The City of Camden announced visitors and residents can indulge in free meter parking through Jan. 5, 2014.

“I would like to thank the Camden Parking Authority for continuing their yearly tradition of allowing residents and visitors to park at any metered parking spot for free during the holidays,” Mayor Redd said.

“The Authority’s decision to allow free meter parking during this two week period can be a boost to our local businesses. This thoughtful gesture is truly appreciated.”

According to Camden Parking Authority chairman Angel Alamo, the free meter parking was put in place to help lure visitors to the city to visit local businesses and restaurants, an incentive and thank you for visiting Philadelphia's neighboring city.

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Police are searching for three men who they say burglarized a home in Brick Township, New Jersey while one of them distracted the homeowner.

• WATCH: AK-47 Used in Armed Robbery

The alleged victim told police he was bringing in his garbage can on December 10 on the 2500 block of Hooper Avenue when a man approached him.

The homeowner says the man began to speak to him about fence work that a neighbor was considering. As the two men talked, police say two other suspects entered the home and stole several items, including a large black safe, computer and computer monitor.

The three men then left the area before the homeowner realized he had been burglarized, according to investigators.

The man told police that the suspect who distracted him was driving a white work van, though he did not see the vehicle’s registration.

A surveillance video captured the two suspects who entered the home and removed the items. If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call Detective Daniel Waleski of the Brick Township Police Detective Bureau at 732-262-1170. You can also call the Brick Township Police Department at 732-262-1100 after normal business hours.

 

An elephant who resided at the Philadelphia Zoo for several decades died on Monday. 

Dulary, an Asian elephant, was found lying down in the barn of Tennessee’s Elephant Sanctuary early Sunday morning. Officials with the sanctuary say there was no indication of any problems with Dulary the night before when caregivers checked in.

Despite immediate care from the zoo’s vet staff and diagnostic testing, Dulary died Monday morning. She was 50-years-old. Officials say she had been experiencing some health issues at the beginning of the year.

Born in May of 1963, Dulary moved to the Philadelphia Zoo in 1964, living with both Asian and African elephants. In May of 2007, she was moved to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee.

Officials say Dulary befriended two other elephants, Misty and Delhi, once she moved to the sanctuary. Misty stood by Dulary’s side during her final hours.

“In India, “Dulary” is a term of endearment intended for someone who is an object of great affection and love, and our Dulary will always hold a special place in our hearts,” wrote Dana Lombardo, a spokeswoman with the Philadelphia Zoo. “Strong-willed and self-confident, she was a treasured member of the Philadelphia Zoo community and The Elephant Sanctuary family, and she lived her life to the fullest every day. She will be remembered with joy by all of those whose lives she touched. We are honored to have been a part of her journey.”
 

A man is recovering after police say he was struck by a stray bullet while playing video games.

• WATCH: Armed Standoff After Domestic Dispute

The victim was playing on an Xbox upstairs in a home on the 100 block of West Sparks Street in the Olney section of the city around 8 p.m.

Suddenly, police say, a bullet entered the home and struck the man in the shoulder. He was taken to the hospital where he is in stable condition.

Police say they found two cars with bullet holes in their windows about a block away from the victim’s home.

No arrests have been made. Police have not released details on any suspects.

Stay with NBC10.com for more information on this developing story.

Also on NBC10.com:

• ID of Man Shot, Killed by Officer Inside Home
• Two People Shot, Hospitalized
• Man Shot 7 Times Dies

Police are on the hunt for thieves who they say stole Christmas decorations from at least three homes in Toms River, New Jersey.

Police say two men stole wooden choir boy decorations from a home on Beechtree Drive on Saturday around 4 a.m. A surveillance video recorded the suspects pulling up to the home in a Sedan, according to investigators.

Police also say thieves stole metal ornaments of Jesus and Joseph from a lawn on 13th Street.

“I’m very surprised because that never happened to us before,” said Carl Raczynski, one of the victims. “We were just playing out there and they were gone. It’s disappointing, the fact that they would do that.”

Finally, around 11 p.m. on Saturday, police say two men stole a snowman display from a home on Silver Bay Road. Police told the Asbury Park Press that the suspects placed the snowman in an older silver Nissan Pathfinder and then fled the area west on Silver Bay Road.

Police are investigating whether or not all three thefts are related.

If you have any information on the thefts, please call the Toms River Police Department at 732-349-0150.
 

It began with a "big boom."

That’s what Madeline McClein first heard right before water began gushing from the street in front of her daycare, Nana’s Day Care, on Monday morning. Charged with caring for dozens of babies and pre-school children and with the water rising quickly, she knew an evacuation was needed right away.

