An armed home invasion prompted the lock down of schools and a library in Delaware.

Delaware State Police placed Austin Baltz Elementary School at 1500 Spruce Street in Elsmere, Del. and All Saints Catholic School along 907 New Road under lockdown around 3 p.m. on Thursday, school officials said. A nearby library was also closed.

Troopers ordered the lockdowns following the home invasion along nearby Bungalow Ave.

Police say at least one armed suspect entered a home on that block and robbed the place. They then fled and remain at large.

Troopers are searching for those involved.

It is currently unclear whether anyone was hurt in the home invasion or what they may have stolen.

The lockdowns were lifted around 3:40 p.m., officials said.

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Researchers from Drexel University say including nutritional information on menus actually does lead diners to order food with fewer calories.

Since 2010, Philadelphia chain restaurants have been required to display nutritional information, including calorie counts, on menus. About 80 percent of the consumers Drexel and the city studied said they saw the labels -- and 26 percent said the information affected their choices at the sit-down restaurants.

People opted for healthier food, according to Dr. Giridhar Mallya of the city's Department of Public Health.

"So the meals had 150 fewer calories, 220 milligrams less sodium, 4 grams less saturated fat, and 15 grams less of carbohydrates," he explained.

Beth Leonberg, who directs a dietetics program at Drexel, said the menus are significantly affecting what people eat.

"The individuals who were dining at the restaurants that had labeling, overall chose to purchase about 150 fewer calories, about 225 milligrams less of sodium and 3.7 grams less of saturated fat, compared to individuals dining at the same restaurant chain," she said. "Outside the city of Philadelphia, where there was no menu labeling."

Many consumers who looked at the labels still purchased oversized, unhealthy meals.

This was the first large study done looking at the effects of menu labeling in sit-down restaurants, Mallya said.

Previous research had focused on fast-food chains.

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

Despite reports from other local media, officials at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) say one recent attack on the SEPTA subway system is not adequate evidence that a violent trend called the 'Knockout Game' has made its way to Philadelphia.

“We don’t want our riders or the general public to think that we have a problem of women walking in the stations and then getting bopped in the head. We have this one incident on video, but is this an issue? Is it a problem? No,” SEPTA spokesman Jerri Williams.

The Knockout Game is a trend where people are being hit with unexpected punches to the face; and before they know it, their attacker has videotaped the assault and run away.

Two videos of Knockout Game-like attacks occurring in SEPTA subway stations were recently released by SEPTA police, but are the incidents actually linked to the trend?

Williams says speculation that the attacks are related to the Knockout Game are a bit off base.

“We really don’t know if we have a problem. We only have this one video and we don’t know what the guy was trying to do. Was it a knockout game or was he trying to get her phone and just didn’t follow through? We don’t know,” Williams said.

The videos released by SEPTA show two separate attacks involving passengers on the Market Frankford ‘El’ line and the Broad Street subway line.

The first attack occurred on the morning of Oct. 26. SEPTA surveillance video shows a man run up and punch a passenger who is sitting on the Market Frankford train. The suspect then runs out of the car just as the train’s doors are closing.

A second passenger was attacked while exiting Erie station on the Broad Street line last Friday afternoon. The video shows a woman walking towards the station exit, when a man runs up behind her, punches her in the head, and then runs off.

This afternoon, Williams confirmed that SEPTA has a person-of-interest in custody for questioning, and that the incident does not appear to be linked to the Knockout Game trend.

Still, the issue SEPTA officials face is determining how to distinguish between an isolated attack, an attempted burglary, and a Knockout Game mimic attack.

SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel said his team is still reviewing the footage for specific characteristics to determine exactly what kinds of attacks have occurred.

According to Nestel, the videos of the attacks were released to solicit the public’s help in finding the perpetrators of the attacks, but he worries that they may not have accomplished that goal.

“Reported crime on the SEPTA system is dramatically down. I’m fearful that people will see these videos that we’re releasing and think that it’s unsafe; and it is not, it’s a safe system,” Nestel said.

“But when something happens, we’re putting the video out so that people see it and they can assist us in helping identify the person. I would urge people to use caution in believing that the SEPTA system is unsafe just because we’re being proactive about releasing the video.”

