Crews with Philadelphia Gas Works are making repairs on a Center City street after a contractor accidentally cut a gas line.
The contractor was doing work at a construction site on Market and Juniper streets Tuesday night when he accidentally struck the line, officials said.
PGW officials were notified. No one was evacuated from the area. Officials have not yet revealed whether nearby businesses are affected.
Friends and family are mourning a man and woman who were struck and killed by a taxi in Center City Philadelphia after attending the Made in America festival.
Amanda Digirolomo 25, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and Bryan Botti, 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, were crossing Broad Street just north of the crosswalk at Arch about 4:30 a.m. Monday when the cab struck them, police said. When the first officer arrived at the scene, police said, he saw the two victims lying in the street and a Rosemont Taxi with heavy windshield damage parked nearby. The officer immediately called for an ambulance.
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A preliminary investigation revealed that Digirolomo and Botti had been crossing Broad toward 13th Street when the cab struck them both, sending them flying into the air about 100 feet before they came to rest, according to police. Witnesses told investigators the taxi driver had the green light and the victims were crossing in the red. They also said the taxi appeared to be going around 50 mph, double the speed limit for the area.
Digirolomo was pronounced dead by medics on the street at 4:40 a.m. Botti was taken to nearby Hahnemann University Hospital -- about a block from the scene -- but doctors were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead there at 5:13 a.m.
Digirolomo was an undergrad student at Shippensburg University studying exercise science. She also worked at her local YMCA with her mother and two sisters.
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"She was a wonderful, vibrant young woman," said Deirdre Wood, the executive director of the Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA. "She lived life to the fullest and we loved having her as part of our family and we're truly going to miss her."
The 41-year-old cabdriver was also taken to Hahnemann after complaining of chest pain, police said. Sources told NBC10 the driver volunteered to give a blood sample to prove he wasn't impaired at the time of the crash. Lab analysis of the blood sample will take a least two weeks.
Investigators said they took a blood sample from the driver, as is protocol with any crash resulting in a fatality.
"The good thing here is he didn't leave the scene," Lt. Greg Brown of the police Accident Investigation Division said of the taxi operator.
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The deadly crash remains under investigation and police are checking traffic cameras in the area.
A representative with Rosemont Taxi Company told NBC10 the driver hasn't had any driving issues in the past.
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A funeral took place Wednesday for a Philadelphia Police officer who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash along Roosevelt Boulevard last month.
A viewing and service was held for 42-year-old Lamar Poole at 9 a.m. at the First District Plaza on 3801 Market Street in Philadelphia. His internment took place at the Greenmount Cemetery on 4301 N Front Street.
Poole, a 42-year-old 12th district officer who recently entered his 19th year on the force, was riding a Honda VTX motorcycle west on Devereaux Avenue on Aug. 30 when a 1999 Toyota Corolla turning left onto the Boulevard suddenly struck his bike.
The force of the wreck threw Poole, who police say was not wearing a helmet, from his motorcycle. Witnesses told police the driver, identified by investigators as 59-year-old Louis John Vogwill, briefly got out of his car and looked at Poole. Vogwill, who lives on the 6100 block of Loretto Avenue, then allegedly got back into his car and continued driving north on the Boulevard.
Poole, who suffered head injuries and internal injuries, was taken to Frankford Torresdale Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead a short time later.
A tow truck driver, who identified himself to NBC10 as "DJ," said he saw the crash and gave chase after the driver took off. DJ and another driver then boxed in the striking vehicle a couple of blocks up at Harbison Avenue.
"I can't believe this happened," said DJ. "I can't believe I did this."
"Fortunately we had a couple of witnesses, one being a tow truck driver, who followed the vehicle and really helped out big time," said Philadelphia Police Captain John Wilczynski. "He followed the car, pinned the car in and called police."
Responding officers apprehended the driver and took him into custody. In addition to the hit-and-run, police said Vogwill was driving under the influence based on a blood test.
Vogwill is charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and DUI.
Poole died a little more than a week after Philadelphia Police Sgt. Rafael Ali died when his pickup truck slammed into a tree.
"This is two in one week where we've lost one of our own," Wilczynski said. "Everyone's a little bit heartbroken about it."
A Darby Borough family is in mourning after their dog was attacked and killed by two stray Rottweilers that they claim local animal control officers asked them to hold.
Neomia Green told investigators some of her relatives found a Rottweiler that was wandering in the Darby Borough around 10 p.m. Thursday. The relatives took the dog to Green’s house and she called police, telling them she was willing to hold the animal but wanted to report it in case someone was looking for him.