"The most important thing was to get the kids out and the staff out safely,” the daycare supervisor told NBC10.

"In 10 minutes, [the water] was about 3 feet deep."

A scary reality since the average height of a 3-year-old child is around 3 feet tall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

"First, we took the babies out safely," she said. "Then we moved the older children to the back of the building before we evacuated them."

Under the plan, which McClein says was developed by the daycare staff, the 41 children were walked to a nearby Catholic school which temporarily housed them during the ordeal. McClein says the school is one of two places the children can be taken. A CVS Pharmacy on the north side of Frankford Avenue, which was under siege by the fast-moving water, is another spot. The Philadelphia Fire Department eventually moved the children to the daycare’s other facility along nearby H Street.

McClein says the daycare practices an emergency evacuation three times a year and that evacuation manuals containing the contact information for the parents of each child is stored in each of the facility’s four classrooms.

While the waters were rising, McClein says there was “no chaos” among her staff. She praised their response.

“I think they did excellent and I’m so proud of them,” she said.

So are city officials.

"The teachers did an excellent job of exercising their evacuation plan," Deputy Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer said. "Because they followed their procedures, we didn't have to make any dramatic rescues."

Officials say the water eventually rose to at least 5 feet around the daycare. McClein says they have yet to hear about how much damage was done to the building.

"We have to wait and see," she said.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

Water gushed from a massive water main break that left thousands of Philadelphia residents, businesses and dozens of schools for miles around without water the day before Christmas Eve.

In all, officials say the city lost 20 to 23 million gallons of water. That's the equivalent of 30 to 34 Olympic -size swimming pools.

The 48-inch line broke just before 9 a.m. Through their computer monitoring system, the Philadelphia Water Department knew almost immediately that they had a big problem on their hands.

"We knew there was 150 million gallons of a water a day, leaving our system," said Howard Neukrug, Water Commissioner.

All that water and the force behind it gushed out of the street at the intersection of Torresdale and Frankford Avenues in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, quickly flooding the area right in front of the Nana's Day Care, where the water rose between three and five feet, according to the fire department.

"The teachers did an excellent job of exercising their evacuation plan," said Derrick Sawyer, deputy fire commissioner. "Because they followed their procedures, we didn't have to make any dramatic rescues." But rescue crews did prepare for worst-case scenario moments by launching rafts into a nearby creek in case people got swept away by the fast-rising water.

Nearly three hours after the pipe burst, 20 feet below ground, water department workers were able to pinpoint the break. By the late afternoon they were able to repair the main, which was built in 1907 and connects to an even bigger pipe -- a 60-inch main, which was built in 1906.

"We'll be looking at whether age is a factor," said Neukrug. "Typically though, even with pipes that are 100 years old, we find they are in very good condition."

The pipe that burst feeds smaller, 12-inch lines that send water into homes and businesses for about a three-mile radius, according to Neukrug. For that reason, thousands of people were affected. Their water was either out or the pressure was too low for basic functions like flushing a commode. Problems like that forced 38 local schools to close early. Many businesses did the same.

By early afternoon, crews had dug up pieces of asphalt as heavy machinery cleaned debris left by the large amount of water and mud. Water was restored for the affected customers, according to officials. Crews will be on site for several days to clean up the area. They also say full repairs could take months.

"We’re going to be looking at cleaning up the sites, then once we get the site cleaned up we’ll have our inspectors come out and our claims adjusters come out and work with the businesses that are in the area to make sure everything is fine. We will then spend a little bit of time excavating this pipe and finding what the fault was and making the repairs," Neukrug said.

The Impact:

Within minutes, thousands lost water service around the city. The break affected water customers in eight different zip codes (19121, 19122, 19123, 19124, 19130, 19134, 19137, 19140). Water Department spokesman John DiGiulio said reverse 911 calls would be made to alert customers of the outage.

Philadelphia firefighters relocated six people and children from nearby businesses. They had all returned home, according to Mayor Michael Nutter who applauded the efforts of rescue workers during an early afternoon news conference.

"Special shout-out to the water and fire departments for their immediate response, for making sure citizens were first safe and secure," Nutter said.

@VinceLattanzio Given the information we have at this time, it is not necessary to boil your water. We will provide updates of any changes.

— Philadelphia Water (@PhillyH2O) Dec. 23, 2013

NBC10 received calls and tweets from people in various neighborhoods including Mayfair, Juniata Park and Northeast Philadelphia that they lost water service. They weren't alone.

