Police are investigating a homicide after they found a man shot dead outside a Chinese restaurant in Philadelphia early Saturday morning.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting near 56th Street and Greenway Avenue in the city's Kingsessing neighborhood around 12:30 a.m.
The victim, who was in his 30s, was shot once in the chest shortly after he bought a bag of cookies at Sing Fon restaurant, officials said. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators have not named a motive in the deadly shooting.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact police.
A man is behind bars while another is recovering after shots rang out on a Philadelphia street early Saturday morning.
A 22-year-old man was walking on the 100 block of East Wishart Street around 1 a.m. Saturday when a gunman opened fire, striking him four times in the right shoulder.
The victim fell to the ground and crawled to the 3200 block of B Street. Witnesses nearby flagged down police who were responding to the area. The officers then drove the victim to Temple University Hospital. He is currently in stable condition.
As several officers searched the area, they spotted two men and two women walking northbound on B Street. As the officers walked up to them to question them about the shooting, one of the men allegedly ran away eastbound on the 300 block of Ontario Street.
One of the officers chased after the suspect who threw a firearm onto the sidewalk and then ran into a home on East Ontario Street, according to investigators.
The officer then found the suspect, described as a 23-year-old man, in the rear alley of East Ontario. He was taken into custody without incident. Police also say they recovered a black .32 caliber handgun loaded with five live rounds on the 300 block of East Ontario.
Police have not yet revealed the suspect's identity or the specific charges against him.
A shoplifter brandished a weapon when security confronted him in a South Philly Wal-Mart early Saturday morning.
In a brazen armed robbery, a suspect walked into a 24-hour Wal-Mart located at 1675 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. in the city's Pennsport neighborhood around 1:55 a.m., grabbed a 50-inch television and headed for the exit, police said.
A store security guard stopped the suspect before he left the store, which is just north of Pier 70, but the man pulled back his shirt to reveal a weapon tucked into his waistband -- all while other shoppers were nearby, authorities said.
The suspect then fled the store in an unknown direction.
No one was hurt.
The suspect is described as a heavy-set man between the ages of 25 and 30 with a medium-brown complexion standing 5-foot-8. He was last seen wearing a black knit hat, black hoodie, black pants and black sneakers.
Temperatures plummeted Saturday as wind gusts made it feel even more frigid outside, making for a dangerously cold day.
A dramatic drop in temperatures overnight led to lows in the teens Saturday morning. Typically our region sees highs in the 40s at this time of year.
The mercury hit 17 degrees in Philadelphia around 7:30 a.m., but a wind chill of 2 degrees means it felt even colder.
The weather was even more biting in higher elevations. The air temperature in the Poconos was around 3 degrees early Saturday, but the winds made it feel like 14 below zero.
Much of South Jersey, as well as Delaware, felt like single digits, but the "hot spot" is the Shore, where coastal towns reached highs in the mid-20s.
The frosty weather can be dangerous and several municipalities, like Burlington County, issued code blue alerts to warn that the current conditions pose a threat to the homeless.
If you head outside, be sure to wear light and loose layers, a hat and gloves, and cover your mouth with a scarf.
The bitter cold blast will move out Sunday, although it will remain chilly as high temperatures will reach the mid-30s.
Enjoy the "warm-up" while it lasts because an approaching storm will move into the region Monday morning, dropping freezing rain in and around the city for the morning commute. The precipitation will create slippery conditions for commuters, especially on untreated roads.
While areas close to Philly will see an icy mix, snow is more likely in the Poconos.
A 2-alarm fire ripped through a block of rowhomes in Lehigh County late Friday night, forcing nearly two dozen people from their houses on a bitterly cold night.
Firefighters responded to reports of smoke and flames on the 1300 block of Gordon Street, near Chew Street, around 11:30 p.m., officials said.
The blaze damaged four rowhomes, displacing 16 adults and six children, according to the American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania, which is assisting the group by providing food, clothing, shoes, winter coats and, if necessary, lodging.
No word yet on the fire's cause. An investigation is underway.
A Delaware tractor-trailer driver was heading to his Wilmington home early Saturday morning when his truck collided with a car, in Queenstown, Maryland, killing five family members, including a pregnant woman.
Twenty-eight-year-old Yvenet Mayette, of Wilmington, was traveling southbound on Route 213 around 1:15 a.m. when he struck the passenger side of a 2006 Suzuki Forenza that was carrying a Greenbush, Virginia family, who were heading westbound on Route 50.
