Police are investigating stabbing death of a transgender woman in Philadelphia's Frankford neighborhood this weekend.

Maya Young, 25, was found at 11:50 p.m. Sunday along the 4800 block of Penn Street with multiple stab wounds to her neck and chest, police said. She was lying on the street when officers arrived.

Police rushed the woman to nearby Aria Frankford Hospital for treatment. She died about 20 minutes later.

Officers were originally dispatched to the 4900 block of Griscom Street after a 911 call about the stabbing came in. That's about two blocks from where Young was found.

The motive for the stabbing is unknown.

"Maya’s name and memory now join an ever growing list of trans identified people who have lost their lives at far too young an age to violence," Nellie Fitzpatrick, director of Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs.

Young is the first transgender person to be killed in Philadelphia this year, Fitzpatrick said. Last year, two transgender women were killed.

Keisha Jenkins was killed during an October robbery in Hunting Park. London Chanel was stabbed to death inside an abandoned home in May. Charges were filed in both cases.

Jenkins and Chanel's deaths were part of a spike in homicides of transgender people across the United States. Twenty-three trans and gender-nonconforming people were killed in 2015.

"We must work to increase opportunities for jobs and career paths, access to meaningful health care and the coverage to go along with it, housing and education," Fitzpatrick said.

As is standard, there is a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call 215.686.TIPS.

Thanks to a tip from a concerned citizen, the PSPCA Humane Law Enforcement was able to rescue Michaella, a female mastiff-type dog that was found brutally battered in Monroe County.

Officials say Michaella's owner Brandon Cramer of Saylorsburg, stabbed and struck his dog in the head with a hammer. Cramer, who also owned two other dogs, is charged with four counts of animal cruelty for lack of veterinary care.

Michaella was taken to the veterinary hospital in Monroe County where she currently remains in critical condition. If she survives, Michaella will face a long recovery.

The additional dogs in question, including two adult mastiff-types and two puppies, were transported back to the PSPCA’s headquarters in Philadelphia.

One of the pups, 1-year-old Mordecai, has already been adopted.

"The Pennsylvania SPCA cannot stand for acts of outright cruelty toward animals as evidenced by the acts of the individual involved here,” said CEO Jerry Buckley. “We look forward to getting justice for her and continuing to investigate and prosecute all cases of animal cruelty and neglect in Monroe County.”

The PSPCA has created a fundraising campaign for members of the public to contribute to giving animals, like Michaella, a second chance: http://pspca.kintera.org/michaella

To report animal abuse, call the Pennsylvania SPCA's cruelty hotline, (866) 601-SPCA.

Philadelphia Police arrested the second suspect in a violent Northeast Philadelphia wreck that left three people dead in a ripped apart car.

Ryan Farrell of Northeast Avenue was taken into custody Tuesday and is in the process of being charged with homicide by vehicle and other related offenses.

Farrell is the second suspect arrested in connection to the crash. On Saturday police arrested 20-year-old Christopher Bloomfield. Bloomfield is accused of driving a 2007 Acura at more than three times the speed limit on Sandmeyer Lane near Red Lion Road in Bustleton the night of July 29. Investigators said that Farrell and Bloomfield were street racing at the time of the wreck.

Police said Bloomfield lost control while driving about 75 mph at a curve and slammed into a tree. Killed instantly were 17-year-old Sabrina Rhoads, 17-year-old Yvette Gonzalez and 20-year-old Felip Hernandez. Bagdon Arutyunov, 17, suffered severe head trauma in the crash but survived.

A judge arraigned Bloomfield on homicide by vehicle and related offenses and sent him to jail on $2 million bail.

Family members of the victims have been pushing for an arrest for months after the crash. They told NBC10 they believe Bloomfield was reckless and should be held accountable.

"I think that this is what all the families have pushed for," said Kelly McDade, the aunt of one of the victims. "We just don't want our loved ones to be forgotten."

A cruel joke that turned viral may have ultimately saved the life of a homeless man in Ocean County, New Jersey.

Ronald Leggatt, 65, was homeless and living in a baseball field dugout in Lakewood, New Jersey, last month when he was approached by a young man who paid him $5 to pour coffee over his head.

“I was so broke I needed the money to be honest with you,” Leggatt said. “My friend came by and helped me.”

Another person snapped photos of Leggatt moments later and posted them on Facebook with a description of what happened. Leggatt’s story then went viral and attracted the attention of people across the country who helped him with donations, which ultimately led to housing.

“Somebody meant it to mock Ron as a homeless person,” said Steven Brigham, a homeless advocate. “But it turned around where Ron got housing because of the situation.”

