Rutgers University is banning all fraternity and sorority parties for the remaining three weeks of the semester.

The university said in a statement the decision came "in light of a number of alcohol-related incidents this year involving Greek organizations." 

The 86 recognized fraternities and sororities are still allowed to host formals and other events where a licensed third-party vendor is used to serve alcohol, the university said, but they won't be allowed to host parties in their houses. 

The presidents of the fraternities and sororities learned about the decision during a meeting with university officials in New Brunswick, NJ Advance Media reported.

Most of them seemed to be on board with the ban because they wanted to avoid risking further negative publicity that's surrounded Greek organizations on campus and across the country this year.

"We haven't run the parties nearly as well as we should, so I can understand that," said senior Jacob Dominy, a fraternity member.

Freshman Darek Rola said "there have been many cases of poor decisions made."

Sophomore Caitlyn Kovacs died of alcohol poisoning last fall after attending a fraternity house party. Last month, the Rutgers chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon was shut down because of an underage drinking incident. 

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs "will use this time to continue and reinforce its dialogue with the leadership of the university's 86 recognized fraternities and sororities about greek life at Rutgers and their responsibilities to the campus community at large," the university said in the statement. 

But freshman Sristi Rai said the conversation could still happen without the extreme measure of shutting down house parties.  

"I don't think it's necessary," said Rai. "I think the issue is more of educating students not just about Greek life but about how to be more responsible." 

Rola said there are other aspects to Greek life that he plans to enjoy the rest of the semester.

"We still have our community serve, we still have intramurals. We still have everything else," he said. 

-- Brynn Gingras contributed to this report. 

The impact of a crash along a Philadelphia street overnight left the driver knocked out and a utility pole on the street.

The wreck closed Stenton Avenue at the intersection with Wistar Street in the city’s West Oak Lane neighborhood around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The male driver somehow lost control of his sport utility vehicle and struck some parked cars before slamming into a utility pole, said Philadelphia Police.

Medics rushed the victim to Einstein Hospital. He is expected to be OK, said police.

Expect delays in the area as crews work to clear the scene, which included a downed pole that fell across multiple lanes of the road.

IT took more than one hour for a tow truck to remove the SUV.

The six Democratic candidates hoping to become Philadelphia's next mayor will take the stage Tuesday night for the first debate of the 2015 race for mayor.

NBC10 and Telemundo 62 are proud the partner with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to host the debate at 7 p.m. at the Kimmel Center. NBC10's Jim Rosenfield will moderate the debate.

Former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham; former city solicitor Nelson Diaz; former city Councilman Jim Kenney; Doug Oliver, former press secretary for Mayor Michael Nutter; former state senator Milton Street and minority State Senate Whip Anthony Hardy Williams will debate issues including education as well as answer viewers questions as each candidate tries to distance himself or herself from the field for the May 19 primary.

The Democratic candidate will face Republican Melissa Murray Bailey in November's general election.

The debate will air on NBC10, NBC10.com, Telemundo 62 and on the NBC10 app.

A woman escaped a New Jersey house fire by going out a second-floor window.

The blaze began around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in a kitchen in a home along W Broad Street in Paulsboro.

A woman was home alone at the time. She managed to escape from a second-floor window and climb down to a first-floor roof, said firefighters.

The woman didn’t suffer any injuries. The American Red Cross assisted with caring for her needs.

No word on what caused the fire.

Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday he plans to expand access to a prescription drug that can prevent overdose fatalities by having the state's physician general in effect issue a statewide prescription that would allow any Pennsylvanian to obtain the antidote directly from pharmacies.

Wolf said he has directed state Physician General Dr. Rachel Levin to write a "standing order" that serves as a prescription for naloxone for any Pennsylvanian who wants it.

"In general, this would mean that individuals would not need to go to their health-care provider for a prescription," said the governor's spokesman, Jeffrey Sheridan.

Wolf's announcement in an op-ed piece published by PennLive.com drew praise from a national group working to reduce overdose deaths and other drug-related problems.

Daniel Raymond, the policy director of the Harm Reduction Coalition in New York, hailed the Pennsylvania plan as a model for the nearly 30 states that have naloxone programs.

"It's a bold leadership move," Raymond said. "Ultimately, it's going to save lives."

Naloxone, commonly known by its brand name Narcan, is a non-narcotic, non-addictive drug that reverses the effect of heroin and other opioids like oxycodone. A bill passed unanimously by the Legislature and signed into law last fall by Gov. Tom Corbett allows police to legally administer the drug and lets physicians prescribe it to relatives and friends of drug users as a precaution against a possible overdose.

Raymond said Massachusetts uses statewide standing orders signed by a doctor to authorize naloxone distribution, but also requires that it be provided by an overdose prevention trainer authorized by the state.

"In Pennsylvania, I think they're removing a lot of bureaucratic barriers," he said.

Alice Bell of Prevention Point Pittsburgh, which provides a needle-exchange program and other health services for injection drug users, said the plan would make it easier for friends and relatives, who are most likely to be with someone who overdoses, to obtain naloxone.

