Prosecutors charged a Philadelphia man with leaving a woman's body in the truck of a sedan parked outside a South Jersey hotel.

Jesus Garcia is accused of dumping the yet-to-be identified woman's body in a white four-door sedan outside the Quality Inn along Route 38 on Maple Shade, New Jersey late Sunday.

The Burlington County Prosecutors Office revealed Monday afternoon that Garcia, 41, of E Wellens Avenue in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood, was in possession of the car when police arrested him just before 10 p.m. Sunday.

On Monday, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi and Maple Shade Police Chief Gary Gubbei announced one count of concealing human remains against Garcia. The Philadelphia man was sent to county jail unable to post $150,000.

Police didn’t reveal further details outside of calling the death suspicious and possibly a case of murder.

Hotel guests told NBC10.com that police went door to door around 2 a.m. Monday asking if anyone had heard or seen anything. Around 6 a.m., a tow truck took the car from the scene and police reopened the parking lot.

Garcia could face more charges once an autopsy is completed.

Clergy, lawmakers and civic leaders joined together Monday morning to discuss recent examples of police brutality against minorities.

The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, Philadelphia Black Clergy and the Civic Guardian League held a news conference at the Prince of Peace Baptist Church at 1844 N. 32nd St. in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia.

The event specifically highlighted recent events including the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garner in New York City and 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio.

A credit card transmission glitch that caused people to hit the ATM before parking in Philadelphia was fixed by midday Monday.

The city's parking authority said a computer glitch that developed over the weekend continued to block credit card payments at on-street kiosks into Monday morning.

"We want to apologize for any inconvenience caused by the failure of our kiosks to accept credit card payments," said Philadelphia Parking Authority Executive Director Vince Fenerty. "We worked throughout the weekend to successfully correct this technical problem and things are now back to normal."

Earlier, the PPA said the city's more than 1,000 pay stations would only accept cash and prepaid smart cards until it could restore credit card payments.

And drivers better pay up.

The PPA said it planned to fully enforce expired meter rules, with a 10-minute grace period, after relaxing ticketing on Sunday. The authority said it'll reverse fines for drivers who pay the kiosk within 10 minutes of being ticketed.

The PPA told anyone who believes they were unfairly ticketed to email their Customer Service Department at sruiz@philapark.org.

Earlier this year the parking authority cited the proliferation of credit card-ready kiosks in its decision to phase out prepaid smart cards effective Dec. 31.

The day after Christmas is always tough for Tony Castro. It will forever be the day he lost his best friend at the hands of a still unknown killer.

“He was very young and very innocent,” Castro said of friend Matthew Macerato. “It was just really tough for me.”

Macerato, 18, and 22-year-old new mother Jessica Watson were shot dead, execution-style, in the basement of the Casual Male Big & Tall store along Kirkwood Highway in Wilmington, Delaware on Dec. 26, 2004.

The clothing store workers were closing the shop up for the night when a robber came in, took some cash and shot them dead. Castro said his brother, who was the store’s manager, stepped out just before the robbery took place.

“My brother said ‘I’ll be right back.’ And when he came back all there was is yellow tape,” he recalled. “A lot of people changed after that day.”

A lack of leads and surveillance video left police with little to go on and the case has still not been solved. Vigils were held on the anniversaries of the victim’s deaths, but as the years came and went, those weaned.

Now, nearly 10 years later, Castro is holding an event to honor his friend and Watson and remind people that the person responsible is still on the loose.

The December 26 event, named the “3rd World Entertainment Reunion Party” after the music company Castro created with Macerato, will include a photo display remembering the victims and a moment of silence, Castro said. There will also be several music performances.

“I’m pretty much trying to get everyone who would support him and Jessica at one place,” Castro said. “I want to remind people about the story. I don’t ever want it to stop.”

Castro hopes that a decade’s worth of guilt would prompt the suspect or someone who might know information in the case to finally give up details.

“I hope that it’s eating them alive and that they’re man enough to own up to their actions and come forward,” he said.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

A security guard was found dead -- beaten and tied up -- inside a van in Southwest Philadelphia Sunday afternoon.