Leggatt was wearing a weathered San Francisco 49ers jacket in the viral photo. His story was soon brought to the attention of the team itself. The 49ers then reached out to Brigham in order to help Leggatt. On Friday, Brigham surprised Leggatt with a box full of 49ers team gear, including a brand new jacket.

“Unbelievable,” Leggatt said. “From California! That’s just unbelievable! Best thing that ever happened!”

Brigham told NBC10 he believed what was initially an unfortunate incident ended up being a blessing in disguise.

“There’s still some compassion here in this country,” Brigham said. “Ron might have died this winter in that dugout if he wasn’t rescued by this situation.”

A spokesman for the 49ers didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.

Police arrested a man accused of robbing and stabbing the owner of a Southwest Philadelphia auto tag shop more than 20 times last year.

Malcolm Pollard, 20, was arrested and charged with robbery, simple assault, terroristic threats and other related offenses.

On Oct. 8, 2015, shortly before 6 p.m., police responded to the Southwest Auto Tag Service on the 6200 block of Dicks Avenue. When they arrived they found the 62-year-old owner of the shop lying on the ground and suffering from several stab wounds throughout his body. The man told police he had been stabbed several times. He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and listed in critical condition.

The man's black flip cell phone, a pocket book, mini iPad 4 and a wallet containing between $800 and $1500 were stolen, police said.

Pollard, a Philadelphia resident, was arrested in York, Pennsylvania Monday in reference to a separate incident, police said. He is also charged in connection to a robbery at a 7-Eleven store on the 2900 block of South 70th Street on Oct. 7.

Pollard's bail is set at $1.5 million.

To save on auto insurance, some customers opt in to programs to have their driving habits tracked. In the past, customers were tracked through devices that plug in to their cars. Now, auto insurance companies are moving to a new landscape, tracking customers through mobile apps on their smartphones.

Corinne Buda enrolled in Progressive’s Snapshot program two years ago, and a device tracked her driving habits for 30 days. That device wasn’t connected to a GPS or an app. She says for her, it paid off.

“I'm paying a fraction. I pay 83 dollars a month for my car insurance. I was paying 180 something dollars a month,” Buda said.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center finds 37% of Americans find it ‘acceptable’ for auto insurance companies to monitor customers’ driving habits with a device inside their car. But privacy experts warn of new concerns as insurance companies use new technologies to track drivers.

Khaliah Barnes with the Electronic Privacy Information Center has questions about what the apps will have access to on consumers’ phones.

“Do these apps have access to your call information, whose texting, whether you're texting and driving?” Barnes asked.

The NBC10 Investigators scrutinized the privacy policies and mobile app ‘terms and conditions’ of four insurance companies – Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Progressive and State Farm. Three offer an app that tracks customers’ driving, and Progressive says its app will roll out later this year or early next year. It already launched a pilot app.

All four say they won’t sell your personal information, but that won’t stop some of them from giving it away.

“We know that insurance companies want that information and will have it, but who are the other entities? Law enforcement- what's the process there?” Barnes asked.

In the fine print for Allstate, Progressive, and State Farm, all say your information can be shared with third parties.

Allstate’s terms and conditions on its app says, “Data may be disclosed to third parties… and used in an accident investigation… you should not expect to retain any privacy or confidentiality related to your use of the application.”

Progressive’s privacy policy states your personal information can be shared for "our affiliates everyday business purposes", and customers can not limit sharing.

State Farm's terms and conditions on its app say your information may be shared with "third party service providers”.

Liberty Mutual says it won’t share any “personally identifiable usage data” to third parties.

Now, lawmakers are looking into the potential for a compromising of privacy rights. Senator Bob Casey says the issue of privacy and innovation is a challenge for lawmakers at the state and federal level.

“I’m going to be studying and have begun a review of this issue to see if there isn't a legislative remedy or at least a legislative measure that could speak to it,” Casey said.

Another concern is for drivers who don’t want to be tracked. They may end up paying more for the same coverage if they don’t opt in to programs like these. Buda says she would think twice if she was tracked through her phone.

“There’s too much information that’s vulnerable,” Buda said.

We reached out to Allstate, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, and Progressive:

Allstate:
“Allstate’s Drivewise is a voluntary program that rewards customers for their safe driving behaviors. Protecting the privacy of our customers’ information is our top priority and Allstate is confident in the security of our Drivewise device and Drivewise mobile app programs. The Drivewise device and Drivewise mobile app utilize multiple layers of protection to maintain the confidentiality of the data collected and prevent unauthorized access.”