"16th and Green in the Spring Garden neighborhood is shut off too," tweeted Kimberly Stanislaw.

The outage hit businesses along busy Fairmount Avenue in the city's Fairmount neighborhood.

"It's kind of spotty," said Stephanie Mertz, owner of RyBread at 23rd and Fairmount. That's more than 5 miles away from where the break occurred.

RyBread closed around 10:30 because Mertz said they didn't have any water to run their coffee machines or dishwashers. She said that other businesses in the neighborhood also reported a lack of water pressure.

She said she hoped to open Tuesday considering it is supposed to be their last day of business before the New Year.

Lynda Gresham who lives along Foulkrod Street near Frankford High said she woke up to find "there was no water"

"In the  kitchen, there’s brown water spilling out. In my bathroom, there’s completely no water. Luckily for me, I order my water. I will put it in a bucket and wash up."

Schools, in session for the last day before Christmas break, were hit hard. More than three dozen schools including 28 elementary schools, 11 high schools, three middle schools and an early childhood center sent home students at 11:30 a.m. due to a lack of water service.

• Click here for a full list of school closings

Teachers at Juniata Park Academy -- more than one mile from the break -- said there were no flushing toilets at the school, which houses around 1,000 kids -- many of whom didn't go to school Monday in any case.

"The toilets aren't flushing and essentially have become port-a-potties -- really sanitary," sarcastically said a teacher in the school that asked not to be identified.

Juniata Park joined other schools including Barton, Spruance and Thurgood Marshall elementary schools; Ben Franklin and Masterman high schools; and Clemente and Meehan middle schools in closing.

The Community College of Philadelphia on Spring Garden Street also closed due to the water service issues.

During the clean-up traffic was diverted around the scene and SEPTA detoured bus routes 5 and 56.

• Get the latest traffic from NBC10.com

The Columbia North YMCA at 1400 N Broad Street -- nearly 5 miles from the scene of the break -- was also forced to close "for the remainder of the day" after water shut off.

St. Christopher's Hospital for Children spokeswoman Ilena Ditoro said that due to the break, "St. Chris has implemented a number of protective measures to ensure the ongoing safety and comfort of our patients."

The hospital closed its medical offices and outpatient center and rescheduled all surgeries except emergency surgeries. "The hospital and E.R. will remain open. All updates are on Facebook and Twitter," Ditoro said.

Philadelphia has more than 3,000 miles of water mains buried under city streets -- the average age of a main is 86 years old, according to the water department. The average main is expected to function properly for 100 to 120 years under "favorable conditions."

An early Christmas gift for drivers and cyclists in the area.

PennDOT plans to reopen the Elm Street Bridge in Conshohocken this afternoon about one year after it closed for need improvements.

The bridge that spans over the Plymouth Creek and the Cross County Bicycle Trail opened in 1924 and carries nearly 7,000 vehicles daily.

The previous concrete beam bridge was 149 feet long and 27 feet wide and was deemed structurally-deficient. The new span is a composite prestressed spread box beam bridge with a reinforced concrete deck.

“We are excited to reopen Elm Street and to provide our customers with a safe, modern bridge that will serve their transportation needs for decades to come,” PennDOT District Executive Lester Toaso said.

• Get the latest traffic from NBC10.com

The $3.144 million project -- funded with 80 percent federal funds and 20 percent state funds -- began last December. Crews removed and replaced the bridge’s deck, beams and center pier; constructed a new retaining wall along the bike path and improved drainage.

All ended peacefully after a tense standoff involving a man who allegedly held a young girl hostage inside a Trenton, N.J. apartment for several hours this morning.

Police responded to the 200 block of Coolidge Avenue after an armed man barricaded himself inside a unit around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Trenton Police.

A woman and a one-year-old were able to get out of the home but the man remained in the building with the three-year-old, according to police.

Police told NBC10 that they believed the man was armed but they didn't say with what type of weapon.

Around 10 a.m., the man turned himself over without incident, according to police.

Both kids were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

A federal judge has ruled that a western Pennsylvania Christian college can temporarily exclude coverage for birth control like the morning-after pill and the week-after pill when it offers a health insurance plan to its employees.

Monday's ruling echoes an earlier finding by the same judge that Geneva College in Beaver Falls can also exclude such coverage in a health plan it offers to students.

The preliminary injunctions remain in effect until the judge rules on the school's underlying lawsuit challenging looming federal health care reforms, or until a higher appeals court rules on the issue.

The school about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, is affiliated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church and argues certain types of birth control violate its religious beliefs against abortion.