Nestel said SEPTA’s video surveillance system, which includes a total of 12,000 cameras with nearly 1,200 live feeds, are an important part of SEPTA’s security efforts. In addition, Nestel says SEPTA’s new plain-clothes tactical team, which uses crime data to target hotspot locations where crimes are likely to occur, has been very successful in preventing attacks at SEPTA stations.

NBC10 recently reported about a more light-hearted version of the Knockout Game called Smack Cam. That trend started as a playful game between teenage boys, but later took a violent turn as imitators took the idea to a more daring level.

Whether it’s Smack Cam or the Knockout Game, Nestel said -- thanks to video surveillance -- he’s confident that anyone who commits acts of assault on SEPTA buses and trains will be pursued and arrested. As for the culprits behind the assaults in the video footage, if they are caught, they could face charges ranging from harassment to simple assault.

“It doesn’t matter for us which it is, we’re gonna aggressively pursue the person and arrest them, and we’re gonna have video of it occurring. So good luck to sir-thug-a-lot who wants to claim a defense when we’re showing a video of him punching a woman in the back of the head for no reason,” Nestel said.

“Because of the video, we pursue stuff that wasn’t able to be pursued years ago. Any kind of misbehavior or actions that put safety and security in jeopardy on the system, we pursue vigorously.”

Local farm food distributor Common Market, Inc. has been named a winner of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Food Project (CFP) Award.

The Community Food Project awards are granted to organizations that support increased access to healthy food in low income communities.

Co-founder of Common Market Haile Johnston said his organization is honored to receive the competitive award.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Department of Agriculture, especially as an urban food project and as a program that really bridges agricultural communities and urban consumer communities,” Johnston said.

“Hundreds of organizations applied for this grant, nationally. So, to be included amongst the list of grantees is really an honor.”

Over the past 17 years, CFP awards have funded more than 400 local and regional food systems in communities in 48 states.

This year, a total of $4.87 million in grant funds were awarded to 26 projects in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Common Market Philadelphia was awarded $300,000 for its Common Place Food Hub: Restoring Urban & Rural Vitality project.

Haile says the funds will be used to expand youth programming in connection with sustainable farming in the region.

CFP award winners were announced today by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

In a press release, Vilsack lauded the program as a key component of the Department’s efforts to address food insecurity nationwide.

“The Community Food Projects program has demonstrated that local food can be part of a successful strategy to address hunger and increase healthy food access,” Vilsack said in the release.

“This year’s grantees continue that tradition while representing exciting innovations and ideas. I look forward to seeing how their work will support our country’s farmers, expand local food opportunities, and increase healthy food access for generations to come.”

Common Market distributes locally grown foods in an effort to strengthen regional farms and connect public and private schools, hospitals, universities, grocery stores and workplaces to food grown by sustainable farmers in the region.

Earlier this week, Common Market also received a $40,000 IMPACT Award from GlaxoSmithKline.

A Wawa worker wasn’t about to let a man wearing a bizarre outfit rob him.

The worker at the Wawa at 912 Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia fought back when a man who tried to disguise his identity with a bright green towel, sunglasses and white gloves announced a heist

“Give me everything in the register and on one gets hurt,” said the suspect as he tugged on his waistband making it seemed he had a weapon during the incident on Oct. 13 around 5:30 a.m.

Philadelphia Police said the worker told the suspect to “show me the gun.”

Instead of a gun the suspect -- described as a man with a mustache in his 40s standing between 6-foot-1-inch to 6-foot-3-inches tall weighing around 300 pounds -- pulled out a thin piece of metal with a curved handle and moved towards the employee, according to investigators.

That’s when the employee struck. He punched the suspect in the jaw causing the man to fall down. Police say the employee then got on top of the man and continued to punch him until other workers pulled him off the suspect.

The dazed suspect then got up, quickly left the store and jumped into a dark blue or green BMW X5 to make his getaway up Walnut Street.

He made off with nothing and no one was hurt, according to police.

Police hoped surveillance video released Thursday will help them find the disguised suspect. Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to contact Philadelphia Police Central Detectives at 215-686-3093, by calling the tipline at 215-686-8477 or by emailing tips@phillypolice.com.

