A woman died in an explosion at her Hunterdon County, New Jersey home and police say neighbors frantically tried to save her, but were not able to reach her in time.

Authorities received a call about a possible explosion at a home located at 74 New Street in Hampton Borough Wednesday morning. When police arrived part of the home collapsed and the unidentified woman was trapped inside.

Investigators say four people rushed to the burning residence after the woman called from her cell phone for help.

"It was reported that she was communicating with them as they attempted to rescue her,” said Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III. "Their heroic acts, although unsuccessful, are a credit to these individuals and their community should be proud of them.”

It took about an hour for fire crews to bring the blaze under control. Authorities found the woman’s body in the basement.

Another person was in the home at the time but was able to escape, according to investigators.

Fire officials said there was no natural gas line to the house, and the owner may have used a propane tank in the backyard. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

Houses on either side of the wrecked home were evacuated as a precaution. 

The Vineland Municipal court building will be closed through September 3 after a lightning strike caused more than $50,000 dollars to the building.

Police say lightning struck the building around 2 p.m. Wednesday during a torrential rain storm.

The lightning blasted a chimney, sending bricks flying onto the parking lot and some crashing through the roof.

Carole Cummings, the municipal court division manager, tells NBC10's Ted Greenberg there was water streaming into the building.

One court employee was injured after a falling brick landed on her foot.

Court proceedings scheduled for today were held at the county courthouse in Bridgeton. Vineland Municipal Court isn’t in session on Fridays and will also be closed on Monday (Labor Day).

Anyone who needs to pay a fine on Friday can do that at municipal courts in Millville and Upper Deerfield Township.

Yesterday, a flood warning was in effect for the Philadelphia area due to heavy rainfall. Flood advisories were also in effect for Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland Counties.

A man accused of robbing three banks within an hour and a half in Bucks County had just been released from prison two days ago. And according to police, one of the man's demand notes was actually written on the back of his bail release form.

Luke Radick, 26, of Howell, N.J. was arrested just a few hours after he allegedly robbed three banks-- in Bensalem, Yardley and Morrisville.

Investigators say Radick used a local cab service to drive him to all three neighborhoods and it wasn't until the third drop off that the cab driver realized what was going on.

The first stop was the Sovereign Bank on Street Road in Bensalem at 12:15 p.m. Police say after Radick presented a demand note inside the bank, all the tellers ran from their stations. He walked out without any money.

At 12:50 p.m. at the Sovereign Bank on Main Street in Yardley, Radick allegedly presented a demand note ordering tellers to raise their hands and give him money. Investigators say this demand note was the one written on the back of his bail release form.

He ran off after a teller handed him some money.

The last robbery happened at 1:45 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Bank on East Bridge Street in Morrisville. Police say he demanded a teller put money into an envelope, but he left empty-handed after the teller moved away from the counter.

Bensalem, Morrisville and Yardley Police along with the FBI Fort Washington office launched a manhunt for Radick and had him in custody by 3:55 p.m.

The cab driver helped authorities with their investigation.

Radick had just been released from Bucks County prison on Tuesday. Tonight, he's back behind bars at the Bensalem Police Department awaiting an 8:00 p.m. arraignment.

Contact Lauren DiSanto at 610.668.5705, lauren.disanto@nbcuni.com or follow @LaurenNBC10 on Twitter.

Employees at Hymie’s Merion Deli on Montgomery Avenue in Merion Station, Pa., say they still can't believe they witnessed a truck plow through the building's window early this morning.

"I'm still shocked. I mean it sounded like a bomb exploded," Hymie's employee Jake Domi said. "We were scared."

Domi says he and two other employees were standing behind a counter on the opposite side of the restaurant at around 6 a.m. this morning when a red Dodge Ram truck came crashing through the front window, smashing chairs and tables that were set up in the dining area.

The deli was not scheduled to open until 7 a.m. this morning, so there were no customers in the store at the time of the incident and no one -- other than the driver -- was injured.

Employees of neighboring businesses say, if the incident had occurred a few hours later, things could've been very different.

"It's actually good that it happened at the time of morning that it was, because nobody was around, nobody was sitting outside on the bench. I mean it's usually a packed house over there and there's always someone sitting outside on the bench," Babis Pharmacy sales clerk Marci Goodman said.

Goodman says Babis Pharmacy, which sits to the left of Hymie's, could have easily been damaged had the truck slid a few feet to the left.

