The stories about homeless teens and young adults in Philadelphia featured in NBC10's Faces of Homeless Youth latest digital exclusive have sparked a wide array of reactions on social media.

From a groundswell of support from people who want to know how they can help, to a lively debate on who is responsible for the problem, to heartfelt personal stories from those who have been there, social media responses to the stories have been thoughtful and added to the conversation.

"I was in the system from the time I was 13 until 18. Soon as I turned 18, I got kicked out of foster care. DHS kicked me right out because I couldn't find a job. And it was hard. From that point on I was homeless from March 2014 to July 2015," wrote Amanda Sinick, echoing a story we heard all too often in our reporting on this issue. "Sleeping in LOVE Park, in alleyways, in Suburban Station. Try sleeping outside when it's raining and see how you feel. Having to make excuses just so I can sleep at Hahnemann [hospital] emergency room. People always being so judgmental like ya'll don't know what we go through growing up being abused in foster car and never having stable homes. Never having no one who really has our best interest at heart. Getting raped and molested, try that and then say what some of ya'll [are] saying.

"But now I'm 19 with my own apartment. And I couldn't be ... happier," she continued. "Because last year when I was homeless I barely ate or washed up. I'm more blessed than I can imagine."

The comments Sinick referenced include several people debating on the level of culpability that should be placed on homeless youth for winding up in that situation. Some responded simply that youth "need to follow rules" or "get jobs" to solve their problems. But still more responded to those comments and, like Sinick, pointed out that there's often more to the story.

"Tell them to get a job [and] they won't be," wrote Rebecca S. Fulmer, who later added in a reply to her comment, "They just have to want to."

In response to Fulmer's thoughts, several people jumped in:

"This is wrong. I come from an abusive home and had to leave [because] I was being beaten ... I was homeless at 19. A lot of places didn't want to hire me," wrote Jesus Angel. "I applied to a lot of jobs. I'm 20 now and recently got one, but only two days a week. I hope you never go through this."

Angel in a later comment revealed that she is 20 years old, is pregnant and has been homeless since she was 19.

"I pray this never happens to you or any of your loved ones," responded another person, Beck Brown.

One woman agreed with Fulmer. "I kind of feel what [you're] saying. One part of me feels bad, but another part of me is like they did it to [themselves]," Kiesha Boyer wrote. "Nowadays these teens walk all over their parents, disrespecting them, and want to act like they're grown and some parents can't handle that."

Beyond the debate about the responsibility homeless young people should bear for their situations, dozens of people reached out on NBC10's Facebook page -- both in response to posts linking to the stories and during an hour-long Q&A session with the reporters who wrote the story -- simply asking how they can help. Others pointed the finger at the city or the country to bear blame for the problem.

"Why would Philadelphia allow these babies to be on streets as rough as streets are?" Ruth Albertson asked.

"Why does rent cost so much? A one bedroom apartment is $800 a MONTH!? Why is that? I used to pay $375 20 years ago for a one bedroom," April Gibbs wrote.

"Can we house a teenager to help them get on their feet?" Trisha Allen-Emerson offered.

"Is there a site where I can contribute?" Juanita Brinkley Stewart wrote. "This really [is] a disgrace. No child should be on the streets of Philadelphia. Thank you NBC10 for showing this segment."

The discussion is continuing on the NBC10 Philadelphia Facebook page.

A Montgomery County man is behind bars after police say he vandalized a tavern, grocery store and a historic church a few hours before a funeral.

Police say the ordeal began the morning of October 5 when Christopher Rhoads, 32, was kicked out of the Lansdale Tavern on Main Street in Lansdale. Rhoads was then captured on surveillance video outside the bar after it was vandalized shortly after. Rhoads then allegedly broke into the ACME grocery store on Welsh Road and stole fireplace logs. He then used those logs to break through the glass of the Trinity Lutheran Church on the 1000 block of W Main Street in Lansdale, police said.

While inside the church, Rhoads damaged the altar while smashing a glass that caused sauce to spill all over the church floor and pews. He also allegedly set hymnals on fire. Police say the church vandalism occurred a few hours before a funeral was set to take place there.

“While in the sanctuary he, the actor, tore up some hymn books and lit fire to some of the pages which was very concerning to us,” said Lansdale Police Detective Sergeant Michael Trial.

The sanctuary was cleaned up and repaired in time for the service, according to church officials.

After reviewing surveillance video and investigating the break-ins, police arrested Rhoads Wednesday in West Norriton and placed him in custody. During a court appearance, Rhoads allegedly told a judge he was already out on bail in Philadelphia for a previous crime. Police have not yet revealed the motive behind the vandalism.

“His actions right now defy explanation,” Trial said.

Rhoads was charged with vandalism and other related offenses. He is currently being held on $10,000 cash bail.

