A resident told Philadelphia Police that an armed men opened fire on him during a home invasion overnight.
The 32-year-old resident suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder during the burglary along Oakmont Street near Torresdale Avenue in the Tacony section of the city Monday.
The man was taken to Aria Torresdale Hospital in critical but stable condition, said investigators.
The man’s girlfriend was home at the time but luckily wasn’t injured.
An early investigation revealed that two men dressed in all dark clothing kicked in the rear door of the home around 5 a.m. and that one suspect began to physically fight with the resident, said police. After the shooting both suspects fled the scene.
No word yet what, if anything, the men took from the home.
An armed man pointed a gun at a young woman working the overnight shift at a Delaware Wawa over the weekend.
The gunman entered the convenience store along Wilson road in Wilmington around 1:45 a.m. Saturday then pointed a handgun at a 21-year-old worker and demanded she empty the registers and safe, said Delaware State Police. The woman behind the counter handed the robber an undisclosed amount of cash before he fled the store.
Luckily, the worker wasn’t hurt.
Investigators described the gunman as being in his early 20s, standing around 6-feet tall and weighing between 160 to 180 pounds. He wore a blue jacket, black jeans and gray sneakers at the time of the heist.
Anyone with information is asked to contact state police at 302-365-8566.
Bring breakfast to new heights this summer by enjoying a meal a top of one of the largest Ferris wheels on the east coast.
Morey’s Piers’ is launching an experience called Breakfast in the Sky, where people can enjoy the ocean breeze while eating a private breakfast on the Ferris wheel.
Imagine eating breakfast favorites such as Belgium waffles, lobster omelets, spinach and fontina quiche, and steak and eggs while soaring 156 feet above the Wildwoods, New Jersey shoreline.
Individuals can make reservations July 25 through Aug. 24 on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays only. The breakfast cost $85 per car for two people and $40 per additional person.
Groups can make reservations to take over the entire Ferris wheel on Friday, Aug. 7, 14 and 21 only. The two-hour breakfast package cost $3,000 for a maximum of 48 people.
A serial bank robber in Delaware wore a unique outfit during one of three heists – two at the same bank – over the past few months.
In one of the robberies at the Artisans Bank on Silverside Road in Wilmington the gunman wore a backwards baseball cap and a tan sweater with what appears to be a wolf on it, according to a photo released by Delaware State Police.
The man also held up the same location on June 8 and then held up the SWFS Bank on Concord Pike in Wilmington on July 24, said investigators.
Each heist happened shortly after 9 a.m. and in each case the man pointed a gun at a teller and demanded that the teller empty the cash drawers.
Luckily no one has been hurt.
Police describe the suspect as being between 25 to 35 years old with a medium build and standing between 5-feet, 10 inches and 6-feet tall.
Despite the animal sweater, the man is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who spots him should call 911 and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective J. Paul Doherty at 302-365-8438.
Heavy rain and claps of thunder overnight woke up plenty of people around the Philadelphia region. The storms also put some people at risk for localized flooding. And, more rain could be on the way.
The National Weather Service put a Flood Advisory in effect Monday for parts of Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties in South Jersey that expired at 6:15 a.m. An earlier advisory for Kent County in Delaware expired at 5:30 a.m. Monday.
The storms dropped more than 2 inches of rain on some areas.
Motorists were urged to allow some extra time to get where they’re going Monday morning. NBC10 First Alert Traffic reporter Jessica Boyington warned that there could be ponding on some area roads.
The rain could return Monday afternoon, said NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Bill Henley.
Check back throughout the afternoon for the latest forecast.
Due to a recent spike in reported thefts from vehicles in Norristown, police send residents the message to lock their car doors to prevent thieves from breaking in.
Police set up flashing signs on Fornance and New Hope Streets in the north section of the city and Airy and Hamilton streets in the city’s southwest sector.
The signs flash “Help us help you,” Lock your car doors,” “Remove all valuables from car,” “Report suspicious activity” and “Norristown police call 911.”
According to The Times Herald, police are investigating dozens of car break-ins, with more than 15 reported thefts in the third week of July alone.
Criminals often target cars because of the easy access to cellphones, money, credit cards and other valuables according to police.
Authorities said the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to take the keys out of the ignition, lock all doors, and call 911 to report suspicious activity.
The recently revived A-Treat soda company is back in business and wants fans to decide which flavor they want to see first.
The Allentown company had been shut down since January after nearly 100 years of business, but a local developer entered a co-packing agreement with Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Lehigh Valley to bring the brand back to life.
The Morning Call reports Orefield turkey farmer and real estate developer David Jaindl is acquiring A-Treat's brand name, trademark, flavor formulas and related intellectual property.