The tractor-trailer then rolled over the car -- the family of five was still inside.
Sisters Zarissa and Regina Ayres, Regina's boyfriend Travis Stratton, their 2-month-old son Jonathan, and Regina's 7-year-old daughter Jordan were on a trip to Baltimore to visit family, police said.
Regina Ayres, 24; Stratton, 25; and the two children were pronounced dead at the scene. Zarissa Ayres, 30, was taken to a hospital where she and her unborn child were pronounced dead.
Mayette was believed to be headed home to Wilmington, Delaware, after picking up 44,000 pounds of polyfiber in Charlotte, North Carolina, Friday afternoon. He was flown to University of Maryland Shock Trauma, where he is being treated.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, but alcohol does not appear to be a factor. It's unclear which vehicle had a green light.
Route 50 reopened about 9:30 a.m. after authoriites spent more than eight hours collecting evidence and conducting an investigation at the scene.
No charges have been filed. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is urged to contact Maryland State Police at the Centreville Barrack at 410-758-1101, extension 7.
The tractor trailer is owned by Nationwide Solutions LLC of St. John, Indiana.
Frigid temperatures can wreak havoc on your car, but there are some very specific precautions drivers can take before the bitter cold weather kicks in.
Drivers can address some concerns the night before to prepare for their commute the next morning, such as raising the windshield wipers so they don't freeze to the glass. The biggest concern is the car’s battery, according to Jana Tidwell, manager of AAA mid-Atlantic Public and Government Affairs.
"In frigid weather like this, weak car batteries are the first to go, especially since cold weather damage is cumulative,” said Tidwell. "At 32°F, your car’s battery loses 35 percent of its strength. If your battery is more than three years old, it’s worth having your battery checked.”
Filling up the gas tank the night before will also diminish moisture which might cause future engine problems.
Here are some additional recommendations from AAA to make your car winter-ready:
• Get a checkup. Give your car a complete once-over, especially if it is older than five years. Make sure all belts are tight and hoses are not leaky. Test all lights.
• Check tires. During cold weather, tire inflation pressure decreases 1-2 psi for every 10 degrees of temperature change. Make sure pressure levels match those found in either the owner’s manual or on the driver’s door jamb, and note that pressure levels may be different for front and rear tires. Visually inspect tires for cracks or bulges, and ensure tread depth is adequate.
• Oil and filters. Be diligent about checking the oil and filter on a regular basis. Low oil level, as well as dirty oil, can compromise your engine in extreme cold.
• Keep it clean. Get your car to the carwash frequently to scrub off de-icing chemicals and salt. Besides eroding your car’s paint, these items can also reduce visibility by clinging to windows and mirrors.
• Pack a bag. Don’t leave home without an emergency kit in the truck with a fully charged cellphone and charger, ice scraper, shovel, jumper cables, flashlight, blanket, drinking water, and a high-protein snack. Kitty litter, sand or salt will help with traction if your vehicle becomes stuck.
Republicans with political grudges are out to "railroad" and destroy Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, a lawyer for the first first-term Democrat said Saturday.
Washington crisis counselor Lanny Davis vowed that Kane will be vindicated, whether or not she faces criminal charges in an investigation over a grand jury leak.
"This railroad train seems to me to be driven by some men with grudges, men who are bitter and angry at being exposed and professionally embarrassed -- men who have political agendas to railroad Kathleen Kane out of office and destroy her career," Davis said.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has cited anonymous sources in saying that a special grand jury this week recommended that Kane be charged over the 2013 leak.
The state's former Supreme Court justice, Ronald Castille appointed a fellow Republican lawyer to serve as the special prosecutor, to be overseen by a Republican county judge. Those three have either not returned messages or declined comment this week.
The decision on whether to pursue the grand jury's reported recommendation is now in the hands of another Republican, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman. Davis said he had confidence she would review the matter fairly.
Davis said those out to get Kane include those with grudges over her review of her predecessor's Jerry Sandusky child-abuse investigation and pornography found on state computers. Her predecessor was ex-Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican.
Davis said repeatedly that Kane never knowingly disclosed any secret grand jury material. And he pledged that she would not step down, while conceding she had made some mistakes in her first two years in office.
"She will not resign because she is innocent," Davis said. "She will not let them prevail."
Kane is the first woman and the first Democrat to be elected attorney general since it became an elective post in 1980.
She has endured a difficult year both professionally and personally. In addition to the grand jury problem, she took heat for quashing a probe -- later revived by the Philadelphia district attorney -- of lawmakers who allegedly took inappropriate gifts.