Does it goat any weirder than this?

It sure seemed strange when a couple goats turned up in a Pennsylvania neigborhood.

According to a post on the Lower Southampton Township Facebook page, two goats were found wandering around a residential neighborhood in the early afternoon on Tuesday. With no tags or any indication of who the goats belonged to, officials turned to social media to solve the mystery. 

Locals were encouraged to share the post featuring two images of the goats, and after several hours with no phone calls or tips -- despite 62 shares -- the neighbor of the owners reached out to the woman who spotted them. "Goat mystery solved," the Lower Southampton Township Facebook page posted before later editing the post. "They were dumped by a family in Philadelphia." 

The post goes on to say that the neighbor had repeatedly called the Philadelphia SPCA on the family who owned the goats, to no avail. 

The owners of the goats were cited for cruelty following the incident, said the township.

An elderly woman is fighting for her life after she was struck by a SEPTA bus in Philadelphia Wednesday.

The 91-year-old woman and her 68-year-old nephew and caregiver were crossing the intersection on the 500 block of W. Godfrey Avenue around 4:50 p.m. As they were walking, a SEPTA bus traveling on Godfrey attempted to make a left turn on 5th Street, police said.

The bus knocked the man and woman down, according to investigators. A rear tire then ran over the woman's legs, police said.

The woman suffered several fractures and injuries to both legs. Both the woman and her nephew were taken to the Einstein Medical Center. The woman is in extremely critical condition while her nephew was treated for minor scrapes and cuts.

No one on the bus was injured in the crash. Police continue to investigate.

A Philly newlywed says her dream honeymoon quickly turned into a nightmare after she and her husband were not allowed to get on a U.S. Airways flight due to the condition of her passport.

Carly Baker, who got married to Chris Fee Friday, told BuzzFeed News they planned on embarking on their honeymoon to Greece, Rome and other cities; a trip that they began saving up for two years ago.

Baker and Fee say the trouble began however when they arrived at Philadelphia International Airport Sunday and were stopped by a desk clerk at check-in who claimed the passport she had was too damaged to fly with due to strings hanging off the sides and splitting seams.

“After [she] informed us that her manager had denied my passport we, of course, asked to speak with her,” Baker wrote in a Facebook post Monday. “Said manager joined us a few minutes later only to loudly instruct the [employee] to immediately pull us from our current flight 2 hours later, as well as to make a formal note in my travel file that my passport had been flagged as damaged and not to be used for any travel. This USAir manager offered us no empathy, no listening ear that I thought was required of someone whose job description includes customer service, or even eye contact before she permanently extinguished any possibility of us getting to our honeymoon.”

In another post, Baker claimed a different manager determined the passport was usable and tried to get them on the flight.

“I should also mention that another manager of equal status disagreed with the first opinion that my passport was damaged and attempted to get us on the flight, but because the first manager had made permanent notes in my travel record, there was nothing to be done,” she wrote.

Baker also claimed she used the same passport in the same condition several times before and didn’t experience any problems. 

“This may even seem understandable to those who like a devil’s advocate if I hadn’t used said passport multiple times in exact same condition within the past 18 months,” Baker wrote. “Not a single immigration officer, TSA agent, gate, or customs agent has ever even furrowed their brow at my passport, let alone suggested that it may prohibit me from traveling.”

Leslie Scott, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, which owns U.S. Airways, sent a statement to NBC10 regarding the passport.

“The customer’s passport was damaged and the State Department does not permit us to allow passengers with damaged documents to travel,” Scott wrote. “We explained to the passenger how she could quickly receive a new passport and have offered to waive all fees and rebook the passengers’ flights, extending their trip two days. The danger with allowing a passenger to travel with a damaged passport is that they may not be allowed entrance into the foreign country to which they are traveling and would immediately be put back on a plane to the U.S.”

Scott also referred to the State Department’s guidelines on damaged passports. According to the Department, passengers with a damaged passport must apply for a new one.

“Conditions that may constitute damage requiring you to replace your passport include water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages (torn out), a hole punch, or other injuries,” the Department states.

The Department also states that “normal wear of a U.S. passport is expected and likely does not constitute damage.”

Baker applied and paid for a new passport and the couple left for their delayed honeymoon Tuesday night. Fee told NBC10 they are currently in Greece. Despite this, Baker says they had to pay around $2,000 in rebooking and cancellation fees and missed several days of their planned trip.

"We just want to stress that we understand and in no way disagree with the rules, regulations, and policies of American Airlines and the State Department, but we felt like AA's decision was hastily made based on the disagreement of their own staff, and their customer service since Sunday has been horrendous," Fee told NBC10. "Above all, we want other folks to be prepared when traveling abroad so they can avoid what we had to go through."
 

