wrong, and these officers decided to chase him," said Amy Rameau. "They chased him and they brutalized him."

"You don't get to stop anyone you feel like stopping in the streets when there's no probable cause," she said. 

The two officers, who are from the 79th Precinct, are being investigated by the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau and Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson.

"What's depicted on this video is troubling and warrants a thorough investigation," Thompson said in a statement.

A police union official, Patrick Lynch, called the video misleading because it doesn't show how the teenage suspect was caught with drugs and tried to get away.

"As usual, the video fails to capture the offense that resulted in police action or the lengthy foot pursuit that culminated in the arrest," Lynch said. "Situations like this one happen in real time under great stress. It's very easy to be judgmental in the comfort of an office while sitting in front of a video screen."

Rameau said she plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the NYPD and the officers.

-- Stacey Bell contributed to this report. 

A blaze tore through a private Montgomery County property early Wednesday morning after wires fell onto the building overnight.

Firefighters responded to reports of a fire near Keswick and Donaldson avenues in Glenside, Pennsylvania around 1 a.m., according to officials.

Windy conditions may have knocked down the wires, which then triggered a fire on a private rear garage, according to crews at the scene.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze shortly after it broke out. Nearby store fronts did not sustain any damage and no one was hurt.

Here are the 10 things you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.

TODAY'S TOP STORY

Football Season Canceled: Amid cries of disapproval and pleas from players and parents, a New Jersey school district unanimously approved the decision to sideline a powerhouse high school football program for the remainder of the season in the wake of a criminal probe into hazing allegations.

The board that oversees Sayreville High School approved the decision to cancel team activities at all levels – freshman, junior varsity and varsity – just a day after parents were told in a private meeting that the teams wouldn’t play another down in 2014.

• MORE ON THE CONTROVERSY

YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST

Your Wednesday will be REALLY windy with spotty showers. Watch your full NBC10 First Alert Forecast:

WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY

'Columbine-Like' Threat at Local College: A college freshman frustrated with bullying threatened to shoot up his Delaware County university like it was Columbine High School, according to authorities.

Chester Police joined county investigators to arrest a 20-year-old New Jersey man on Widener University's campus Tuesday after a threatening message posted anonymously to Yik Yak emerged.

"I will attempt to shoot everyone who I (expletive) hate and who bully me every single day!!!!" read the message posted around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

• MORE ON THE SCARY THREAT

AROUND THE WORLD

Air Force Vet Joins Fight Against ISIS: A U.S. citizen from Ohio has made his way to Syria to fight alongside Kurdish fighters in the battle against ISIS.

Brian Wilson, 43, a former Air Force veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm, left behind an ex-wife and several children to join the Kurdish People's Protection Union, also known by the initials YPG.

• MORE ON THE OHIO MAN

TODAY'S TALKER

Bad Batch of Pot Sends 50 to Local Hospital: Investigators are warning Berks County residents of a bad batch of synthetic marijuana that may have sent about 50 patients to the hospital within the past month.

Dozens of patients who they believe ingested K2, a synthetic marijuana, have come in to the emergency room acting erratic and deranged. In some cases they were even near death, according to doctors.

“Most are agitated, belligerent, psychotic, hallucinating and very difficult to control,” said Dr. Charles Barbera.

• MORE ON WHAT WAS IN THE POT

SPORTS SPOT

Eagles may be on top of the NFC East, but their defense still needs some work. CSNPhilly has the story.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

See more Top News Photos here.

THROUGH IGER'S EYES

Haven't been to the mountains lately? Maybe this photo by @mattisphoto will inspire you.

Have an awesome Instagram photo you'd like to share. Tag it with #NBC10Buzz.

TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO

CUTE ALERT! Sometimes you just need a little reminder that life should be simple.

A LITTLE SWEETENER

A Little Twitter Riddle From J.K. Rowling: J.K. Rowling has used a few clever tweets to send Harry Potter fans into a frenzy.

On Monday the 49-year-old author innocently shared on Twitter, "Very busy at the moment working on a novel, tweaking a screenplay and being involved in @lumos campaigns. Back when I've finished something!"

One fan replied, "Everytime @jk_rowling tweets I stop what ever I'm doing and analyze it for an hour," to which Rowling replied, ".@peruseproject See, now I'm tempted to post a riddle or an anagram. Must resist temptation... must work..."