"I think it's going to make a huge difference," Bell said. "This can save a lot of lives."

Wolf, who planned a Tuesday news conference in Lancaster County on his plan, also said the Pennsylvania State Police will begin carrying nasal-spray kits of naloxone in their patrol cars. A spokesman says the policy will take effect in the coming weeks.

In Delaware County, whose district attorney helped lead lobbying for the law, the drug has been credited with saving about 30 lives since it took effect, Wolf said.

A wild animal caused necks to crane and traffic to slow around Philadelphia’s basilica Tuesday morning.

A raccoon became stuck on a banner pole across from Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Center City along Race Street around 9:30 a.m.

People could be seen stopping along the sidewalk to snap photos of the wayward animal moved back and forth atop the banner. Cars also slowed to check out the strange sight.

After a few hours, animal control officers were able to coax the animal down from its perch.

Members of the St. Joseph’s woman’s softball team released a statement Monday regarding allegations that surfaced last week that they forced younger players to participate in unsanctioned hazing.

The statement was released to the The Hawk, a student-run news organization at the university, nearly a week after local news outlets got wind of the hazing accusations.

“In response to media reports that you may have heard about or seen on the SJU softball team, we wanted to address our community directly. We hope you’ll read this letter without any bias.

We live, eat and breathe SJU softball. We love our school – the field we play on, the public safety officers that come to our games, our coaches that dedicate so much time and energy to our development, and the community that allows us to wear the Hawks logo on our uniforms.

As a team, we are devastated by the allegations and resulting reports that have come about in recent weeks. We take an immense amount of pride in our program, and the thought of our community thinking less of our character is the hardest piece to swallow.
We respect the ongoing investigation and the officials involved and cannot address specific allegations at this time. As you have likely seen, they are serious and not to be taken lightly – but the buzzwords reported by the media do not capture the spirit of our culture.

What we can tell you right now is this: we have the utmost respect for each other and this school. Every person on our team – past and present – is family. We hold each other accountable and we support each other on and off the field. We make each other better as players and as people.

If you have a class with us, share a dorm with us, eat with us in the cafeteria, we ask you this: let your gut determine the kind of people we are, and hold off on judgment in light of recent reports. Though we cannot discuss specific allegations right now, we can work to maintain your trust and respect.

It is our hope that you haven’t lost faith in us. We are facing allegations head on and with our heads held high. Hawk Hill is too important to us to do anything less.”

St. Joseph's University officials confirmed last week the alleged hazing was under investigation.

"SJU is taking these allegations very seriously and is well into a comprehensive investigation of the matter," a university spokesman said in a statement to NBC10.

"While that investigation is not yet complete, remedial actions have already been taken to assure the safety and welfare of any affected students," the statement continued. "Due to federal student privacy regulations, there can and will be no additional comment by the University at this time."

The hazing controversy comes on the heels of another scandal involving the St. Joe's athletic department. The Hawk reported a men's basketball player tweeted offensive remarks about the LGBTQ community on his personal Twitter account in late March.

Immediately following tonight's 7 p.m. mayoral debate, join us right here, for a 30-minute live post-debate show. NBC10's Vince Lattanzio will be joined by two analysts: Philly columnist and commentator Solomon Jones and Emaleigh Doley, community organizer, professional communications consultant and producer for TedXPhiladelphia.

They'll look at the social impact of the candidates' answers, defining moments and your thoughts on who won, lost, fumbled, triumphed ... whatever your assessment.

All the candidates agreed to participate in the first of three televised debates: former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, ex-City Solicitor and former Common Pleas Judge Nelson Diaz, ex-City Councilman Jim Kenney, Doug Oliver who was once the press secretary for Mayor Nutter and most recently Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Philadelphia Gas Works, former State Senator T. Milton Street who also ran in 2011 and current State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams.

The winner of next month's Primary faces the sole Republican candidate, 36-year-old businesswoman Melissa Murray Bailey, in the Nov. 3 General Election.

Jersey City’s mayor is planning to introduce a bill that would limit the number of chain stores that dot the streets of the Garden State’s second most populous city.

A proposed city regulation would see only 30 percent of commercial space in downtown Jersey City rented to businesses with 10 or more locations within 300 miles of the city. The plan, which is similar to small business-friendly codes in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and San Francisco, is set to be introduced at a city council meeting Tuesday night.

Mayor Steve Fulop says the plan would drastically limit chain stores and restaurants from pushing out mom-and-pops stores out of the city.

"I don't think anybody wants to live in a city that is chain store after chain store, Starbucks after TGIF's," he told NBC 4 New York. 

The proposal has been praised by local business owners.

Napoleon Vargas has had his designer resale store in the city for three years. 

"Let's say an Urban Outfitters opens up in front of my shop," he said. "That would totally take me down." 

"I'm trying to bring a different flare than what a big chain would bring to the town," said Stefania Cocozza, owner of the 9 Bar Cafe, one of the about 150 new and small businesses to open in Jersey City in the last year. 

