In an age when smartphones are many people's lifeline - and walking without talking on the phone, listening to music or checking email is a rarity, SEPTA is doing its best to keep distracted commuters safe.

One way the transportation company is doing so, is with the unveiling of the talking bus -- complete with an alert system that audibly and visually warns pedestrians that the bus is turning.

"When he [the driver] turns the steering wheel, it activates the strobe on the side of the bus as well as the audio alarm letting the pedestrians know that the bus is turning," said SEPTA's Manager of Operational Safety Ed Abel, Jr.

The warning systems have been installed in 12 SEPTA buses in the city so far as part of the pilot program. SEPTA officials will ride on these buses to access the alert system's effectiveness.

The Safe Turn Program is an extensions of SEPTA's Distracted Commuter Awareness Program launched last year.

A city maintenance worker pleaded guilty Tuesday to a caught on camera attack on a teenage girl on a SEPTA trolley earlier this year.

Damon Oliver, 40, struck the girl during an argument over a book bag on Jan. 21, police said.

In court Tuesday, the former maintenance worker with the city's Department of Parks and Recreation pleaded guilty to simple assault in exchange for prosecutors withdrawing terroristic threats and reckless endangerment charges.

Judge Glynnis Hill immediately sentenced Oliver -- who has remained behind bars since his arrest a week after the attack -- to nine months, 15 days to 23 months behind bars with credit for time already served.

Earlier, the city suspended Oliver from his job with the intent to fire him, department officials told NBC10.

Oliver was caught on surveillance video punching a 17-year-old girl named Shay in the face after an altercation on SEPTA's Route 17 trolley along Girard Avenue, police said.

The teen suffered a broken nose and her eye was swollen shut.

Police and the girl said Oliver, who was sitting, was upset Shay's book bag hit him during the ride.

NBC10 obtained a copy of an affidavit that shows that police apprehended Oliver after a co-worker identified him as the man in the video.

The co-worker picked Oliver up a few blocks away from where he left the trolley after the assault, according to the affidavit. The co-worker told police Oliver had called him claiming he needed a ride because he was forced to jump off the trolley after a group of high school students attacked him.

A day later, the co-worker saw video of the attack on YouTube and recognized Oliver, according to the affidavit.

Neighbors told NBC10 Oliver has a daughter the same age as the victim.

"A coward," Oliver's neighbor Sheila Jones said. "That's all I can say. A coward. Any man that touches a girl is a coward."

Surveillance video was released of the moments described by a female security guard who says the Atlantic City Fire Chief dropped his pants during a security check at the Public Safety building.

Dennis Brooks, the head of Atlantic City’s Fire Department is on administrative leave amid allegations of sexual harassment.

“She was appalled,” said the woman’s attorney Sebastian Ionno. “She was just in complete shock.”

Ionno told NBC10 the alleged incident occurred March 5 as Brooks was passing through a metal detector during a standard screening inside the Atlantic City Fire Department building. The woman claimed her request for Brooks to “remove metal from pockets” quickly turned inappropriate.

“At that point, Chief Brooks undid his belt, pulled down his pants and told my client he was having a bad day,” Ionno said. “Standing there in his underwear, one of the highest ranking members of the Atlantic City government.”

Ionno and the worker sent a complaint letter to the city’s attorney calling on city officials to preserve any evidence, including surveillance video, that may have captured the alleged incident. Ionno told NBC10 his client hasn’t decided yet whether she wants to file a lawsuit. At this point however, Ionno wants Brooks to be reprimanded and does not want the worker to face any repercussions.

“Even though she is concerned about the consequences against her, she felt she had to do this for herself and for other employees,” Ionno said.

NBC10 reached out to Chief Brooks throughout the day. We have not yet heard back from him. At this point, police say they are not conducting a criminal investigation. The Atlantic City Mayor’s Office told NBC10 an internal investigation is underway however.
 

One New Jersey town has taken away cars from a volunteer watchdog group and is requiring its ranks to go through background checks after one member was accused of showing obscene materials to a 15-year-old last year, according to reports.

Little Egg Harbor Township Police Chief Richard Buzby moved to impound two cars belonging to the town’s Citizens On Patrol group almost a year after one of its members, Thomas LaDany, was charged with promoting obscene material to a minor, The SandPaper reports.

LaDany, 76, was arrested in May 2014 after he allegedly showed the teen explicit material. His computer was confiscated after the arrest and investigators found pornography on the computer. No child pornography was found. A trial date for the man hasn't been set.

