An 87-year-old driver was killed when his car was hit by an oncoming train in New Jersey, starting a fire and forcing NJ Transit officials to suspend service along the line for hours.
NJ Transit spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson says the preliminary investigation shows the driver entered the tracks at a grade crossing on First Street in Westwood and drove along the tracks for some distance.
At some point, police say the car got stuck. It's not clear how long the car was stuck there before it was hit by the train at about 5:30 a.m.
The train, which left from Spring Valley, New York, at about 5 a.m., was the first train to go through the area that morning. The train was just east of the Westwood station when it hit the car, causing the vehicle to burst into flames.
Emerson Police Chief Donald Rossi said that debris that was kicked up along the tracks appears to show that the car was trying to get off the tracks.
"You can tell by the stone that was torn up," Rossi said. "It appeared that the vehicle was trying to remove itself."
The man, who has been identified as Vaclav W. Budak of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
NJ Transit officials say that there were 110 passengers on the train at the time of the collision. None of the passengers was hurt.
Service on the Pascack Valley Line was suspended in both directions for about four hours after the collision.
Police in South Jersey said it turned out the non-custodial father of a 2-year-old didn't actually abduct her off an Atlantic City street.
Officers orignally said the abduction took place in the area of Arkansas and Atlantic avenues in Atlantic City -- that's where the Tanger's "The Walk" Outlets are located -- around 4 p.m., said Atlantic City Police.
AC Police even planned on issuing an Amber Alert, they said.
But, the later discovered the girl's fatherdid walk off with her but that the child wasn't in danger and wasn't harmed.
World Cup soccer star Carli Lloyd, whose three goals in the 2015 final led the U.S. to a 5-2 victory over Japan, has a book deal.
The 33-year-old Lloyd is working on a memoir that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will release in fall 2016. The publisher announced Thursday that the book, currently untitled, will cover her rise from nearly quitting soccer in 2003 and her emphasis on physical and mental strength. An edition for young readers also is planned.
Earlier this summer, the midfielder and Olympic gold medalist scored six goals in seven women's World Cup matches, including a hat trick against Japan.
In a statement released through Houghton Mifflin, Lloyd says she looks forward to sharing her thoughts on a "long journey, sometimes rewarding, sometimes challenging, but worth every moment."
There was no clowning around early Tuesday morning as a masked, armed robber pointed a gun at a Chester County gas station clerk.
The caught-on-camera heist played out around 4:10 a.m. inside the Sunoco on Kimberton road in West Pikeland Township, said Pennsylvania State Police.
The robber, wearing a clown mask with bright-orange hair, pointed a semi-automatic handgun at the clerk and demanded money, said police.
The robber – a man standing between 5-foot, 10-inches and 6-foot tall and weighing between 180 to 200 pounds who wore all black with the exception of the mask and the white or gray stripe down the side of his pants – fled down State Route 401 after the heist, said police.
Police asked anyone with information on the robbery to call the Embreeville Barracks at 610-486-6280.
For the second time in as many months, a man sexually assaulted a woman on Cobbs Creek Golf Course in Philadelphia and police said the descriptions of the suspects nearly match.
The 39-year-old woman in the latest case said a man came up behind her around 8 p.m. on Aug. 14 as she walked along the 7500 block of Lansdowne Avenue, said Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit investigators. The man tried to pull the woman's pants down then punched her until she became unconscious. The man then raped the woman, said police.
"He just appears, pounces on them and attacks them," said SVU Capt. John Darby.
Back in July, a 26-year-old woman told police she was on her way to work and walking on Lansdowne around 3:30 a.m. when she spotted an unidentified man walking on the other side of the street toward her.
As the woman passed by him the man suddenly changed direction, came up behind her, grabbed her and dragged her onto a golf course behind some trees near the 17th Hole, police said. He then sexually assaulted her before fleeing north on Cardington Street towards Haverford Avenue, according to investigators.
The suspect in both cases is described as a clean-shaven, muscular man in his mid-30s standing about 5-foot, 5-inches tall with close cut dark hair. In the latest case her wore a red T-shirt and dark pants.
Since it was very dark at the time, it's unclear if anyone witnessed any part of the incident. If you have any information please call 911 or 215-686-TIPS.
They also urged woman not to walk alone -- the route is used by some to get to bus routes or to work -- in the area, especially at night.
A man dressed as if he was ready to go fishing held up a Northeast Philadelphia post office Thursday afternoon.
The man – described by postal workers as older – wore a bucket hat, plaid shirt and tan cargo shorts when he walked into the post office at 6382 Castor Avenue around 4:20 p.m. and pointed a gun at a postal worker.
The man – who remained calm and collected throughout the incident – grabbed cash, money orders and more before making his getaway on foot, said the US Postal Inspection Service.
Postal inspectors offered a reward up to $25,000 for information leading to a conviction. Tips can be called into 877-876-2455.
