The Philadelphia woman accused of abandoning her quadriplegic son with cerebral palsy and leaving him alone in the woods for over five days with nothing but a blanket and a Bible is out of the hospital and in police custody.
Nyia Parler, 41, is accused of leaving her 21-year-old son in a wooded area along Cobbs Creek Parkway near Catharine Street around 11 a.m. Monday before traveling to Montgomery County, Maryland to visit her boyfriend.
Parler had been hospitalized for several days in Maryland after a warrant was signed for her arrest. On Monday police announced Parler was in police custody in Montgomery County, Maryland. So far she is only charged as a fugitive of justice. She is also expected to be charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, neglect of a care-dependent person, unlawful restraint, kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Parler's extradition hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday in Silver Springs, Maryland.
After several days of cold temperatures and rain, Parler's son was found 100-feet into the woods around 9 p.m. on April 10, according to Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker. Investigators say the victim likely would have died if not for the man who spotted him while passing by.
"They found [him] about 100 yards off the roadway here, laying in leaves. He's got a blanket over him and a Bible on his chest," Walker said. "He has a wheelchair about 10 feet from his body."
Rescuers took the man to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where he is being treated for a cut on his back, dehydration, malnutrition and exposure to the weather, police said. He is currently in stable condition.
"A lot of things could've happened out there," Walker said. "Obviously he's in the middle of a wooded area. You have wild animals out there. You never know what's going to happen."
Several of his aunts are by his bedside, said police, who added the relatives are being interviewed about his medical history and his mother.
Officials describe the victim as "non-verbal" and completely dependent on others for his care.
"What we've learned so far is that the 21-year-old child lives with his mother, completely dependent on mom as a result of his condition," Walker said. "She also has a 16-year-old son who is staying with other family members."
The man, who attends the School of the Future at 40th Street and Parkside Avenue, didn't show up for classes and officials called Nyia Parler, his mother, police said. When she didn't answer, they contacted his aunt and then she phoned his mom, according to investigators.
At that time, Parler lied to authorities, claiming her son was safe with her in Maryland along with her boyfriend, according to investigators.
"We know she left for Maryland on Monday to go see her boyfriend on a bus," Walker said.
Police signed a warrant for Parler's arrest on April 11.
NBC10's Jesse Gary was at the scene when officers took the man's wheelchair in as evidence Saturday morning.
@NBCPhiladelphia #exclusive @PhillyPolice recover wheel chair of handicapped man abandon in Cobbs Creek Pk Deets530a pic.twitter.com/H1HRgW1dHo
— Jesse Gary (@JesseNBC10) April 11, 2015
Police said the victim and Parler live in a West Philadelphia home that does not have a handicapped-accessible ramp. They are working with DHS in the investigation.
"It's heartbreaking to see another human, especially a mother, treat someone like that," Walker said. "You had all the opportunities in the world to turn that kid to your family members who wanted to care for him."
A Philadelphia pretzel franchise is so excited for the arrival of Tim Tebow that they're modeling a menu item based on his famous pose.
Philly Pretzel Factory released a picture of a "Tebowing" pretzel Monday morning, following news that Tebow would sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The pretzel, shaped in Tebow's trademarked knee-bent, praying pose that has gone viral over the last few years, was being sold at PPF's Mayfair location Monday for just $1, according to the Philly Pretzel Factory Twitter account.
This is not the first time the company has released "Tebowing" pretzels. Three years ago, an Atlanta suburb-based franchise debuted a pretzel similar to this one.
A teenage boy was struck by a vehicle near the Wissahickon Train Station Monday.
The 14-year-old boy was walking on Ridge Avenue near Cresson Street in the Wissahickon section of the city when he was struck by a vehicle passing by.
Officials have not yet revealed the teen’s condition or whether the accident was a hit-and-run.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
Millville’s top cop is on the wrong side of the law after he was arrested for allegedly driving drunk.
Millville Police Lieutenant Edward Zadroga, 47, was arrested and charged with DUI Sunday night. Investigators told NBC10 Zadroga was pulling out of the parking lot of the Sidelines sports bar on Sharp and Main streets in Millville around 10 p.m. when he collided with another car.
No one was injured in the crash. Officials say Zadroga failed a field sobriety test and was arrested around 11:15 p.m. He is charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving.
Zadroga is the spokesman for the Millville Police Department and was appointed the officer in charge following the resignation of their police chief.
Last September two other Millville police officers were also accused of drunk driving after a crash on Camel Road.
Zadroga was also at the center of a whistleblower complaint against the city last year.
Officials have not yet revealed whether Zadroga has been suspended or fired from the department due to the allegations against him.
Cathy Clinton fought back the tears as she remembered Ryan Gillyard, a 15-year-old high school football player who collapsed and died during a training workout over the weekend.
“It’s an absolute nightmare,” Clinton said. “I was hoping I would get a phone call saying it was a joke. But it wasn’t.”
Funeral information was released Monday for the Upper Darby teen, who attended St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia. A viewing for Gillyard will be held Friday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s. A funeral mass will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Cardinal John Foley Regional Catholic School on 300 East Eagle Road in Havertown. It will be followed by a burial at the school's cemetery.
Clinton told NBC10 her son was a close friend of Ryan’s and they attended school together when they were younger.
“He’s 15,” Clinton said. “And my son and him are friends and I don’t know how to explain this to him. I don’t know how to tell a 14-year-old that he’s never gonna see him again.”
Gillyard was at spring conditioning training at the St. Joseph’s Prep practice field on Cecil B. Moore Avenue at 11th Street in Philadelphia Saturday morning when he suddenly collapsed. He was taken to Temple University Hospital where he later died.
Gillyard’s final tweet, which was posted early Saturday morning, was retweeted over 600 times as friends and family shared their condolences.