Darby Borough Police later arrived at Green’s home and told her the dog would have to be taken in as a stray. The officers also told her she’d have the chance to adopt the Rottweiler if he wasn’t claimed by an owner after 72 hours. Police then notified the Delaware County Animal Control to report the stray dog, according to the Chester County SPCA (CCSPCA).
Upon their arrival, Green told the animal control officers she’d be interested in adopting the dog if the owner couldn’t be found. At this time another Rottweiler was found in the area and taken to Green’s home.
The animal control officer allegedly told Green she could keep the first Rottweiler at her house as long as she could hold both dogs since it appeared they were together and it was against policy for them to be separated. Green claims she also heard the animal control officer tell police it would be better if she held the dogs at her home because it would save the municipality $500.
Green told the CCSPCA she decided to hold both dogs in her home because the Delaware County Animal Control told her to do so. She provided the Rottweilers with food and water in order to keep them away from her small 10-year-old blind Pekingese dog Louie.
Around midnight Friday, Green’s granddaughter entered the basement to walk the stray dogs when the larger Rottweiler pushed past her, broke the basement door and began attacking Louie, the CCSPCA said. The smaller Rottweiler joined in the attack as well.
Green told the CCSPCA she was able to move the smaller Rottweiler by grabbing his collar and placing him in a different room. She was unable to stop the larger Rottweiler however and was knocked over by the dog as she tried to save Louie.
“We couldn’t believe what happened because they told us that the dogs weren’t violent dogs or anything like that,” said Maurice Haugabook, Green’s fiancé.
Green’s granddaughter called Darby Borough Police. When they arrived the family told them the larger Rottweiler killed Louie and was guarding his body. Police then contacted the Delaware County Animal Control and the family waited outside for nearly two hours for the animal control officers to arrive, according to the CCSPCA. Green claimed she could see the stray dog through the window lying on top of Louie as they waited.
Green said she then received a call from the animal control officer she had spoken to earlier and was told to release the stray dogs outside since they didn’t belong to her. When the animal control officer arrived at the scene, Green claims he asked her if she was still willing to hold the stray dogs in her home. Green then requested the stray dogs be removed from her house as quickly as possible and the animal control officer told her they would be moved to a fenced area, according to the CCSPCA.
The CCSPCA picked up both stray dogs from the Darby Borough Police station Friday and transported them to a shelter facility in West Chester as officials investigated the death of Green’s dog. The Rottweilers were later reclaimed by their owner who was cited for having dangerous dogs.
CCSPCA officials say they are contracted with the Delaware County Animal Protection Board to serve as the state-approved and licensed stray dog boarding facility for Delaware County municipalities. Under Pennsylvania state law, stray dogs must be transported to an approved and licensed boarding facility after being picked up by police officers, according to the CCSPCA.
NBC10 spoke to Gerard Schrom, a lawyer for the Delaware County Animal Control, about the allegations from Green and CCSPCA.
“It does not appear as though Delaware County Animal Control did anything other than act carefully, consistently and in a caring manner,” he said.
Schrom told NBC10 the animal control officer warned the family and even offered to introduce all the dogs to avoid an issue. The CCSPCA says the public should not be holding a stray brought by animal control however.
“Unfortunately they really put the animal owner in harm’s way by asking them to hold two unknown dogs,” said Adam Lamb, a CCSPCA spokesman.
The CCSPCA told NBC10 they have stopped taking any animals from Delaware County Animal Control as the investigation continues. They also recently submitted a formal complaint to the Dog Law Enforcement Bureau concerning the Animal Control's handling of stray animals.
The owner of the Animal Control is suing the CCSPCA, claiming they are conspiring to put him out of business.
Green told NBC10 her granddaughter can’t sleep after witnessing the death of her dog and she herself has had trouble processing what happened.
“I’m getting choked up now,” Green said. “That’s why I’m having him [her fiancé] talk because I can’t deal with it.”
Green and her family are now adopting a new dog after the death of their beloved pet.
A man is recovering but still alive after he crashed his car down an embankment in Lower Merion and was trapped inside a creek for ten hours.
The unidentified man was driving his Chevy Aveo along Greys Lane and Mill Creek Road around 7 p.m. Monday when he somehow lost control of his vehicle and went off the road. The vehicle went down an embankment before crashing into a creek.
