Police are investigating the death of a man who was found in a lake in Hammonton, New Jersey.

Police say a resident found the body while walking on the 800 block of Central Avenue Monday morning. Officials were called to the scene and removed the body. 

Monday afternoon, police identified the victim as 45-year-old Charles Carley of Waterford Township. Police are currently investigating how Carley ended up in the water and how he died.

An autopsy will be performed on him on Tuesday.

Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.

Also on NBC10.com:

Daycare Worker Accused of Abusing Brother, Sister

Teacher Caught Sleeping on the Job

1955 Boardwalk Fire Hit Same Area

Police are searching for a man who they say flashed a woman while jogging in Wilmington.

Police say a 54-year-old woman was jogging in Brandywine Park along South Park Drive on Sunday around 6:55 p.m. when a man suddenly jogged past her and then stopped to stretch.

The man then allegedly turned and ran towards the woman with his genitals exposed before fleeing the scene. The woman returned to her home and reported the incident to police.

The suspect is described as a man between 25 and 29 years of age. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and bright blue New Balance sneakers.

If you have any information on this incident, please call Wilmington Police at 302-576-3990.

Also on NBC10.com:

Police ID Body Found in Lake

1955 Boardwalk Fire Hit Same Area

Police: Boy Sexually Assaulted on His Way to School

 

Education reform heavyweights are meeting with teachers, parents and administrators in Philadelphia on Monday evening to discuss changing the current state of education for the better.

Former Washington Teacher’s Union president George Parker, magnet school founder Dr. Steve Perry and former Washington D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee have been traveling the country holding so-called “Teacher Town Hall” events. They are talking about issues like charter schools, teacher accountability and testing.

“When we set about to do these town hall meetings, what we wanted was to bring differing opinions together,” Rhee said. “In order to fix the system, it’s not going to be any one silver bullet solution and it’s also going to take some time.”

During her three-and-a-half year span leading D.C. schools, Rhee instituted new accountability measures for both teachers and the administration in an effort to turn around a district that was one of the worst-performing in the nation. Hundreds of teachers were fired and nearly 30 schools were closed under Rhee’s tenure, which was hailed by some and vilified by others. She then started StudentsFirst, an education advocacy group that is sponsoring the town hall sessions.

Rhee and her colleagues bring their discussion to Philadelphia at a breaking point for the city’s education system, which is the eighth largest in the nation. A $304 million budget deficit forced the layoff of nearly 4,000 teachers and staff, which included every secretary, guidance counselor, assistant principal and school nurse.

School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. William Hite threatened not to open schools on time citing safety issues if at least some staff could not be rehired. City officials eventually relented and provided emergency funding to hire back more than 1,000 staff. However, city and state officials are seeking more than $100 million in contract concessions from the teacher’s union. Those concessions are sought in the form of pay cuts and changes to benefit offerings including having teachers make contributions to their health insurance, which they do not currently do.

“When you look at the situation in Philly, there are sort of a number of things that are sort of coming to fruition all at the same time that are causing things to come to a head in the school district,” said Rhee.

Rhee believes there are three key initiatives that can help lead to reform in Philadelphia. First, ensuring tax money is being spent wisely by reducing bureaucracy and promoting transparency. Second, keeping parents informed on the issues happening in schools and the district. Finally, and most controversial, Rhee says teachers must be evaluated to ensure all are highly-effective.
 
“One of the things that should be counted very heavily should be -- is that teacher moving gains in student achievement…but so should things like observation of classroom practice, things like contribution to school community, you know those teachers that coach the school soccer team or debate team,” she said.

Rhee’s town hall co-participant, Dr. Steve Perry has some more radical views about how Philadelphia can change for the better. Calling public school “the largest jobs program this side of The New Deal,” Dr. Perry says the city’s school district is simply too large.

“Philadelphia's school system should be 10 or 15 smaller public school systems, at least,” said Dr. Perry who founded and runs the Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn. and taught at Strawberry Mansion High School during his practicum. “What happens when the school systems are smaller is the people in central office have a better handle as to what’s going on in the schools. They get it more.”

Schools can be grouped by type – like arts or vocation -- and that way curriculum can be more easily tailored for students, he says.

Dr. Perry, like Rhee, also believes unions must make compromises with regards to benefits like pension plans.

“The reason why we have a budget deficit right now is because no one has the balls to stand up to the teacher’s union…and say ‘Folks, we just can’t afford these pensions that you have us paying for and the benefits and the raises and we can’t just pay for all that,” he said. “So there needs to be some common sense fiscal reform tonight.”

The Teacher Town Hall, is being held at Temple University starting at 6 p.m. Monday night, is meant to bring differing viewpoints together to have a frank discussion, Rhee says.

