A South Philadelphia resident woke up Monday morning to find a man wearing a ski mask hovering over her. The man then sexually assaulted the woman before making off with the victim's car, said Philadelphia Police.
The 35-year-old was asleep in her home along the 1800 block of S Rosewood Street, near Mifflin Street, around 5:30 a.m. when a man woke her up by putting his hand over her mouth and demanding money, said investigators.
The suspect, described as being a medium built man in his late 20s or early 30s who stands around 5-foot, 9-inches tall, then sexually assaulted the woman, said police.
The man -- in all black clothing with the exception of a pair of red gloves -- went into the victim's purse and took $10 in cash and her keys -- including house and car keys, said police.
Before leaving the home, the masked man took the woman's roommate's identification and threatened her if police were contacted.
The victims contacted police in any case.
Investigators found the victim's car a few hours later along the 1600 block of Moore Street -- a short distance away. Sources told NBC10 that they believe the suspect was behind the wheel of the car.
The Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit were called to the scene as police investigated the incident in hopes of finding out the identification of the attacker.
Police also looked into other recent attacks in the Point Breeze neighborhood because in both those cases the attacker also wore red gloves.
Four firefighters suffered injuries battling a blaze apparently caused by careless campers near the Poconos over Memorial Day weekend.
The fire broke out Saturday afternoon on Blue Mountain in Moore, Northampton County, Pennsylvania after campers didn’t properly extinguish a campfire, said county dispatchers.
The fire eventually spread to four acres as crews worked to get it under control, said the forestry service.
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries as multiple fire companies responded.
The fire didn’t put any homes or buildings in danger, said dispatchers.
As of mid-afternoon Monday, crews had 90-percent of the blaze contained. The forestry service however, warned that crews would be battling the remaining part of the fire -- in rocky area where its hard to get water to -- could be on the scene through at least Tuesday.
A woman stabbed her own mother in the back Monday morning in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Police didn’t immediately reveal what led to the 31-year-old woman stabbing her 57-year-old mother multiple times during an argument inside an apartment on the 4700 block of Leiper Street in the city’s Frankford neighborhood.
Medics rushed the victim to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.
Police arrested the woman but didn’t immediately recover the weapon. No word yet on what charges the woman could face.
Crews responded to the pool of a Philadelphia apartment complex on Memorial Day after a near drowning.
Fire dispatchers didn’t immediately reveal who was hurt at the pool at the Summit Park apartments along Henry Avenue in the city’s Andorra section around 1:30 p.m. Monday.
Crews didn't reveal the swimmer's condition.
Witnesses said the person was swimming in about 3 feet of water at the time.
Things returned to nromal quickly after the person was taken from the pool.
A crash along a South Jersey road over Memorial Day Weekend left an 8-year-old and the drivers of both cars dead.
A 22-year-old man -- later identified by family as Chris Platt -- was trying to pass his girlfriend south on Buckshutem Road approaching the University Road intersection in Millville around 4:15 p.m. Sunday when he lost control of his black Honda Civic.
"I seen the guy in this little black Honda goin' sideways and I see him go off the road and I heard a loud bang," said witness Don Gandy.
That bang was the point of collision when Platt's out-of-control Civic slammed into a silver Toyota Camry stopped at a stop sign on University Road.
Friends identified the Camry's driver as Michelle Zenchuk. Zenchuk, who died in the wreck, had a 3-year-old and 8-year-old in the backseat. The 8-year-old later died at the hospital while the 3-year-old remained hospitalized Monday, said emergency responders and friends of the family.
The 8-year-old girl's aunt was one of the first EMT nurses on the scene, said Millville Rescue Squad Chief John Redden.
"She did her job," said Redden. "She focused and then as soon as we could, we got her away from the scene."
No word yet from police on an exact cause of the wreck, which happened just after Platt left a nearby racecourse. Neighbors in the area said speeding often occurs in the area.
"They gotta' get a speed limit down here lower than 50 because it's a residential area," said Gandy. "And if they don't there's gonna' be more deaths."
Gunfire rang out Monday afternoon near a Philadelphia Catholic school on Memorial Day leaving a man with a gunshot wound to his ear.
The shooting just after 2 p.m. near a vacant lot along the 1700 block of W Girard Avenue in North Philadelphia left a 23-year-old man with a wound to his left ear. He was taken to Hahnemann hospital in stable condition, said police.