The 69-year-old man, identified Monday as James Williams, was a security guard at Locker Room Storage Incorporated on the 2200 block of South 62nd Street.

A manager at the facility found Williams inside a conversion van parked near the building at 3:05 p.m. Sunday. The victim was tied up and also had facial injuries, according to investigators. He was pronounced dead by a medic at 3:10 p.m.

The cause of death was blunt force trauma, said officials.

No other details have been released and no arrests have been made.

South Jersey’s own “Consigliere” took his Italian cuisine to the masses Sunday night when he faced off on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen.

Angelo “Buddha” Lutz appeared on Sunday’s night’s episode of the cooking competition show — that combines culinary skills with bargaining acumen — hosted by Alton Brown of Iron Chef America fame.

Lutz, aka Fat Ange, maneuvered his way through the first round of the show before coming up short in the second challenge when judge Simon Majumdar wasn’t impressed with Lutz’s shrimp pairing beverage.

Lutz served nine years behind bars for racketeering due to his ties to refuted Philly mob boss “Skinny” Joey Merlino.

After seven years of a nine-year sentence, Lutz — claiming he is "a cook, not a crook" — opened up his own mob-inspired eatery in Collingswood, New Jersey. The Kitchen Consigliere serves seafood, pasta and other Italian dishes on its menu.

The Central Bucks School District is investigating whether a guidance counselor posted a threat on social media against "die-in" protesters demonstrating Sunday outside Lincoln Financial Field. The counselor has since been placed on leave, district officials said.

"If my child cannot get to the Eagles game due to protesters, I will personally SHOOT every one of them. You've been warned idiots!!" is how the message allegedly posted by MaryKate Blankenburg read. She is an 11th grade counselor at Central Bucks West High School.

The threat was focused on the 200 or so demonstrators that sought to disrupt traffic coming from the Philadelphia Eagles game as they protested against racism in the wake of the police-involved deaths of black men Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

The post, which appears to have been written on Facebook, was quickly shared on other social media platforms Sunday, sparking outrage. The Facebook account where the message allegedly came from no longer exists.

Central Bucks School District Superintendent Dr. David Weitzel tells NBC10 the district is aware the message may have been posted through a Blakenberg's account and that they are investigating.

"Responding with urgency and concern, we immediately began an investigation, including verification of the source of the post, and we will take appropriate action once we learn all of the facts," Weitzel said in a statement.

The district said they've also contact the district attorney's office which is investigating as well.

NBC10 reached out to Blankenburg at her home and by phone, but has not heard back. She has not been charged with a crime.

You won't be seeing Tamron Hall on the Today show Dec. 18.

That's because the co-host will be in Philadelphia to salute her alma mater, Temple University.

Hall, who studied Journalism and graduated from Temple in 1992, will be the keynote speaker at Temple’s School of Media and Communications’ winter graduation.

Dean David Boardman invited Hall. She confirmed her appearance at the event in October and even tweeted about it.

Can't wait to see my @TempleSMC grads in Dec.It's an honor to speak at the Winter graduation. Bring cheesesteaks for the post party! #Philly

• UPenn President Among Highest Paid

— Tamron Hall (@tamronhall) October 27, 2014

The ticketed event will be held at the Temple Performing Arts Center on Broad Street for graduates and their families at 11 a.m.

While an old sign in Hartly, Delaware lists the population at 111, there are fewer than 75 people in the Kent County town. During a meeting next week, that small group of citizens will literally have to fight for their town’s existence.

“It’s one of the purposes of this meeting,” said State Representative Jeff Spiegelman. “Here’s how you can get involved, especially if you live in town. We need you to step up to the plate. We need you to serve on town council.”

With no real town council, nothing is getting done in Hartly. Houses are falling apart and no one is enforcing local codes or fighting for state money, causing sewers and sidewalks to slowly crumble.

Only one person is currently on the Hartly town council. While two people who live near Hartly want to join the council, they aren’t allowed under the current town rules. Those rules won't change without three council members voting for it meaning two Hartly residents will need to join just to change that initial rule.

