The last day of school on June 11 should have been a joyous one for the students and faculty at West Philadelphia's St. Ignatius School.

But instead, thanks to a heartless bandit who police say broke into the school and stole 30 iPads used primarily by kindergarteners, as well as and four laptop computers, a black cloud loomed over the day.

On Monday, Philadelphia's Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 promised that black cloud won't follow the small elementary school at 43rd and Wallace streets into the next school year. The FOP donated 20 brand-new iPads to the school and pledged to replace the remaining stolen electronics via donations before students return in September. The police union also put up a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the burglary.

"If you come in and tell us who did this today and they're brought in today, you get paid today," FOP President John McNesby said during a news conference with several police officers and supervisors at the school Monday afternoon.

Police said leads on the burglary, which happened overnight June 10 into June 11, have been scant. School officials said faculty members and others were in and out of the school until after 8 p.m. that night because 8th grade graduation had been held at the school's middle-school campus, Our Lady of Sorrows, nearby, and a basketball game was going on at the 43rd Street campus where the burglary happened.

They said there was no sign of forced entry at the school's outside door, but that chains on the first- and second-floor doors inside had been cut. The bandit also broke the lock on a security cabinet in the computer lab where the iPads were stored, cut cables locking them to the cabinet and removed their protective covers. School Co-Principal Rosemary Haenn said the burglar also ransacked several classrooms, broke windows to get into offices and stole laptops.

She and Co-Principal Sister Owen Patricia Bonner said the school, which has about 250 students, only had the iPads for a year and a half.

"We worked so hard to get them," Bonner said. "The kids were so excited to have them."

Haenn added, "You're stealing from 5-year-olds."

Investigators said they believe the items were likely sold on the street or to local pawn shops and are still in the neighborhood somewhere.

"If you bought an iPad on the street for $100 or $200, clearly it's stolen," Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives said. "You should do the right thing and turn it in."

He said if someone who purchased the stolen goods has information on who took them, they would also be eligible for the FOP reward. The stolen items are valued at nearly $18,000.

"Children are the future," Walker said, adding that the iPads were invaluable learning tools for the students, most of whom live in disadvantaged areas of West Philadelphia. "We can't tolerate this."

Haenn and Bonner said there has been an outpouring of support from the community for the school, in addition to the FOP's donation, already. About $15,000 has been donated so far and will go toward tightening security at the school. The building was not equipped with a surveillance camera with recording capabilities at the time of the burglary, she said.

"The outpouring has been amazing," she said.

McNesby said anyone interested in donating should contact FOP Lodge 5 at 215-629-3626 or call him at 215-285-3185.

"We will have this program up and running by September," he promised.

Tipsters with information on the burglary should call Southwest Detectives at 215-686-3183/3184 or the police tip line at 215-686-8477.

One week after severe storms left thousands without power and damaged numerous homes and businesses, Delaware County officials spoke Monday about the recovery efforts and their attempts to get money from the state and FEMA.

Delaware County Council Chairman Mario Civera Jr. said the council asked Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to declare a state of emergency so that they could access money set aside for municipalities hit the hardest. Some residents also didn't have power for days after the storm as crews scrambled to fix downed and damaged wires.

The money -- about $2 million -- would then be sent down to specific areas like Chester and Upland where millions of dollars of damage occurred, said Civera.

No word yet on if Wolf will make the declaration.

The pilot of a small plane that plunged into a Plainville, Massachusetts, home Sunday, reported engine problems before the fatal crash, newly released audio communications show. 

"We got real bad vibrations. We are losing engines," the pilot said to an air traffic control tower before requesting to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport.

The audio transmission released Monday details the final moments before the Beechcraft BE36, headed to Norwood Memorial Airport from Lancaster Airport in Pennsylvania, went down around 5:45 p.m., killing three people on board.

The control tower is heard suggesting two airports and a field where the pilot can make an emergency landing. Unfamiliar with the area and quickly loosing altitude, the pilot is then directed to land the plane on interstate 495.

"We have no engine. We're IMC. I need help," the pilot appeals.

Massachusetts State Police say two adults and a child were on board the plane that crashed into the two-story colonial on Bridle Path. The victims have been identified as Dr. Joseph Rick Kalister, his wife Betty, and their daughter, according to the director of Starr Regional Hospital Business Development.

"The interstate is the best thing I have at the moment," the air traffic controller said.

As the plane is guided to the highway, the pilot stops responding to calls from the tower before the aircraft disappears from the radar.

Homeowner Aaron Rice said his wife and two sons were on the second floor of the house when the aircraft plummeted through the roof.

"We heard a loud bang. As some of our neighbors have said, we live close to a quarry, so you're use to explosions here and the house shaking," Rice told reporters outside the wreckage of his home. "But when I saw the fireball go down in the back of the house, we realized it was a little more serious than that."