LaDany allegedly continued to work with the Citizens On Patrol and used one of the group’s cars until late last month. Buzby decided to impound the cars after learning that LaDany was still patrolling with the group.

“To allow this disgusting person to wear a uniform that looks something like a police uniform and to drive a car that looks something like a police car in my town without taking proper precautions would be crazy,” Buzby told The SandPaper.

Ocean County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Al Della Fave said, however, the incident did not take place while LaDany was carrying out the volunteer duties.

On Tuesday, town officials told NBC 4 New York that the group would get its cars back as soon as every member completes a background check.

A father was arrested after his baby girl was found dead at a Trenton home.

Police, fire personnel and medics were called to a home on the 1000 block of Stuyvesant Avenue Monday around 10:30 p.m. When they arrived they found 9-month-old Madison Thomas unresponsive inside the house.

The infant was taken to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Investigators found no signs of external trauma. They later determined the girl’s father, Javon Thomas, endangered her.

Thomas, 21, allegedly neglected the girl by missing several feedings while he used marijuana.

Thomas was taken into custody and charged with endangerment. He is currently being held on $75,000 bail. Officials have not yet revealed whether he will face more charges.

An autopsy on the girl won’t be completed until Wednesday at the earliest. Detectives are also speaking to the girl’s mother who investigators say was not at the home at the time of her daughter’s death.
 

A Jersey Shore woman was convicted of killing and dismembering her husband then moving at least twice with the remains -- keeping the body parts in her closet for years.

After a four-day trial, an Atlantic County jury found Loretta Doyle Burroughs, 63, of Ventnor, guilty in the stabbing death of her husband, 66-year-old Daniel Burroughs. The jury also found her guilty of hiding her husband's remains.

Burroughs was accused of stabbing Burroughs to death inside the couple's Hamilton Township home in 2007. Prosecutors said she stuffed parts of the man into two containers. He was listed as missing for six years as Burroughs told people that her husband left her.

In 2013, crime scene investigators found the remains while inside Burroughs' Ventnor home while executing a search warrant for documents related to an embezzlement case. They found the containers in a closet. Officials believe the man's body was moved several times.

"From what I understand, they were there to look for some bank records for embezzlement," said Danny's daughter, Caroline Burroughs. "They weren't there looking for my father. They just stumbled upon him."

Burroughs was charged with murder and hindering her own apprehension. The jury deliberated for two hours Tuesday before returning a guilty verdict on both charges.

She is scheduled for sentencing for April 22, 2015 at 9 a.m.

Officials are investigating the cause of a car fire on Route 202.

The vehicle caught fire on Route 202 northbound just south of Chesterbrook Boulevard in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County Tuesday night.

The fire was extinguished and no one was injured. Route 202 northbound lanes were closed. They were later reopened.

Philadelphia City Council is considering using private companies to repair and replace more than 1,500 miles of the city’s oldest gas mains.

Weeks after the NBC 10 Investigators revealed safety concerns over Philadelphia Gas Works 88 year gas main replacement plan, council held a hearing to solicit ideas.

The hearing comes months after council rejected a $1.8 billion dollar sale offer from The United Illuminating Company. UIL claimed in memos to city staff and in news releases it would replace the city’s riskiest gas mains in fewer than 44 years.

"I resent people thinking we're the problem," Councilwoman Marian Tasco said.

As chairwoman of the Philadelphia Gas Commission, Tasco chose to stand by PGW’s 88 year gas main replacement schedule.

"There was no discussion about main replacement, none, none, none, none," she said when asked about the UIL deal she and council rejected.

Tasco said none of UIL’s public commitments to replace gas mains were legally binding. A UIL spokesman said it was because council members never allowed negotiations to get that far.

At least one person was hurt after a tree truck overturned on the I-476 on-ramp in Delaware County Tuesday night.

The truck overturned on the I-476 southbound on-ramp in Woodlyn. The truck driver was trapped inside the vehicle but crews were able to get him or her out. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The I-476 on-ramp was closed but later reopened.

Officials continue to investigate the cause of the accident.

A Berks County gym owner was arrested after he allegedly sold steroids and cocaine out of his establishment.

In April of 2014, detectives began investigating DC Fitness in Shillington, Pennsylvania after receiving several complaints of suspected drug dealing. Investigators later determined the owner of the gym, Duane Edward Curley, 46, of Mohnton, Pennsylvania, was selling drugs to numerous customers.

