As ride-sharing service UberX continues to battle the Philadelphia Parking Authority over whether it's legal to pick up passengers in Philadelphia, the service's drivers may face a new problem: arrest.
The state-controlled parking authority or PPA, which oversees taxi and limousine service in the city, has impounded and fined 14 drivers for operating over the past two weeks. The agency contends it has not approved UberX to run and that drivers don't meet the same safety standards as taxi drivers.
Now, the parking authority is warning drivers they face arrest and additional legal fines.
A parking authority spokesman tells NBC10 that the head of the Fraternal Order of Police has warned that his members are bound to uphold the law and arrest anyone illegally running a taxi service.
John McNesby, president of the FOP Lodge 5, sits on the authority's taxi and limo advisory committee.
Unlike its traditional black car service which is licensed to operate, UberX pairs passengers up with drivers who are using their personal car. They connect through a smartphone app and Uber handles all of the payment arrangements electronically.
According to state law, those running an illegal, also called a "hack," taxi face up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail for a first offense. Subsequent offenses are third-degree misdemeanors that carry up to a $2,500 fine and a year in prison if found guilty.
UberX has said it is not breaking the law since it received approval from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to operate. The company has been paying for driver's fines and impound fees.
In a statement Sunday, UberX spokesman Taylor Bennett said the company has been trying to work with the PPA, but that the agency has not been accommodating to new services.
"The PPA's actions are intentionally harmful and transparently anti-competitive," Bennett wrote. "We have tried to work with the PPA to craft sensible ride-sharing rules, but their response to carve out Philadelphia from any transportation network company regulations is illogical, self-serving and does nothing to benefit consumers."
Asked whether the company has advised drivers what to do should they be arrested, Bennett said UberX would "fully stand behind our partners and will cover all costs associated."
A man has been hospitalized after police say security guards of a South Philadelphia gentleman’s club shot him for trying to run one of them down with his minivan.
The shooting took place at 12:35 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of Club Onyx along the 2900 block of Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia Police said.
The 27-year-old man was arguing with his wife by the street when a black Honda pulled up and tried to intervene, police said. The woman walked away as her husband and the driver of the other car got into an argument. She then heard four gunshots and ran back to the club, police said. The Honda fled the scene.
The man then followed his wife back the club and began to argue with two security guards about being kicked out of the establishment. Eventually, the man said ‘I’ll kill everyone in here,’ got into his green Kia minivan and attempted to run down one the guards, police said.
The guards opened fire on the van, which then fled the scene. Police eventually caught up to man after finding the minivan on the ramp to Interstate 95 at Broad Street. Bullets had hit him in both shoulders and both legs, according to police.
Officers took the man to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where he was listed in stable condition.
This isn't the first time a shooting took place at the strip club. Three people were shot in the club's parking lot in late February 2013. Another shooting also took place in March 2013.
Police continue to investigate this latest shooting, but said charges are pending against the shooting victim.
Thousands of people descended on Citizens Bank Park on Sunday to take part in the 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer's.
The 5K walk, which kicked off at 11 a.m., is expected to host 15,000 people who have been raising money for the research of a cure for the debilitating disease.
Here's a look at this year's walk through the eyes of its participants. Click on each one to see them bigger:
Authorities in Chester County are trying identify a man who they say has been stealing frozen seafood from a local grocery store.
Caln Township Police said the most recent incident happened on Friday at Amelia's Grocery Outlet located along the 1800 block of Lincoln Highway.
The man walked into the store and stole six bags of frozen shrimp, police said. He was caputred on surveillance video entering and leaving the store.
Police said the man previously tried to steal four bags of shrimp, but fled the store with nothing after being confronted by staff.
Officials believe the man has also stolen from the store before, but do not have information about specific incidents.
Police released surveillance pictures of the man and are asking for the public's help in identifying him.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 610.383.1821.
A man died after he was found bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head inside a car in the Germantown section of Philadelphia Sunday night.
Police responded to a car crash on the 5200 block of Marion Street just after 8 p.m. When they arrived they found a 57-year-old man in the driver’s seat of a 2001 Oldsmobile. The vehicle had struck two parked cars on the street, according to investigators.
The man was bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to the left side of his head, according to investigators.
Police rushed the victim to the Einstein Medical Center where he died early Sunday.
Investigators suspect the unnamed man who lived in the area was shot while his car was moving and the area he was in is a known drug-trafficking hot spot. Investigators also told NBC10 they found cash and a cellphone on the passenger seat.
A 19-year-old was killed and his father was injured when a fire raged through a New Jersey house, authorities said Sunday.
The blaze overtook the three-story structure on Springdale Avenue in East Orange shortly before midnight Saturday night, said Essex County prosecutors.
When first responders arrived, they discovered Abraham Ragin, 19, dead in his second-floor bedroom, prosecutors said. His father, 54-year-old Ronald Ragin, was taken to the hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. Five others escaped the three-family home uninjured., according to prosecutors.
The American Red Cross is helping the victims find food, clothing and a place to stay, the organization said.
Authorities are investigating the blaze.
Zulma Solis is desperate to find her beloved dog Rambo.
The 5-year-old chihuahua Solis has had since he was 2 months old was inside her car when the vehicle was stolen from the parking lot of a New Jersey liquor store Thursday.
