A group of water skiers in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania started the new year with a splash for a good cause.
The Port Indian Ski Club held its 35th annual Ski Freeze water skiing fundraiser in Norristown on Thursday afternoon.
Brave souls hop on their water skis and try not to end up in the Schuylkill River.
The skiers take to the water to raise money for Camp Rainbow. The summer camp in Lower Salford Township takes kids ages 7 to 16-years-old with financial or social challenges on weeklong camping experiences next to the Perkiomen Creek.
The ski club was hoping to raise $3,000 with this year’s event — nearly doubling donations from years past.
They got very close with a total of $2,810, event's organizers said.
Two women have tested positive for Hepatitis A after eating at a Mercer County, New Jersey restaurant where an employee had been diagnosed last month, health officials tell NBC10.
Now, officials are warning unvaccinated residents who never ate at the restaurant could have been exposed.
The women, one a 53-year-old and the other 60, both ate at Rosa's Restaurant and Catering at the same time an infected food prepper was working, a Hamilton Township Health Department spokesman said.
Last month, officials warned anyone that had eaten at the restaurant between Nov. 10 and Dec. 1, 2014 to be tested for the virus after the worker was hospitalized. Vaccinations were also offered to residents by the health department.
The new cases were confirmed overnight Thursday, officials said. Both diners are recovering at home.
One woman works at The Hair Port Salon at 3144 S. Broad Street and the other is a fitness instructor at the Hamilton Area YMCA's JKR Branch along Whitehorse-Mercerville Road and the New Jersey Athletic Club in Lawrenceville, officials said. She also works at the Mercer County Board of Social Services in Trenton.
Officials are advising people not vaccinated against the virus that worked with them or visited the salon between Dec. 4 and Dec. 31, 2014 and the health clubs and social services board between Dec. 5 and Dec. 29, 2014 to seek medical care.
Hepatitis A symptoms include mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and dark urine and jaundice. It is primarily transmitted when a person ingests food or water that has been contaminated by the infected person's feces.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
A Pittsburgh man, home for the New Year's holiday, has been charged with the rape of a woman in a Philadelphia parking garage, police sources tell NBC10.
Steven Woodson, 32, is charged with Rape, Attempted Murder, Robbery, Aggravated Assault and a number of other offenses in the assault that took place Thursday morning, sources said.
The rape occurred between two cars on the 2nd floor of a parking garage located at 17th and Callowhill streets in the city's Spring Garden section around 11 a.m., investigators said. The garage borders the Community College of Philadelphia's campus, but is not part of the school.
A 33-year-old woman suffered multiple injuries during the brazen daylight attack, which occurred as locals and tourists headed to New Year's Day events throughout the city, police said.
Medics transported her to Hahnemann University Hospital, where she is listed in stable condition.
Detectives spent hours Thursday dusting for fingerprints and collecting evidence, like sunglasses and clothing, left behind after the assault.
They later brought Woodson in for questioning at the department's Special Victims Unit in Hunting Park and eventually charged him in the crime.
Sources said Woodson is originally from Philadelphia and was home visiting family for the holidays when he carried out the assault.
Court records from the Pittsburgh area show Woodson spent four months in jail after being charged with Indecent Exposure, Open Lewdness and Harassment from an incident last May. He posted bail in September and that case was pending a jury trial.
Neighbors said the garage is staffed 24 hours a day and were shocked to hear about the assault.
"I'm very surprised. I've lived here three and a half years and I've never had an issue," resident Alexis Tannenbaum said. "I feel very safe in the building and the parking lot."
Another neighbor, Susan Goodman, said she regularly goes into the garage alone, but that's about to stop.
"I've lived her about six weeks. I've walked in and out of the garage alone all the time," she said. "I do, but I won't."
It’s official: the holiday season is over. Thankfully, the Philadelphia Streets Department is offering a Christmas tree recycling program to assist with decoration clean-up.
Philly residents are encouraged to drop their trees off at any one of Philadelphia’s 23 pick-up locations between Jan. 10 or Jan. 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The National Christmas Tree Association offers a variety of ideas for tree recycling at home, although they may be best suited for the experienced gardener.
“A Christmas tree is biodegradable; its branches may be removed, chipped, and used as mulch in the garden,” according to the National Christmas Tree Association. “If you have a neighbor with a chipper, see if he will chip it for you.”
Additionally the leftover trees make good goat snacks. So, if you happen to have a few goats, recycling the trees into tasty treats may be a viable option.
Authorities are investigating a home invasion that occurred early Friday morning in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia.