The shooting scene sits across the street from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School. The school was closed for the Memorial Day Holiday.
Police didn’t immediately reveal a motive for the shooting.
After nearly four decades, Memorial Day marks the end for a South Jersey icon.
“We have had the pleasure of serving the community for 37 years, and now it is time for us to retire and retire the diner along with us,” said Jimmy, Nick and Anna, the owners of the Freeway Diner in Deptford Township, New Jersey, in a letter posted to the diner’s Facebook page.
The owners of the restaurant along on Hurfville Road, near Route 42, thanked their dedicated staff and loyal customers for making the diner special.
Over the years, the Freeway served up thousands of meals and plenty of smiles.
“Very good - a classic diner,” wrote Yelp user Michael R. “Waitress was very nice. I had the tuna melt special, which includes soup, beverage and dessert. It would be hard to do this dish wrong, and they did it very well.”
The loss of the diner – with its blue awnings and coat of arms out front – isn’t lost on ownership.
“The was ‘the Diner’ …the local hangout at the counter … the place where our customers could sit and talk for hours comfortably over lunch or dinner .. where one could go for just a coffee and dessert,” said the Facebook letter. “All of you will be missed.”
A man stabbed another man during an argument in from of a Philadelphia barbershop on Memorial Day, according to police.
The attack at 6th and Lycoming streets in Philadelphia’s Hunting Park neighborhood around 3:20 p.m. left a 20 year-old man with three stab wounds to his abdomen.
After the stabbing, a man with long hair who appeared to be in his late 20s who wore black or gray shorts with a red stripe on the side and a woman wearing a white shirt and black shorts could be seen fleeing westbound on Lycoming Street.
Someone scooped up the stabbing victim and dropped him off at Temple University Hospital where he remained in critical condition Monday evening.
Police didn’t reveal a motive for the attack.
One of the most famous figures in the world hasn’t vegged out in front of the television in 25 years.
In a recent interview with Argentinian news source La Voz Del Pueblo, Pope Francis admitted he hasn’t tuned into TV since 1990.
Francis told the Spanish-language news source that he doesn't hold anything against TV, just “it's not for me” and that he gave it up in July of 1990.
The Pontiff hasn’t even seen his beloved San Lorenzo soccer team play, he told the paper. But Argetinian does keep up on the Buenos Aries-based team thanks to a Swiss Guard bodyguard who updates him on how the team Francis has loved his whole life is doing.
The Pope is headed to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families in September. No word yet if he will break his rule and watch TV while in town.
Heavy smoke could be seen pouring from a fire along train tracks in Philadelphia Monday evening.
A 10-foot-high pile of junk at a scrap yard near the tracks by Somerset and Tulip streets in the city’s Port Richmond section caught fire around 7:25 p.m. causing smoke to spread over surrounding areas, according to firefighters.
People quickly began posting photos and video of the rising smoke -- that was visible from area highways -- on social media sites.
It took firefighters just about an hour to get the blaze under control.
No one was hurt.
Two teens died in two separate Memorial Day shootings in Philadelphia – one that happened at a recreation center playground.
Gunfire rang out just after 10 p.m. at 65th Street and Elmwood Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.
“This male was found unconscious on the grounds of the Connell Recreation Center,” said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
Police scooped up the 19-year-old and rushed him to Presbyterian Hospital where he was pronounced dead with at least two gunshot wounds to the chest.
Small said investigators found a bloodied handgun, a cellphone and cash in the grass near the man’s body. Witnesses reported seeing a group of people fleeing the scene in a dark-colored vehicle that went south on 65th Street.
About an hour later, police patrolling in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city heard about half a dozen gunshots ring out along the 2100 block of N 30th Street.
“They found a 19-year-old male collapsed on the highway suffering from a gunshot wound to his head,” said Small.
Police rushed the man to Temple University Hospital where doctors pronounce him dead.
Surveillance cameras captured two men running from the scene, said investigators.
Small said that investigators found shell casings a good distance away from the gunshot victim so they weren’t sure if the man was targeted or was struck by a stray bullet.
“We don’t know if he’s the intended target,” said Small.
Anyone with information on either shooting is asked to contact Philly police.
