A pickup truck struck and killed a woman who witnesses said had just left Wawa and was possibly using her cellphone as she crossed a busy Bucks County road Wednesday morning.
The crash happened along Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 1) near the Interplex Circle in Bensalem, Pennsylvania around 5:05 a.m.
Police arrived shortly after the wreck to find a green Chevrolet pickup truck stopped at the scene with the woman's body laying on the ground with her purse nearby, according to Bensalem Police investigators.
Witnesses told police the woman -- later identified as 51-year-old Maria Feher of Philadelphia -- appeared to be walking from the Wawa to the Lincoln Motel across the highway and talking on her cellphone when the southbound truck struck her, said investigators.
The pickup driver remained on the scene and told police that the woman came out of nowhere, investigators said. It appeared that neither drugs nor alcohol played a role in the wreck.
Police closed the Route 1 from Old Lincoln Highway until where it becomes the Roosevelt Boulevard at the Philadelphia line and diverted cars around the scene for more than five hours as accident investigators worked to figure out more clues. There are no sidewalks in the area.
Investigators hoped to confirm if the woman was actually using her cellphone at the time of the wreck. They asked anyone who saw something to call 215-633-3719.
Local investigators said this was the second time in the past few days that someone on his or her phone stepped out into traffic.
A South Jersey university plans to make a big splash along Atlantic City’s struggling boardwalk.
Richard Stockton College announced Wednesday that it plans to purchase the defunct Showboat Casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
"Our intent is to engage in a project that enhances Stockton's educational growth, offerings and cost-containment while at the same time brings new educational opportunities to Atlantic City," Stockton College President Herman Saatkamp said in a statement. "Because we are merely at the letter-of-intent stage and bound by a confidentiality agreement, it is premature for me to give out any additional information."
Stockton did however reveal that they plan to repurpose the former gaming hall and resort as a branch campus.
Other plans for the 28-acre plot of land and 1,425,000-square-foot building will be closely watched following the closure of not only the Showboat but also three other casinos along AC’s Boardwalk.
“The transformation and revitalization of Atlantic City requires the addition of a diverse set of reasons for people to come visit,” said chairman and CEO of Caesars Entertainment Gary Loveman. “I believe the construction of a Stockton campus there will help to diversify the economy of the City, which is critical to its future well-being."
Both sides didn’t disclose the financial details of the deal. They also didn’t say when the deal would be complete.
Philadelphia Police arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting and robbing a teenage boy at gunpoint in the Kensington section of the city.
The man, who has not yet been identified, was arrested Tuesday night, according to investigators. Charges against the suspect are pending.
On Nov. 2 at 12:20 a.m., the 18-year-old victim was leaving the Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant on the 3300 block of North 2nd Street. The suspect followed him as he walked to his home, according to investigators.
Once the victim arrived at his home, the suspect pulled out a gun and approached him, police said. He then allegedly forced the victim inside his home where he sexually assaulted him. The suspect then stole the victim’s cell phone, $120 and house keys before fleeing the scene.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
A man armed with a blood-filled syringe told a woman he had AIDS during a robbery early Saturday morning.
The suspect was inside Eddie's Chinese Restaurant on the 100 block of East Allegheny Avenue in North Philly around 1:30 a.m. when he told the victim in Spanish, "I have AIDS, give me your money," according to investigators.
The woman had entered the take-out spot only moments earlier to order food on her way home from work, police said.
She threw $200 towards the suspect, who then ran from the restaurant in an unknown direction, authorities said.
Police described the man as 5-feet 10-inches tall and approximately 30- to 35-years-old. He was last seen wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and Addidas track pants, police said.
Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect is urged to contact Philadelphia Police.
A mother and her son died inside a house fire in South Jersey that may have been intentionally set.
Flames broke out around 8 a.m. inside a home along the 200 block of Washington Avenue – not far from the White Horse Pike (U.S. Route 30 ) – in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey.
Firefighters found two people dead in the home and medics transported a third victim to the hospital with undisclosed injuries, according to Atlantic County Dispatchers.
While officials have not identified the victims, sources told NBC10 they were a mother and her 7-year-old son.
"She was one of my best friends," said a friend of the victim. "Her son was one of my daughter's best friends. She's very sad."
The third victim who survived was the woman's boyfriend, according to neighbors. Sources also told NBC10 the man appeared to have suffered stab wounds. He is currently in stable condition.
"He was telling investigators that somebody broke into the house," said Egg Harbor City Police Sergeant Dylan Hutton.
Multiple fire departments, law enforcement agencies and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office remained on the scene throughout the morning as they tried to figure out the circumstances of the blaze. Prosecutors called the fire "suspicious."
Law enforcement sources told NBC10's Ted Greenberg someone may have intentionally set the blaze and the case is being handled as a homicide investigation.