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board are on the scene investigating the cause of the crash. The transmission will be a key piece of evidence.

"I have to say that while we suffered great tragedy here today, with the death of the occupants of this plane, the miracle today is that four occupants of that home that was severely damaged by fire - a very rapidly spreading fire - were able to safely escape," Massachusetts Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said. "They lost a lot of personal possessions, but they're all safe tonight."

The Philadelphia father who was grabbed from the neck by a SEPTA police officer and arrested for allegedly skipping out on a El fare as he clutched his toddler says he paid for the train ride.

Ellis Smith tells NBC10 in an exclusive interview, alongside his attorney, on Monday he paid the $2.25 to take SEPTA's Market-Frankford line toward Center City Philadelphia last Thursday.

But, the 20-year-old vocational student says the ticket booth agent at the Margaret-Orthodox Station objected to him carrying his 18-month-old daughter, Suehaiah, on his shoulders. Smith then slipped through the turnstile, onto the platform and boarded the train.

A few stops later, a SEPTA Police officer confronted Smith about evading a fare and, after several minutes of arguing, tried to physically remove him from the train. Surveillance video showed the officer, a 16-year veteran who hasn't been identified, grabbing the dad by the neck and pushing him into the train's wall with the girl in his arms.

"Obviously that's not how they're trained," Smith's attorney, Patrick Link said. "It's not what should have happened. For some reason, it did."

The train was then stopped, Smith handcuffed and arrested on a platform. The arrest was also caught on video and posted to Facebook where it went viral. SEPTA Police launched an internal affairs investigation and police chief Thomas Nestel accepted blame for the incident.

Smith said his daughter was knocked around in the scuffle. She was taken to the hospital and didn't suffer any physical injuries, but the dad's concerned she may have emotional trauma.

SEPTA is reviewing fare evasion enforcement. Surveillance cameras didn't caputre the alledged act. Smith remains charged with fare evasion, reisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

An elderly woman was found dead with her throat slashed inside her East Mt. Airy home Monday morning and her car is missing, Philadelphia Police said.

"There is nothing sadder than seeing an 85-year-old female who cannot defend herself -- who's inside of her house -- someone either was let in or forced their way in and beat her and stabbed her to death," said Philadelphia Police Homicide Division Capt. James Clark. "It's very sad, it's very tragic."

Regina Brunner's son found her bludgeoned in her bed just before 11 a.m. inside the first floor bedroom of a rancher-style home along the 300 block of Roumfort Road in East Mt. Airy, police said.

Sources close to the investigation said it appeared robbery was the motive for the attack.

The woman's 2007 silver Toyota Corolla -- with disabled Pennsylvania tag PD-1402X -- was missing. Neighbors noticed something was up after Brunner's car remained in the driveway rather than the garage all weekend then she didn't come out to get her newspaper Monday morning while the car was gone. She also didn't show up to her job at the Chestnut Hill Local where she proofread obituaries.

There were no signs of forced entry and the home didn't appear to be ransacked, police said.

"Hopefully we will get to the bottom of it very quickly," said Clark.

Anyone who spots the car or knows details in the case should contact Philadelphia Police.

One of two men identified by detectives as having opened fire on a pre-Father's Day block party filled with family members and children turned himself into Philadelphia Police Monday afternoon.

Investigators named Kyleif Harley and Dominic Lamar, both 23, as suspects in the drive-by shooting on the 4100 block of Ogden Street in West Philadelphia on June 20.

Lamar's attorney joined him as he surrendered to Southwest Detectives Monday. Harley remained on the loose -- a $10,000 reward is being offered for his capture and conviction.

It was around 9 p.m. on June 20 when the men drove to the street and opened fire at least once with the shotgun and then fired several times with a handgun, police said.

The gunfire injured 11 people attending the cookout, eight from the same family, with the youngest victim being a 1-year-old girl. Two boys, an 11- and 12-year-old, were also struck. Police discovered the 11th victim over the course of their investigation.

"It's a blessing though that they made it, seriously," Tyrone Jones, who helped organize the party, told NBC10.

The victims were all released from the hospital, but some continued to be treated because they have shotgun pellets embedded in their bodies that cannot be removed without inflicting more damage, said  Lt. John Walker.

Walker said Harley and Lamar were looking for a person in that area and appeared to open fire randomly. Both have criminal backgrounds and will face several charges including attempted murder and aggravated assault.

Anyone with information on Harley's whereabouts is asked to call Philadelphia Police's tip line at 215.686.TIPS.

A one-year-old child was one of six hospitalized after a multi-vehicle crash in South Jersey Monday morning.

The crash happened about 6:30 a.m. along the northbound lanes of Route 73 near Hayes Mill Road in Winslow Township.

A total of six cars were involved in the crash, according to the Winslow Township Police Department.