The man remained trapped inside his vehicle as the creek was submerged with water. Finally at 4:23 a.m., over nine hours later, a police officer who was patrolling the area heard the man’s cries for help. The officer alerted rescue crews who spent more than an hour getting the man out.
“Our rescue companies took the doors off and the roof off to get to him and then the front of the car was kind of rolled on his feet and legs,” said Merion Fire Company Chief Tom Hayden. “So we had to take the dashboard and the steering column.”
Finally the driver was freed from the vehicle and taken out on a backboard with a neck brace on.
“If he lost his car in there at 7 p.m. and nobody saw him until that police officer heard him, if that police officer wasn’t coming by I’m sure he could’ve been in there for another day until somebody saw him,” Hayden said.
The driver is expected to make a full recovery.
Authorities arrested a California man in New Jersey for allegedly possessing kilograms of heroin worth millions of dollars.
Miguel Armenta-Villa, 25, was arrested Friday following an investigation that spanned three weeks. Police say 22 kilograms of heroin, with a street value of $3.5 to $5 million, was seized as a result of the investigation.
Police say they found the heroin while searching the Teaneck Township home where they arrested Armenta-Villa. He has been charged with 1st degree heroin possession and 1st degree possession with intent to distribute. He is being held at the Bergen County Jail on $150,000 bail.
The New Jersey State Police, New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, New York State Police, Bergen County Sheriff's K-9 Unit, NYPD, and U.S. DEA took part in the investigation.
Pope dolls, T-shirts, mugs, medallions, rosaries and prayer cards are popping up in a Center City shop.
Aramark, the official merchandise provider for Pope Francis’ visit during the World Meeting of Families, will celebrate its new pop-up Pope shop in the lobby of its headquarters at 11th and Market streets in Center City Philadelphia Tuesday morning.
The street-level shop -- in a former coffee shop location -- will feature official WMOF-branded goodies and will be open at least through the Pope’s visit at the end of the month.
Can’t make it downtown? Official Pope gear is also available online.
A woman accused of holding adults with disabilities in a Philadelphia apartment building sub-basement is expected in federal court Wednesday to change her plea in the case.
Authorities indicted Linda Weston and three family members in the alleged fraud scheme. Weston and her family conspired to keep the victims captive while they collected and cashed their Social Security checks, the U.S. Attorney said.
Tamara Breeden, who was given a $45-million ruling for the pain and suffering she endured, and three other adults, all mentally disabled, were discovered in a tiny boiler room in the basement of a Tacony apartment building in October 2011. Federal prosecutors said the victims, who all have the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, were beaten, drugged and malnourished. One man was found chained to the boiler.
The room where they were kept was so small an adult could not stand up, according to prosecutors. It has been referred to as a dungeon in media reports.
Weston's co-defendants pleaded guilty in the case while Weston earlier pleaded not guilty to racketeering and conspiracy counts.
Weston is expected to appear in federal court Wednesday morning to "change her plea," said prosecutors.
Weston previously served eight years in prison for the 1981 death of a man that was kept chained up in the closet of her North Philadelphia home. He died of malnourishment.
Six former and current prison guards have been indicted on federal charges for moving drugs and contraband into Philadelphia prisons.
Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to announce a corruption case involving prisons.
Philadelphia prison commissioner Lewis Giorla will join U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger at the conference.
Tickets will be available Wednesday afternoon and night for the Festival of Families and Papal Mass during the World Meeting of Families, according to the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
The Archdiocese announced 10,000 tickets will be available for the Festival of Families at 4 p.m. and another 10,000 will be available for the Papal Mass at 8 p.m.
All tickets, which are free, will be available on a first come, first served basis and individuals are limited to four tickets per person. CLICK HERE at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to get your tickets.
The Festival of Families will take place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday, Sept. 26 and the Papal Mass on Sunday, Sept. 27.
After two minutes, the tickets were gone. Within minutes, tickets began popping up on Ebay for as little as $125 and as much as $1,000 and up to $500 a piece on Craigslist.
Organizers faced an outcry last week over a ticket plan keeping most of Pope Francis' audience at his two biggest Philadelphia events several blocks away. A map added to some confusion over the size of the ticketholder-only zone.
Here are answers to some key questions:
DO I NEED TICKETS TO ATTEND THE POPE'S PUBLIC EVENTS IN PHILADELPHIA?
It depends on the event. The pope is holding three major public events in the city: a Sept. 26 speech on immigration and religious freedom in front of Independence Hall, an appearance at the closing festival of the World Meeting of Families on Sept. 26 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and a celebration of Mass on Sept. 27 on the same boulevard.