"I'm sure he's missing me as much as I'm missing him," Solis told NBC 4 New York Friday. "I want him back, I can't imagine my life without him."
Solis says she parked her 2014 Acura ILX around 7 p.m., and left it running and unlocked when she dashed into the store on Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen to grab a bottle of wine. She says she kept an eye on the car except for a brief moment when a thief slipped in and drove out of the parking lot with Rambo.
"It hit me my car had been stolen with my dog inside," Solis says. "I wasn't thinking about the car, that was my last thought."
The store's owner says police took surveillance video.
"I don't care about the car, you can keep the car," Solis said in a plea to the thief. "Just bring him back to me, that's all I care about."
Here are the 10 things you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.
TODAY'S TOP STORY
Family Hospitalized in CO Incident: A family of three is lucky to be alive Monday morning after Carbon Monoxide levels three times the exposure limit were detected inside their Camden County home overnight.
"It's three times the exposure limit that someone is supposed to have and it leads to instant coma and convulsions" said Winslow Township Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Mangaro.
Police were called to the home around 3:40 a.m.
When they arrived, a little girl opened the door and collapsed.
YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST
A nice forecast makes Monday a little less depressing. We're in for sunny skies and mild temperatures with a high around 61. Watch your full NBC10 First Alert Forecast:
WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY
Teen Saves Cop From Burning Car: A teenage volunteer firefighter and his neighbor jumped into action to save a Philadelphia Police officer from his burning police cruiser after it was broadsided on a city street.
Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Kimsey, 30, was responding to a priority call around 5:25 p.m. Saturday when a Toyota pickup truck collided with his cruiser at the intersection of 28th and Tasker streets, police said.
The force of the crash left Kimsey trapped inside as the police cruiser burst into flames.
Seeing the flames grow around the officer, Joe Chambers, a 17-year-old volunteer firefighter with Leedom Fire Company in Delaware County, and his neighbor, 24-year-old Dante Johnson, rushed over to help.
AROUND THE WORLD
Plane Crash Kills 9: A small plane crashed Sunday afternoon in the Bahamas, killing internationally known minister and motivational speaker Myles Munroe, his wife and several other people, Munroe's ministry said Sunday night. The Bahamian aviation ministry confirmed that there were "some fatalities" among the nine people on board.
TODAY'S TALKER
UberX Potential Arrests: As ride-sharing service UberX continues to battle the Philadelphia Parking Authority over whether it's legal to pick up passengers in Philadelphia, the service's drivers may face a new problem: arrest.
The state-controlled parking authority or PPA, which oversees taxi and limousine service in the city, has impounded and fined 14 drivers for operating over the past two weeks. The agency contends it has not approved UberX to run and that drivers don't meet the same safety standards as taxi drivers.
Now, the parking authority is warning drivers they face arrest and additional legal fines.
SPORTS SPOT
The Eagles are gearing up for a big Monday night game and CSNPhilly has the details.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
See more Top News Photos here.
THROUGH IGER'S EYES
Fall in Philly always makes for a beautiful picture like this one taken by @phillystanbul
Have an awesome Instagram photo you'd like to share. Tag it with #NBC10Buzz.
TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO
How cute?! This dog teaches his baby friend how to jump!
A LITTLE SWEETENER
New Station a Hit: A Philadelphia radio station is going old school -- going from "hot" to explosive as it switches from its mainstream urban format to throwback hip hop.
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.
The sound of gunshots coming from a room startled guests at a South Jersey motel overnight.
Police responded to the Knights Inn along Route 73 in Mount Laurel around 12:30 a.m. Monday after guest reported hearing shots coming from ground-floor room.
When officers arrived at the room they found guests playing with a gun, according to Mount Laurel Police.
Investigators reported no injuries.
Police didn’t announce if anyone would be charged.
A family of three is lucky to be alive Monday morning after Carbon Monoxide levels three times the exposure limit were detected inside their Camden County home overnight.
"It's three times the exposure limit that someone is supposed to have and it leads to instant coma and convulsions" said Winslow Township Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Mangaro.
Emergency crews were called to the home on Hidden Hollow Lane in Sicklerville for reports of a medical emergency around 3:40 a.m.
When police arrived, a man opened the front door and instantly collapsed, officials said.
Jumping into action, authorities searched the home and found the man's wife and their 7-year-old child passed out in the living room. All three were removed from the home and treated before being transported to nearby hospitals for observation.
Because of the extremely high levels of CO, emergency crews stayed outside of the home while it aired out, Mangaro said. They believe the gas leak was caused by a faulty heater.
A power outage caused two Montgomery County schools to open two hours late Monday morning.
The outage knocked out power to Elkins Park School and Wyncote Elementary School in Cheltenham Township, according to the Cheltenham School District.
Wyncote Elementary currently shares the EP campus on New Second Street, according to the district.
The cause of the outage wasn't immediately clear and PECO didn't list it on their outage map.
The US Postal Service says the personal data of its employees, including Social Security numbers, may have been compromised, CNBC reported. Dow Jones reported the total number of staff potentially affected at more than 500,000. In a statement Monday, the USPS said the FBI was leading an investigation and that customer credit card data did not appear to be at risk.