State Farm:
"State Farm takes customer privacy seriously, including with our Drive Safe & Save Mobile app. We will continue to safeguard customer information, and we always strive to be a leader in the changing telematics landscape.
For more information, please visit State Farm’s website for detail on our Privacy Policy and Information for Internet, Mobile, and Social Media Users."

Progressive:
"You can find our Snapshot privacy statement here.
We want to be transparent and clear with our customers and anything new with respect to our mobile app will be updated prior to the release of the final app."

Liberty Mutual:
"Liberty Mutual values and respects our customers' privacy. We will not share personally identifiable usage data we collect with any third party except to service our customers' auto policies, for research, or as required by law."

A spokesperson for John Dougherty is speaking out after a non-union electrician accused the Philly Union boss of assaulting him during a street fight last month.

Joshua Keesee, a 36-year-old non-union electrician, told police he was working at a job in South Philadelphia that was being picketed by Dougherty’s IBEW Local 98 back on January 21. Keesee said he was on the 1300 block of South 3rd Street around 8:30 a.m. that day when he was approached by Dougherty and three other men. Keesee told police they began arguing over a union sticker that was attached to his vehicle.

Keesee said the argument escalated into violence and accused Dougherty and the three men of punching and kicking him. He then said they fled in a Lincoln Navigator. Keesee refused medical treatment but still filed a police report which prompted an investigation.

Jim Reid, the owner of Reid’s Auto Service which is located near where the altercation took place, told NBC10 he witnessed the aftermath of the fight.

“I open up the door, I seen a skirmish out there and that was it,” Reid said. “The fight happened down the street.”

A video of the aftermath shows a man being pulled by another man along 3rd street as Dougherty and three to four men walk towards them. A man walking with Dougherty also appears to be bleeding from his head.

Keesee’s attorney Robert Mozenter told NBC10 the altercation stemmed from the fact that his client is not a union worker.

“It’s clearly a labor issue,” Mozenter said. “What is a union boss doing on the street at 8:15? Dougherty approached him, hit him with a left that broke his nose and a right that was partially blocked. The other men jumped in and pummeled him.”

Dougherty’s spokesman Frank Keel told NBC10 the union boss was acting in self-dense however after Keesee threatened him. Keel released the following statement on the altercation:

On January 21, 2016, John Dougherty, while on his way to work in full business attire, was involved in a brief, physical altercation with a contractor at a notorious, non-union job site in South Philadelphia. There were multiple eyewitnesses. John Dougherty was not the aggressor. ‎

A non-union contractor on-site, who was half John's age, made verbal threats in front of John, saying he knew where John's wife took her daily walk and the location of  John's daughter's home. John told the contractor that if he had a problem, he should deal with John alone. At that point, the contractor rushed John and threw a punch at his head. This happened after the contractor had already sucker-punched one of the Local 98 protestors on the site, which required stitches for the Local 98 member.

John Dougherty ducked the contractor's punch and countered with a punch to the assailant's face. That was the end of the incident. We firmly believe that there should be no criminal or civil charges filed in this matter, as John Dougherty acted purely in self-defense.

Dougherty is a well-known union boss who is also politically active. He’s made campaign contributions to both Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams as well as Attorney General Kathleen Kane. Williams sent the case to Kane to avoid appearance of conflict. Kane’s office also released a statement on the investigation Tuesday.

“In the matter of John Dougherty, Attorney General Kane has set up a conflict wall regarding the decision to accept or deny the referral and/or initiate charges,” a spokesperson wrote. “This action was taken to avoid the appearance of a conflict due to the high profile nature of Mr. Dougherty, who was a donor to Attorney General Kane in 2013. The Office of Attorney General employs capable attorneys who are prepared to make the decision whether to accept and/or prosecute a potential assault case."

Keesee’s attorney meanwhile told NBC10 he’s preparing to file a civil lawsuit.
 

MOISTURE (AND WARMTH) FROM THE SOUTH HEADED OUR WAY

Tuesday night was a deadly one in the Southern United States, with several tornadoes destroying hundreds of homes. That system will bring us rain on Wednesday. Fortunately, we’re not expecting the storms to be as intense here, but they will pack a punch.

INGREDIENT 1: WARM TEMPS

We’re looking at another unseasonably warm day, with a high in the low 60s. There may even be a few 65s out there! Those warm temps will continue into the evening. All of that warmth gives us some really unstable air.

INGREDIENT 2: STRONG (ONSHORE) SURFACE WINDS

During the afternoon and evening Wednesday, winds will be in the 20 MPH range, with gusts up to 40 in Philadelphia and 50 along the Shore. There will be a period of several hours with frequent gusts. That, combined with the rain, could be enough to bring some trees and limbs down.