If no residents come forward, Hartly could be taken over by Kent County or Delaware.

“It’s not a preferred option but it’s there,” Spiegelman said. “We are providing all the help that we could possibly provide. Gladly and willingly we want to see Hartly thrive but the residents of Hartly have to take that next step.”

The town meeting is Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Hartly Volunteer Fire Company on 2898 Arthursville Road.

Protesters marched through the Main Line in another show of solidarity for Mike Brown and Eric Garner. 

Students from Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges gathered in Lower Merion Township around 4:45 p.m. Monday. The protesters began their march from Pembroke Arch on North Merion Avenue around 5 p.m. to the intersection of Elliot and Lancaster Avenues.

Around 5:10 p.m. they staged a four and half minute “die-in” at the intersection of Elliot and Lancaster, symbolizing the four hours and 30 minutes Michael Brown reportedly laid on the street in Ferguson, Missouri after he had been fatally shot by Officer Darren Wilson.

They then continued to march down Lancaster to the Haverford College campus where they held a moment of silence for another four and a half minutes.

The marchers then left Haverford College around 6 p.m. and crossed over to Montgomery Avenue from the Haverford Station. The demonstration ended at the Bryn Mawr College campus where a candlelight vigil took place at 7 p.m.

All the roadways the protesters walked through were closed in order to protect the public.

The demonstration was one of many sparked by the recent grand jury decisions not to indict the police officers involved in the deaths of Eric Garner and Mike Brown.

Brown, 18, was killed after being shot several times by Officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Missouri. Wilson said Brown, who was unarmed, assaulted him and charged at him which prompted him to open fire in self-defense. Brown's family and some witnesses disputed Wilson's report however. A grand jury declined to indict Wilson in the case prompting violent riots in Ferguson as well as protests nationwide.

Garner, 43, died July 17 in Staten Island, New York after police officers attempted to arrest him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes. Officer Daniel Pantaleo was caught on video wrapping his arm around Garner’s neck as the heavyset asthmatic repeatedly yelled, “I can’t breathe!” Garner was pronounced dead at the hospital an hour later.

On Dec. 3 a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo, a decision which also sparked nationwide protests.

Two men were arrested in connection to arsons at three Felton, Delaware churches.

Alex Harrington Jr., 26, was arrested in the High Point Mobile Home Park Monday afternoon. Joseph Skochelak, 25, was also arrested Monday afternoon in a Dover, Delaware apartment complex.

Both men are charged with arson, burglary and conspiracy and are awaiting arraignment.

Harrington Jr. and Skochelak are accused of deliberately setting fires that damaged the Healing Hands Christian Church, Manship Chapel, and the Laws Mennonite Church back on Dec. 2.
 

Police are searching for a man accused of attempting to sexually assault a woman in West Philadelphia Monday night.

The 23-year-old woman told police she was on 47th and Chestnut streets at 8:37 p.m. when she was approached by an unidentified man who tried to take off her clothes. The woman managed to escape before an assault took place and contacted police, according to investigators.

The suspect is described as a heavyset man between the ages of 30 and 35 wearing a blue jacket and black backpack.

If you have any information, please call Philadelphia Police.
 

A firefighter was killed in a blaze that tore through a Philadelphia home early Tuesday morning.

The 36-year-old woman died while battling the fire on the 1600 block of Middleton Street, near Rodney Street, in the West Oak Lane section of the city, according to officials.

She is from Engine 64, which is stationed in the city's Lawncrest neighborhood.

Crews first responded to the blaze, which broke out in the home's basement, around 3:15 a.m.

Smoke alarms woke a 54-year-old woman, who was sleeping in the West Oak Lane house, officials said.

She escaped the home and called 911.

An investigation is underway.

Even after a second report was released on the politically motivated lane closures at the George Washington bridge, legislation to overhaul how the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey remains unsigned by both state's governors.

Lawmakers from the two states are planning a news conference on Tuesday in New York City aimed at pressuring New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the measures, which both legislatures have passed.