No one has been charged or labeled a suspect. Police continue to investigate.
The man accused of pushing his estranged wife's red Corvette into the Delaware River amid a messy divorce turned himself in to police Wednesday.
"I didn't realize that I did anything wrong," John Kramer said as he was led away in handcuffs. "I didn't know anybody was gonna go in and try to get the car! I didn't even want anybody to see me do it!"
Kramer, 50, surrendered to police at the 15th District headquarters around 2 p.m. He is charged with contempt, violation of protection from abuse order, harassment and recklessly endangering another person. Police said that last charge is for endangering the divers who searched for the car.
Kramer's wife told NBC10 the two are in the midst of a messy divorce and he was "disgruntled" over a protective order she has against him. The Northeast Philadelphia resident also claimed her husband sent threatening texts to her and their teenage daughter moments before he pushed their car into the river.
"He had threatened that he would put the car in the river," the estranged wife said. "He then texted my daughter and said, 'You have two minutes,' and then he texted back and said, 'It’s done LOL.'"
The woman asked not to be identified, saying she has a protection from abuse (PFA) order against her husband.
"I have a PFA, and he was disgruntled about that,” she said.
The woman said she called 911 Monday night after seeing breaking news reports about a 1990 red Corvette in the water near Magee Lane and New State Road, just below Interstate 95, in Northeast Philly.
"I called 911 and asked them if that was my car, and they confirmed that it was, but we didn’t know at the time if he was in the car or not,” she said.
Witnesses told police a man matching Kramer's description fled the scene shortly after the car fell into the water.
The woman said she recently tried to work out a car exchange with her husband, but it didn't go well.
“He had wanted to switch the Corvette for the van and indicated that he wanted to come get it,” she said. "I told him he had to leave the ‘vette in order to get the van. He wasn’t allowed to come here, so he would have to wait for somebody to meet with him.”
The woman claims Kramer violated the PFA and repeatedly tried to get in touch with her throughout the day Monday.
"Because I have the PFA ... I ignored him all day, and he was texting me and also calling my work phone, and I just saved the messages and showed them to the detectives,” she said.
The couple is going through a divorce. Their issues escalated after her adult son died in June, the wife told NBC10's Rosemary Connors.
A Pennsylvania State Trooper won nearly $2 million in the second of two racial discrimination lawsuits against his superiors.
The NBC10 investigators first spoke to Sergeant David Holt in 2013 after he filed the first lawsuit against one of his superiors at the Pennsylvania State Police Poconos barracks.
“Today in 2013, racism is a lot more cunning,” Holt told NBC10. “You’re not going to get the proverbial smoking gun where somebody is going to call you the ‘N’ word.”
Holt said his ordeal began when he tried to get transferred to the King of Prussia barracks.
“I was getting feedback from a lot of the troopers, some friends, some colleagues, that I was not welcome there,” Holt said.
Holt claimed the lieutenant in charge compared him to a previous black sergeant who was demoted for being lazy and incompetent.
“My professional character was assassinated before I even entered into the troop,” Holt said.
Holt’s attorney, Alexis Zafferes, claimed the comparison in that context demonstrated a racist attitude by the lieutenant.
“Why is he comparing him to another black sergeant?” she asked. “There was no other reason besides the fact that these were the only two black sergeants who have ever been under the lieutenant’s command.”
In 2009, Holt filed a lawsuit against one of his superiors, claiming he was intentionally discriminated against. After a week-long trial, the judge agreed, awarding him $50,000 in damages in 2013.
Holt filed a second lawsuit against two superiors at the King of Prussia barracks. On Nov. 5, he was awarded $1.9 million in connection to that suit.
Holt told NBC10 he hoped his actions would inspire others in similar situations to also fight back.
“I think there’s reluctance from a lot of minorities,” Holt said. “You’re thinking that you’re challenging your superiors and the Pennsylvania State Police. That’s a daunting task.”
Holt is still working with the Pennsylvania State Police Poconos barracks. NBC10 reached out to them for comment. We have not yet heard back from them however.
A train broke down at 30th Street Station early Wednesday evening, causing major delays on three SEPTA lines.
A train on the Paoli/Thorndale line broke down shortly before 6 p.m. Passengers were taken off the train and eventually transferred to a new one after waiting for nearly an hour.
The broken down train finally moved around 7:30 p.m. SEPTA tweeted train #9561 traveling to Thorndale was operating 129 minutes late.
The incident impacted three separate lines. The outbound #6762 and inbound #765 trains on the Chestnut Hill East line were canceled, trains on the Cynwyd lines are experiencing 20-minute delays and trains on the Paoli/Thorndale line are experiencing delays of approximately 30 minutes.
Other lines were not affected.