The company announced a social media campaign where fans can pick the first flavor to hit shelves.
Soda lovers can log on to the A-Treat Facebook page starting until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and cast their vote for their favorite flavor. Is it black cherry? birch beer? Rico Mango? Treat-Up?
Jaindl says production will be restored in the coming weeks and retailers will stock A-Treat as soon as it becomes available.
A man is recovering after he was struck by a vehicle in North Philadelphia.
The 20-year-old man was walking on Mascher and Tusculum streets shortly after 5 p.m. Monday when he was struck by the vehicle. He was taken to Temple University Hospital. While he was initially listed extremely critical his condition was later upgraded to stable.
Police say the vehicle stayed at the scene.
Police are searching for a Montgomery County couple who they say swindled tens of thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims, using their names and social security numbers.
Eric Martin, 33, and his wife and business partner, 29-year-old Portia Martin, are accused of creating credit accounts by using stolen identity information and making $124,000 in the process.
The couple owns Centra Spike, Inc., a HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) company based in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Police say at least eight victims were billed tens of thousands of dollars for loans or credit cards they never applied for due to the couple’s scam. All of the victims say they never met the couple.
“I hope they go to jail for a long time,” said one victim who did not want to be identified.
The victim told NBC10 she received a bill from Synchrony Bank in February saying she owed them $14,000.
“How did you get my information?” she asked. “I don’t even go online.”
In addition to not knowing the couple, the victim said she never hired their company. Police say they’re not even sure if the company provided heat and AC repair as was advertised.
“When I look at these facts with the identity information being taken from people who are completely unknown to the business being used to apply for the fraudulent loan, having the loan come back to the business and the money going directly into their personal accounts, it seems to me a very obvious and brazen action,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.
Police continue to search for the couple who will face identity theft and conspiracy charges as well as other offenses.
Eric Martin has black hair, brown eyes, stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 240 pounds. Portia Martin has black hair, brown eyes, stands 5-foot-2 and weighs 140 pounds. Police say the couple may be at the following addresses:
If you have any information on their whereabouts please call Upper Dublin Township Police Detective Michael Gommer at 215-646-2101 x3464.
Harry Harris knew Jasmine Wright from afar. When he would see her on the block where he once lived and still works, Wright was always quick with a wave and a hello.
"She'll see you, just wave, say hi, out of respect, because she's a neighbor and we notice her," Harris said. "She was so respectable. That's a father's dream. She's a f---in' father's dream. Every mother and father would want a daughter like her, because she had it going on to the point of nothing but respect was pushed to her."
So now, nearly two weeks after Wright, 27, who recently earned her master's degree in public health from Drexel University, was found strangled in her West Philadelphia apartment, Harris still can't wrap his head around why his brother, James Harris -- an ex-handyman at Wright's apartment building accused of raping then murdering the young woman -- would ever do that.
In an extensive interview with NBC10's Monique Braxton, Harry Harris revealed more about his brother's past, the abuse their family at the hands of the stepfather James Harris was convicted of killing, and how he can't make sense of Wright's violent murder that allegedly happened at the hands of the brother who supported him through a rough childhood and his drug addiction.
"He was my mentor, you know? Pushing me to knowing that I can do better than what I was doing," Harris said of his brother. "'Cause I wasn't raping and robbing and killing. I wasn't doing nothing like that. I was an addict."
The last time he spoke with his brother, Harris said, was when detectives brought both men to the Homicide Unit to be questioned about Wright's murder on July 17 -- the day after she was found beaten and strangled to death in her apartment on 50th Street near Locust. Harry Harris, who said he's been clean eight months, was let go that night. His brother was not.
He said the news that his brother -- one of five brothers in his family and the only family member he remained close with into adulthood -- had been charged in Wright's rape and murder came as a shock.
"Charged? I wouldn't even never expect my brother to have committed this crime," Harris said. "Being charged is ... s---, that's down the line. How 'bout at the beginning?"
He said both he and his brother knew Wright in passing: His brother was the handyman at her building until June 1, when the property owner fired him for not doing his job, and he himself worked as a handyman at another house on the block and once lived two doors down from Wright. Though both knew the young woman, he said his brother never spoke about her.
"We didn't talk about the people in the buildings, you know? Jasmine was never hardly seen. When you did see her, she was either coming or going," Harry Harris said.
He said he'd heard that his brother, who served prison time for fatally shooting their stepfather, whom Harris said regularly beat him, his brothers and their mother, had committed other rapes and robberies -- but he never spoke with his brother about his other crimes.
"From what I'm told, [his other crimes were] robbery and raping other people," Harris said. "But he never conveyed this. He never sat back and wanted to talk about anything."
James Harris is not the monster police have made him out to be, Harris said: "You have to get to know him."
