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Another Student Arrested in Wild UDel Party

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Another University of Delaware student is facing charges in connection to a wild house party on the school's campus that spiraled out of control.

On Monday around 11:30 p.m., Newark Police responded to a house party on the 400 block of South College Avenue which officials say had become “disorderly.” When officers arrived, they say they found over a thousand people in the area as well as a DJ set up in the backyard of the home.

Police say several people were urinating in public and trespassing through other yards in the area. The residents of the home, identified as 19-year-old Anthony Ladisernia and 20-year-old Evan Touzzoli, were both arrested and charged with hosting a disorderly premise. Both Ladisernia and Touzzoli are students at the University of Delaware.

As officers were dispersing the crowd, investigators say a mob began to block traffic on South College Avenue. Police also say people began to walk on the hoods of cars. According to investigators, one person was recording the entire ordeal with a camera, causing the crowd to swell around it and act even wilder. Police say they took the cameraman, identified as 26-year-old Marcus Hyde, of Chesterfield, VA into custody and charged him with disorderly conduct. According to investigators, Hyde is part of "I'm Shmacked," a group that starts and records college parties across the country and then posts the footage online.

Police say the crowd continued onto Main Street and swelled to several thousand people. They also say the crowd continued to block traffic and walk onto cars. Around 75 officers from the University of Delaware Police, New Castle County Police and Delaware State Police responded to the scene to help disperse the mob.

“There was everyone on the roof, they knocked down a fence,” said a student who attended. “It was a riot. They were jumping and screaming bad things at the cops and throwing beer bottles. I’m not a fan of it. I think it makes us kind of look bad.”

Police say several cars and signs were damaged. They have not yet revealed the exact cost in property damage however. No officers or members of the crowd were injured during the incident.

On Thursday, police sent out a press release which included pictures of two suspects accused of damaging the roof of a Ford Mustang during the party. Investigators say 18-year-old John Marine of Newark, Delaware turned himself in after seeing the pictures online. Police say Marine is a student at the University of Delaware.

Marine is charged with riot, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He was released on a $1700 unsecured bond. Police are currently searching for the second suspect.

The University of Delaware Office of Student Conduct held an emergency hearing for Touzzoli and Ladisernia. The school has not yet revealed whether disciplinary action will be taken against Marine.

The University also sent a letter to students.

"To be sure, the vast majority of students did not and would not participate in such an embarrassing, dangerous and costly episode," the letter stated. "The few who did have cast a negative light on the University as a whole and on the character of our community."

You can read the complete letter here.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said another student who attended the party. “Even though it was the wrong thing to do, it was still epic.”



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

South Philly Native's Exhibit Opens at Philly Museum of Art

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She’s a world renowned sculptor, author and poet. Barbara Chase Ribound is in town for the opening of her exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. NBC10’s Renee Chenault-Fattah talked to the South Philly native about her career and where it all began.

A Cure for Sickle-Cell?

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It’s a disease that impacts more than 100,000 people in the United States. But thanks to research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we may be closer than ever to finding a cure.

Sickle-cell anemia is a hereditary blood disorder that causes red blood cells to form an abnormal and rigid shape. Complications from the disease include stroke, chronic pain and leg ulcers. Elvelyna Beaubrun was first diagnosed with sickle-cell as a toddler.

“It’s important that people really see what we go through and understand that it’s painful,” Beaubrun said. “The pain is agonizing. It’s unbearable.”

While Beaubrun, who is pursuing a nursing degree at Drexel University, says it will be awhile before she has a family, she still thinks about the impact sickle-cell could have on her future children.

“It definitely raises concerns in terms of the genetics, who I marry, and if I decide to have kids,” she said. “I always think about that and I always bring that to my doctor’s attention.”

Now however, there is a reason for hope for Beaubrun as well as hundreds of thousands of sickle-cell patients nationwide. Dr. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong and his colleagues at the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at CHOP believe they are close to finding a cure through a groundbreaking procedure; transplanting stem cells while the baby is still in the womb.

“We can do this transplantation at a time when the baby’s immune system is so young and immature that it would accept either the mother or the father’s bone marrow,” Dr. Frempong said.

The procedure is still several years away from being used on people however, and it won’t happen without funding.

“From the government, we’d probably get our proportionate share which is not enough,” Dr. Frempong said.

That’s why, Dr. Frempong says, it’s important for people to give.

“What we lack in sickle-cell research is that we don’t get private support,” he said.