The bills are aimed at increasing transparency at the Port Authority, which has responsibility over the region's airports, tunnels and bridges. That includes the George Washington Bridge, where workers closed lanes into New York City last September as part of a scheme led by two former Christie aides.

"I would assume that both governors don't need any pressure," said New Jersey state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, who also co-chairs the panel investigating the lane closures. "They know about the excesses, they know about the toll increases. If they need any more pressure -- well I won't complete that sentence."

Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said Monday the legislation hasn't been delivered to the governor's office and is still under review. Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts also said the bills remain under review.

While the bills received support from both parties, New Jersey's legislative investigation has generated fierce political sniping, with Republicans saying Democrats are leading an overtly political inquiry while Democrats say the GOP does not want to follow the facts where they lead.

The Democrat-controlled investigative panel publicized an interim report on its inquiry on Monday. The report failed to find proof of a direct connection between Christie and the lane closures. It comes after a report commissioned by Christie drew similar conclusions earlier this year.

The new report turned up deleted text messages between the governor and one of his aides, but the content of the messages is unknown.

The governor's supporters say the document clears his name. Critics, on the other hand, say Christie showed a lack of curiosity about dealings within his administration.

The U.S. attorney, meanwhile, is conducting his own investigation into the lane closures.

New York's legislation would clarify the fiduciary duty of the Port Authority's commissioners, requiring they exercise independent judgment in the best interest of the authority and public it serves.

It would also require audited authority financial statements, detailed annual reports, specific procedures for disposing of property, a whistleblower program, that meetings comply with the open meetings laws of both states, and that commissioners and top staff file annual financial disclosures and comply with rules restricting contact with lobbyists.

The New Jersey legislation is similar and includes provisions for the establishment of an inspector general's office, the requirement of a study before toll or fee increases, and the opening of hearings to the public.

Officials are wrapping up a series of public meetings on proposed increase in user fees at Delaware's state parks.

The fiscal 2015 capital budget approved by lawmakers earlier this year authorized the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to propose a fee increase after receiving public comment and approval of advisory councils.

Officials have held public comment sessions in Sussex and New Castle counties, and the final session was scheduled for Tuesday at Killens Pond in Kent County.

Lawmakers say the Division of Parks and Recreation should be allowed to collect appropriate fees to cover the costs of activities and services.

A man was seriously hurt early Tuesday morning when he ran into a Philadelphia street and was hit by a car.

The victim dashed onto the 7900 block of Bustleton Avenue, near Loney Street, in the Rhawnhurst section of the city around 1:30 a.m. and was struck by a vehicle that was traveling southbound, police said.

The man broke both of his legs and his pelvis, and also suffered chest injuries, offiicials said.

He was rushed to Aria Torresdale Hospital in stable condition.

The driver remained at the scene and an investigation is underway.

A mother who was killed along with her two children and three other people after a plane crashed into a Maryland neighborhood was originally from Brick Township, New Jersey.

A jet registered to North Carolina-based Sage Aviation was en route to the Montgomery County Airpark when it crashed about a mile away into a home on the 19000 block of Drop Forge Lane in Gaithersburg, Maryland just before 11 a.m. Monday.

The jet made a narrow gash through the roof of that home, while the main body of the plane came to rest against a second house. A wing containing fuel catapulted into a third home, causing a large, deadly fire.

Firefighters quickly responded to the scene, but said the flames were too large and too dangerous to do a top-to-bottom search.

Marie Gemmell, 36, was on the second floor of the third home cradling her 7-week-old and 3-year-old boys during the fire. All three perished. Gemmell was originally from Brick Township, New Jersey and graduated from Brick Township Memorial High School in 1997.

Just hours before the crash, Gemmell posted on her Facebook page that she just wanted to "stay home" Monday and watch TV with her kids. Her visibly distraught husband was at the scene throughout the day, and the couple's oldest child was not home during the crash.

All three people abroad the jet were also killed, including Michael Rosenberg, CEO of North Carolina-based biopharma corporation Health Decisions, Inc.

CLICK HERE for more details on the crash and investigation.

