A Maryland man was arrested on numerous charges after police say he took PCP and drove erratically through the Holland Tunnel.
Charles Wyche, 49, was arrested after officers pulled over his black Chrysler convertible at 14th Street and Marin Boulevard in Jersey City around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Police had received calls from worried motorists who had seen the out-of-control convertible in the westbound lane of the Holland Tunnel.
When police interviewed Wyche, he told them that he "laces his blunts" with PCP and that he had ingested PCP before driving.
As officers began a field sobriety test, Wyche started hopping in place and waving his arms in the air, telling police that he was "warming up" before the test. He was unable to follow officers' instructions and was arrested.
Two bags that were believed to be cocaine and one bag of PCP was found on Wyche, Port Authority police said.
Wyche was charged with driving while intoxicated, possessing a controlled substance in a motor vehicle, driving with a suspended license, and reckless driving.
No one was reported injured.
Fire crews worked for hours to douse a fire that swept through a mansion that was under construction in New Jersey on Tuesday, authorities say.
Neighbors on Hop Brook Lane in Holdmel reported the blaze at the sprawling home just before 2:30 a.m., authorities say.
When firefighters arrived, the house was engulfed in flames, with fire shooting through the windows. Crews from several towns were called to the scene, working for about two hours to douse the flames.
No injuries were reported in the blaze.
It's not clear how much damage was done to the home, which sits at the end of a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood filled with multimillion-dollar houses.
The family that had purchased the house was set to move in in a few days, authorities say.
A 51-year-old Philadelphia man is facing a murder charge for allegedly shooting one man to death and injuring two others after a gathering to watch the Eagles game Sunday night.
Police said Bartholomew Nelson, of Fayette Street near Washington Lane, in Philly's Cedarbrook neighborhood, opened fire at a house on Gilbert Street near Mount Airy Avenue just after midnight, after the Eagles' 40-17 loss to the Cardinals in Sunday Night Football.
Killed in the shooting was 51-year-old Leotis Martin, who lived at the house where the shooting happened. Two other man, ages 58 and 52, also suffered gunshot wounds, but survived, according to police.
Nelson is also charged with aggravated assault, illegal gun possession and related offenses.
Police said the four men watched the game together, then got into an argument that sparked the shooting.
Gunshots rang out just after midnight in a one-car garage along the 8300 block of Gilbert Street in the city’s Cedarbrook section following the Eagles' 40-17 loss to the Cardinals. The men had been watching the game together in a garage, according to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
"After the football game, at some time around midnight, for some reason, a 51-year-old man pulled out a gun and started firing shots at the three people he was with watching the football game that were sitting on the couch," Chief Inspector Scott Small said after the shooting.
Martin was shot in the chest. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Small said the homicide victim’s 15-year-old nephew was home at the time but wasn’t injured.
One of the victims was able to identify the alleged shooter, and police later caught up with him about five blocks away, on Phil Ellena Street. Police said Nelson told officers he dumped the gun while fleeing from the scene.
Nelson was arraigned Monday and held without bail. He is set to appear for a preliminary hearing Jan. 6.
A middle age South Jersey middle school aide stands accused of sexually assaulting one of her former teenage students.
Jennifer Pasquarello, 41, sexually assaulted the Glen Landing Middle School student on multiple occasions between November 2013 and May 2015, said a joint news release from the Camden County Prosecutors and Gloucester Township Police Chief Harry Earle.
The alleged assaults began when the boy was 14 and working with the Somerdale woman on a one-on-one basis, said police.
Police met Pasquarello at the school where she currently works, Ann Mullen Middle School, Monday – the school is in the same school district – then charged her with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and child endangerment, said police.
She was sent to county jail in lieu of $300,000 bond.
The Gloucester Township School District immediately fired Pasquarello after learning of her arrest.
"We are deeply saddened and disappointed to learn of the allegations of misconduct that occurred with an aide who was employed at the Glen Landing Middle School," said superintendent John Bilodeau. "The primary goal of our administration and staff is, first and foremost, to protect and support our students. Our policies require and expect all staff members to be professional, moral and ethical in all of their interactions with students, colleagues and members of our community. We will not tolerate any conduct that is inappropriate or unbecoming of a staff member."
Investigators asked anyone with information on Pasquarello’s actions to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Tim Houck at (856) 225-8506 or Gloucester Township Police Detective Ron Middleton at (856) 228-4500. Tips can also be emailed.
Sixers great Allen Iverson is among the eligible candidates for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
The candidates were announced on Monday, the 124th anniversary of the invention of the game of basketball.