To the right of Hymie's is Evelyn's Handbags. The owner of the small boutique, Evelyn Goldstone says she's been in business on the Avenue for more than 40 years. She agreed that the timing was key.

"It's just fortunate that it happened when it happened. It could've killed 25 people," Goldstone said.

But Goldstone also believes that stretch of Montgomery Avenue and the nearby intersection are dangerous.

"Believe me, I've been in business here a long time and I've always seen the people come speeding around that corner. I park out front and I've had, conservatively, ten mirrors taken off of my car through the years by people that drive by too close and too fast. My joke is that I'm not gonna die in bed, I'm gonna die trying to get in my car on Montgomery Avenue." 

Hymie's sits near the corner of Old Lancaster Road and Montgomery Avenue. The posted speed limit for the area is 25 miles per hour.

Lower Merion Police have not said if speed was a factor when the driver of the truck lost control and crashed into the restaurant.

The Barson's deli counter opened briefly this morning, but was shut down by the Montgomery County Health Department shortly before noon. A restoration company was on site for most of the day, putting wood in place of the shattered window.

By early afternoon, a steady stream of hungry customers could be seen approaching the restaurant and walking away disappointed when they learned that the building was closed.

Rick Rogers said he had planned to try Hymie's for the first time today. The New York native says he drove in from Havertown, Pa. with his mother Pat Rogers, hoping to see if the 'Best of Philly' Deli could live up to it's reputation.

"We're New Yorkers, so when we heard they were the best deli in town we thought, 'We're gonna test it out.' I mean we were gonna test it out, but now this happened. Now where are we gonna go?" Rogers said.

Hymie's manager Harry Zeisler says Montgomery County Health Department officials inspected the retaurant this afternoon and found the property in sufficient condition to reopen tomorrow morning at 7 a.m.

Zeisler says they plan on displaying a 'We're Open' sign [pictured on the right] that says, "We're tougher than the truck," to make sure customers know they're still in business.

"We're just glad everybody's okay; no one was hurt," Zeisler said. "A lot of customers have been stopping by to see if we're open. We were closed, but we'll be open tomorrow for sure. "

Carol Lanni has turned to social media to fight crime and protect her South Philadelphia neighborhood.

Lanni started a Facebook page, Taking Back Our South Philadelphia Streets Back, just days after her 11 year-old son was robbed earlier this month.

"I started this page out of total frustration,” said Lanni.

"My child was mugged on Saturday, August 3. Thank God he wasn’t killed, hurt or harmed. I never feared the South Philly streets until it was this close to home.”

The single mother of three said her son was surrounded by a group of teens who stole his iPhone. The boy was on his bike with another friend, just around the corner from his house on Oregon Avenue.

"I never was afraid," said the boy. "It was a little freaky."

After police questioned her son about the crime, Lanni said she didn’t know where to turn. She felt helpless because the teens who did this were still on the loose. So, she turned to Facebook to share her story with the intent that others might share tips on cleaning up the neighborhood.

Lanni said she went public on Facebook to prevent the crime from happening to another child, and her actions have struck a chord with her South Philly neighbors.

"People are afraid to call police because of retaliation," said resident Dee Polidoro.

Area businesses and owners, such as Dino’s Party Center, Conestoga Bank, Lombardi’s Prime Meats and Wolf Street Bar, have come forward to offer their support for Lanni’s crusade to keep the neighborhood safe.

Last Saturday, Martial arts instructor Soke David D’Antonio provided a daylong seminar at FDR Park to teach adults and children personal protection. The seminars are ongoing.

"We are not vigilantes," said D’Antonio. "We want people to be aware of their surroundings."

Lanni believes the collective effort of businesses and residents is a "second set of eyes for the police department." She's asked businesses to put a red ribbon on their doors so citizens know their businesses are a welcome place to seek shelter if they encounter trouble.

"We ask this from the public each and every day for their assistance," said Philadelphia Police Lt. John Stanford. "We encourage members of the community to get involved, but don't want people to put themselves in harm's way."

The Facebook page has 2,428 likes and has been used as a vehicle for neighbors to come together and share their concerns.

On August 11, Michele DeFinizio wrote: "I'm outside every day with my kids & porch light on at night. I'm taking license plate numbers on the people who keep 'visiting' my drug dealing neighbors. I'm done being quiet, I want them off my street & I don't have a problem doing what I have to do so we can get our streets back!" 