An 18-year-old Bensalem teen is being held on $5 million bail after being charged with raping and sexually assaulting multiple underage girls.

Joshua Benson was arraigned at a Bucks County court Thursday morning on charges that he raped two young girls.

Authorities say he also violently sexually assaulted five other girls over a five-month time period when he was under the age of 18. All of the victims were between the ages of 14 and 16, officials said.

Benson is originally from Ohio and moved to the area a year ago, shortly before the alleged assaults began in December 2012, officials said.

Benson, who cursed at reporters on his way into court on Thursday, met some of his victims on a dating website and others through friends, authorities confirm. They say the teen would befriend the girls and make them trust him before violently forcing himself on them.

"Once he befriended them and gained trust in them where they agreed to have a very short-term relationship with him. Once he began engaging in sexual contact it immediately turned violent," Bensalem Police Sgt. Andrew Aninsman said.

The most recent victims say they were forced to perform sex acts in the basement of a town home along Arrowwood Drive in Bensalem, officials said.

The 18-year-old had been locked up in a juvenile detention center on charges he assaulted the five girls while he was underage. Now, he has been transferred to the Bucks County Prison.

Police believe there are many more victims and are urging them to come forward.

"We do believe there are many other victims out there and if you see this, and your gut is wrenching as to what happened to you, pick up the phone and call Bensalem Police and we will make sure that we do everything in our power to make sure you get justice," said Aninsman.

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Detectives are searching for a cargo trailer bandit who's struck more than half a dozen times in South Jersey. In the each case, the trailers were turned into scrap.

At least seven, 53-foot long truck trailers were boosted from businesses around Pennsauken, Camden County, N.J. over a five hour span early Sunday morning, Pennsauken Police said. Some were stolen from lots along Hylton Road and Commerce Parkway, others from along Route 73.

"This individual used a stolen tractor to back up to seven separate trailers at four different locations in our town," Pennsauken Police Det. Paul McClauseland said. "He takes time to hook up air, breaks and lights."

Using two stolen trucks, the suspect then drove the trailers -- which are worth between $5,000 and $20,000 -- over the Delaware River into Philadelphia. Surveillance video from the Betsy Ross and Tacony-Palmyra Bridges shows the thief passing through the tolls on each trip.

"I would say it's pretty bold to cross the bridge seven times in a stolen truck," McClauseland said.

Arriving in the city, the suspect drove the stolen cargo to Green Dog Recycling at 2335 Wheatsheaf Lane in the Port Richmond section of the city, where each trailer was scrapped.

Video of the stolen trailers being broken down by a claw machine shows how the rectangular container is turned into sheets of metal in less than three minutes.

Each scrapped trailer earned the thief $1,000 cash, McClauseland said.

"For what, five and a half hours of work, he walked away with $7,000," McClausland said.

NBC10's Cydney Long attempted to ask Michael Williams, the owner of Green Dog Recycling, about the incidents, but he would not agree to an interview.

However, Williams did say that Pennsylvania law does not require someone to provide proof of ownership of an item being sold for scrap. The owner can simply show their driver's license or a bill of lading, which is a shipment document.

Jamie Arking, of the liquor store chain Rodger Wilco, had one of his trailer's stolen right from the loading dock.

"I find it surprising he could get away with it so easily," he said. "I certainly want the guy caught. For us, we're out $5,000 so it doesn't quite seem fair."

Truck rental company Penske also had trailers stolen from their stock. In a statement the company thanked law enforcement for the quick police work.

"The holidays are an exceptionally busy time for us. These stolen trailers were an integral part of the rental services we provide to local businesses to haul their freight. Fortunately, Penske has one of the largest fleets in the trucking industry and can rebound quickly," the statement read in part.

McClausland said police do know who the suspect is, but are still working to locate him since he uses several aliases. They hope to nab him soon.

Philadelphia City Council voted on Thursday to ban the use of 3D printers to create firearms.

The bill, which was introduced by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson in September, prohibits people creating part or all of a firearm using the three-dimensional printing technology. Licensed gun manufacturers are not affected.