Several hours later, Rowling offered up her riddle. "Cry, foe! Run amok! Fa awry! My wand won't tolerate this nonsense," she teased, followed by, "Something to ponder while I'm away X."

• WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

That's what you need to know. We've got more stories worthy of your time in the Breakfast Buzz section. Click here to check them out. 

An officer with the New York Police Department and a New York State Trooper are facing multiple charges after an investigation into the April 2014 sexual assault of a woman at an Atlantic City casino.

Authorities arrested 35-year-old Devon Thomas, a 7-year veteran of the NYPD, Tuesday and they expect 32-year-old Andrei Torres, a 3-year-veteran of the New York State Police, to turn himself in Wednesday.

Thomas, of Hollis, New York, and Torres, of Middle Village, New York, are facing aggravated sexual assault and other related charges for their alleged roles in the sexual assault of a 34-year-old woman at the Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino on April 24.

Investigators did not reveal details of the assault.

Both suspects are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

At least four people, including one child, after a school bus crashed in southwest Philadelphia Wednesday morning.

The accident occurred near Island Avenue and Lindbergh Boulevard around 8 a.m., according to reports.

Authorities transported the injured child to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, while the others were taken to other local hospitals, according to officials.

Overnight weekend service on the Broad Street and Market-Frankford rail lines will be extended indefinitely, despite the increased cost to the transit agency, SEPTA officials announced Wednesday.

"Late night customers have proven, by riding in record numbers each weekend that this is a service they want," said Joseph Casey, SEPTA's general manager. "That's why even with the increased costs we have decided to continue overnight service."

The overnight weekend trains, which run from midnight to 5 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, began as a pilot program, which was initially set to end Labor Day weekend.  SEPTA previously extended the pilot through early November.

The cost to operate the trains, which run every 20 minutes during the 5-hour span each day, is approximately $47,000 per weekend, a SEPTA official told NBC10 in August.

The expense is more than three times the amount SEPTA spent to operate the Nite Owl bus service during the same time periods.

But the staggering cost to SEPTA did not outweigh the demands of passengers. On average, 15,000 riders boarded the overnight trains each weekend since the pilot's launch on June 15, according to the transit agency.

The Nite Owl buses, however, averaged about 9,000 passengers, SEPTA officials said.

The transit agency will continue to evaluate the program to determine areas where it can reduce costs without compromising safety.

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

Police arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly killing his stepfather Monday with two gunshots to his face.

An investigation led police to charge James Kelly with murder and other related offenses in the shooting death of 41-year-old Rafael Santiago.

Police said they responded to a home on the 3100 block of Holly Road in Northeast Philadelphia just after 12:45 p.m.. Monday to find Santiago lying in a pool of blood in a second floor bedroom.

Medics on the scene pronounced Santiago dead at 12:57 p.m.

The medical examiner determined Kelly's stepfather sustained two gunshot wounds to his face and classified the death a homicide, according to investigators.

Later that same day, police arrested and charged Kelly.

Authorities said the motive for the fatal shooting was an argument.

Kelly was denied bail and he is currently being held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.

Medics airlifted one person to Temple University Hospital Wednesday morning after he suffered burns to his head and face in a fire that erupted in the projection room of a Bucks County movie theater.

Firefighters said they responded to reports of a blaze at the United Artists Oxford Valley Stadium theater on the 400 block of Middletown Boulevard in Langhorne, Pennsylvania around 9 a.m..

Crews were able to extinguish the fire. but one man already suffered first- and second-degree burns to his head, according to the Bucks County Courier Times.

Authorities have yet to identify the victim.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A Montgomery County mother allegedly introduced her 15-year-old daughter and the girl's teenage boyfriend to heroin and would take the couple -- and sometimes an 8-year-old child -- on trips into Philadelphia to buy the drug.

Lower Salford Township Police arrested Patricia Davenport and Megan Rudolph Tuesday on charges that they supplied drugs to minors.

Details released by District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman Wednesday afternoon focus primarily on allegations against Davenport and allegations that Davenport introduced her child to what Ferman called “the devil’s poison.”

“I can’t fathom these allegations,” said Ferman. “It’s incomprehensible to me that any parent would introduce their children, their child, to drugs like this. And not just introduce them, but then perpetuate that addiction and obtain (the drugs) and inject them on multiple occasions.”