On August 16, Suzanne Bandera Lusi wrote: "It takes one to help change, it takes the masses to want to change. It can be what it once was...make the changes, keep the heart and watch each others backs...Take responsibility and show the love"

On August 26, Lanni posted: "I feel like I'm living and raising my children in a war zone but the war was one sided and now it's time to fight back!"

The first community meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9 at Barry Playground on Bigler Street at 7 p.m. The goal is to educate parents and the youth to be aware of their surroundings, and to create deterrents to crime.

"The support we are receiving has been astronomical," said Lanni.

Lanni’s son is excited to be going back-to-school. She says he still rides his bike in the neighborhood and has created bracelets made from red rubber bands to help spread the message: "If you see something say something."

Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter. 

A Pemberton Township woman who was trapped in an abandoned, unsealed well for 36 hours on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst property in 2011 has sued the federal government, seeking $3 million in damages for her injuries.

A court hearing in the case is scheduled for October.

Idsel Marlena Buckland, 43, of the Browns Mills section of the township, filed the suit in June in U.S. District Court in Camden, claiming the base was negligent for creating a hazardous condition.

In its response this month, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Camden denied her claims and asked the court to dismiss the suit.

The suit was filed by attorney Louis J. DeVoto, of the firm of Rossetti & DeVoto in Cherry Hill, and seeks a trial.

Buckland was walking along Trenton Road to her home the evening of Dec. 29, 2011, when she was "harassed by strangers and crossed to the opposite side of the road and into the woods for safety reasons," the suit says.

She "was caused to fall 20 feet into an abandoned, domestic well and sustained serious and permanent physical and emotional injuries," the suit says.

Buckland was found Dec. 31, 2011, by another township resident who knew of abandoned wells on the base property and went to check them after learning of Buckland's disappearance.

She was found, rescued and hospitalized with a broken leg, a badly injured knee, hypothermia, and other injuries.

Shortly after the incident, eight wells, including the one where Buckland fell, were sealed, the suit says.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Irene E. Dowdy filed an answer to Buckland's complaint on Aug. 23.

She said Buckland was negligent, a trespasser on the Joint Base's property at the time of the incident and that her injuries were caused by "third persons over whom the defendant has no control."

This story was reported through a news coverage partnership between NBC10.com and The Philadelphia Inquirer

A Philadelphia Police officer from the city's mounted unit was hit during a traffic stop at Rising Sun Avenue and North 9th Street in North Philadelphia.

The officer was taken to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.

NBC10 is on the way to the scene. Check back for updates in this developing story.

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• Alcohol May Be Factor in Villanova Student's Death: Police
• Popular Main Line Deli to Reopen After Truck Crash

One of the benefits of being a fan of a Major League baseball team who isn't faring particularly well in the standings is that it sometimes gives you a chance to see a lot of young talent in action. If the team doesn't have a shot at the playoffs, then it makes sense to call up some of the minor leaguers to see if they can contribute at the big league level.

One such player is Ethan Martin, a right-handed pitcher who was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers last season in the Shane Victorino trade. He wasn't a can't-miss pitching prospect, but he struck out enough hitters in the minors to be an intriguing prospect for the Phillies. Coming into the season, Martin was ranked the 80th best prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America.

Following a series of injuries that resulted in a thinning out of the pitching staff, Martin was summoned from Triple-A to make his first Major League start against the Atlanta Braves on August 2. Through six starts, Martin has a 2-3 record, and a 6.39 ERA. Things aren't exactly going as planned for the young hurler, despite a semi-impressive start on Thursday, where he struck out nine batters in four innings of work against the New York Mets.

And so far in his young Major League career, it is wildly evident that Martin excels at two things: striking guys out, and not going deep into games. In his six starts with the Phillies, Martin has pitched into or past the sixth inning just once – it was on August 19, when he pitched 6.1 innings against the Colorado Rockies. His other five starts go like so: 4.1, 5, 5, 0.2, and 4. Roy Halladay, he is not. This isn't exactly a new development, either, as Martin has averaged just over 5.1 innings per start in 21 games this season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. If you need a starter to go deep into a game, then look elsewhere.

On the flip side, Martin has no problem getting strikeouts. The K has been his chief export in his five year professional career, with a K/9 rate in the 582 minor league innings of 9.0, thanks in part to a mid-90s fastball and some decent breaking and off-speed pitches. That ability has followed him down the turnpike to Philadelphia (so far), where his K/9 is exceeding 10.0 through six games. In fact, watching him strike guys out has been one of the only reasons to watch his starts, as he unfortunately brings to the table an inability to limit the free passes.