Police said the accident began when 19-year-old Anders Opitz of Phoenixville, Pa, driving a Ford pick-up truck northbound on Route 73, sideswiped a van driven by 60-year-old Michael Nardello of Berlin, NJ.

This set off a chain reaction of crashes involving four other vehicles. In all, nine people were involved.

In the aftermath, 60-year old Joseph Duffy of Landisville, NJ was rescued from the Mini Cooper he was driving and flown to Cooper Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Another vehicle involved in the crash, driven by 39-year old Kenneth Matthews was also carrying a 1-year-old baby and 28-year-old Michelle Santiago, both from Vineland, NJ. Matthews and Santiago were taken by ambulance to Cooper Hospital, the baby was airlifted.

Police said the baby was suffering life-threatening injuries.

Optiz and 53-year-old Dennis Conway of Hammonton, NJ, who was driving another vehicle hit in the crash, were transported to Virtua Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

No charges have been filed in the crash as the investigation continues.

Police in South Jersey released a sketch Monday in hopes of tracking down a man who sexually assaulted a woman behind a dumpster behind a bar last week.

Investigators believe the suspect who attacked a woman behind the Off Broadway Lounge on Spruce Street around 6:30 a.m. Thursday could be connected to other attacks in the area.

The suspect is described as a man standing around 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighing around 170 pounds. He wore a white T-shirt, gray shorts, a black wave cap and high-top Nike Air Jordan sneakers with red and white soles at the time of the attack.

Detectives said similar attacks against women along the Broadway Corridor in which drugs and/or prostitution were a factor were also reported. Investigators hoped to determine if the same man is responsible for all the assaults.

Anyone with information should contact the Camden County Police Department tip line at 856-757-7042.

Attention Acme shoppers, you still have one more day to take advantage of a special offer.

Acme markets in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are lending a hand to customers devastated by Tuesday’s severe storms that cut power to hundreds of thousands by offering a 5 percent discount to affected customers. Acme hopes the discount helps folks replenish food items lost in the dark.

“Our region was greatly affected by the recent storm and many communities are just regaining power,” said Acme president Dan Croce. “We want to help our customers recover as quickly as possible from this storm. This is just our way of taking care of the community we’ve been a part of for the last 124 years.”

With many power lines knocked down, many of those affected had to dispose of their refrigerated and frozen food items.

Click here to print out the five percent coupon. For costumers still in the dark or without access to a smart device, Acme customer service representatives are offering in-store assistance. The special offer began on June 26 and continues through Tuesday.

Thousands of Philadelphians have taken their final drag and have stubbed out their last cigarettes, as smoking rates in the city have reached an all-time low.

The percentage of adult smokers in Philadelphia dropped to 22.4 percent in 2014-2015, representing an 18 percent drop among Philadelphia adults and a 30 percent drop among teens since 2008. Data from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey shows that the result is 60,000 fewer smokers in the city.

“We’re turning the tide against tobacco,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “My administration has made it a priority to prevent youth from taking up smoking, to help current smokers kick the habit and protect residents from secondhand smoke in indoor and outdoor spaces.”

These studies do not reflect Philadelphia’s $2 per pack cigarette tax that went into effect October 2014, as experience from other communities suggests up to one year is needed to see the initial effects of a tax increase.

Philadelphia’s smoking rate is still higher than the national average of 17.8 percent.

A bus driver found himself out of a job after video surfaced of him apparently using a smartphone while driving a busload of passengers along the New Jersey Turnpike.

Passengers boarded the bus at Focus Travel along N 11th Street in Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood Saturday morning and headed toward New York. As the bus barreled along the turnpike at speeds exceeding 65 mph, the driver can be seen looking up and down from his device – using two hands on the phone at times – as it sits in the center of his steering wheel.

Delvan Bradford, 25, said he captured the video as the bus drove in the area of New Brunswick.

"We could've been either injured or killed," Bradford said.

Luckily, the passengers arrived safely in New York.

Texting while driving is illegal in New Jersey. Bradford claimed that the driver took out the phone shortly after bus crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey.

Though Focus Travel sold tickets for the bus, it was operated by Yep Tours, said Yep owner Jeremy Walker.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy for cellphones -- zero tolerance," said Walker, who viewed the video and confirmed that it appeared to be authentic.

Walker called the apparent texting unacceptable and he fired the driver.

Walker said the company has cameras on some of its buses -- though it wasn't clear if one was on the bus in question -- and he said they planned on installing more cameras to hopefully discourage incidents like this one.

Yep Tours has had 25 unsafe driving  violations in the past two years -- including one accident -- putting it in the bottom 2 percent of carriers. Walker argued the violations need to be considered in context of trip volume.

"We do about 36,000 trips in the past two years -- so 20 violations on a matter of 36,000 trips in two years -- it's a small number."