He attributed his brother's criminal record and his own struggles with the law and drug addiction to their tough upbringing and the abuse they watched their mother, who died in May after a long bout with Alzheimer's disease, endure from their stepfather.
"We know it is [from the abuse], definitely," Harris said. "It traumatized all of us to the point that we had to get away from him."
He said he and his brothers often blamed themselves for the beatings their mother would endure, thinking their stepfather took out his anger at their bad behavior on her.
"[It was] real tough," Harris said of the brothers' upbringing. "But we didn't want for nothing. We were just bad kids. We went to school. All of us graduated ... he [our stepfather] see to it that we had a roof over our head. You know, when he hooked up with my mom, everything was nice, we was a family. It's just that we was hard heads."
Family or not, Harris said, physical abuse and beatings happened in their household with regularity.
He would "whoop our asses," Harris said of the way his stepfather would handle disciplining him and his brothers. "When we knew better. We knew better. But you know, as kids, like how we came up from down 13th and South, we had this, 'I don't give a damn' attitude ... and it seemed like everything we did fell back on my mom. And instead of him doing too much to us, as children, he took it out on my mother ... my mom come out with bruises, black eyes, all kinds of things."
He said his brother's eye injury, evident in his police mug shot released when he was charged in Wright's murder, happened as a child. The brothers were shooting arrows at pigeons, and one of the arrows came back and pierced James Harris' eye.
"We were so scared we pulled the arrow out ourselves, and we held our hand here to hold the eyeball in his eye, then we pulled the arrow out, and it was left like that," he said. "Would you believe it didn't bleed?"
He said when his brother was 12 or 13, his parents shipped him to St. Gabriel's Hall, a residential program for boys who are adjudicated delinquent. Within a few years of when his brother turned 18 and was released from St. Gabriel's, Harry Harris said, he got into an altercation and killed their stepfather while visiting him for the holidays in 1982 and fatally shot him.
Court records show that James Harris, now 56, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1982 for his stepdad's killing and sentenced to three to seven years in prison.
Still, Harry Harris said, he doesn't want to believe that his brother is really the person who snuffed out the life of Wright, a beautiful young woman who was just getting ready to start her life.
"I hope he's found innocent. How about that? That he's really found innocent," Harry Harris said. "Robbery is one thing. Not murder and rape, you know? People go in the grocery store and take a damn Tastykake off the counter, but they ain't gonna break in nobody's home for household items. Come on, stuff that doesn't amount to a hill of beans."
He said he can't figure out why his brother, who he says had girlfriends and lived with a woman, would ever do something so heinous. "That's the billion-dollar question: Why? What is it that she have?" Harry Harris asked. "Why? Why her?"
He said he has "no words" for Wright's devastated parents. Police have said that she was on the phone with her mother in Virginia when James Harris, who they say snuck into her apartment and waited for her to return home, attacked her, raped her and killed her.
"Her life is gone, what could I say? Of course, it's a lot of remorseful feelings that it had to happen to their child. No words. There's no words for that. There's no words for the cost of my brother doing that to their child," Harris said. "If I was to say anything of me being remorseful, wishing s--- like this never happened. They have my deepest sympathies.
"I mean, just think if it wasn't my brother and it was someone else, I say fry his ass," he continued. "Because that happened to such a person that you would least expect it to happen to, who don't even deserve it."
A man was arrested after police say he was caught on camera secretly recording a video up a woman’s skirt at a South Jersey Walmart.
Geovanni Varona, 44, of Haileah, Florida is charged with invasion of privacy. Police say Varona was inside the Walmart on the 2100 block of Mount Holly Road in Burlington Township Sunday afternoon when he took out his cellphone, stuck it under a woman’s dress and began recording.
A Walmart employee called police who later confirmed Varona committed the act which investigators say was also captured on surveillance video. Varona was also captured on surveillance looking at the video on his cellphone, investigators said. The victim told police she was unaware she was being recorded.
“She was very grateful that we found it,” said Burlington Township Police Detective John Bird. “She was obviously very upset and kind of distraught that it occurred. Your first impression is that it’s going to be circulated on the Internet.”
Varona was arrested and is being held in Burlington County Jail on $35,000 bail. Varona allegedly told police he’s recorded under other women’s skirts before.
“We believe actually there might be more victims out there, we just haven’t been able to identify any in Burlington Township and other states possibly” Detective Bird said. “It doesn’t look like this is his first time. He’s a truck driver who drives up and down the east coast and has made other stops. He believes that this is something for fun to do.”
Police say they have no reason to believe at this point that Varona has shared his videos on social media. If you have any information, please call the Burlington Township Police Department at 609–386–2019 or the investigating officer's number at 609-239–5888.