CHOP is hosting a fund-raising gala this weekend. To find out more on how you can help find a cure, click on this link.
 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Kohr's Owner: Store Wasn't Operating When Fire Started

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The man who owns Kohr's Frozen Custard, Inc. says his store wasn't even operating when the boardwalk fire started in Seaside Park on Thursday afternoon.

"The walk-ins [large refrigerators] were cleaned out, the breakers were off, the store was de-energized," Kohr said. He said they were essentially cleaning up and putting the store to sleep for the winter.

Kohr's sits near the site where the fire is believed to have started around 2:20 p.m. According to the first call for help, witnesses said it began under the boardwalk. It spread quickly through four blocks of businesses in Seaside Park and neighboring Seaside Heights, Ocean County, New Jersey.

Kohr said he was at a local hardware store about 20 minutes away when a manager back at the custard shop alerted him that he smelled smoke. Kohr says he left his shopping cart and raced toward the store. When he got to the bridge between Toms River and the barrier island where Seaside Park is located, Kohr said he could see the smoke

"This is so unreal," said Kohr. His business is one of at least 30 that were destroyed or damaged by the fire.

Kohr, who grew up greeting customers at the counter, said the frozen custard shop was "not my second home, it was my first home." He says his heart goes out to all the neighboring business owners and customers.

Kohr said Thursday morning that he had not been interviewed by investigators and had not heard from any officials.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office is asking anyone with pictures or video to please contact them. With the help of federal investigators, a local task force is investigating the boardwalk fire. They're hoping pictures and video will help them determine where and how the fire started.

Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor, said investigators especially want to see who was congregating in the area right before the fire began.



Photo Credit: Twitter/ Peter Venkman

Small Flames Rekindle at Fire-Ravaged Warehouse

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Nearly two weeks after a massive fire burned down a South Jersey food warehouse, firefighters once again battled flames coming from the rubble.

Firefighters returned to the scene Friday night to hose down parts of the smoldering rubbish at the Dietz & Watson cold storage facility on Cooperstown Road in Delanco, Burlington County, N.J. Officials say the flames are not major.

This is the third flare up since the original blaze on September 1.

On September 8, firefighters put out 4 to 5-foot flames and smoke coming from the rubble. On September 6, some rubbish at the site caught fire.

The three incidents paled in comparison to the original blaze.

The September 1 fire caused the roof, lined with thousands of solar panels, to collapse within hours. Thick, black smoke could be seen billowing from the facility miles away.

More than 200 firefighters from Burlington, Mercer, Gloucester, Camden and Atlantic Counties were brought to the distribution center, which is about 300,000 square feet -- roughly the size of five football fields.

By Monday morning, the blaze continued to burn as water issues, the threat of electrocution and other factors hindered firefighting efforts. While fire officials were finally able to contain the blaze early Monday evening, they also said it would likely continue to smolder for days.



Photo Credit: NBC10- Brian Iacone

Day Care Worker Accused of Abusing 2 Kids

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Police say a West Philadelphia day care worker will be charged with physically abusing two children she was supposed to be watching. Police say the worker abused and then abandoned the kids. NBC10's Monique Braxton talked to the owner of the Future People Daycare, who was stunned to hear the allegations against her employee.

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

High School Blitz Wk 3: Jillian's Game of the Week

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This week you voted to see a team on the rebound against one of the top teams in the state of Pennsylvania. NBC10’s Jillian Mele has the story.

Man Shot in Both Legs on Wilmington Street: Police

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Police say an 18-year-old man was injured after he was shot in both legs while walking along a street in Wilmington.

Police say the man was walking along the 100 block of North Van Buren Street shortly before 2:40 p.m. Sunday when he heard gunfire. Investigators say he later realized that he had been shot.

The man was taken to Christiana Hospital where is listed in stable condition.

There are no suspects in the shooting at this time.

Police are investigating the incident.


Also on NBC10.com:

Pa. University Wins 1st Night Game in 121 Years

Heroin Use Rising Dramatically in Delaware

Sandy Victims in Limbo


Abington to Install Red Light Cameras

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A Montgomery County community is one step closer to installing red light cameras at some dangerous intersections. Abington Township will be the only place in the state outside of Philadelphia to have those cameras. NBC10’s Na’eem Douglas reports.

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Day Care Worker Accused of Abusing Brother, Sister

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A 57-year-old day care worker is facing child endangerment and assault charges after she allegedly physically abused two children, ages 11 and 2, entrusted to her care and then abandoned them at a West Philadelphia day care center Sunday.