“The community as a whole was just shocked,” said Jeffrey Terrell, a neighbor and family friend. “It’s unfathomable.”
Loved ones described Gillyard as a renaissance man with a big smile and an even bigger heart.
“He did everything,” Clinton said. “He played football. He played basketball. He liked music. He did our school play. Nobody will ever forget him. Ever.”
The Cardinal Foley relay team plan on wearing armbands in Gillyard’s honor when they compete in the Penn Relays on Tuesday.
Investigators have not yet determined a cause of death. The Medical Examiner’s Office told NBC10 a result likely won’t be released for another six to eight weeks.
Heavy rain, wind, lightning and hail struck our region Monday night into Tuesday. Check out photos from our viewers from across the area.
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A car crashed into a pole on City Avenue in Lower Merion Monday evening.
The vehicle was traveling on City Avenue near Hollingsworth Road when the driver somehow lost control and knocked down a pole.
The driver was injured in the accident. Officials have not yet revealed his or her condition.
The body of an unidentified woman was found near the Schuylkill River Monday night in Southwest Philadelphia.
Police say the body washed ashore around 6:30 p.m. on the 6000 block of Passyunk Avenue under the Passyunk Avenue Bridge.
Medics responded to the scene and the woman was pronounced dead at 7 p.m.
Officials are working on determining the woman's identity as well as a cause of death.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
Police are searching for two men accused of sexually assaulting and robbing a woman on the border of Fishtown and Kensington in Philadelphia.
The 31-year-old woman told police she was walking to her parked vehicle on the 100 block of West Thompson Street Saturday around 12:30 a.m.
As she was walking she was suddenly pushed and grabbed from behind by two men, according to investigators.
The woman told police one of the men grabbed her purse and threatened to shoot her if she resisted. The men then told her to walk towards an alley, once again threatening to shoot her if she didn’t cooperate, police said.
The men then sexually assaulted her in the alley, according to investigators.
The first suspect is described as a man between the ages of 25 and 35 with a full beard and mustache, standing 6-feet tall with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, dark jeans and an “Eagles” ball cap.
The second suspect is described as a man between the ages of 25 and 35 with a medium build standing 5-foot-10. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, a hood covering his head and dark-colored jeans.
If you have any information on the incident, please contact Philadelphia Police.
A haze of smoke filled the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s offices early Tuesday.
It appeared that some sort of electrical fire on the second floor caused smoke inside the District 6-0 building along Geerdes Boulevard in King of Prussia shortly before 4 a.m., said KOP firefighters.
Fire crews brought in fans to clear out the smoke, which was heavy on the upper floors, said Montgomery County dispatchers.
There were a handful of employees inside the building at the time and they were able to get out after hearing the fire alarm, said firefighters. No one was hurt.
The smoke caused power problems in the building and caused problems with PennDOT's traffic monitoring system, said firefighters.
Firefighters began to leave the scene around 5 a.m. as PennDOT tried to get everything back up and running as normal.
Firefighters continued to investigate the fire Tuesday morning.
Police have made an arrest in the death of a 15-year-old basketball star who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in New Jersey.
Gregory Oliver, 20, has been charged in the death of Armoni Sexton, an 8th grader at Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, who died Sunday morning after being shot on Rosa Parks Boulevard in Paterson at around 8:30 p.m. the night before, according to police.
Three others, two males and a female between 15 and 20 years old, were injured in the shooting and are expected to survive.
Oliver is also charged with two counts of attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
Hundreds of students released balloons Monday in memory of 15-year-old Armoni Sexton days after the basketball star was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in New Jersey. A candlelight memorial also stands by the spot where the shooting occurred.
School officials said Sexton, who already stood at an impressive 6 feet 7 inches, was not only a star player, but a role model to other students.
“I will remember him as a kid who really, really tried both on and off the court and who served as an example to everyone else at Paterson Charter School,” said Dean of Students James Bacote.
Sexton was among the top basketball players in his age group in the country. Just 10 days ago, his team the NJ Playas won a National Championship in Virginia, and the team has another national tournament this week.
“It’s rough, really rough,” said coach Kiela Brevard. “He wouldn’t want us to sit around, he would want us to play this weekend.”
Brevard, who said he started coaching Sexton when he was 12 years old, had a dream to go to college and one day buy his mother a home.
“He was a good child, always tried to do right,” said his great-grandmother Marie Jacobs.
His coach says he will always be a part of the team.
“He will be with us at every tournament we go, every practice we are at. He’s with us when we go to sleep, when we wake up. He’s here with us right now,” Brevard said.
Anyone with additional information on the shooting is asked to call Paterson Police at 973-321-1120 or to send a text via PatersonPD.com.
The driver who authorities say tried to enter New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal Friday and was stopped at the gate after guards found something about the vehicle to be suspicious, prompting a five-hour saga that included evacuations and road closures, is on track to be deported, federal officials say.
Petr Cifka, a 46-year-old citizen of the Czech Republic, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after trying to enter the Army installation in Morris County last week, officials with the agency said Monday.
Cifka "has been entered into deportation proceedings and will remain in ICE custody pending a hearing before a federal immigration judge," ICE said in a statement. The agency referred questions about criminal charges to the Department of Defense, which couldn't immediately be reached about the matter.
It wasn't clear what security personnel considered suspicious about Cifka's truck, but arsenal authorities said they were treating the vehicle "as if it were an explosive threat," and he was taken into custody.
The gate was locked down and employees were instructed to leave their posts shortly before 2 p.m. as robots and explosive detection devices assessed the potential threat.
No explosives were found, but the immediate area, including businesses near the arsenal entrance, was evacuated as a precaution and a good stretch of Route 15 was shut down to assist in the investigation, causing extensive traffic delays. One motorist complained about a three-hour journey to go a few miles.