Philadelphia's sports teams haven't looked great on the field, ice, court or diamond recently, but they have looked great in a different way.
In an ESPN.com feature, Philly's uniforms ranked fourth among the 20 cities with at least three major sports teams. Boston, Pittsburgh and Chicago are the only cities to rank higher.
Each team's jersey was rated on a scale of 1 to 10. The Phillies scored highest among the four teams at a 9.5. The Eagles, 76ers and Flyers all scored 8s, giving the four teams an average score of 8.38.
An interesting note about one Philly team's uniform -- it hasn't seen regular season action yet. The Sixers unveiled their brand new uniforms in June. This change marks the third completely new jersey the team will wear since 2000.
The Phillies haven't had a major uniform change since 1995. The Eagles changed from Kelly Green to Midnight Green in 1996 and have not had a uniform overhaul since then. The Flyers' uniforms have remained largely unchanged since the franchise's inception in 1967.
If you're not a Philly fan, read the full feature to find out where your teams' uniforms rank.
Luckily no one was hurt after a public bus in Delaware clipped a recreational vehicle Thursday.
An NBC10 viewer sent in photos of the badly damaged vehicles – the RV with a chunk out of its side and the bus with part of the front corner hanging off – after the wreck in Delaware City.
New Castle County dispatchers said they weren’t called for any injuries.
No word on what caused the wreck.
Another Good One (Mostly)
In general, we’ve had really nice weather for the past seven weekends in a row. And that has been the case from the Poconos to the Shore. This weekend, we’re most sure about the Poconos and the western suburbs of Philadelphia, but least sure about the Jersey Shore and Delaware beaches.
It’s been very muggy for the past couple of days, and now a cold front will be bringing relief…to most of us. At the Jersey Shore and Delaware beaches, it may stay humid all weekend (although not quite as bad as it is now). And some showers may actually return to areas near the shore on Sunday.
Blocking the Exit
Drier air will certainly move in gradually Friday afternoon and night, setting the area up for yet another very nice day Saturday. But we may not be seeing a repeat Sunday. Take a look at the computer forecast maps:
Note the high pressure centered just north of Pennsylvania. Normally with a position like that, the showers just off the Jersey Shore would continue to move out to sea. But also look at the bottom right. That’s an area of low pressure (either tropical or sub-tropical, but it doesn’t matter). Now look at the Sunday map:
The high has disappeared by Sunday, while the LOW has gotten much closer to us. In effect, the LOW is “pushing” the moisture back toward our area, and blocking it from continuing out to sea. The LOW will move away from land Monday, so it’s not a direct threat. But it indirectly may cause more clouds and even a shower threat Sunday, especially in New Jersey.
(And, in case you were worried, “Danny” will have absolutely NO impact on the U.S. East Coast this weekend).
The Forecast
Saturday
Philadelphia area: Mostly sunny and less humid. High 84. Chance of rain 10 percent.
Jersey Shore: Partly sunny and still a bit humid. High 80. Chance of rain 20 percent. Wind from the Northeast 10-20 mph. Ocean temp: 75. Watch out for increasing rip currents.
Delaware Beaches: Partly sunny and still humid. High 82. Chance of rain 15 percent. Wind Northeast 10-15 mph. Ocean temp: near 80. Increased rip currents.
Poconos: Sunny and pleasant. High 78. Chance of rain near zero.
Sunday
Philadelphia area: Mostly cloudy. A slight chance of showers. High 86. Chance of rain 20 percent at any one spot
Jersey Shore: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. High 80. Chance of rain 30 percent. Wind Northeast 10-15 mph. Rip current risk.
Delaware Beaches: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers. High 82. Chance of rain 20 percent. Wind Northeast 10-15 mph. Rip current risk.
Poconos: Clouds increase. Slight chance of showers. High 76. Chance of rain 20 percent
A 16-year-old girl faces homicide charges after police in South Jersey say a man she shot earlier this month died.
Camden County Police didn’t reveal the identity of the teenager accused of first-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Vincent Bland outside of saying she lives in Berlin Borough.
Police found Bland suffering from a gunshot wound in a lot near S 5th and Benson streets in Camden on Aug. 12. Bland died Thursday morning prompting police to charge the teenage shooting suspect with murder.
The girl was being held at Camden County Youth Detention Center. Police didn’t reveal if she will be transferred to county jail.
Police are searching for the gunman in the deadly ambush shooting of a man in Northeast Philadelphia early Friday morning.
The shooting happened about 1 a.m. near the intersection of Longshore Avenue and Gillespie Street.
According to investigators, the victim was sitting in a BMW when the suspect approached and opened fire.
The victim was able to get out of the car and stumbled on the sidewalk before he eventually collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said at least 12 shots were fired and the car was left riddled with bullets.
So far, no arrests have been made. A motive was not immediately known.
The shooting remains under investigation.