Ferman said that the drug investigation began on the first day of school at Souderton High School when a report came in that a 15-year-old girl was using drugs supplied by her mother. About a week later, a girl told a school guidance counselor that she saw the same juvenile using heroin with Davenport.

The school nurse then found needle marks on the teenage tipster's arm, according to investigators.

Lower Salford Police began to uncover more details. They found that Davenport and Rudolph began using heroin together inside Davenport's Harleysville, Pennsylvania home back in April. On one occasion, police said that Davenport, 35, offered and snorted heroin with her teen daughter.

After that, Davenport and Rudolph, 26, began taking the girl, her 16-year-old boyfriend, and sometimes Davenport's 8-year-old son, on drug-buying trips into Philadelphia, said investigators.

The women and teens would then allegedly use the drugs while driving back home to Montgomery County, according to investigators. The women would use syringes to inject themselves and the girls.

Ferman said that even though the group would sometimes bring Davenport's 8-year-old along, they never gave the boy any heroin. The buys would happen multiple times a week.

"Mom was supplying the funds not only for herself, and others, but for her daughter," said Lower Salford Police Chief Thomas Medwid.

Both women face 11 counts in total including corruption of minors, child endangerment, reckless endangerment and drug counts, according to court documents.

Davenport, 35, remained behind bars Wednesday unable to post $50,000 bail, according to court records.

Casino workers blocked traffic on a highway Wednesday night to protest demands for contract givebacks being made to keep the Trump Taj Mahal casino open.

Members of Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union swarmed an intersection at the foot of the Atlantic City Expressway and blocked traffic heading into the seaside gambling resort for about 15 minutes shortly before 6 p.m. Police said 24 protesters who sat down in the intersection and refused to move when ordered by officers were arrested and charged with obstructing a highway and failure to move.

They chanted a new variation on a popular civil rights theme, vowing, ``No health care, no peace!''

They were given tickets to appear at a future court date and released.

``We're sitting down to stand up for our health care coverage,'' said Charles Baker, a cook at the Taj Mahal since it opened in 1990. ``We fought too long and too hard for this coverage to give it up. Most of our members are 45 or older and this is the time in our lives when we need health care coverage the most.''

Trump Entertainment Resorts is threatening to close the Taj Mahal on Nov. 13 unless the union agrees to give up its pension plan and health insurance, the city drastically reduces its tax assessment, and state government contributes $25 million in aid. The company asked billionaire investor Carl Icahn to take it over by converting its debt into ownership, and investing $100 million to keep the Taj Mahal running.

The casino wants the employees to find coverage on their own through the Affordable Care Act, and offered subsidies to help them do it.

Union president Bob McDevitt said Trump Entertainment is acting as a proxy for Icahn, who also owns the Tropicana, and won't agree to extend the current union contract through March.

``Today is about the workers standing up for themselves,'' he said. ``We're not going to ignore the incestuous relationship between these two operators. While the other casinos agreed to extend the contract for six months to give everyone time to deal with the absolutely horrible problems of this summer, Tropicana has chosen to strip-mine the union contract and destroy the quality of life in Atlantic City.''

Four of Atlantic City's 12 casinos have closed this year, although Revel's new owners plan to reopen it; the Taj Mahal would be the fifth.

Icahn rejected the union's criticism, adding that it was he who rescued the Tropicana from bankruptcy four years ago and saved union jobs there.

``I saved the Tropicana,'' he told The Associated Press. ``They won't tell you that. I risked $100 million when no one else would do it and that's why they have jobs today.''

Tropicana president Tony Rodio said his casino has gained market share and added 250 jobs under Icahn's ownership.

Icahn said he had nothing to do with the Taj Mahal aside from owning the company's debt. He said he'd reluctantly invest another $100 million in return for union concessions and government aid, noting that the casino is losing $7 million a month without even paying interest on its debt, or any of its property taxes.

He said the union needs to make some concessions to help save Atlantic City's casino industry.

``The patient is on its death bed and rather than helping it, they're whacking it in the head,'' Icahn said.

Paul Smith, a Taj Mahal cook for 21 years and a single father of two children, says his health insurance kept him afloat after suffering a heart attack, which generated nearly $1 million in medical costs.

``We need to fight for these benefits,'' he said. ``Without health insurance, I wouldn't be here today. This needs to be done, and I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep it.''
 