It's way too early to really know for sure what Martin is going to be, because six games is a very small sample size from which to judge a pitcher. However, the fact that Martin has displayed – throughout his minor league career- an inability to go deep into games, it's not unrealistic to think that he is destined for the bullpen. Which is precisely where the Phillies should put him.

One of the reasons the Phillies had such a good team in 2008 was because they didn't give up leads late in the game. Between Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero, Tom Gordon, and Scott Eyre, they had in their possession several arms who possessed the ability to strike batters out. It's the greatest weapon in the arsenal of a pitcher, because it takes defense and bad luck completely out of the equation. If there is a runner on third base with nobody out, a strikeout won't bring him home.

And that's why Martin is an ideal candidate for the 2014 bullpen. He can miss bats better than a lot of the pitchers on the roster, and if the season ended today, he'd have the second-highest K/9 on the team. Even though he has control issues, his stuff would play a lot better in the late innings of a close game because he can erase his mistakes with strikeouts. Martin, combined with Jonathan Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo, Jake Diekman, and Justin DeFratus, could give opposing hitters fits in the late innings with their high-powered arsenal.

It's a big if, and Martin may very well find his way back to the rotation next season depending on how good a job Ruben Amaro does in bringing in additional starters, but such a move could cost the bullpen an impact arm. So far in his young career, Martin has been somewhat impressive. He's only 24, and he figures to only get better as he ages, but for now, his skill set will better serve him – and the Phillies – in the bullpen.

A Delaware County teacher is charged in a drunk driving crash that killed a 72-year-old Vietnam War veteran.

Meredith Williams-Earle, who teaches at the Interboro School District, was charged today with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence and recklessly endangering another person.

On August 6, police say that Earle was speeding and failed to stop for a posted stop sign at the intersection of Spring Mill Road and Morris Avenue in Bryn Mawr.

Investigators say she crashed into the driver's side of a flower shop van, being driven by Winston Staats.

Staats worked part-time as a deliveryman for Valley Forge Flower Company. Police say the van flipped over after it was hit and Staats was partially ejected. The war veteran died at the accident scene.

Earle's 2-year-old son was in the backseat of the car during the crash. Police say the car seat wasn't installed properly and was extremely loose.

Officers say Earle smelled like alcohol and noticed her eyes were glassy and speech was slurred. Inside her car, they say they found a blue plastic cup that smelled of alcohol.

She allegedly told officers that she drank leftover champagne that morning because she thought that alcohol would counteract the dizziness of an anti-anxiety drug she had taken.

"It's very difficult for everybody, including the victim's family. It's a bad time," said Joseph Hylan, Earle's attorney.

Earle is out on $100,000 unsecured bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for September 17.

Contact Lauren DiSanto at 610.668.5705, lauren.disanto@nbcuni.com or follow @LaurenNBC10 on Twitter.

“I’m pleased to announce that it has come to a successful end and the children are safe,” said Berks County District Attorney John Adams.

West Reading Police say that Hostyn Perez-Corza, 23, took 6-year-old Dania Perez and 8-year-old Janeth Perez from their West Reading, Berks County, Pa. home during a violent incident Thursday night launching a statewide Amber Alert.

Pennsylvania State Police issued the alert after Perez-Corza allegedly put a handgun to the girls' mother. Police Det. Joseph Brown says Perez-Corza put a large handgun to girls' mother head when the woman arrived at a Chestnut Street home around 9 p.m.

Brown said that a preliminary investigation showed that Perez-Corza intended to kill the mother and even searched for her after she left the home.

The mother, who wasn't identified, fled and notified police around 10:45 p.m. that she was threatened by Perez-Corza, Brown said.

When officers got to the home, Perez-Corza and the girls were gone.

Police considered Perez-Corza to be armed and dangerous. They described Perez-Corza as a 6-foot-2-inches tall, 170-pounds with black hair and brown eyes, abducted the girls in a white 1999 Ford Expedition with Pa. plate JJZ-5836, according to police.

A person noticed a similar looking SUV outside the Quality Inn Airport on Bernville Road, near the Reading Regional Airport in Reading, Pa. -- about four miles from the home -- around 8:45 a.m. Friday.

"Further investigation by the Bern Township Police revealed that the suspect had booked a room at the hotel last night and was staying there," Brown said.

As police secured the area to take in the suspect in he left the room to try and checkout He was seen walking down a hallway with the girls.

"A struggle ensued," Brown said. "One of the Bern Township Police officers received a minor (hand) injury."