A female firefighter has lost her life in the line of duty for the first time in Philadelphia's history.

Joyce Craig-Lewis, a decorated 11-year-veteran of the department, died after being trapped fighting a blaze in the basement of a West Oak Lane home early Tuesday morning, city officials said.

"This brave firefighter gave her life trying to save the life of an elderly, frail woman this morning," Mayor Michael Nutter said. The woman was safely rescued during the fire.

The 36-year-old mother of two was one of only 150 women serving in the Philadelphia Fire Department, which is made up of more than 2,100 firefighters, paramedics and officers.

“She had a strong work ethic. She prided herself in working at busy engine companies,” said Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer, who knew Craig-Lewis personally.

Craig-Lewis, along with several other crew members, was part of the initial attack group that entered the rowhome that went up in flames around 3:15 a.m. along the 1600 block of Middelton Street, Sawyer said.

A "chimney effect" caused smoke and flames to pour up the basement steps and at the firefighter, he said. At some point conditions worsened and fire command ordered crews out of the home, but Craig-Lewis became trapped, Sawyer said.

She radioed for help and crews went back into the basement, officials said.

"After the withdrawal, they realized that firefighter Craig-Lewis was missing. They went back in to search for her and they were not able to get her out before she passed," Sawyer said.

Once out of the house, she was given CPR and rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center. Doctors pronounced her dead around 4 a.m.

Craig-Lewis is survived by two children -- 16-year-old Mahki Donte Green and 16-month-old Laylani Lewis -- as well as her parents and three siblings.

She worked at Engine 64 in the city's Lawncrest neighborhood. She was moved to that company three years ago. But, Tuesday morning, the woman was working an overtime shift with Engine 73, colleages said.

"We suffered a tragic loss here this morning," said Mayor Michael Nutter. "This is still under investigation, there are some details we just don't have."

Firefighter's union president Joe Shulle said it's possible that a flashover happened, which is where an entire room bursts into flames. He said in seconds the room's temperature could climb to more than 1,000 degrees and that there would be zero visibility.

Fire officials have collected Craig-Lewis' equipment and are sending it for inspection. One specific area they will be focusing on is whether her safety alert device was activated.

The PASS — or Personal Alert Safety System — device, attached to the breathing tank, sends out an audible distress signal, similar to the sound a smoke detector makes. It can be manually activated by a firefighter in distress or will automatically turn on if a firefighter is horizontal and motionless for 20 seconds, Sawyer said.

Crew members learned of their colleague's death as they stood along Middleton Street, just outside the home where she died.

Authorities held drivers around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday on the southbound lanes of the Roosevelt Boulevard as traffic entered Interstate 76 to allow a procession, which transports the woman's body, to pass.

A firefighter and police officers could be seen saluting the passing emergency vehicles.

The last firefighter killed in the line of duty was Capt. Michael Goodwin, who died on April 6, 2013.

Goodwin, a 29-year fire department veteran, was on the roof of a building near 4th and Fitzwater streets when it collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the Fabric Row blaze.

New Jersey State Police found out fast just how powerful social media can be as a crime-fighting tool.

They posted on Facebook and Twitter, asking the public to help them track down four burglary suspects. Within 30 minutes, police were "flooded with dozens of tips" that helped them identify one of the suspects.

"We are excited to see how our social media outreach has morphed into an effective crime fighting tool," said Capt. Stephen Jones, Director of Communications for the State Police in a statement Tuesday. "We're not yet tapping its full potential, and I believe the power of this medium is still undiscovered by many law enforcement agencies."

Troopers posted images of three men inside a Millstone Township home in September. One of the guys climbed through the kitchen window and let the three others inside. Together, police say the men stole a safe and various electronics.

Tips from social media eventually led to the arrest of all but one of the suspects.

Jesse James Shawger, 21, Thomas LaSala, 24, and John Anderson, 27, are each charged with burglary and theft. They are all from Howell, N.J.

The fourth suspect has eluded arrest. Investigators are asking anyone with information about him to call Hamilton Station Troopers Mimikos or Boyd at 609-584-5000, extension 5297.