DO I NEED TICKETS FOR THE INDEPENDENCE HALL SPEECH?
Yes. Besides the 10,000 tickets released Tuesday, thousands of other tickets are being given out to parishes with large immigrant communities in an effort to assure a diverse audience.
DO I NEED TICKETS FOR THE TWO BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PARKWAY APPEARANCES?
No, if you don't mind standing at least 2.5 blocks, or a quarter-mile, away.
Francis' appearance at the closing festival of the World Meeting of Families on Sept. 26 is expected to draw 750,000 or more people, his celebration of Mass on Sept. 27 up to 1.5 million.
If you want to stand in the 2.5 blocks closest to the stage on Sept. 26 or the altar on Sept. 27, you will need a ticket.
WHO GETS TICKETS FOR THE TWO BIG EVENTS?
Tickets are being distributed primarily to parishioners in the Philadelphia Archdiocese, plus surrounding dioceses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
The thousands of people attending the World Meeting of Families, the triennial Catholic conference attracting Francis to Philadelphia, are automatically receiving passes. Passes also are being given to event sponsors and members of other faith communities and church social service programs.
There are also 10,000 tickets for each day that will be made available to the general public. They will be distributed Sept. 9 through a website on a first-come, first-served basis; details have not yet been announced.
Papal visit planners decided to make that last batch available after a backlash over the announcement this week that several blocks up front had been set aside for ticket holders and that tickets were largely reserved for parishioners in the city and four surrounding counties.
IF I DON'T HAVE A TICKET, WILL THERE STILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE POPE?
Yes. Organizers also announced that Francis will parade along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before the Sept. 26 and 27 events, giving many an opportunity to see him up close. They said the parade the first day would likely be longer than the one before the Mass.
Papal events will also be broadcast on 40 huge screens throughout the city for crowds to watch all his appearances during his two-day visit to Philadelphia, including those that are not public.
A popular Main Line Chinese restaurant, once named the nation's best, remains closed for at least another week after an infestation of roaches shut down the restaurant nearly a month ago.
Radnor Township cited Yangming for a trio of charges including failure to control insects or rodents, improper food storage and keeping food in unsanitary conditions, according to Radnor Township Police Superintendent Bill Colarulo.
Radnor Township health officials closed Yangming indefinitely on Aug. 18 and posted a health citation in the front window that listed "Gross Facility & Equipment Sanitation" and "Insect/Rodent Infestation" as reasons for the closure.
The next day, police could be seen pulling roaches from the restaurant, which was originally closed down briefly on Aug. 14 after a teenage customer twice found a roach in her food. When officers arrived, "there were roaches that were in plain sight" in the kitchen, said Radnor Police Lt. Andy Block.
On August 25, the restaurant told NBC10 that they were still working to get the restaurant reopened. The restaurant said they already made tens of thousands of dollars of repairs to their out-of-date HVAC and exhaust systems, to the electrical and plumbing systems, to remove and clean equipment and also made improvements to meet fire regulations.
A call sent out to the restaurant Wednesday revealed that Yangming would hopefully be ready to open "in 8-10 days" due to the ongoing renovations.
Yangming apologized to followers on Facebook, stating "A sincere apology to our patrons. We are very very sorry for the problems which caused the Township to temporarily close our restaurant. There are no excuses. We owe you better."
The eatery, popular among Main Liners and area college students, has a history of praise. In 2011, Yangming beat out about 45,000 other eateries to top Chinese Restaurant News’ “Best Chinese Restaurant” list.
A man who received a kind note and a chocolate bar last month received another surprise when a social media agency reached out to him to send him more chocolate.
Mike Snyder was having a bad day last month when he sat in his work van in the parking lot of Wholefoods in Wynnewood. After some time, Snyder went into the store to make a delivery. When he returned to his van, he saw a handwritten note and a chocolate bar.
“I hope your day gets better,” the note read.
Snyder reached out to NBC10 to find the Good Samaritan who left him the surprise, but never found out who it was.
“I thought pretty much that was it, that the story was written and it kind of faded away,” Snyder said.
But then Lauren Schug Wilson, an account supervisor with Zehnder, a marketing firm, reached out to NBC10 to contact Snyder and brighten his day again.
“We would like to send him a box of chocolates, and even send some to the Good Samaritan as well,” Wilson said.
Snyder, who kept the note and the wrapper for the chocolate, says it’s nice knowing there are still “nice kind-hearted people out there.”