Jenna Gassew and Dan Haley welcomed their son Shane Michael Hale early Thursday morning, celebrating the birth of a Pennsylvania newborn whose diagnosis with a rare, terminal condition in the womb generated support and prayers from legions of online followers.

"Baby Shane is here!!" reads a post on the Delaware County parents' Facebook page, Prayers for Shane, where they shared status updates of their unborn son's travels, which they called his bucket list. Half a million people are following their #shanesbucketlist updates.  

"Shane Michael Haley...born at 2:25 a.m.... happy birthday to our little man!," a post read

"Mom and Baby are doing well!" the Facebook post continues. "[More] details and pictures to come!"

Shane has anencephaly, a rare birth defect that results in babies being born without parts of their brain and skull. He is not expected to survive long after birth.

The birth defects that happen during the first month of pregnancy, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Most anencephalic babies live only a few hours after they are born.

Gassew and Haley celebrated Shane's impending arrival by posting party pictures of his extended family just days before his birth. 

At 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, a post appeared on the page: "Shane is on his way!"

Gassew was induced at Riddle Memorial Hospital Wednesday — four days prior to her Oct. 12 due date — because there was a presence of high levels of amniotic fluid. The rare complication, called polyhydramnios, is known to come with Shane’s more serious anencephaly diagnosis.

"We are so grateful for the many amazing messages, personal stories and posts we receive daily and we really appreciate all of your support! .. we are relaxing and taking the time to read him his books, talk to him, and celebrate every little moment we can .. he will be here in less than a week and we couldn't be more excited to hold little Shane in our arms!" the couple posted on Facebook after sharing the news of the planned labor.

Anencephany develops through a combination of genetics and environmental factors, according to Dr. Simon Gregory, an associate professor of medicine at the Duke Institute of Molecular Physiology, which has done research on neural tube defects like anencephaly. There is no known cure for anencephaly, because the disorder can’t be pinpointed to just one gene.

Gassew and Haley, who found out they were expecting in February, learned of the diagnosis in April. They took the heartbreaking news to Facebook and set up the prayer page using the social networking site.

They didn’t stop there, though.

Inspired by thoughts about about all the places they enjoyed going when they were kids that Shane would never get to experience, they created a bucket list for their unborn child and embarked on a summer’s worth of beach days, baseball games and concert trips.

They took pictures along the way, documenting Shane’s travels using the hashtag #shanesbucketlist.

Seeing the Flyers, Phillies, Zac Brown Band, New York City, Lancaster, The Franklin Institute and Linvilla Orchards were just a few of the items they got to check off their list. They made a special trip to Geno's Steaks, where they got to eat at the restaurant's only inside table with owner Geno Vento.

Support poured in for the young couple on the Facebook page as family, friends and total strangers posted encouraging words daily. One maternity photographer offered her services for free and took pictures of the expectant couple at a local park, and some supporters have crocheted hats and onesies specially altered by Jenna’s grandmother to fit the baby.

"It's the hardest thing in the world but you can make it through," Jenna said earlier in the pregnancy, as they set out on their bucket list. "We're his parents and we're going to take care of him as long as we can."

A chain-reaction crash that involved a school bus along a New Castle County, Delaware road left three people hurt.

Delaware State Police said that all three of the injuries occurred to people in the other two vehicles involved in the wreck at Kennett Pike and Sunnyside Road in Greenville around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Medics took two of the injured to a nearby hospital while the third victim received treatment at the scene.

Police said none of the nine students on board the bus suffered any injuries.

The cause of the crash, which left a light-colored hatchback sandwiched between the yellow bus and a gold sedan, remained under investigation Wednesday afternoon.

The fish was how big?

A Pennsylvanian angler made an amazing catch during a sport fishing tournament off the coast of Delaware.

David Walker set a new Delaware state record when he caught a 17.1-pound sheepshead in the lower Delaware Bay over a rock pile on a green crab on Sept. 29, according to Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Fish & Wildlife

Wildlife officials said the 28-inch long fish that had a girth of 24 inches broke previous record holder Christopher Wentz’s 15.11 pound sheepshead catch from two years ago.

Sheepshead are known for prominent teeth, veritcal black bars of color and strong, sharp spines.

Walker, who hails from Boothwyn, described his record catch as “delicious,” according to wildlife officials.

Delaware officials recognized the catch since Walker caught it from a boat that departed and returned to a Delaware port.