Officials are investigating the cause of a fire at a Whole Foods store in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

The small blaze started at the Whole Foods on Kings Highway North Wednesday afternoon. Responding firefighters were able to put out the flames within a few minutes.

No one was injured. 
 

A man was killed and three others were hurt after two shootings occurred within 20 minutes of each other in the same area in Wilmington, Delaware Wednesday afternoon.

A gunman opened fire on 4th and Monroe streets shortly after 4 p.m. Responding police officers found a 53-year-old man on the 300 block of North Monroe Street suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdominal area. He was transported to Christiana Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

About 20 minutes later more shots were fired on 3rd and North Lincoln streets, which is about a mile away from the scene of the first shooting. When police arrived they found a 61-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper leg. He was taken to Christiana Hospital where he is currently in stable condition.

Two 24-year-old men were also struck in the legs during the shooting. One of the men was taken to St. Francis Hospital where he is in good condition. The other man was taken to Christiana Hospital where he is in stable condition.

Police have not yet determined whether the two shootings are related. The man who was killed has not yet been identified and no arrests have been made.

If you have any information on either shooting, please call Detective Don Palmatary at 302-576-3654 or Detective Pete Leccia at 302-576-3647.
 

One man was killed while another is in the hospital after a shooting in South Philadelphia.

The two men were on the 600 block of Ritner Street when an unidentified gunman opened fire. Both victims were struck in the shooting. One man died from his injuries while another was taken to Presbyterian Hospital. Officials have not yet revealed his condition.

Police say a gunman fired 51 shots in the same area Tuesday night but no one was struck during that incident.

Investigators are unsure if the two shootings are related. No arrests have been made.

A portion of Chestnut Street is closed near Penn's Landing in Philadelphia due to a crack in a support pier, according to PennDOT officials.

Officials say they found a crack in a support pier east of Columbus Boulevard near the parking area at Penn's Landing Wednesday night. Chestnut Street is now closed at Front Street due to the damage. Traffic in the area is being detoured north and south on Front Street.

PennDOT bridge engineers inspected the damaged support pier. Repairs on the pier will begin Thursday at the earliest.

THE PARADE OF COLD FRONTS CONTINUES

It’s been a scorching summer but another cold front is finally going to bring in that fall feeling. We’ve already dropped 5 to 10 degrees from our high on Tuesday, but that’s nothing compared to our upcoming arctic air. How cold is that arctic air? Fargo, North Dakota set a record high of 97 on Sunday…they were just 34 Tuesday morning. Our temperature drop off will not be quite that steep, but the transition day will be Friday into Saturday. Friday night may have a few showers, but likely the first major sign of the cool down you’ll notice is a brisk wind on Saturday when temperatures will not get out of the 50's during the day.

WHERE’D I PUT MY GLOVES?

Did you know the last time we had a morning low below 35 in Philadelphia was April Fools Day? Well, 200 days later we’re going to hit a stretch of three nights that will see us dip near the freezing mark in Philadelphia. Frost is likely in and around Philadelphia and a Freeze Warning is likely in the Lehigh Valley and Northern & Western Suburbs. The Poconos may see a hard freeze as temperatures get to around 28 degrees. Monday morning at the bus stop will be cold. We’re looking at 34 in Philadelphia and 30 in the Lehigh Valley.

WHAT SHOULD I DO FOR MY PLANTS?

If you can, bring them inside at the end of the day. If you can’t, there are two easy things you can do…water the plants before dark, and cover them with some sort of tarp or plastic. Why water them? Wet soil can hold four times as much heat as dry soil, and studies have shown air temperature right above wet soil can be raised by up to 5 degrees overnight. In locations where there will be a hard freeze, not much can be done, so it’s best to harvest while you can.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE TREES?

The cold should really start to bring out the fall colors. Right now, some of the best color is visible in Northeastern PA and Northwestern NJ, along with the Catskills and Green Mountains of NY and VT. Cold nights and sunny days are the perfect recipe for leaves to change color, so Sunday and Monday in the Poconos will be a great chance to see the colors really pop.

Two Temple University students were robbed at gunpoint in what police believe are unrelated incidents near campus.

The first robbery happened shortly after midnight Thursday at 10th Street and Susquehanna Avenue. According to police, a Temple University football player was at a Chinese take-out restaurant when he was approached by two armed suspects.

The suspects took his cell phone, wallet and keys to his 2005 Cadillac. The suspects then drove off with the victim’s car.

The victim was not injured. The suspects remain on the loose.

In the second incident, a male Temple student told police he was walking to his residence when he was approached by two armed males. The suspects stole his iPhone and wallet. The suspects then fled the scene.

Investigators believe the robberies are not related due to the fact that the descriptions of the suspects are not similar.