When reviewing a list of the top local banking stories of 2013, it didn’t take too long to realize how similar things were to 2012. Banks continue to be squeezed by low loan demand (though things have begun to thaw a bit) and heightened regulatory compliance costs. They also keep cutting and modernizing branches while expanding online and mobile product offerings. And the long-promised wave of mergers and acquisitions never materialized.

But there were some themes I noticed during the year that were of interest. Here is a look back at the year that was in Philadelphia’s banking scene.

Mortgage cuts

When residential mortgage interest rates began to rise in the second quarter from historic lows, refinancing activity slowed dramatically and the nation’s biggest banks began to slice jobs in late summer and early fall. Read more about this story on PBJ.com

More NBC10.com stories:

• Investigation Into Alleged Realtor Sex Trysts
• Water Main Repairs Will Take Months
• Holiday Return Policy Provokes Wal-Mart Threat

For more breaking business news go to PBJ.com

Franklin Mills

Special Hours:

12/24/2013: 9am - 6pm (Christmas Eve)
12/25/2013: Closed (Christmas Day)
12/26/2013: 9am - 9:30pm (Holiday Hours)
12/31/2013: 10am - 7pm (New Year's Eve)
01/01/2014: 10am - 7pm (New Year's Day)

Cherry Hill Mall

12/ 24/ 2013 : 9am - 6pm (Christmas Eve)
12/25/2013: Closed (Christmas Day)
12/ 26/ 2013 - 7am - 10pm
12/27/2013 - 10am - 9:30pm
12/ 28 / 2013 - 10am - 9:30pm
12/29/2013 - 10am - 9:30pm
12/30/2013 - 11am - 6pm
12/ 31/ 2013 - 10am - 9:30pm
1/1/2014 - 10am - 7pm

King of Prussia

12/24/2013: 8am - 7pm (Christmas Eve)
12/25/2013: Closed (Christmas Day)
12/26/2013: 8am - 9pm (Holiday Hours)
12/27 - 12/28/2013: 10am - 9pm (Holiday Hours)
12/29/2013: 11am - 6pm (Holiday Hours)
12/30/2013: 10am - 9pm (Holiday Hours)
12/31/2013: 10am - 6pm (New Year's Eve)
01/01/2014: 10am - 6pm (New Year's Day)

Willow Grove Mall

12/ 24/ 2013 - 7am – 6pm
12/25/ 2013 - CLOSED
12/ 26/ 2013 - 8am-10pm
12/27/ 2013 - 10am-9pm
12/28 / 2013 - 10am-9pm
12/29/2013 - 11am-7pm
12/30/ 2013 - 10am-9pm
12/31/ 2013 – 10am – 7pm
1/1/2014 - 10am-8pm

Voorhees Town Center

Tuesday, December 24 • 7am-6pm
Wednesday, December 25 • CHRISTMAS - CLOSED
Thursday, December 26 • 8am-9pm
Friday, December 27 • 10am-9pm
Saturday, December 28 • 10am-9pm
Sunday, December 29 • 11am-6pm
Monday, December 30 • 10am-9pm
Tuesday, December 31 • 10am-6pm

Wednesday, January 1 • 10am-6pm

Moorestown Mall

December 24, 2013: 7am - 6pm Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 25 • CHRISTMAS – CLOSED
Thursday, December 26 • 7am-10pm
Friday, December 27 • 10am-9pm
Saturday, December 28 • 10am-9pm
Sunday, December 29 • 11am-6pm
Monday, December 30 • 10am-9pm
Tuesday, December 31 • 10am-7pm
Wednesday, January 1 • 11am-6pm

Cumberland Mall

December 24, 2013: 7am - 6pm Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 25 • CHRISTMAS – CLOSED
Thursday, December 26 • 8am-9:30pm
Friday, December 27 • 10am-9pm
Saturday, December 28 • 10am-9pm
Sunday, December 29 • 11am-6pm
Monday, December 30 • 10am-9pm
Tuesday, December 31 • 9am-6pm
Wednesday, January 1 • 10am-6pm

Hamilton Mall

December 24, 2013: 7am - 6pm Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 25 • CHRISTMAS – CLOSED
Thursday, December 26 • 7am-10:00pm
Friday, December 27 • 10am-9pm
Saturday, December 28 • 10am-9pm
Sunday, December 29 • 11am-6pm
Monday, December 30 • 10am-9pm
Tuesday, December 31 • 10am-7pm
Wednesday, January 1 • 11am-8pm

Quakerbridge Mall

12/24/2013: 7am - 7pm (Christmas Eve)

12/25/2013: Closed (Christmas Day)