INGREDIENT 3: SCREAMING LOW LEVEL JET OUT OF THE SOUTH

Right along the coast, there’s a very healthy low level jet of about 100 MPH. That’s a river of air a few thousand feet above the ground that will provide moist air and instability. Thunderstorms are more intense and organized when there’s a lot of shear (a sharp increase in wind speed from the ground to the lower levels of the atmosphere). As a result, South Jersey and Delaware have been put into a “marginal risk” area for severe weather. Don’t let the term marginal fool you, there is a good chance we’ll see some severe thunderstorms somewhere in our area tomorrow.

INGREDIENT 4: RAIN

There’s also a fair amount of rain associated with this system. The most rain will fall in areas of localized downpours and thunderstorms, where some flooding is possible. Those spots could see 2” of rain. Most people will see around an inch of rain, but all of that will come in a very short period of time.

On the bright side, we dry out for the weekend, with temps right around where they should be for this time of year.

Stay with NBC10 for the latest updates on the storm.
 

Philly’s a great place to live – a Top 10 place – according to a new international survey.

The City of Brotherly Love came in as 10th best in quality of life in the United States in human capital strategy company Mercer’s Quality of Living Rankings, reported Philly.com.

Philadelphia placed as the 57th best city on the entire planet in the survey, coming in one spot behind Pittsburgh, said Philly.com.

Vienna, Austria ranked No. 1 worldwide for the seventh-straight year while San Francisco came in No. 1 in the United States while placing 28th in the world.

The rankings factor in 39 elements including crime rates, economic status and access to quality education and health care in 440 cities around the world.

The goal of the rankings is to give companies an idea of the type of places they would most like employees to relocate to.

“Heightened domestic and global security threats, population displacement resulting from violence, and social unrest in key business centers around the world are all elements adding to the complex challenge facing multinational companies when analyzing the safety and health of their expatriate workforces,” said Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s Talent business. “Multinational companies need accurate data and objective methods to determine the cost implications of deteriorating living standards and personal safety issues when compensating expatriates.”

Delaware County police opened fire after a man pulled a knife on officers during a medical call, sources with knowledge of the investigation told NBC10.

Police opened fire after Sharon Hill officers responded to a home on Barker Avenue, near Marshall Road, in Sharon Hill around 7 p.m., said county dispatchers.

Sharon Hill Police officers went to the home to check on a 22-year-old man's health, said sources. When they arrived, the man pulled a knife and slashed the face of one of the officers and got into a scuffle with the second officer, sources said.

At some point a detective or detectives opened fire, said sources.

The man was struck in the chest and transported to a hospital where his condition wasn’t known, said dispatchers.

Doctors at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital treated both officers then released both, said sources.

Other details about the shooting weren’t immediately clear.

Montgomery County detectives helped Delco investigators in the search for clues, said sources.

Severe thunderstorms with lightning, heavy rain, hail and wind gusts near 60 mph moved through our region Wednesday, leaving behind a path of destruction, power outages and road closures throughout the area.

A Flash Flood Warning is currently in effect for Northampton, Lehigh, Monroe and northwestern Bucks counties until 2 a.m. Thursday. Flooding is occurring on streets and creeks in those areas. If you happen to be driving near floodwaters, turn around immediately and do not attempt to go through them.

A Flash Flood Advisory was also in effect for almost the entire area until 12:45 a.m. Thursday.

A Tornado Watch was in effect for the entire region throughout the evening until it was finally cancelled around 11:45 p.m. Several Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were also in effect for various parts of the area throughout the night, including Philadelphia.

A Tornado Warning was also in effect for Lancaster County, which saw some of the most severe storm damage.

The severe thunderstorms moved into the region around 6 p.m. Wednesday bringing 60 mph wind gusts, lightning, hail and heavy rain. At one point the storm was moving through the northeast at 100 mph.

"That is extremely fast for an isolated storm," said NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Sheena Parveen. "We typically don't see it that fast but we are dealing with a very unstable weather pattern." 

LANCASTER COUNTY 

Lancaster County was hit especially hard. The storm caused a barn to collapse in Salisbury Township. Wires fell on roads and destructive winds blew debris hundreds of yards into fencing and trees. Fire crews responded to calls for building collapses, downed power lines, downed trees and street flooding. Families in the town told NBC10 they took cover in their basement and were shocked when they stepped back outside to see the massive destruction.

"It's pretty bad," said Caroline Huiard. "There's a lot of damage around and in the area. It's sad because it's our neighborhood. We didn't think it would be this bad. Honestly we didn't." 