Officials have not yet revealed what caused the train to break down.
To keep track of all delays and cancellations visit the SEPTA website.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The details of this case are graphic and may be upsetting for some readers.
For the second time in less than a week, A Chester county community gathered to remember a 3-year-old boy who was beaten to death by his mother and her boyfriend, according to prosecutors.
Scotty McMillan died Nov. 4 after a series of beatings inside a West Caln township trailer home, according to Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.
“Let me tell you about an American horror story,” Hogan said last week while announcing first-degree murder charges against Scotty’s mother Jillian Tait and her boyfriend Gary Fellenbaum.
“Over a three-day period… (Scotty) was systematically tortured and beaten to death,” said Hogan. “He was punched in the face and in the stomach, he was scourged with a homemade whip, he was lashed with a metal rod, he was tied to a chair and beaten, he was tied upside down by his feet and beaten, his head was smashed through a wall and at the end of that he had bruises on top of bruises all over his body.”
Hogan said Fellenbaum, 23, used items including a makeshift whip, a curtain rod and an aluminum strip on Scotty while Tait, 31, admittedly sometimes watched and laughed. Fellenbaum also slammed Scotty and his 6-year-old brother’s heads into the wall, said Hogan.
Police alleged that Fellenbaum met Tait at a local Wal-Mart where they worked together. Tait and her two sons — Scotty and the 6-year-old — moved in with Fellenbaum in mid-October and the abuse began shortly thereafter, said investigators.
As Tait, Fellenbaum and Fellenbaum’s estranged wife Amber Fellenbaum – who authorities charged with reckless endangerment and child endangerment – remained behind bars Wednesday, the community panned to gather to remember Scotty.
On Wednesday around 6 p.m., more than 100 people gathered at Abdala Community Park at 8th Street and Lincoln Highway in Coatesville for a prayer service and vigil led by Elder Charles Anthony Ward.
The prayer vigil came on the heels of last week’s vigil held in memory or Scotty and a local woman who died in a murder-suicide outside the Brandywine YMCA.
Fellenbaum expressed remorse that "his physical assaults caused another's death," according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC10.
County services took in Tait’s 6-year-old as well as the Fellenbaums' 11-month-old daughter.
Workers are attempting to remove a freight train that got stuck under a bridge in the Kensington section of the city Wednesday night.
The train got stuck under a bridge near 5th Street and Allegheny Avenue. No injuries were reported.
SEPTA officials have not confirmed whether any lines were affected.
Crews are currently at the scene trying to remove the train.
New Jersey State Police are searching for the mother of a baby girl whose remains were found at a recycling facility in New Jersey.
An employee moving trash made the gruesome discovery Tuesday around 1:30 am. at the ReCommunity Recycling Facility on Railroad Avenue in Farmingdale Boro.
Investigators also found blood-stained clothing near the child’s body. The infant was pronounced dead Tuesday at 3:31 p.m. She was taken to the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
Investigators are currently searching for the child’s mother. Police sent pictures of clothing items found near the baby in hopes that someone may recognize them in order to find the mother.
If you have any information on the incident or the mother's whereabouts, please call Det. Sgt. Robina with the New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit at (732) 578-0490.
A man was killed while another is in critical condition after a shooting in South Philadelphia Wednesday night.
A 35-year-old man and a 57-year-old man were on the 600 block of Winton Street around 7:51 p.m. when an unidentified gunman opened fire.
The 35-year-old was struck in the head while the 57-year-old was struck in the stomach. The 35-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The 57-year-old was taken to Jefferson University Hospital where he is currently in critical condition.
Police told NBC10 the 57-year-old man is an off-duty SEPTA driver who was in the area visiting his mother. The victim checks on his mother on a daily basis, according to investigators. Based on that information, police believe he was an innocent bystander.
After the shooting, the suspect, described as a man standing 6-feet-tall and wearing a dark brown jacket, was spotted running west on Snyder Avenue from 7th Street, according to investigators.
Investigators found 26 shell casings at the scene of the shooting. They also said two semi-automatic handguns were used.
Police continue to investigate.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
A man is in custody after he allegedly barricaded himself inside a Delaware County building and fired shots at police.
The unidentified gunman barricaded himself inside a building on the 700 block of East Providence Road in Drexel Hill Wednesday night. Police officers and a SWAT team responded to the area.
The suspect allegedly fired several shots at the responding officers. After a standoff, he was taken into custody around 9:45 p.m., according to officials.
SkyForce10 captured officers placing the man on a stretcher and taking him to an ambulance.
Police have not yet revealed the man's identity or what led to the barricade situation.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
SUMMARY
It’s been “feast or famine” in the snow department around here for quite a while. These are the official snow totals for Philadelphia during the past five winters:
The long-term average snowfall is about 22 inches. Yet no recent year has even been close to average. Going back to the 1880s, when official records began, there are NO examples of any stretch of “all-or-nothing” snow seasons.