The incidents remain under investigation.

An elderly man was thrown to the ground on a downtown Philadelphia street after he reached into his wallet to give a stranger money who asked the victim for some cash.

The attack happened about 10:40 p.m. on October 13 along the 1300 block of Locust Street in the Washington Square section.

The 69-year-old male victim was walking along the street when he was approached by the suspect who asked him for money.

As the victim reached into his wallet to give the suspect money, the suspect violently threw the male to the ground and stole his wallet. The suspect then ran away.

The victim suffered a cut and a lump to his head.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.

The Haverford Township Police Department is warning the community about a female going door to door in the Llanerch Section of Haverford asking for donations for the Upper Darby Multicultural Center.

The woman entered one home by an unlocked door, and after she left, a resident noticed that an iPhone was taken, according to police.

When Haverford Police contacted Multicultural Community Family Services, they were informed that they do not solicit door to door.

Patrols have been increased in neighborhoods, and police urge people to immediately call 911 if they see anything suspicious.

Police also listed some tips for residents:

• Keep exterior doors and windows locked, even while you are at home
• If you see someone suspicious call 911 immediately
• Work together with your neighbors
• If a solicitor comes to your door request to see a valid permit
• Don’t allow a stranger into your home

More than two weeks after a man attacked and sexually assaulted a Temple University student as she walked home from the library, a man stands accused of attacking her near campus.

Philadelphia Police arrested Shakree Bennett, 23, and charged him with rape, involuntary sexual intercourse, aggravated assault, robbery, weapons counts and related charges in connection to the late evening Sept. 28 attack along the 1400 block of N Carlisle Street in North Philadelphia.

Investigators said Bennett came up behind the victim and told her to be quiet as he hit her on the arm with a silver handgun. He then pushed the 20-year-old victim into a nearby construction site where he threw her rummaged through her backpack before sexually assaulting her and running off north on Carlisle Street, said police.

Temple University alerted students after the attack. The victim had left Temple's library around 11:15 p.m. and walked with a friend until they separated near Broad and Cecil B Moore, said Philadelphia Police. Minutes later the attack took place.

After the assault, the woman used an emergency light to call police. Officers arrived to find the shaken victim, said investigators.

Philadelphia Police extradited Bennett from Essex County, New Jersey on Wednesday and brought him back to Philly to face charges. A judge arraigned Bennett on rape charges early Thursday and sent him to jail on $500,000 jail. He faces a preliminary hearing on Oct. 29.

Bennett is no stranger to the Philadelphia court system. He pleaded guilty to violent robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges in 2012 and was given a 3-1/2 to 7 year sentence that also called for him to obtain a GED, said court records. It isn't clear how recent, Bennett was released from prison.

An eastern Pennsylvania woman killed as she walked out of a residence likely wasn't the target of the shooting that killed her.

Williamsport police tell the Williamsport Sun-Gazette that Carolyn Barr was walking out of a residence with someone else. They've stopped short of saying whether he was the intended target, but say that man, a 22-year-old parolee, was also wounded. They didn't immediately release his name.

Assistant police Chief Timothy Miller says police believe "the suspect was not intentionally shooting her, but that he intended to harm someone else."

Police didn't immediately identify the suspect.

They also said they're investigating whether Barr was caught in a crossfire, but so far police can't be sure that the other person near her fired any shots.

The shooting occurred Tuesday evening, the eve of her 56th birthday.
 

The final US Airways flight is scheduled to take off from Philadelphia on Friday.

US Airways Flight 1939, named after the year that US Airways’ predecessor company All-American Aviation began operating, will depart from Philadelphia International Airport at 10:05 a.m. Friday.

The Airbus A321 will make stops in Charlotte, Phoenix and San Francisco before arriving back in Philadelphia early Saturday morning.

On October 17, US Airways will begin operating as American Airlines.

The maker of a popular brand of children’s applesauce has issued a voluntary recall after mold was found in some of its products earlier this year.

GoGo squeeZ is recalling applesauce with best-by dates between June 30, 2016, and July 26, 2016. The company said a production issue could cause the applesauce pouches to harbor fruit mold.

The company’s CEO, Michael Larroche, said the mold poses no health risk to people who eat it, but noted that the affected applesauce could have an unpleasant look or taste.

"As a consequence, we took every step to fully understand and fix the problem," Larroche said. "We are completely confident that we are once again meeting our high quality standards. Additionally, we have been working closely with the FDA on our actions, and we will keep you updated with any new information."

The affected products were shipped nationwide.

Larroche said because of the voluntary recall, it may be harder to find GoGo squeeZ applesauce in the coming weeks.

The company is directing anyone who may have purchased the affected applesauce to www.gogosqueez.com/announcement.