The girls weren't harmed and in good spirits, Brown said.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement were involved in the case because Perez-Corza was previously deported and had returned to the country illegally, Brown said. He could be deported after serving any sentence he gets if he is found guilty.

After the arrest, Perez-Corza was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats charges, according to court records.

Police hoped to recover the gun once they got a search warrant.

The girls' mother stayed with family friends during the search. Both girls, Wyomissing Hills Elementary School students, were back with their mother Friday morning.

Authorities say a house explosion in New Jersey that claimed a woman's life may have been sparked by a propane leak inside an appliance.

The exact cause of the blast that leveled the home on New Street Hampton, Hunterdon County will not be known for weeks.

The home's owner, 70-year-old George Tulley, was at work when the explosion occurred Wednesday.

His son, Robert, tells the Courier News of Bridgewater his father allowed family and friends to stay in the house. The son says his father wasn't aware that 53-year-old Deborah Smith was there.

“It’s the first night she (Smith) has been in the house for weeks,” Robert Tulley told the paper. “My father got a call at work that the house exploded, then he got here to find out Jesse was in it.”

She died in the basement despite efforts by neighbors to rescue her. Investigators say four people rushed to the burning residence after the woman called from her cell phone for help.

"It was reported that she was communicating with them as they attempted to rescue her,” said Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III. "Their heroic acts, although unsuccessful, are a credit to these individuals and their community should be proud of them.”

It took about an hour for firefighters from 12 area fire departments to bring the blaze under control. Authorities found the woman’s body in the basement.

Another person was in the home at the time but was able to escape, according to investigators.

Police officers fired at alleged robbers overnight after the suspects burst into a home and got into a violent struggle with a resident.

Philadelphia Police officers responded to the home invasion on the 3700 block of N 16th Street in the city’s Hunting Park section around 3:30 a.m. Friday.

"The officers when they responded to the location... they could clearly see that someone had broken into the front door, there was damage to the door, the glass to the door was clearly broken" said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

"As soon as they got inside the property they heard a struggle, they could tell there was a violent struggle and a fight going on on the second floor."

As the officers climbed the steps, the two suspects began to run down the staircase. Small said one of the suspects pulled a gun and that officers responded by opening fire.

Neither suspect was hit, according to investigators.

The armed suspect then ran back up the stairs and began to get in a fight again with the resident.

"At some point the suspect was stabbed, about three times, we believe by the homeowner," Small said.

Despite being stabbed in the chest, shoulder and buttocks, the suspect was able to jump out of the second floor window onto the front porch roof and then down onto the front lawn, according to investigators.

That suspect then darted to the 3700 block of N Sydenham Street where officers found him hiding under car and took him to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.

In the bedroom where the attack occurred, investigators found two spent shell casings that appeared to come from the suspect's gun.

The second suspect somehow got away and remained on the loose Friday afternoon, according to police.

The 38-year-old resident told police that at least one of the suspects had his girlfriend in a headlock at the time that the officers arrived.

The resident wasn't injured. His 33-year-old girlfriend suffered minor arm injuries, according to Small.

Small said the officers were clearly in uniform and "did their job" to protect the couple, "coming to the rescue."

A woman was flown to a trauma center after being hit by a New Jersey Transit River Line train in Burlington County this morning.

A northbound light rail train struck the unidentified woman at West Broad Street and Commerce Square Boulevard just south of the Burlington-South station around 9:15 a.m. Friday, NJ Transit tells NBC10.com.

There were 38 passengers on the train at the time.

That intersection is where the ligh- rail line crosses a road.

The woman survived but information on injuries and her condition were not immediately available, officials said.

A medivac helicopter was called to the scene to transport the victim to Fuld Medical Center.

NJ Transit officials say River Line service was suspended between the Florence and Beverly/Edgewater Park stations for about an hour as a result of the crash.

The River Line light rail train runs north to south from the state capital in Trenton, N.J. to Camden, N.J. stopping at communities along the Delaware River.

A naked man gave a woman walking her dog in the park a shock earlier this week.

The 45-year-old woman contacted police after she saw a naked man walking around Wissahickon Park near E. Chestnut Hill Avenue and Seminole Street around 4:35 p.m. Monday, according to Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit.

The naked man is described as being a thin man in his 30s with a dark complexion. He was wearing absolutely nothing, according to police.

Anyone who might have also seen the naked man or knows anything about the incident is asked to contact Philly Police SVU at (215) 686-3251.

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