So, what would I expect this year? It looks like another extreme winter is in store-on the high side for snow again.
The 2009-10 and 2013-14 winters were the two snowiest on record here. While I won’t go that far out on a limb and predict anything close to those numbers, I do expect another winter of 40+ inches. That’s WAY above average. Again. And this winter could end up even colder than last winter, which wasn’t as cold as you might think. The Midwest and Upper Plains got the brunt of the cold. We got the snow-over and over again.
THE EVIDENCE
We have to look all over the world for connections to our winter weather. They’re called “teleconnections”, and there a lot more than there used to be. Back when I started winter forecasting on NBC10 in 1997, there was only one I used: the developing strong El Nino. So, let’s start with that.
In 1997, a huge El Nino was setting up. It’s an area of warmer than normal water in the tropical Pacific, and it can cover an area bigger than the entire U.S. Here’s the 1997 map:
The El Nino is the enormous red area from the coast of South America practically all the way to Australia. It was the strongest one ever recorded, and it would lead to a warm winter with very little snow here.
This year, the El Nino appears to be weak. So, rather than helping to flood the U.S. with warm air, weak El Niño’s often lead to more coastal storms and colder air around here.
It’s warm in the Tropical Pacific, but not that warm. A more impressive area of warmth is right off the U.S. and Canadian West Coasts. That represents another factor in our coming winter.
That warm water off the West Coast is related to a couple of things. First, months and months of drought helps High pressure anchor itself in the Western U.S. and just offshore. That means lots of sunshine. And that helps warm up the ocean.
The warm water is also related to longer-term ocean patterns, known as the PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation) and EPO (East Pacific Oscillation). Both were strongly tied to our persistent cold, snowy winter a year ago. Those factors once again favor cold and snow for us.
Here’s a map from NOAA showing a "classic" +PDO pattern. That sure looks a lot like the global map shown above:
A lot has been said about that this fall. I’ve been following this teleconnection for a decade or more, watching Dr. Judah Cohen’s research connecting October snow in Siberia and all of Eurasia as great predictors of snowy winters for us. The more snow there, the more snow here. Below is a map of unusually large snow extent as of October 31.
Of course, we scientists have to use numbers and make calculations-we can’t just look at a map and make specific predictions. So, welcome the SAI (Snow Advance Index) and the SCE (Snow Cover Extent). One covers how much the snow advances southward during October, and the other the total area covered by snow by the end of the month. The snow area is the 2nd biggest on record-2nd only to 1976 (one of the most brutal winters in the U.S.). It could hardly be more favorable for cold and snow for our area!
We’ve also heard a lot about the AO (Arctic Oscillation) and NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) in recent snowy years. When HIGH pressure gets stuck in these far north places, traffic jams are created in the atmosphere. Our cold and snow becomes related to where the HIGH is located. The traffic jam, or blocking pattern, can lead to a persistent cold flow from the Arctic to the U.S., or storm after storm developing off the East Coast (Nor’easters).
The Arctic Oscillation was a big factor in our record snow winter of 2009-10. The AO was strongly negative practically all winter, locking in the cold air, and leading to practically all storms bringing snow rather than rain. But it wasn’t a factor last winter: the EPO/PDO dominated everything. So, what happens when the EPO, PDO, and AO all point in the same direction? COLD…..COLD …. COLD!
The NAO tends to be more variable than the other indices, but when it’s negative, Nor’easters become more likely. If we’re swamped with warm air from a strong El Nino, it just means a lot of big, rainstorms. But a weak El Nino combined with a prevailing negative NAO is heaven to snow lovers. There are strong indications that the NAO will be predominantly negative this winter.
The final teleconnection I’ll mention is way up in the stratosphere, more than six miles up. Winds there switch from East to West for months or years at a time, and is called the QBO (Quasi-Biennial Oscillation). When it’s Easterly, it’s a negative QBO, as is the case now. This tends to favor more blocking patterns near the ground. And, as we’ve seen, blocking patterns can lead to extreme weather.
THE FORECAST
There just don’t seem to be ANY indications of a mild winter with little snow. Things can and do change in the atmosphere and oceans, so this isn’t set in stone, but it’s about the odds. And, as of now, the odds favor a snowy and cold winter.
*COLDER THAN LAST WINTER
*COLDEST SINCE 2002-03
*>40” SNOW 4th of last 6 YEARS
*FEWER DAYS WITH SNOW THAN LAST WINTER
*AT LEAST 2 STORMS OF 12”+
*POSSIBLY MORE SNOW SOUTH OF PHILA.
Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz
Chief Meteorologist
NBC10 Philadelphia
11/10/14