The alleged incident happened shortly before 10 a.m. after the mother of the children dropped them off at the Future People Day Care Center at Ludlow and South 57th Street.

Police say the woman, later identified as Genel James, pushed the 11-year-old girl and hit her 2 -year-old brother in the face.  The little boy reportedly went to the bathroom on himself before the alleged attack, according to investigators.

Police say the girl called police from a phone inside the day care. The woman then locked the front door of the center and left the children inside, according to investigators.

Tanor Tody, owner of the day care center, told NBC10’s Monique Braxton that the woman was hired when she opened the 24-hour day care center two years ago. She says she is stunned at the allegations.

“I was called this morning by the cops. I came rushing here. I was told that she had an altercation with the kids. I've done a lot of training and went through a lot of requirements to be here, so this saddened me that it happened here,” said Tody.

Tody says the worker called her to say that the children had been unruly but the woman claimed that she did not abandon the children inside the center.

NBC10 found that all of the day care center’s licenses and permits are current. Tody says that the suspect cleared a thorough background check.

“She will be reprimanded but I have to let her go because that type of behavior is not tolerated,” said Tody.

Tody hopes that surveillance cameras will reveal exactly what happened.

The mother of the children, who did not want to be identified, says the children had just started attending the daycare center on Monday.

She told Braxton that the incident is an “unfortunate accident” and does not blame the day care center but “feels the person needs help.”

James was arraigned early Monday morning. Her bail was set at $100,000.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Out-of-Control SUV Plows Into Shed, Dumpster

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A shed, a parked car, a stop sign and a trash dumpster were some of the items left badly damaged when an out-of-control SUV plowed off a road in Yeadon, Pa. overnight.

Police say that a woman in her 30s was likely driving through the Bucks County community at a high-rate of speed when she lost control of her SUV along Lansdowne Avenue, near Providence Road, and plowed onto the sidewalk, crashing into a family’s shed around 2:45 a.m.

After hitting the shed and sending its contents all over the lawn, the SUV continued down Lansdowne Avenue and struck a car parked outside the ManorCare Health Services -- Yeadon nursing home.

The driver then hit a dumpster -- pushing it 30 feet -- before driving, or going airborne, up a hill where her car overturned, ejecting her from the vehicle.

She was hospitalized in serious condition.

Police said toxicology tests would be done as part of their investigation.

The driver wasn’t identified.



Photo Credit: NBC10

Man Ejected, Police Officer Hurt During Collision

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A man was left fighting for his life and an off-duty police officer was left recovering after a crash involving two cars in the Holmesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia overnight Saturday into Sunday.

Police say a car and a van collided around midnight on State Road and Ashburner Street. The driver of the van, a 42-year-old man, was ejected during the crash. He was taken to the hospital where he remained in critical condition Sunday.

The driver of the car, an off-duty police officer, suffered a broken wrist. He was treated and released from the hospital. 

Both vehicles were badly smashed up with front-end damage to one car.

Police have not yet determined the cause of the accident though they don’t suspect alcohol or anything suspicious was involved.

Click here for more news from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

SEPTA Warns of Major Cuts Unless State Hands Over Money

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SEPTA has shared a drastic vision of the future. The transit agency serving Southeast Pennsylvania threatens to shut down nine of 13 regional rail lines and implement other cuts if the state does not provide more funding.

The shortfall in SEPTA's budget for capital investments is unprecedented, said Rich Burnfield, SEPTA chief financial officer. The agency is running rail cars "put in place when Gerald Ford was president," he said.

The aging regional rail lines require the most expensive repairs, SEPTA officials said. Without those repairs, the agency anticipates closing nine lines and truncate others closer to Philadelphia over the next decade.

It's estimated those changes would displace 89,000 riders a day -- adding up to more than 40 million rides in a year. Right now, SEPTA's ridership is at an all-time high.

Pennsylvania's Senate this summer passed legislation that would provide SEPTA with an additional $500 million -- enough, say SEPTA officials, to avert a true crisis. But the deal has stalled in the Pennsylvania House, which is expected to take up the issue again this fall.

The state Department of Transportation is also urging the House to act on funding officials say is urgently needed for bridge and road repairs.

"What we're seeing from SEPTA is not having enough resources for our transportation system [...] It is another unfortunate reality that we're looking at with the shortfall in transportation funding," said Erin Waters, a PennDOT spokeswoman.