Officers responded to reports of a robbery at a home on the 1800 block of 73rd Avenue around 5:30 a.m.
It is unclear what items were taken from the home.
An investigation is underway.
Family and friends gathered Friday in Gloucester County to remember the New Jersey boy who was struck and killed by a police cruiser on Sunday.
Mourners began pouring into a viewing for 10-year-old Matthew McCloskey at Our Lady of Peace Parish/St. Mary's Church on Main Street and Carroll Avenue in Williamstown, New Jersey around 9:30 a.m.
The mother of Matthew told authorities her son had dreams of entering law enforcement and even attended a Junior Police Academy Camp in June.
“He wanted to be a police officer,” said Franklin Township Police Chief Michael Rock. “He has a connection to the police department.”
In a statement, family members described Matthew, the youngest of four children, as “the sweetest, most loving boy.”
“In his short life Matthew touched so many with his warm heart and compassion,” the family wrote. “He was also known as a jokester, he loved making people laugh."
"To all who knew him, his beautiful heart and kindness shined through in the community."
Matthew was crossing Delsea Drive (Route 47) Sunday night in Franklin Township on his way to a sleepover with two friends, when he was struck by a Franklin Township patrol car, prosecutors said.
The driver, Patrolman Nicholas Locilento, 23, was responding to a call for assistance with an unruly juvenile in a township home, according to officials.
Family and witnesses claimed Locilento was traveling at a high rate of speed and did not have his lights or siren on. Authorities have yet to confirm those claims.
Each police department in New Jersey sets its own standard operating procedures for cruiser's lights and siren based on guidelines put out by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, said Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Bernie Weisenfeld.
Patrolman Locilento has been placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues.
Police charged a Pittsburgh man, home for the New Year's holiday, with the rape and attempted murder of a woman inside a Philadelphia parking garage.
Steven Woodson, 32, is facing rape, attempted murder, robbery, aggravated assault and related charges in the violent assault that took place Thursday morning on the second floor of a parking garage located at 17th and Callowhill streets in the city's Spring Garden section shortly before 11 a.m.
"I believe the motive here was a robbery and I think he took advantage," said Lt. Anthony McFadden.
The 33-year-old woman, who Philadelphia Police said was visiting from out of town, suffered multiple injuries during the daylight attack, which occurred as locals and tourists headed to New Year's Day events throughout the city. Medics transported her to Hahnemann University Hospital, where she was treated and released.
She told investigators that she thought her attacker was going to kill her.
Woodson approached the the woman from behind, placed his hand over her mouth and demanded money, police said. The woman offered Woodson her purse, but he stated that he only wanted cash, according to investigators.
The suspect then choked the woman until she lost consciousness, investigators said. The woman awoke between two parked cars with the suspect on top of her demanding she remove the battery from her iPhone, which cannot be done, investigators said.
He then beat the woman on her face and head until she once again lost consciousness, police said.
Woodson then sexually assaulted the woman, according to police.
Once she regained consciousness, she managed to break free and moved toward a vehicle that had just driven into the garage to ask for help, officials said.
A witness chased the suspect but lost him around the 400 block of North 17th Street, investigators said. Officers then stopped Woodson on the same block — just 10 minutes after the assault.
Investigators brought Woodson in for questioning at the department's Special Victims Unit in Hunting Park Thursday and eventually charged the 32-year-old with the beating and rape.
Detectives spent hours Thursday dusting for fingerprints and collecting evidence, like sunglasses and clothing, left behind after the assault.
Sources said Woodson, a Philadelphia native, was home visiting family for the holidays when he carried out the assault.
Court records from the Pittsburgh area show Woodson spent four months in jail after being charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness and harassment from an incident last May. He posted bail in September and that case was pending a jury trial.
The garage borders the Community College of Philadelphia's campus, but is not part of the school.
Neighbors said the garage is staffed 24 hours a day and were shocked to hear about the assault.
"I'm very surprised. I've lived here three and a half years and I've never had an issue," resident Alexis Tannenbaum said. "I feel very safe in the building and the parking lot."
Another neighbor, Susan Goodman, said she regularly goes into the garage alone, but that's about to stop.
"I've lived her about six weeks. I've walked in and out of the garage alone all the time," she said. "I do, but I won't."
More than two weeks after a school bus stop crash that left a Bucks County teenager dead, another teenager faces homicide by vehicle charges.
Bensalem Police announced Friday that Michael Shelly would be arraigned on homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, overtaking a school bus and related charges.