12/26/2013: 7am - 9pm (Holiday Hours)

12/27/2013: 10am - 9pm (Holiday Hours)

12/28/2013: 10am - 9pm (Holiday Hours)

12/29/2013: 11am - 6pm (Holiday Hours)

12/30/2013: 10am - 9pm (Holiday Hours)

12/31/2013: 10am - 7pm (New Year's Eve)

01/01/2014: 10am - 9pm (New Year's Day)

SHORE MALL

Today 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Christmas Closed

OXFORD VALLEY MALL

12/24/2013: 8am - 6pm (Christmas Eve)

12/25/2013: Closed (Christmas Day)

12/26/2013: 8am - 9pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/27/2013: 10am - 9pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/28/2013: 10am - 9pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/29/2013: 11am - 6pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/30/2013: 10am - 9pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/31/2013: 10am - 6pm (New Year's Eve)

01/01/2014: 10am - 6pm (New Year's Day)

PHILLY PREMIUM OUTLETS

Christmas Eve: Tues, Dec 24
9am-8pm

Christmas Day: Wed, Dec 25
Closed

After-Holiday Sales: Thu, Dec 26 - Thu, Jan 2
Thu, Dec 26: 7am-9pm
Fri, Dec 27: 9am-9pm
Sat, Dec 28: 9am-9pm
Sun, Dec 29: 10am-7pm
Mon, Dec 30: 9am-9pm

New Year's Eve: Tues, Dec 31
9am-6pm

New Year's Day: Wed, Jan 1
10am-9pm

CHRISTIANA MALL

12/24/2013: 8am - 6pm (Christmas Eve)

12/25/2013: Closed (Christmas Day)

12/26/2013: 8am – 9:30pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/27/2013: 10am – 9:30pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/28/2013: 10am – 9:30pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/29/2013: 11am - 6pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/30/2013: 10am – 9:30pm (Holiday Shopping)

12/31/2013: 10am - 6pm (New Year's Eve)

01/01/2014: 10am - 6pm (New Year's Day)

AC OUTLETS

Christmas Eve Tuesday 12/24/2013 10:00am - 6:00pm
Christmas Day Wednesday 12/25/2013 Closed - Closed
New Year's Eve Tuesday 12/31/2013 10:00am - 6:00pm
New Year's Day Wednesday 01/01/2014 10:00am - 6:00pm

MONTGOMERY MALL

Christmas Eve Tuesday 12/24/2013 7:00am - 6:00pm
Christmas Day Wednesday 12/25/2013 Closed - Closed
New Year's Eve Tuesday 12/31/2013 10:00am - 7:00pm
New Year's Day Wednesday 01/01/2014 10:00am - 6:00pm

REHOBOTH OUTLETS

Christmas Eve
12/24/2013
9:00am - 6:00pm

Holiday Hours
Christmas Day
12/25/2013
Closed - Closed

Holiday Hours
New Year's Eve
12/31/2013
9:00am - 6:00pm

CROSSINGS PREMIUM OUTLETS

Christmas Eve: Tues, Dec 24
9am-8pm

Christmas Day: Wed, Dec 25
Closed

After-Holiday Sales: Thu, Dec 26 - Thu, Jan 2
Thu, Dec 26: 7am-9pm
Fri, Dec 27: 9am-9pm
Sat, Dec 28: 9am-9pm
Sun, Dec 29: 10am-8pm
Mon, Dec 30: 9am-9pm

New Year's Eve: Tues, Dec 31
9am-6pm

New Year's Day: Wed, Jan 1
10am-9pm

LEHIGH VALLEY MALL

12/24/2013: 7am - 7pm (Christmas Eve)

12/25/2013: Closed (Christmas Day)

12/26/2013: 7am - 9pm (Holiday Hours)

12/31/2013: 10am - 7pm (New Year's Eve)

01/01/2014: 10am - 7pm (New Year's Day)

PLYMOUTH MEETING MALL

Christmas Eve Tuesday 12/24/2013 7:00am - 6:00pm
Christmas Day Wednesday 12/25/2013 Closed - Closed
New Year's Eve Tuesday 12/31/2013 10:00am - 6:00pm
New Year's Day Wednesday 01/01/2014 10:00am - 6:00pm

EXTON MALL

Christmas Eve Tuesday 12/24/2013 7:00am - 6:00pm
Christmas Day Wednesday 12/25/2013 Closed - Closed
New Year's Eve Tuesday 12/31/2013 10:00am - 6:00pm
New Year's Day Wednesday 01/01/2014 10:00am - 6:00pm