House Republicans' spokesman, Steve Miskin, dismissed SEPTA's announcement as "the agency's semi-annual sky is falling PR effort."

"The fact is SEPTA is locally managed. The decisions are locally made and the contracts are locally negotiated," Miskin said. "This is an issue that is in local control."

He said there has been work over the summer on transportation planning, adding that lawmakers are considering how to fund the "critical needs of Pennsylvania infrastructure."


This story was reported through a news coverage partnership between NBC Philadelphia and NewsWorks.org



Photo Credit: Getty Images

State Considers Criminalizing Online Bullying

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When Pennsylvania House lawmakers return to Harrisburg for the fall session, a proposal on cyber bullying awaits.

The plan to criminalize online communication that disparages or threatens children passed unanimously out of a House committee last spring.

While laws alone won't eliminate online harassment, said bill sponsor Rep. Ron Marsico, the Legislature is not overstepping its bounds in efforts to criminalize it.

"The consequences can be ... very devastating to a child. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has characterized cyber bullying as an emergency public health problem," said Marsico, R-Dauphin.

At a recent hearing, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association voiced support for the plan, but said it should be changed to ensure that anyone prosecuted under it must be shown to have a malicious intent.

The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union opposes the legislation, saying it isn't constitutional to censor free speech online just because it is mean-spirited and directed at a child.

State law addresses only general harassment and harassing text messages that are sexually explicit.


This story was reported through a news coverage partnership between NBC10.com and NewsWorks.org

NJ Killing to Be Featured on "Most Wanted"

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As the search for April Kauffman's killer continues, the New Jersey homicide is getting a new look on "America's Most Wanted."

Photo Credit: 911 Call From Man Who Found Body of Radio Host Released

Police Investigate Crash in Delaware County

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A woman takes out a light and a stop sign, crashing her car in Delaware County.

Lockdown Lifted at NJ High School

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Police asked an area high school to be put on lockdown for about an hour today.

Gloucester Township police said that there was some sort of situation outside Timber Creek Regional High School on Jarvis Road in Erial, N.J. around noon.

The school posted the following to its website around 12:15 p.m.:

"We have been instructed by the Gloucester Township Police to go into a lockout due to a problem outside the school but within the proximity of the school. Classroom instruction is on-going; however, no persons are permitted to enter or exit the building at this time."

Shortly after 1 p.m., Black Horse Pike Regional School District Superintendent Dr. Brian Repici told NBC10 that the issue outside the school had been resolved and that no students were ever in harm's way.

The school is surrounded by some wooded areas. Repici says that police were searching for a person of interest in the wood behind the school and as a precaution asked that the school be put on lockdown -- meaning no one could enter or leave the building.

Repici says the person was apprehended and the situation cleared. As SkyForce10 hovered overhead a police car could be seen outside the school but otherwise there wasn't obvious police activity.

Police didn’t reveal any more information and couldn’t elaborate on the type of situation.



Photo Credit: Sky/Force10

Murdered Radio Host's Daughter Searching for Closure

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“After 17 months for someone to have been shot brutally -- killed in her own home, murdered -- it’s not OK that the (shooter) is still free. That’s a very scary thought.”

Nearly a year and a half after Kimberly Peck’s mother April Kauffman’s body was found, there is no closure.

“I never expected to be at this point at this stage,” Peck told NBC10 Monday. “I really thought that we would actually have some closure at this point and it’s really difficult.”

Kauffman, 47, a popular local radio host and veterans advocate was found shot dead in the bedroom of her Linwood, N.J. home on May 10, 2012.

“I miss her like crazy… my mom was 47 years old, we were like sisters. I feel like such a part of me is missing.”

Peck has struggled to come to terms with her mother’s death while doing all she can to keep her mother’s name out there including holding vigils, talking to local papers and keeping in touch with prosecutors in hopes that Kauffman’s killer is found.

“It’s very important for us to keep it alive because we want there to be attention on this issue… the bottom line is somebody breached her domicile, came in and murdered her in cold blood and they’re still living and walking amongst us and that’s not OK,” Peck said.

Authorities said soon after the killing that they didn’t believe Kauffman’s killing was random. But no suspect or person of interest has ever been named in the case and most recently prosecutors said they lacked sufficient evidence in the case.

“All I want at the end of the day is justice for her and justice means the capture and conviction of the person responsible and I think our citizens have earned that too.”