And she announced after Christmas that she had filed for divorce from her husband of 14 years. They have two children and have lived in Clarks Summit, near Scranton.
Kane has said she is using personal funds to pay for Davis' legal work. Davis worked as special counsel to President Bill Clinton.
A man was struck and killed during a hit-and-run crash in Galloway Township, New Jersey Friday night.
James Osler, 52, of Galloway, was walking on US 30 and 8th Avenue shortly before 10:30 p.m. when he was struck by a passing vehicle which fled the scene.
Osler was then struck by other vehicles passing by. The drivers of those vehicles stopped and called 911. Osler was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
Officials have not yet released a description of the hit-and-run vehicle. They continue to investigate.
If you have any information on the accident, please call Sergeant Richard Barber, Officer Steve Garrison, or Detective Bryan Casey of the Galloway Twp. Police Fatal Accident Unit at 609-652-3705.
After investigating for more than three months, authorities tracked down and charged five people in connection with a diversion theft in Atlantic County.
Police arrested Michael Denikov, Melianna Denikov, Linday Martinov, Biserka Petrov and Ljuba Petrov with theft and conspiracy to commit theft.
Several of the suspects distracted the restaurant owner, who also named Krystal Vy, with an elaborate take-out order while one suspect went behind the counter and grabbed her purse, according to New Jersey State Police.
Surveillance cameras captured the whole incident.
It appeared the suspects worked as a team to snatch $17,000 cash from the restaurant's owner, investigators said.
Vy said it was money that was supposed to buy three months of food.
The investigation involved multiple police departments in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Illinois.
Troopers are currently investigating other incidents or crimes that may be linked to these individuals. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Michael Garvey of Buena Vista Station at (609) 561-1800 extension 3442.
A magnificent rarity appeared at The Academy of Natural Science’s Butterflies! exhibit.
“I thought: ‘Somebody’s fooling with me. It’s just too perfect,’” said Chris Johnson, a volunteer at the museum. “Then I got goose bumps.”
Johnson found a beautiful specimen with the characteristics of both male and female butterflies. Each wing had different markings, splitting the butterfly in half with different genetic characteristics.
Johnson informed his supervisor, David Schloss, who promptly called a lepidopterist to confirm his suspicions.
Jason Weintraub, who specializes in butterfly collections, knew immediately that the insect needed to be collected and euthanized for research before being potentially injured or killed in the exhibit.
The butterfly had a condition called bilateral gynandromorphy, a genetic condition that primarily affects birds and butterflies.
“It can result from non-disjunction of sex chromosomes, an error that sometimes occurs during the division of chromosomes at a very early stage of development,” Weintraub said.
The "brush-footed" butterfly, Lexias paradalis, does not yet have a colloquial name. It is often found in Southeast Asia, according to museum officials.
The nameless butterfly originated in a farm in Malaysia before it was sent to the local exhibit.
“In most cases, such specimens are ‘discovered’ in museum collections by a researcher who is carefully examining reproductive organs of insects under the microscope and stumbles across a specimen with both male and female characteristics,” Weintraub said.
The miracle butterfly will be displayed at the Academy of Natural Science from Jan. 17 to Feb. 16.
It’s cold out, but that doesn’t mean you have to run right to the thermostat.
"There are a lot of simple things people can do at their house, and it doesn't just help them to be energy efficient but helps them be more comfortable in their house too,” said Energy Expert Heather Farber.
Energy and gas bills rise in the winter when residents blast the heat, but there are alternatives to keep houses toasty without ringing up a huge tab with the energy company.
One easy way to keep warm is to leave window shades open and let the sun do its job.
Keep common cold air leaks, like basement doors and fireplaces, closed. And consider using draft guards at the base of doors to block any blasts of air.
Instead of paying for heat to seep out through small holes, Farber recommends adding insulation to chilly and poorly insulated areas.
Twin children were taken to the hospital after they were found alone inside a home in the Oxford Circle section of the city Saturday.
The 10-year-old twins were found inside a home on the 1200 block of Greeby Street. Philadelphia Police Public affairs told NBC10 the children were locked inside a bedroom and that there was an initial report stating the home was in “deplorable” condition.
The Special Victims Unit told NBC10 however the home was in good condition when police arrived.
The children, who investigators say appear to have developmental issues, were taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital where they are listed in stable condition.
No one has been charged or is in custody in relation to the incident at this time. Police continue to investigate.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
