It’s a snowy Valentine’s Day throughout the region. Check out the best snow photos from our area!
Seven people were hurt after a pileup involving 107 cars in Erie County, Pennsylvania Saturday.
The pileup occurred in the westbound lanes of I-90 at mile-marker 41 near the I-86 intersection.
Seven people suffered “bumps and bruises” in the pileup though no one was killed or seriously injured, according to officials.
I-90 was closed for several hours due to the accident.
Officials said road conditions were “icy” at the time of the accident with one to two inches of snow on the ground as well as blowing snow in the air.
A Pennsylvania man says a typo led to a $33,000 overcharge on his electric bill with the Philadelphia-based company, PECO. Now he’s speaking out, claiming PECO took too long to respond to him and refund him for an obvious mistake.
Steve Onufrey, 71, of Warminster, Pennsylvania, told NBC10 the ordeal began when his wife made a typo while sending an electronic bill payment to PECO in January.
“My wife did not enter in a decimal point on a bill for $339.38 and the payment went through as $33,938,” Onufrey said.
Fortunately for Onufrey, he just happened to have enough money in his account for the huge payment to go through.
“That money happened to be in the account due to the settlement on my father’s house in Northeast Philadelphia after he died last year,” he said. “The money was waiting to get taxes calculated on it prior to putting the rest in an interest bearing account.”
Onufrey reached out to PECO as well as his bank Wells Fargo. Onufrey claims reporting the overchage to PECO was a long and frustrating process.
“I was on the phone literally every day this week with agents, supervisors and managers,” he said. “All who said they would call me back that same day – no one ever did call me back.”
Onufrey says he was finally told Friday by a PECO manager that a refund check would be mailed to him on Feb. 19, which would meet the company’s 30 day standard wait time for refunds.
“Nothing was done to get this to me any earlier,” Onufrey said. “$33,000 and it is treated like a $33 overpayment.”
Onufrey admits he’s fortunate to have actually had the money in his account but wanted to speak out for other customers in a similar situation who weren’t so lucky.
“If this happened to me, I am sure this type of mistake has happened to others and will happen again,” Onufrey said. “I feel for others who are less fortunate than me financially and need a refund due to a simple mistake and a request for a legitimate refund is denied which may have a financial snowball effect that will be of harm to them.”
NBC10 reached out to a PECO spokesperson for comment Friday. The spokesperson said they weren’t able to access Onufrey’s account until Monday to verify his story. The spokesperson also said however that the normal wait time for a refund is 30 days.
Two teenagers were killed after a pickup truck and a minivan collided Saturday night in Chester County.
A mini-van with six people inside was turning right from North Ship Road onto northbound Route 100 in Uwchlan Township when it was struck by a pickup truck driving northbound on Route 100 across the intersection, police said.
A teenage boy and a teenage girl inside the van were ejected from the vehicle due to the crash. They were both found on the shoulder of the roadway and pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the pickup truck and sole occupant inside the vehicle was arrested at the scene and is currently in custody. Police have not yet revealed what he will be charged with though investigators told NBC10 they are investigating whether he was under the influence at the time of the accident.
Police also said they don't believe weather played a role in the crash.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
A teenage boy died from his injuries Saturday after falling off a moving car.
The unidentified 16-year-old boy was spotted climbing on top of a small white car that was stopped on the 3200 block of Levick Street around 11:15 p.m. Friday, police said. The car then traveled west on Levick Street while the teen boy was still on top.
As the car approached the 2900 block of Levick Street, the boy fell from the moving vehicle. The car then continued west on Levick Street to Harbison Avenue before going in an unknown direction, according to investigators.
The boy was found unconscious on the street by responding police officers a short time later. He was taken to Aria Frankford Hospital and then transferred to Aria Torresdale where he died from his injuries at 5:10 p.m. Saturday.
Police are currently searching for the white vehicle but have not yet released a detailed description of it. They also have not yet revealed the boy’s identity.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
Dangerously strong winds and potentially record-breaking cold slammed the entire area Sunday. Temperatures are expected to fall between 0 to -3 degrees for the Philadelphia area overnight into Monday morning. If that temperature holds, it would break the previous record of 2 degrees set back in 1888.