Officials executed search warrants Monday around 5:30 p.m. at the DC Fitness as well as Curley’s home on the 600 block of Maple Grove Road. Curley was then arrested inside the office area of the gym.

Police seized 84 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 66 grams of suspected cocaine, a large amount of oral and injectable anabolic steroids, several unused syringes, drug-related paraphernalia and $570 in drug money, officials said.

Police also seized a small amount of suspected cocaine, more oral and injectable anabolic steroids and more unused syringes from Curley’s home, according to investigators.

Curley was arrested and taken into custody. He is currently being held in the Berks County Jail System in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Ed Straka, a member of DC Fitness, told NBC10 he always had his suspicions.

“As far as steroids, some of the guys in there were a little beefed up,” Straka said. “It didn’t look natural.”

In addition to owning the gym, investigators also say Curley ran a youth boxing program.

“We know that minors were members of the gym, “said Berks County District Attorney John Adams. “We do not know if these steroids were distributed to minors. But we have suspicions.”
 

For Najee Rivera, it’s the principle.

“If I would have never had this incident, I would still had that job until this day,” he told NBC10 on Tuesday. Now he’s deputized the Internet to help fight to get back his job at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

It was nearly two years ago when the swing of a police baton knocked Rivera off his scooter along a North Philadelphia street. Two officers then brutally beat him on the street in an attack caught on surveillance video. There was so much blood staining the concrete another officer thought the 25-year-old had been shot. Police then charged Rivera for allegedly attacking police.

Rivera’s eye socket was fractured, his right eye severely swollen shut and he suffered many cuts. Immediately after getting hospital treatment and being bailed out of jail, Rivera says he went back to overnight work keeping the world’s foremost children’s hospital clean.

He had just gotten the job weeks before and didn’t want to miss work. Arriving bruised and battered, his boss sent him home concerned he could catch an infection in the hospital through the open wounds, he said.

Within a month, at the end of his probationary period, Rivera was pulled aside and terminated by the hospital.

“The lady said I had three days no call, no show,” he said. “I told her my manager never put me in the system. I was out for three days because of medical reasons and gave him a note.”

A human resources staffer told Rivera she would check into the matter, he said. But nothing ever came of it. He emailed management, including CHOP's CEO, Steven Altschuler, asking for another chance. He got a response from human resources saying he could reapply, but they weren’t interested in reinstating him, the man said.

Since then, he said “they haven’t called me, they haven’t emailed me — nothing.”

As the months rolled by, Rivera’s girlfriend found surveillance video showing the beating, an investigation was launched, the charges against him were dropped and Rivera settled with the city for $200,000. In February, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office then charged the officers — Sean McKnight, a 7-year veteran, and Kevin Robinson, a 6-year veteran — with assault and set them for termination.

Still, the father of a baby girl remains without work — determined to turn a wrong into a right.

“The job was a good paying job. That was a nice career for me. Doing what I like to do best, is to clean,” he said. “I worked hard to get to that spot. People wait years to get into CHOP. For me, it was a steppingstone. It was a good job for me and I like to be around kids.”

Two weeks ago, he posted a petition to Change.org asking to get his job back. Some 62,000 people (and counting) agree he should.

“You're telling me that a HOSPITAL's HR dept. couldn't find somewhere for this man to work until his injuries were less visible? Senseless and deliberately cruel,” wrote Barbara Finch from Silver Spring, Maryland.

Another endorser, Joshua Kricker from North Carolina said, “No one should lose their job because of being the victim of an attack, particularly when the attackers are police officers acting unlawfully.”

NBC10 reached out to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia about Rivera’s fight and the petition, but has yet to hear back.

In the meantime, with the number of signers still growing, Rivera continues to focus on his recovery and spending time with his daughter. A preliminary hearing in the criminal cases against McKnight and Robinson is set for early April.

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

At least five people were hurt and over 100 residents displaced after a massive fire ripped through a Northeast Philadelphia apartment complex.

The four-alarm fire started in the basement of the Rita Grace Manor apartment complex on the 9100 block of Academy Road around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, working its way up through the walls and across the building.

"I could just see the smoke coming from my apartment and as I got closer I saw the flames," said Willis Jones, a resident who was walking home with his 6-year-old son. "It was just crazy."

Strong winds made it difficult for fire crews to fight the flames.

"The fire began to spread through the third floor because of the wind conditions," said Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer.