A 3D printer creates a physical object by laying down many layers of plastic or another resin-infused material in the same fashion as an inkjet printer. The technology has been around for some time, but recent advances have made the devices very affordable and more commonplace.

A gun made this way can be created without any metal and thus be undetectable by current checkpoint screening methods like metal detectors and X-ray machines in use at city buildings, arenas and airports.

“Today, Philadelphia became one of the first cities in America to proactively address an issue that has the potential to pose a significant danger to the public,” Councilman Johnson said in a statement after the vote.

Philadelphia is not alone in the push to ban the 3D-printed weapons.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer wants to extend a federal law that prohibits carrying a undetectable gun. The current law is set to expire on Dec. 9.

Schumer says the latest designs for 3D guns, which are available for download on the internet, allow the gun to fire multiple shots before being destroyed. A blueprint for one such firearm was recently downloaded more than 100,000 times, Schumer says.

The 3D-printed gun ban now goes before goes before Mayor Michael Nutter.

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

What began as a routine traffic stop, ended with an Atlantic County, N.J. firing his weapon at a driver.

An unidentified Mullica Township Police officer pulled over a male driver near the intersection of Moss Mill Road and Darmstadt Avenue at 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

Law enforcement sources tell NBC10 that the driver of the car may have grabbed the officer's arm over the course of his investigation, which prompted the officer to fire his gun at least one time.

The suspect, who police do not have a description of, fled the scene following the shooting and ditched his car in a development in Galloway Township, N.J., officials said.

Police from Mullica Township and surrounding municipalities fanned out across the Galloway Township neighborhood, directly off Route 30, looking for the suspect.

Investigators focused their search primarily on one home and a car at Fairview and Jackson Streets.

Residents were told to stay inside and away from the search.

"Once the cops had saw me, he said 'Turn around and go home.' And I said, 'Is there anything wrong?' He said, 'Thank you, have a good night.' And that was it," said resident Anthony Rough.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office's Major Crimes Unit is currently handling the investigation and continuing the search for the man.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 609.909.7666.

For the third time in less than two months, creepy masked men have robbed the same Wawa.

Police are trying to figure out if they're related, but they need your help identifying the suspects. 

• WATCH: Surveillance Video of Wawa Robberies

In October, two armed men entered the store demanding money. The masked man went behind the counter and forced an employee to open the registers while the other suspect kept watch, according to Philadelphia Police.

Suspect one is roughly 5'8" and was wearing a skull mask, dark hoodie, khakis, Timberland boots and gloves at the time of the robbery.

The unmasked suspect is described as a black male, 5'5"-5'6". He was wearing a dark hoodie, shoes, gloves and a blue scarve he used to cover the bottom portion of his face.

On November 4, an armed man wearing a skeleton mask entered the Bustleton Ave. Wawa just before 3:30 a.m. Police say he ordered an employee to put money inside a black backpack before fleeing the scene.

The third incident took place on November 21 also around 3:30 a.m. This time, the armed man was wearing a "Scream mask" when he directed an employee to open and empty the registers, according to officials.

Police say this masked man was 20 to 30 years old and 6' - 6'2"

Anyone with information on any of the robberies is urgered to call Philadelphia Police. All tips can remain anonymous.
 

Two rare goats are missing from a New Jersey farm and worker Jeff Shaw fears the worst.

"It is the holiday season and people eat these. I think somebody just couldn't get one or couldn't afford it and took two of them," Shaw said.

Shaw works at Bay Acres Farm in Pennsville, where he breeds and sells Boer goats. He noticed earlier this week, during a headcount, that two of his goats were gone from the Salem County farm. The female goats, or does, are pure-bred and worth about $2,500 each, Shaw said, fueling his fears that "goat-nappers" are to blame.

People began importing Boer goats from South Africa to the United States about 18 years ago, according to Annette Williams with the United States Boer Goat Association.

"It's a goat that can gain about a pound of wonderful meat a day," Williams said. "When they first came here, they sold for between $20,000 and $30,000 each." Williams said the goats are bred for meat, milk and leather. "If a doe wins an incredible show, their kids can go for 3- to 4-thousand dollars each."