While the wind speeds will die down, actual temperatures will be colder Monday morning and afternoon, staying in the teens and low 20's with wind chills around -20 degrees Monday morning.
Wind Chill Temperatures Monday by 5 a.m.
Philadelphia: -17 degrees
Trenton: -15 degrees
Toms River: -16 degrees
Atlantic City: -15 degrees
Dover: -14 degrees
Reading: -19 degrees
Allentown: -20 degrees
Poconos: -32 degrees
Dangerously low temperatures and face-biting winds already hit the area Sunday morning. Strong gusts blew over leftover snow making the somewhat icy road conditions even more precarious for drivers.
Temperatures dipped late Saturday evening into early Sunday morning with AM lows hitting single digits ahead of an afternoon high of just 15 degrees. The sub-freezing temperatures felt even colder as wind gusts surpassed 50 miles per hour in parts of the region.
The strong winds caused concerns for utility companies as tree limbs could potentially come down and take out power lines. A tree toppled onto the roof of a Delaware County home, trapping one person, while an apartment building in Philly's East Falls neighborhood also had a tree fall onto it.
PECO officials, who activated the emergency response team late Saturday night, are advising customers to stay safe Sunday and prepare for possible storm damage.
At one point more than 1,600 PECO customers in Philly and more than 1,300 others in Delaware County were without power, while the other surrounding suburban counties had a few dozen outages, according to the company website.
PSE&G reported only a handful of customers were without power.
The dangerously low temperatures and high winds led to some cancellations in the area.
The Archdiocese closed parish and regional Catholic elementary schools in Philadelphia.
The 2015 Mike's Seafood Polar Bear Run-Walk for Autism in Sea Isle, New Jersey was cancelled. Race officials have yet to announce a new date for the even.
Several area churches -- the Baptist Worship Center Church in Bridesburg section of Philly, Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pottstown and Warminster Presbyterian Church -- canceled services.
The painful winds and dangerously low temps Sunday followed a blast of snow on Valentine's Day morning and snow squalls throughout the evening, moved through the area later on. During the second round, there were periods of heavy snow causing white-outs, low visibilities and dangerous travel.
Stay with the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team for the latest weather updates throughout the weekend.
Crews battled a house fire in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood for nearly 45 minutes before getting the blaze under control.
Firefighters responded to the 300 block of Berkley Street around 12:45 a.m. Sunday, according to officials.
Officials with the American Red Cross said they are assisting the family of 7, who were displaced by the blaze.
No one was hurt.
At least one person became trapped in a Delaware County home after strong winds knocked a tree into the roof early Sunday morning.
Four people were inside the home -- located on the unit block of Spruce Road in Newtown Square -- just after 1 a.m. when the tree toppled onto the house and the family's minivan, officials said.
Crews said they had to rescue one person, who was not seriously hurt.
The large tree also took out power to the damaged home and others nearby.
Residents in a Philadelphia apartment building were awoken around 3 a.m. when a tree fell onto the roof.
It put a hole into the roof of the 5-unit building located on the 2900 block of School House Lane in the city's East Falls neighborhood.
Inspectors with the city's Licenses and Inspections department deemed the building safe, according to the property owner.
The man living in the damaged apartment said he would stay.
A physical confrontation with a Philadelphia bar owner prompted a man to return to the establishment early Sunday morning and open fire, investigators said.
A bullet grazed one man in the head around 3 a.m. -- just as the suspect began firing at Kif's Sports Bar and Hookah Lounge located at 61st and Market streets in the Cobbs Creek section of Philly, according to officials.
The 26-year-old victim suffered a wound to his right eye, police said. Medics rushed him to Presbyterian Hospital, where he is in stable condition, authorities said.
Investigators said a fight broke out between the owner of Kif's and the suspect, who was removed from the bar by security. About 10 minutes later, the suspect returned with a gun, they said.
No arrests have been made. Police are reviewing surveillance footage captured by the bar's security cameras.
Some New Jersey couples planning to build a future together looked beyond the roses and candy this Valentine's Day.
They're opting instead to build a home and took advantage of a sweetheart deal offered by the city of Newark: $1,000 vacant lots.