Despite all the damage, no injuries were reported. While there was a Tornado Warning for the area, officials have not yet determined whether or not a tornado actually touched down.

PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia was hit hard by rain and heavy wind gusts as well. The winds blew over a sign at a Burger King on Rising Sun Avenue and Van Kirk Street in Lawncrest. They also caused a tree to fall onto a car in the Mount Airy section of the city.

I-76 eastbound is also closed between the Girard and Montgomery Drive exits due to flooding on the road. Part of Lincoln Drive was also closed late Wednesday.

The bad weather also caused numerous flight delays and cancellations at Philly International Airport.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

The storms also caused power outages in parts of Abington Township, where many roads were flooded and blocked to traffic. In Cheltenham Township a large tree collapsed on the roof of a home. Fortunately no one inside was injured. Rescue crews told NBC10 they've had a busy night and expect conditions to get worse in the area.

In Pottstown four people were trapped inside a car that was stuck in knee-deep water at the intersection of High and Manatawny streets. The driver, Leonardo Rosario, told NBC10 his engine died out and stalled while his 1-year-old daughter was inside the car.

"I was pretty nervous for my daughter," Rosario said. "She was upset and crying and whatnot. I mean any parent would be so I had to call the ambulance and try to make moves before anything else could've happened."

Help eventually arrived and Rosario's vehicle was towed away.

LEHIGH COUNTY

Another Salisbury Township, this one in Lehigh County, also dealt with severe damage from Wednesday's storm. The basement of a home on the 1600 block of Broadway was flooded with about three feet of water. Drivers were also stuck inside their cars in a foot and a half of water at 33rd and Lehigh streets. Fortunately responding rescue crews were able to get them out.

SOUTH JERSEY

The storms also caused flooding, damage and power outages in South Jersey. In Vineland a tree crashed through the ceiling of the All Kids First Daycare on the 1300 block of Stewart Street. The tree fell through the ceiling and into a baby room that held four cribs. Fortunately no children were inside at the time.

"Thank God no employees and no babies were injured," said Carol Deola, the owner of the daycare. "We're really happy."

Not far away from the daycare, heavy winds caused power lines to droop over Magnolia Road. In neighboring Millville, orange cones marked where a tree snapped and toppled a power line on Mays Landing Road.

PECO POWER OUTAGES

29,000 total in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia counties

PPL POWER OUTAGES

Bucks County- 366
Chester County - 583
Montgomery County - 633
Northampton County - 745

PSE&G POWER OUTAGES

Burlington County - 490
Camden County - 3,885
Gloucester County - 748

AC ELECTRIC POWER OUTAGES

Atlantic County - 180
Burlington County - 317
Cumberland County - 130

DELMARVA POWER OUTAGES

New Castle County - 680
Sussex County - 479

We could see some light showers Thursday morning and temperatures around 50 degrees. We'll see more strong winds during the day with gusts near 40 mph. Friday will be sunny but chilly with a high of 40. Saturday will be chilly as well with a high of 43. Temperatures will finally rise again Sunday with highs near 60 degrees.

Stay with NBC10 for the latest updates on the storm. 

STORM VIDEOS AND PHOTOS

Move over, "Like" button. There are more ways now to express emotions on Facebook. 

The social media giant is rolling out its new "Reactions" feature on Wednesday that will allow 1.6 billion users worldwide to "Wow," "Haha" or "Love" friends' photos and status updates.

The other animated buttons in the set of five are "Sad" and "Angry" and are sure to get tons of use, especially during this election cycle. 

The change comes after years of people saying they wanted to be able to do more than just "like" posts on Facebook. 

Mobile users will have to upload to the most recent version of Facebook on Android or iOS as the new feature rolls out over the next few days.

For the second time in a week, wild turkeys are targeting people in New Jersey.

Judah Shechter said a family of wild turkeys tried to crash through the backdoor of his East Brunswick home on Tuesday.

Shechter was on his treadmill when he heard a very loud banging noise at his backdoor.

When he went to see what it was he found the turkeys trying to get inside.

He was able to chase the turkeys away.

Last week a mailman had to be rescued after he was trapped inside his truck by a group of wild turkeys.

A Brick Township couple was arrested on various charges, including burglary and criminal mischief.

James and Amiko Donegan were arrested after a four-month investigation into a string of burglaries in the Greenbriar Woodlands Retirement Community.

Starting in late November, multiple burglaries were reported in the community. Various police departments were involved in the investigation and were led to the couple. After searching the couple’s home, police were able to find multiple pieces of evidence linking the couple to the burglaries, investigators said.

This investigation is ongoing, and more charges are expected to arise, police said.