Williams said she has received five calls in the last week alerting her to stolen Boer goat cases in about four states.

"I think because they're so valuable and so sweet. You just shake a bucket with some grain in it and they'll follow you," she said.

Shaw reported his missing goats to police on Wednesday. The Chief of Police, Allen J. Cummings, said this is an unusual case for Pennsville.

"You have thefts of people's property, burglaries and things like that. You usually don't hear of theft of farm animals," Cummings said.

Shaw is offering a $2,000 reward to get his goats back. Alive.

"They took my best," Shaw said. He warned that if someone does plan to eat them, they should know that one of the goats was on medication recently for a gastrointestinal problem.

"I guess it's a hateful thought, but whoever eats her is going to eat a lot of toxins that was in that goat that wasn't really meant for human consumption," Shaw said.

"So maybe God has a way of getting even."

A woman on her way to see the new blockbuster film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is nursing shrapnel wounds after becoming the victim of an accidental shooting at a SEPTA El station.

Shirley Williams, of Wilmington, Del., was sitting on a bench, waiting for a Market-Frankford train at SEPTA's 40th and Market station around 3:15 p.m. on Friday, when she felt a sharp pain in her left cheek.

"I was sitting there, all I heard was a 'boom' and my face started bleeding," she said.

The 21-year-old quickly stood up and went to a SEPTA employee, who told her she was bleeding, she said. Police began investigating and upon watching surveillance video from the platform, realized Williams had been hit by bullet fragments.

"I was just thinking something hit me, like something flew, I don't know," she said.

Williams says she was on her way to meet her cousin and friends so they could catch the latest installment of The Hunger Games at the movies.

In the surveillance video, a man standing close to Williams could be seen rummaging around in his duffel bag and then moments later, the woman quickly reacted.

Police say a gun inside the man's bag fired and sent a bullet careening into the metal bench. The round then ricocheted into the wall, through a trash can and then hit Williams in the face and arm.

The man, who is an Allied Barton security guard, then throws the bag over his shoulder and calmly walks away -- eventually boarding an eastbound train. Police then launched a search for the man.

"We think because of the noises down there, he may have not have known that the gun discharged," said Lt. John Walker.

The man, who has yet to be identified, told police he got home and saw himself on the news and then called 911. He says he didn't know his gun had fired.

Investigators from Philadelphia Police's Southwest Detective Division have brought the man in for questioning. It is currently unclear whether he has a permit for the weapon or whehter he will face charges.

As for Williams, she feels lucky to be alive and has no hard feelings towards the man.

"I'm just happy I'm OK. Happy I have my life and can walk away now," she said.

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

Two Rittenhouse Square restaurants made the Urbanspoon's best new restaurants list. Urbanspoon selected the top 100 restaurants in the U.S. out of the over 46,000 restaurants added to the website this year.

Two Philly restaurants made the cut -- Fitler Dining Room at 22nd and Spruce Streets and Luke's Lobster at 130 S. 17th Street.

The menu at the Fitler Dining Room changes biweekly to reflect seasonal offerings. After opening February 21, it has become a mainstay neighborhood bistro. According to manager Michael Ojeda, the French-inspired restaurant's most popular items are poached oysters and burgundy snails.

"It's wonderful that people are recognizing us," said Ojeda. "If we can get a nice fish in then we will do something special with it."

The personalized service and food made by chef Robert Marzinsky is complimented by the intimate dining experience for roughly 30 people. 

Luke's Lobster is known for it lobster roll and New England-style cooking. The chain restaurant first opened in New York City's East Village. They've come a long way since their grand opening on May 16 in Philly. 

"We get everything fresh from Maine," said Lindsay Daniels, a shift leader at Luke's. "You come up and order and we make it however you like. Philly has welcomed us with open arms."

The interior of Luke's includes wooden counter tops and community seating. Their service is friendly, quick and they aim to please.

Urbanspoon used the criteria of "the most reviewed, viewed and liked restaurants" that opened their doors in the past year to select the winners. The top restaurants report found that fine dining was not popular this year, with over 70 percent of the listings falling in the up to $15 price range. Taverns and barbecue were among the most popular dining choices. 

 Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.