The Hall of Fame changed its rules, making players who have been fully retired for four years eligible. It had previously been five.
Iverson is a first-time candidate along with dominant big man Shaquille O'Neal and Houston Rockets center Yao Ming.
Former Sixers Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones were also among the nominees. Both were members of the 1983 NBA Championship team.
The Answer's resume includes a Rookie of the Year award and a 2001 MVP trophy. He was an 11-time All-Star and is 28th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Finalists will be announced at NBA All-Star Weekend in February in Toronto. The official Class of 2016 will be announced on April 4 at the Men’s NCAA Final Four in Houston.
The number of cats rescued from a hoarder’s home in South Jersey has reached 131 and that number could rise, animal control officials said.
Officials with the New Jersey SPCA began removing felines from a house in the 100 block of 6th Avenue in Pitman last Thursday, a county spokeswoman said.
Pitman police said the animals were being hoarded.
As of Monday afternoon, SPCA officials said 131 cats were removed from the home. Animal control officers believe there are additional cats behind a wall.
Of the 131 cats, 56 were sent to rescues and other shelters for adoptions. Sixty five remain available for adoption at the Gloucester County animal shelter. The “Pitman Cats” are available for $25 each, which includes spay/neuter, all vaccines, micro chipping, etc.
Anyone interested in adopting the rescued cats can pre-apply through the Gloucester County Animal Shelter's website.
The shelter also made a plea for supplies to help care for these and other animals. Officials are looking for donations of cleaning supplies, food, toys and bones and blankets, among other items. People wishing to make donations can call 856.881.2828.
SPCA officers continue to investigate and there's no word on whether charges will be filed against the animals' owner.
A fast car aficionado donned Santa’s red suit, grabbed an elf (literally) and set off in his Corvette to spread drive-by holiday cheer to random children around Center City Philadelphia.
BigKleib34 “goes undercover as Santa Claus to hook the kids of Philly up with a bunch of gifts” in the video posted to his YouTube page.
BigKleib, aka Jesse Kleiber, doesn't hail from the North Pole but rather Middletown, Delaware
"It would be kind of neat if I did something for Christmas... we got all excited for it and a couple days later we had to buy Santa suits."
Jesse used five cameras and a few hours to shoot the drive-by video in his 2006 'Vette on Dec. 13.
Jesse picks up drumming Joey the Elf out in a field behind the Amazon Fulfillment Center then the duo heads off to Philly to hand out gifts right out the window of the black sports car as a song from Joey's the Elf's band -- Reading, Pennsylvania-based punk rockers Atlantic Avenue -- plays in the background.
Corvette Santa hits up spots from South Street to LOVE Park to the Rittenhouse area, getting plenty of smiles and “thanks” along the way as he handed out gifts he purchased himself.
“Hey buddy, catch!” shouts Joey the Elf as he throws a football to a backpack-wearing boy walking along Lombard Street.
"It was a really cool feeling," Jesse told NBC10. "I was shocked that a lot of them were that excited -- you could see it on their faces. Making somebody else's day better is a good feeling."
Besides handing out gifts to folks from the car, Santa also got out of his “sleigh” to make the day of a little girl who just wanted to meet Santa.
“She wants to see Santa Claus, can you take a picture with her,” says the mother who said they had been searching for Santa. Well, the jolly guy wound up coming to them.
In total, Jesse -- who does YouTube videos for a living -- estimated they gave out around 20 to 30 gifts while driving around for just under two hours.
Jesse ends the video by saying he hopes to inspire others to go out and “spread some Christmas joy.”
The 23-year-old told NBC10 that the car community has really gotten on board with the idea and could be looking to help spread the cheer next year.
"My car friends were all sharing it -- 'this is awesome man, you gotta do it again' ... a lot of people are talking about blowing it up really big next year, doing a lot more gifts and maybe having a couple more cars."
A woman is facing aggravated assault charges after authorities say she bashed another woman in the head with a 15-inch metal pipe at a New Jersey mall during a fight over a parking space.
Kenia Nicholas-King, of Teaneck, was arrested after allegedly attacking an 18-year-old Paterson woman during the dispute at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus Saturday afternoon, police say.
Authorities say the victim was waiting for a spot in the parking garage underneath the mall when Nicholas-King, 48, allegedly cut her off and took the spot. The pair started arguing, and that's when authorities allege the suspect grabbed a pipe and bashed the woman in the head.
The victim fell, and the pair allegedly began to tussle on the ground. The 18-year-old punched Nicholas-King in the face, and the 48-year-old got back in her car and drove off, according to police.