Investigators said Shelly, 18, was behind the wheel a sport utility vehicle that struck and killed Bensalem High School sophomore Minete Zeka on Dec. 17 around 6:40 a.m. as the 16-year-old tried to catch her school bus along Bensalem Boulevard.
"This child, it does not appear, was doing anything wrong,” said Bensalem Police public safety director Fred Harran last month. “She was just crossing the street.”
Police said Shelly was driving toward the bus when he struck Minete, who was walking in the crosswalk near Bridgewater Street, said police.
"One of the key basics in this particular crime is that he didn't stop for a school bus," said Harran while announcing the arrest Friday.
Shelly, an 18-year-old vo-tech student driving a 1984 Ford Bronco painted in white and blue camouflage and with lights on top, had a green light at the time. However, the school bus’ flashing lights and stop sign arm should have caused Shelly to stop, said police.
"It's a tragic case ... if he obeyed the rules of the road that morning and stopped for that school bus this young girl would have had a great Christmas, hopefully, and we would not be having a news conference announcing the arrest."
Accident investigators used a computer program to reconstruct the accident scene. Police also looked into the condition of the teen driver’s SUV and into what he was doing at the time of impact.
Police wouldn't comment about the condition of Shelly's vehicle saying that information would come out in trial.
Harran also wouldn't comment about texting while driving or other possible distractions but did say that Shelly stopped at the scene, cooperated with investigators and didn't appear to be under the influence of any substances at the time of the wreck.
"It doesn't appear that alcohol or drugs played a role in it," said Harran.
"Michael feels very bad for the death of someone who was a classmate of his," said Attorney Stanton Lacks.
Shelly was arraigned Friday afternoon and sent to county jail unable to post bail. Lacks said his client's cooperation and lack of a record should lead a judge to lowering Shelly's $500,000 bail.
"The 18-year-old will never be the same," said Harran. "He'll have to live with the fact that he took a life."
With nine times more cases reported so far this flu season in Delaware, the First State’s hospitals took measures to combat the potentially deadly virus.
Bayhealth Medical Center, Beebe Healthcare and Christiana Care Health System have all changed visitation rules in hopes of preventing the spread of flu.
Bayhealth instituted a rule that no one under the age of 12 can visit patients and that anyone over the age of 12 experiencing flu-like symptoms — including aches, pains, stuffy nose, headache, chills, sore throat, fatigue and fever — should come to the hospital, reported Delaware Online.
Christiana Care and Beebe established rules blocking any children under the age of 16 from visiting patient areas.
The new regulations came after the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced on Wednesday that 632 flu cases were reported so far this season compared to just 70 at the same time last year.
Young children are especially susceptible to flu. DPH announced its support for the changes.
“The most recent data reported to the Division of Public Health further confirms our concern that this influenza season is likely to be severe both in terms of the number of infected Delawareans and the severity of the illness,” Associate Dep. Director for Health Information & Science Paul Silverman. “Hospitals are addressing the flu epidemic on the front lines and are in the best position to evaluate the measures they need to take to protect their vulnerable patients.”
The department of health also urged that people get a flu shot if they haven’t yet because even if they still get the flu, it will be a milder version.
The DPH also reminded people suffering the flu to not go to emergency rooms since it puts more people in danger. Instead if you experience flu-like symptoms you should call your doctor.
Police surrounded a Montgomery County Target store after mall security spotted a man inside after hours.
Authorities charged 18-year-old Isaiah Bell, of Philadelphia, with burglary and other related offenses after they caught the teen stuffing a duffel bag with multiple electronic items around 11:20 p.m. Thursday, officials said.
The officers arrested Bell late Thursday night after securing the perimeter of the Target, located in the shopping complex near Washington Lane and Cheltenham Avenue in Wyncote, officials said.
Investigators called in a Philadelphia Police Tac-Air 1 helicopter to clear the building's roof, while officers from Philly and multiple suburban departments, including K-9 units, assisted in a search of the store.
K-9 officers located Bell hiding under a store Christmas display with the bag containing stolen goods, authorities said.
The teen allegedly hid in the store until it closed and then attempted to carry out the burglary.
No one was hurt in the incident.
An impatient Pennsylvania woman nearly lost her leg after she tried to get past a slow-moving freight train.
The incident played out Friday morning around 7:30 as a train passed Auburn Street near Basin Street in Allentown.
The woman, growing weary of standing around while the train passed, crawled underneath a tanker car in an attempt to get to the other side, said Allentown Police.
Witnesses watched as the train rolled over the 28-year-old woman’s leg, said police. She was left with a severed calf that required treatment at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.
Trains continued to run along the tracks Friday afternoon.