Peck recently got in contact with a friend’s friend at America’s Most Wanted and the national website agreed to run Kauffman’s unsolved murder on its website. Peck hoped that the national exposure on AMW.com would bring a break in the case.

“Maybe this can bring the tip that can help solve this horrific murder.”

Peck said she is still struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death, especially since she doesn’t have friends who can relate.

“To not have control of anything and to not feel like I can help in any way is very frustrating.”

Peck said that a difficult part of the wait for her mother’s killer to be brought to justice is explaining to her teary-eyed 7-year-old son why his grandmother’s killer remains free.

“He keeps asking me if the police caught the bad guy yet. And that’s really difficult because you don’t want to take hope away from a little boy and you don’t want to feel hopeless yourself so you say, ‘not yet but I’m sure they’re gonna get him.’”

Peck appreciates all the support herself and her family has received from the Linwood community and especially veterans groups that have honored her mother.

But for all the vigils, events and honors, Peck has no closure.

“The biggest frustration is not having resolution at this time.”

Peck said she appreciates any advice or tips and that she is all ears in hopes she can be at peace.

“If I get resolve for this situation I can finally grieve my mom,” Peck said. “How can you grieve somebody when everything is still so up in the air?”

Anyone with information in this case can call AMW at 1-800-CRIME-TV.



Photo Credit: 911 Call From Man Who Found Body of Radio Host Released

Paulsboro's 2nd Derailment in a Year

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A train car has derailed in Paulsboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey.

One car jumped the track going into a refinery on Billingsport Road, according to initial reports from the scene.

First responders say the car is empty and that there are no injuries.

This is the second time in less than a year that a train has gone off the tracks in Paulsboro.

On November 30, a train derailed spilling 100,000 pounds of toxic vinyl chloride into the air.

To date, more than 250 people have filed suit against Conrail, claiming the company knew but did not disclose the dangers of the chemical released after the train derailment.

More NBC10.com stories:



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Teacher Caught Sleeping on the Job

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A junior at John Bartram High School says she's not getting an education and it's not because she doesn't want to, it's because she doesn't have a teacher to give her one.

"We don't have a teacher in my class, so students just roam the halls or sit in the auditorium and do nothing all day," she said. "It's frustrating because I really want to learn."

According to the student, her 6th period health class has not had a permanent teacher since the first day of school. Instead, another teacher has been filling in, but the student says that teacher has not been instructing the class at all. In fact, she took a photo of the teacher earlier this week, which appears to show him sleeping on the job.

The student's said she was disappointed when she saw the photo.

"My daughter has been coming home every day saying she's not learning anything. It's disappointing because if you're fortunate enough to have a job, you shouldn't be sleeping on these kids," she said. "My daughter was doing really, really well at this school, but this is just unacceptable."

The girl's mother said the same health class was run very differently last school year. She believes the changes are due to the districts funding crisis, which left most of the City's public schools with bigger class sizes and smaller staff resources.

"Last year she had a health class, and they had the classroom set up like an ER, and they had someone come and train them about health education, and just really trying to introduce them to the medical field. To go from that last year to this this year is so unacceptable," she said. "I'm sure it’s because of the funding issues. It has to be."

On Thursday, the student says no one showed up to teach the health class at all, so the students were instructed to go home early.

"It's supposed be like a two-hour class, but we didn’t have a teacher today, so we just walked out in the hallways. The security guards told us to find a classroom to go to, but when we told them we had nowhere to go because there was no teacher in our class, they told us to just go home," she said.

The girl's mother said she contacted the school about the incident and was instructed by a secretary to call the school district office. When she contacted the district, she says she was unable to reach anyone after waiting on hold for 46 minutes.

Philadelphia School District spokesman Fernando Gallard confirmed that the picture does show a teacher sleeping, although the district will not identify him and doesn't plan to give out any additional information about the teacher.

Gallard said the district is investigating to determine whether the incident warrants disciplinary action.

Gallard said the previous teacher resigned at the start of the year, but says that resignation was not related to budget cuts or teacher reductions. Gallard said the teaching position for the Health Related Technologies Class requires a registered nursing degree and that it is difficult to find candidates for the job.

As a result of the picture, the health class is being canceled for the semester and students will be reassigned. The school plans to offer the class again next year.

According to Gallard, as of last week, there were fewer than 40 vacancies out of an approximate 9,000 teaching positions in the entire district.



Photo Credit: Bey Burrell
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