Hundreds of couples lined up at the crack of dawn outside Newark City Hall to participate in the Model Neighborhood Initiative a program designed to breathe new life into old neighborhoods by selling city-owned properties at the bargain price.
The only catch is that buyers must build houses on the properties within 18 months and commit to living there for at least five years. Buyers were required to make a $500 down payment.
"I never thought that it would take on this much life," said Mayor Ras Baraka. "There's a line all around the corner. People were here since last night. It's ridiculous, but it's great that they're interested in doing this. We may have to do this again."
The city offered 100 lots for sale on a first-come, first-served bases.
Parishioners were stunned Sunday morning when a steeple collapsed and fell from the roof of a Northeast Philly church.
A small congregation was inside the Burholme Baptist Church at 905 Cottman Ave. around 10 a.m. when they heard the steeple topple to the ground, according to the minister's son.
The wood-framed steeple, approximately 40 to 45 feet in height, either collapsed or was blown over by the wind, according to officials with the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections.
The debris fell into a space between the church and the Dunkin Donuts on the corner of Rising Sun and Cottman. No one was injured, no debris fell on Cottman Avenue and no vehicles were damaged, according to officials.
The church roof was damaged in the accident and an unsafe violation is being written pending review by engineers.
Atkinson Steeplejack Company is currently on site making emergency repairs and evaluating the structure.
The church has been led by Rev. Charles App Jr. for the past 35 years.
Authorities are searching for a man wanted in the fatal shooting of another man following a bar fight on Valentine's Day.
Middlesex County prosecutors say 32-year-old Franklin Township resident Jahmmel Chephas faces murder and weapons charges in the death of 31-year-old Richard Pryce, of Perth Amboy.
Authorities say the men were involved in "an altercation" early Saturday at a Perth Amboy bar, but haven't said what sparked the dispute. The shooting occurred a short time later on Amboy Avenue, and authorities say Chephas then ran away.
Pryce, who was shot multiple times, returned to the bar and was taken to a hospital by a friend. But he was pronounced dead there a short time later.
An autopsy determined that Pryce died from the shooting. His death was ruled a homicide.
Police are investigating the death of a woman who was found lying face down in the snow.
The Lakewood Police Department received a 911 call Sunday morning reporting a woman found lying unconscious near a townhouse on the 500 block of Davids Court in Lakewood, New Jersey.
When they arrived they found Olivia Benito, 66, of Lakewood, face down on the ground next to a neighbor’s car. Medics arrived at the scene and Benito was pronounced dead at 7:26 a.m.
Lakewood Police contacted the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office major crimes and Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI to help with the investigation. The investigators determined Benito was last seen alive by her neighbor at midnight.
The neighbor told police she and Benito had gone to a benefit together on Saturday at the Lakewood Elks. They then left the benefit and stopped at the neighbor’s home for a short time. The neighbor claimed Benito drank several alcoholic beverages throughout the night, left the townhouse around midnight and walked to her townhome about two doors down.
The neighbor then went out to clean her car Sunday around 7:04 a.m. when she found Benito lying face down in the snow. The neighbor attempted aid, dialed 911 and contacted Benito’s husband who had assumed his wife was sleeping at the neighbor’s home, according to investigators.
Officials say there are no signs of trauma or foul play at this time. They are awaiting the results of an autopsy from the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine an exact cause of death.
A man was killed while two other people were injured after two cars collided in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon.
A car was traveling northbound on Ogontz Avenue while a second was traveling southbound. As the second car turned left onto Fisher Avenue it was struck by the first vehicle.
A passenger in the second car, a man in his 50's, was taken to the Einstein Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 5:22 p.m.
The drivers of both vehicles were taken to Temple University Hospital where they are both in serious condition.
Ogontz Avenue was closed for several hours but later reopened.
Officials have not yet identified the victim. They continue to investigate the accident.
Bomb detection dogs and police searched through a Berks County GIANT store after a written threat was found.
The threat was found in the bathroom of the GIANT supermarket located on the 4600 block of Perkiomen Avenue in Reading, Pennsylvania Sunday.
Police have not revealed what the letter said but it prompted a response from Exeter Township Police. Management closed the store as police swept the building. Nothing was found however.
Police have not yet determined who wrote the threat.