Nicholas-King was stopped by an officer before she left the 10,000-spot garage and was placed under arrest.
It's not clear if she has an attorney.
The attack was first reported by the Bergen Record.
A Montgomery County native died serving his country in Afghanistan leaving his family without their loved one just days before Christmas.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Peter Taub and five other American military members died in Monday’s suicide bomb attack near Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense has yet to officially identify Taub -- identified by classmates as a 2004 graduate of Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania -- but Taub's family confirmed to NBC10 the death of the father of a 3-year-old girl with another child on the way.
"He loved his family, he loved his daughter -- the apple of his eye," said Taub's father Joe Taub.
The elder Taub said his son didn't even let his family know he was in Afghanistan because he didn't want them to worry about him.
The family only learned of Taub's location when the soldiers arrived at the door Monday.
"He was good-natured, had a good soul," said Joe Taub.
Taub's brother Jon Taub is the chef at Bubs and Pops restaurant in D.C.'s swanky Dupont neighborhood. The eatery closed following Peter Taub's death.
Five others in Taub's convoy of U.S., NATO and Afghan forces also died as an attacker rammed an explosives-laden motorcycle into Taub's patrol in a village near the airfield. Two other Americans and an interpreter were wounded, U.S. officials said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for 30-year-old airman's wife and daughter.
A Cheltenham High School spokeswoman couldn't give any statement about Taub's death since the DOD has yet to confirm details.
Strangulation is what killed a prominent doctor whose body was found inside a Center City hotel room, and police are searching for a man who was last seen with him the night he died.
Staff at the Rodeway Inn at 1208 Walnut Street found Howard Baker, a 75-year-old psychiatrist who specialized in relationship problems, ADHD and spirituality, naked on the floor of his fifth-floor room with a belt tied tightly around his neck around 11 a.m. Monday, homicide detectives said.
Baker checked into the hotel around 3 p.m. Sunday after telling his wife he was heading out to watch the Eagles game.
Surveillance video shows Baker walking into the hotel with one man Sunday evening, police said. That man leaves about an hour later, followed by Baker an hour after that.
Baker returned to the hotel with a second man later Sunday night. Detectives said that man, who is being considered a person of interest, was caught on video leaving the hotel with Baker's backpack. The doctor never emerged.
Detectives have spoken to the first visitor, but have yet to find the second man. They are not sure whether prostitution was involved or if Baker knew the men. Law enforcement sources at first said Baker may have been engaging in an asphyxiation sex act when he died.
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner ruled the man's death a result of strangulation following an autopsy Tuesday.
Baker's wallet was stolen in addition to his backpack, according to police. At this point, investigators are stopping short of classifying the doctor's death as murder because they have yet to learn the true circumstances behind what happened in the hotel room Sunday night.
Baker practiced psychiatry for 30 years and his office is two blocks from the hotel. He lived in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania with his wife. Police said the family had no idea he had checked into the hotel.
Philadelphia taxi and limousine drivers made their case against ride-sharing services like UberX and Lyft to the city’s district attorney during a face-to-face meeting Tuesday.
The groups are calling on law enforcement to crack down on the unregulated services.
The meeting came just days after a street protest which snarled traffic and confused drivers around Center City.
Taxi and limo drivers are concerned that the cheaper services are stealing their customers even though those ride-share drivers are not regulated in the ways that taxi and limo drivers are.
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams tells NBC10 it's not clear if his office even has jurisdiction on the issue, but he agrees safety of riders must be the priority.
"We do have to ensure that Philadelphians, when they get into buses, trains, cabs, that the people who operate them are responsible people," he said.
Williams says he will also meet with executives from the ride-sharing services.
Ali Razak with the Philadelphia Limousine Association said members are "very hopeful" that Williams will take action against the services.
The limousine association has a meeting Wednesday with Mayor-elect Jim Kenney. They plan to make a similar case to City Council leaders in the coming weeks.
A bag containing nearly $350,000 worth of loose diamonds was snatched off the arm of a man walking through Center City Tuesday night, police said.
The theft happened around 6 p.m. at 11th and Sansom streets.
Police said two men grabbed the shoulder bag from a 44-year-old man. The man told detectives the diamonds have a value of $348,000.
The first suspect stands 5-feet-10-inches tall, has a beard and was wearing a black hat and brown jacket, according to police. The only discription of the second man is that we was wearing a red jacket.
Detectives from Philadelphia Police's Major Crimes Division are investigating.