NBC10.com has partnered with StudentsFirst to carry the Teacher Town Hall event live. You can watch the stream above starting at 6 p.m. tonight. The group will also answer questions from viewers submitted via Twitter using the hashtag #RealEdTalk.

However, the dissenting opinion may be muted. Not because opponents are being silenced, but rather, the voices may not be there.

Some of Philly’s most vocal education advocates, including Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan, are taking part in a separate town hall discussion at the same time Monday evening.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Spokesman George Jackson says the city’s education advocates wanted to show a “contrast in approaches” to education reform.

“When we can truly say that our schools are getting the resources they need, we can certainly discuss and debate Rhee's ideas on education. But right now, we have a real crisis on our hands….And unlike Michelle Rhee, we don't get to drop in to town, push our agenda and move on,” Jackson said.

The other town hall event, which is also targeted at teachers and parents, will take place at the SEIU union building at 455 N. 5th Street from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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

Philadelphia Police are investigating the reported sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy in the Mantua section of the city.

The boy is a student at Morton McMichael Elementary School on the 3500 block of Fairmount Avenue.

The boy told his teachers he was on his way to school around 8:15 a.m. on Monday when an unidentified suspect grabbed him and sexually assaulted him on 39th and Brown Streets before fleeing the scene.

The boy told police his attacker appeared to be a boy between the ages of 12 and 13. Police also say they don't believe the boy knew the suspect.

Law enforcement sources close to the investigation say the suspect was wearing red and blue clothing that appeared to be a school uniform. Investigators are unsure however whether the suspect also attended Morton McMichael or another school in the area.

Officials at Morton McMichael sent letters to parents of students at the school, alerting them of the reported assault.

Police continue to investigate. No arrests have been made.

Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.
 

The CEO of Dietz & Watson has a message for neighbors who are fed up with the odor of burned and rotting meat in the aftermath of a massive warehouse fire.

"I want them to know we understand fully what they are going through," Louis Eni said. "Our primary concern is to get the site cleaned up."

On September 1, a fire burned down the Dietz & Watson cold storage facility on Cooperstown Road in Delanco, Burlington County, NJ.

The 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 the next 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 that evening, they also said it would likely continue to smolder for days.

Crews spent Sunday sorting rotten meat from the melted steal at the scene of the fire, even as hot spots continued to flare up.

Some neighbors say the stench has invaded the entire area.

“Rotting meat…just rotting meat…flesh smell, just burning,” said Brian Iwanicki of Delanco.

Kathy Morgan, who lives more than a mile away in Beverly, can smell it too.

“I actually had to cover my face to bring my dog outside. Yes, it was that putrid,” said Morgan. ““It’s horrible, it’s just horrible and they are saying that it’s OK for us to breathe, but I don’t believe it.”

Tara Howard says her children have had asthma trouble ever since the fire.

“The smell was almost a hazard. My youngest has asthma, and it was hard for him to breathe a couple of nights in there,” said Howard.

Residents living near the fire scene say they are also frustrated by the pace of the clean-up.

Dietz and Watson officials say they only got full access to the site for clean-up on Wednesday. The company says it sent out more than 30 truckloads of rotten meat from the site on Saturday.

On Monday, Eni claimed the cleanup is 25% complete and that so far 2 million of the roughly 8 million pounds of meat have been hauled off to a landfill.

The company says tests show the air is safe, even if it smells. A county engineer overseeing the cleanup insists tests for carbon monoxide and any volatile organic compounds are negative.

"There have been no indications, based on all the tests, that there are any hazards," he said.

But Kathy Morgan says she is not convinced.

“I'm not convinced. I've had my windows closed,” said Morgan.

And there is still the issue of flare-ups at the plant since the original blaze.

“If you look at it now…it’s just flaring now, thick black smoke,” one neighbor told NBC10’s George Spencer.

Dietz and Watson officials were granted extended landfill hours but are being careful in order to not place cleanup crews in harm's way.

"The fire is still smoldering," Eni said. "There are still hot spots so they can't get into the center of the building where the fires are burning. So they are working all around the outside of the building and moving as much as they can and as fast as they can."

Dietz & Watson created a telephone message center and a Twitter handle for residents to receive updated information on the cleanup process. You can call their message center at 215-668-9749. You can also following them at @DelancoCleanup on Twitter.

In four separate incidents after the blaze, firefighters returned to the scene to hose down part of the smoldering rubbish.

The incidents, however, paled in comparison to the original blaze which gutted the facility.

The devastating fire on the boardwalk in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights last Thursday brings back memories of another boardwalk fire in the same area almost 60 years ago.