More than 100 people were evacuated and transported to a shelter at Lincoln High School on 3201 Ryan Avenue.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Donna Elliott, who lives across the street from the apartment. "This is the most devastating thing I've ever seen in my life." 

While the blaze was placed under control around 8:20 p.m., firefighters continued to pour water onto hot spots late into the night.

Jones told NBC10 the fire destroyed photos of his mother, who died three years ago.

"I can replace the couch, the table and the bedroom furniture," Jones said while on the verge of tears. "But her pictures? I can never get them back. You know, one of a kind things. Never get them back." 

Five people were taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. Academy Road is currently closed at Convent Avenue due to the fire.

Officials continue to investigate the cause.

Philadelphia Police are searching for a missing man and his daughter.

Police say Akram Freikha, 35, left his home on the 2700 block of Moore Street Monday to take his 5-year-old daughter Evelina Freikha to school at 8 a.m. Akram was supposed to return home to take his wife to work but never returned, investigators said.

Akram’s wife called their daughter’s school and was informed she was never dropped off.

The wife told police there is no custody order, no marital issues and her husband doesn’t have any mental health issues. She also said her husband once took their 9-year-old daughter away in the past to an unknown destination but returned within 24 hours.

Akram, who also goes by the name “Paul Lebon” is 5-foot-7 and weighs 180 pounds with brown eyes and black short hair. He was last seen wearing a gray suit with a white or gray shirt and a black coat.

Evelina is 3-foot-6 and weighs 32 pounds with brown eyes and long brown hair. She was last seen wearing a purple sweater, leopard pants and gray sneakers.

Akram was also last seen driving a white 1996 Acura TL Sedan with a PA tag# FLX9436.

If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call the South Detective Division at 215-686-3013, or dial 911.
 

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still announced encouraging news in his daughter’s fight against cancer.

• CHOP Patients "Shake it Off" 

Still wrote on his Instagram page Tuesday they received his daughter Leah’s MIBG scans, nuclear imaging tests that help locate and diagnose different types of cancer in the body. Based on the scans, doctors said they didn’t see any active disease in her body. Still says they need to wait for Leah's MRI and bone biopsy results later this week.

Still and his daughter have captured the hearts of millions of people nationwide as she continues to receive treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The Delaware native and former Penn State Nittany Lion was cut from the Cincinnati Bengals in August of last year. However, the Bengals re-signed Still to their practice squad in order to help him pay for his daughter’s medical treatment after she was diagnosed with cancer.

• Devon Still's Daughter Continues Fight Against Cancer

After the Bengals decided to donate proceeds from his jersey sales to the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati and pediatric cancer care and research, Still’s No. 75 jersey quickly became the team’s top seller.

Still has kept his followers updated on his daughter’s progress through social media.

Controversy surrounds a Philadelphia city council race due to allegations that a candidate made several offensive posts on his Facebook page. Now that candidate is speaking out, denying the accusations against him.

Incumbent Philadelphia city councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez (D) is running for her third term to represent the city’s Seventh District. Her opponent in the May primary is Manny Morales, a fellow Democrat who also has the Democratic Party’s endorsement.

Quinones-Sanchez says that endorsement should change however due to several posts Morales allegedly made on his Facebook page that she believes fly in the face of her party’s values.

Quinones-Sanchez described the posts, dating back to 2010, as racist, sexist and homophobic. One post allegedly made by Morales compares an African American man to an animal while another mocks welfare recipients.

“As someone who is actively working in the community, trying to heal those relationships, I just felt that they were beyond inappropriate,” Quinones-Sanchez said. “They were very, very divisive.”

Screenshots of the posts are featured on an anti-Morales website.

NBC10 spoke with Morales Tuesday night. He insisted he never posted the messages on his Facebook page and that they don’t reflect his views.

“Those posts, I did not place them,” Morales said. “They were not on my Facebook page.”

Morales says he was either hacked or the posts were photoshopped in order to embarrass him. Morales pointed out one photo on the website that shows an NRA logo in front of him.

“I got that in my computer, the original one,” Morales said. “It doesn’t have that logo on it.”

Morales also said he’s received emails about unexpected passwords and account changes to his Facebook page, which was deactivated Tuesday.

NBC10’s George Spencer asked Morales to reactivate his Facebook page Tuesday night to prove that the posts were not on there. Morales declined however, citing a pending defamation of character lawsuit.