The mayor's proposed zoning amendment would affect 40 redevelopment plans covering virtually all of downtown Jersey City, including the new Charles and Company residential and office complex across the street from City Hall. 

Owner and developer Eric Silverman said it's often easier to deal with chains but he's on board with the proposal, saying he thinks it will be good overall for Jersey City. 

Critics, on the other hand, say that the rule would be discriminatory and that the free market should determine which stores and restaurants end up downtown.

The president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce told the Wall Street Journal the proposal was “ridiculous” and could have a cooling effect on the city’s growth.

-- Roseanne Colletti contributed to this report 

More than four years at a cost of $64.8 million dollars.

That’s the cost of a planned construction project to replace seven structurally-deficient bridges over Center City Philadelphia’s Vine Street Expressway (Interstate 676) that is set to begin April 14.

PennDOT plans to replace the two-span structures along 22nd Street, 21st Street, Benjamin Franklin Parkway/20th Street, 19th Street, 18th Street, and the Free Library and Family Court pedestrian bridges over I-676 with single-span bridges, said PennDOT.

The construction is necessary to ensure safety along the roadway connecting the Schuylkill Expressway (i-76) with I-95.

“We are eager to start this critical project to rebuild these aging bridges and enhance areas above the Vine Expressway in the Logan Square neighborhood,” said PennDOT’s acting district executive Christine Reilly.

Other items to be repaired or replaced include repaving the roadway, removal or supports from the median and aesthetic efforts.

PennDOT warned of early morning closures along I676 starting just after midnight through 5 a.m. each morning between Broad Street and I-76 in both directions next week. Timing of later closures weren’t immediately made clear but PennDOT said it hoped to minimize traffic troubles during the project.

PennDOT suggests using other roadways including the JFK Parkway, Vine Street and other surface streets to get around the closures.

After the closures next week, PennDOT plans to begin demolishing bridges starting with Family Court pedestrian Bridge on May 4.

The first phase of the project is expected to last until lately July 2017 – with the exception of the time period during the World Meeting of Families when all projects will be put on hold. Phase 1 includes replacing the Family Court and Free Library pedestrian bridges, plus the 19th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway/20th Street structures. Phase 2 – which is expected to last until the fall of 2019 – includes replacing the 22nd Street, 21st Street and 18th Street bridges.

The Family Court, 19th Street, 18th Street and Free Library bridges will be closed and detoured throughout the project while the other bridges will be rebuilt while being used, said PennDOT.

General contractor Philadelphia-based Buckley & Company, Inc. is working on the $64,836,180 project, which is being 100 percent financed through federal funds, said PennDOT.

Click here for more information about the project.

"Today's the day you're going to die."

That was the threat repeated over and over by three men who violently abducted, tortured and robbed a jewelry store worker in a Center City parking garage last Saturday, according to Philadelphia Police.

The 53-year-old woman had just parted ways with her boss at National Watch & Diamond inside the garage on the 700 block of Chestnut St. when she was taken by three men who forced her into a burgundy Ford Econoline cargo van and covered her face with a hood, police said. They drove to the roof of the parking garage, where she was tortured and Tased for about a half an hour after she handed over the keys to the Jeweler's Row store, but failed to provide the store's safe codes.

From there, the men drove to the Montlawn Cemetery on Hook Road in Darby, Delaware County -- torturing, Tasering and beating the woman the entire ride, officials said.

"They kept telling her, 'Today is the day you're gonna die,' " Philadelphia Police Captain Frank Banford said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

The suspects dumped the woman in the cemetery and left for a short time. When they returned, she was trying to get remove zipties from her wrists, police said, The men yelled at the victim and handcuffed her arms and shackled her ankles, the victim told officials.

After being yanked back into the van, she gave her captors the PIN number to her bank card -- which was used by the men at least three times, police said. Once at the nearby Wawa on the 8400 block of Bartram Ave. and twice outside a Chinese restaurant on 57th and Chester.

More than two hours after her abduction, the 53-year-old was dumped back at the cemetery where she was able to remove the hood, walk to the road and flag down help -- a woman who called 911.

The victim was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital and treated for a concussion, hematoma, bruises, contusions and scratches, according to investigators.

"She's holding up well considering what's she's been through," said Banford.

The new details come a day after officials released surveillance video from a nearby business which showed the moments before the woman was abducted, as well as the van.

Police also released a new photo of the van used in the crime.

The driver is in his late 20s, standing 6 feet, 3 inches tall with a muscular build, police said. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, a ski mask and sunglasses.

The second suspect was described as thin, standing 6 feet tall and wearing a gray hoodie, a ski mask and sunglasses. The third man was described as heavy and standing 5 feet, 5 inches tall with a dark hooded sweatshirt and jacket.

Banford said the victim described the driver as the most violent of the three.

Anyone with information about these men or the van is urged to call Philadelphia Police.

Officials are investigating the cause of a car fire on I-76.

The fire started around 5 p.m. Tuesday on I-76 eastbound near the Girard Avenue exit.

Officials were able to put out the flames and no injuries were reported.