On June 9, 1955, a fire broke out at a shop on the corner of Ocean Terrace and DuPont Avenue in Seaside Heights. Driven by 50 mile per hour winds, the fire spread south, until it was finally placed under control at Stockton Avenue in Seaside Park, according to Emil R. Salvini, author of “Boardwalk Memories: Tales of the Jersey Shore.” Salvini states that the fire destroyed three blocks of the boardwalk.

The fire became known as the Freeman’s Fire, named after the Freeman’s Amusements enterprise, which suffered heavy losses in the blaze, including the destruction of a hand-carved carousel. Freeman’s Fire destroyed 85 buildings and caused an estimated $4 million in damages, according to the Asbury Park Press. Governor Christie estimates that Thursday’s blaze destroyed at least 30 businesses.

While the cause of Thursday’s fire is still under investigation, Salvini writes that a “faulty neon sign” is believed to have started the 1955 fire.

J. Stanley Tunney, the Mayor of Seaside Heights at the time and owner of Freeman’s Amusements, as well as his associates managed to rebuild the pier and open it for next season. They also created Funtown U.S.A. which eventually became Funtown Pier, on the border of Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. Funtown Pier was one of the many structures damaged in Thursday’s massive blaze.

While those impacted by Thursday’s fire face an uncertain future, the Freeman’s Fire can at least provide proof that the boardwalk is more than capable of bouncing back. It’s a hope that many Seaside business owners, including Lou Cappetta, are holding onto.

“We’ll pull through this,” Cappetta said. “We will."

Credit: YouTube.com

The fire that destroyed a nail salon and damaged several adjacent homes in Paulsboro, N.J. is being investigated as "suspicious."

That's according to authorities who tell NBC10 they are looking at surveillance video from a neighboring home to see if it offers any clues as to what happened.

The fire started around 10 a.m. at the Broad Street Nail Salon on 405 West Broad Street. The flames caused the roof of the building to collapse and eventually spread to other homes attached, causing damage.

"That house was engulfed. I mean, it went up pretty fast," said Mary Antanaitis, a neighbor, whose home was also damaged.

Firefighters were able to bring the flames under control in about an hour. Investigators say at least one person suffered minor injuries.

Paulsboro Police, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and Fire Marshals Office are all helping with the investigation.

Federal health officials have agreed to import a meningitis vaccine approved in Europe and Australia but not the U.S. as officials at Princeton University consider measures to stop the spread of the disease on the Ivy League campus.

The Food and Drug Administration this week approved importing Bexsero for possible use on Princeton's campus, said Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Princeton officials confirmed the school's seventh case of meningitis in 2013 this week and a spokesman said trustees will discuss the issue this weekend.

No vaccine for use against the type B meningococcal bacteria which caused the cases at Princeton is available in the U.S., Reynolds said, adding that the decision to receive the vaccine would be optional if Princeton and CDC officials agree to offer it to students.

Bacterial meningitis can cause swelling of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. The disease is fairly rare in the United States. Those who get it develop symptoms quickly and can die in a couple of days. Survivors can suffer mental disabilities, hearing loss and paralysis.

The bacteria are spread by coughing, sneezing and kissing, and most cases occur in previously healthy children and young adults. The disease can easily spread in crowded conditions, like dorm rooms. All students living in dorms are required by state law to have a licensed meningitis vaccine, but it does not protect against type B.

The school is telling students to wash their hands, cover their coughs and not to share items such as drinking glasses and eating utensils.

Police say a woman who struck a man with her vehicle and then fled the scene turned herself in.

Early Saturday morning, Victor Ortiz was struck by the hit-and-run vehicle and then struck again by a second vehicle in the Olney section of the city.

Ortiz's wife told NBC10's Nefertiti Jaquez that she was fighting with her husband just moments before he was hit and killed. 

"I feel like, I don't know, sometimes I feel like it's my fault, like I should have just left with him," said Kenya Matos.

Matos said they were fighting over Ortiz's recent drinking problem, which she says started after he was diagnosed with cancer. She went inside La Barra bar on Rising Sun Avenue, but Ortiz wasn't allowed in.

This all happened around 3:15 a.m. The bar's manager says he witnessed the entire thing.

"It looked like a silver to champagne-colored Honda hits him, spins him into the oncoming traffic and that's when the second vehicle hits him," said Loren Williams.

A police officer responding to a call nearby also witnessed the accident and saw the first driver take off. Authorities say the impact from the second car probably killed Ortiz. That driver stayed on the scene and will likely not face charges.

"It didn't really hit me until the paramedics came and put the white sheet over him," said Williams.

Police say the hit-and-run driver turned herself in to police around 3 p.m. on Saturday. Charges against her are pending. They have not yet released her identity.

Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.

Philadelphia Police are looking for the driver who hit an elderly woman and took off in East Mount Airy.

RAW VIDEO: Flames Tear Through Nail Salon

Authorities say the accident happened around 9:00 p.m. at Ardleigh Street and East Vernon Road.

Her injuries are not life-threatening, according to police, who haven't released a description of the vehicle.

Stay with NBC10.com for updates in this developing story.

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A man is in custody after a police-involved shooting in Camden.

Officials say New Jersey State Troopers pulled an unidentified man over at Marlton Pike and 24th Street in Camden shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday. Police did not specify why the troopers pulled the man over but say it was in relation to an investigation.

Investigators say the man who was pulled over was armed with what appeared to be an assault-type weapon. According to officials, the troopers fired shots at the man though they did not say whether the suspect fired any shots.

The man was struck in the leg and taken to Cooper University Hospital. He was later released and taken into police custody. Police have not yet revealed the specific charges against him.

Police say an innocent bystander was also struck in the leg. They are unsure however whether he was struck by a direct shot, bullet fragment or a ricochet. The man was treated for minor injuries and was later released.

None of the state troopers were injured during the incident.

The shooting is under review by the state Attorney General's office. Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.
 

A Maryland man was charged with his 4th DUI after he allegedly harassed employees at a Delaware McDonald’s.

• WATCH: Couple Got Into Fight Moments Before Deadly Hit-and-Run

On Saturday around 6 p.m., State Troopers received several calls reporting a drunk driver inside a 1996 Lincoln Town Car in Dover, Delaware.

Around 6:45 p.m., the troopers responded to the McDonald’s on East Lebanon Road in Dover after employees reported the same vehicle was in the drive-through. According to the employees, the driver, identified as 48-year-old Bryan Gunther of Elkton, Maryland, was harassing workers and threatening to ram into other vehicles.

Troopers arrived at the scene and say they found Gunther inside the McDonald’s acting “disorderly.” Gunther was taken into custody. Police also say they recovered 6.1 grams of marijuana from inside his car.

Gunther was allegedly under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. He was charged with his 4th DUI offense, possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct and other related offenses. He was committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $20,403 cash bail.


 

A dog’s loyalty knows no boundaries, especially when it comes to its own blood. Two stray dogs found in Philadelphia are providing a heartwarming example of this. The Chester County SPCA posted a photo of the dogs, Jeffrey and his brother Jermaine, embracing each other while sleeping.

The photo itself is a perfect representation of their relationship. Jeffrey is blind. According to the SPCA, his brother Jermaine has dedicated his life to be his guide dog, helping him move around.

"The unconditional love and devotion these two dogs show is positively inspirational," wrote an SPCA spokesperson on the group's Facebook page.

Both dogs, approximately 8-months-old and believed to be lab-pitbull mixes, were found on the streets of Philadelphia back on October 5 and taken in by Operation Ava, a no-kill animal rescue organization.

"They were obviously a little bit scared and confused' said Ray Little, the Director of Life Saving at Operation Ava. "It was immediately apparent that Jeffrey was leaning on Jermaine and that Jermaine was making every effort to stay with his brother."

According to Little, the two brothers are inseparable.

"They're always pretty much touching each other," Little said. "Jeffrey really does try to maintain contact with Jermaine, especially when he's in an unfamiliar environment. As soon as he gets familiar with a new place, then he becomes a little bit more independent. But it's amazing how they try to maintain contact with each other."

While Little acknowledges that dogs are incredible social animals, he believes the case of Jeffrey and Jermaine is a special one.

"I think this is a little bit extraordinary in my experience because they're so careful with one another and play together so well," Little said. "It almost seems like Jermaine understands that Jeffrey has an issue seeing."

Since the photo of the two dogs was posted, Little says the response has been tremendous.

"Yesterday we had two phone lines busy all day," he said. "Between yesterday and today, I've received over 300 emails. We've been contacted by people as far away as South Africa and the United Kingdom. Many phone calls came from Canada and South America. And I think we've heard from every state in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii."

Now the two dogs are in need of a home and despite the overwhelming response, Little says there are still significant hurdles to overcome before they find one.

"We're hoping that people come here directly to the shelter but not many have done that," Little said. "It's always best for potential adopters to meet the dogs. We have only received two applications and we're still waiting to hear from references."

If you're interested in adopting the two dogs, Little is encouraging you to not only call Operation Ava at 215-240-1240 but to also visit the center, located at N. 3rd Street in Philadelphia, and see the dogs yourself.

"Meet with them, brings IDs and references so they can get started with the application right away," Little said. "Bring three personal references from people you know rather than veterinary references. The two that we have are veterinary and we can't get in touch with them over the weekend."

For more information on the adoption requirements, visit the Operation Ava website.