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Man Dies After Rittenhouse Square Fire Escape Collapses
The investigation into a fire escape collapse that killed one person continues Monday as an engineering report is expected by the building's owners.

Woman Finds Wrong Body in Mother's Casket
A woman wants answers after discovering the wrong body in a casket that should have contained her mother, who died unexpectedly while on vacation in St. Maarten.

Popular Kosher Bakery Suddenly Closes
A popular Philadelphia Kosher bakery suddenly closed after more than 50 years of business

Police Search for Alleged 'Swiss Cheese Pervert'
Philadelphia Police are searching for an alleged "swiss cheese pervert."

DeSean Jackson Offers $50K Reward in Burglary
Burglars stole $200,000 in cash, other valuables and a gun from the home of the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Daryl Hall Lists Oldest Home In Maine
See inside Daryl's house.

The same convenience store held up numerous times in recent weeks was held up again overnight leading to an increase in the reward for those responsible.

This time a suspect entered the store at Bustleton Pike and Levick Street as customers were inside and robbed the clerk of cash and a carton of cigarettes early Monday morning.

Luckily no one was hurt.

A $5,000 reward was recently offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a masked man who allegedly robbed the same Wawa store more than once before.

That reward from Wawa in conjunction with the Citizens Crime Commission and Northeast Philadelphia Police Detectives was upped to $10,000 after Monday's heist.

"It is our hope that, in offering this reward, we can expedite bringing the perpetrator of these crimes to justice," said a press release from Wawa.

An armed man, wearing a “Scream” mask like the one worn in the horror-movie franchise, entered the store on Nov. 26 and demanded money, according to Philadelphia Police. An employee handed over an undisclosed amount of cash from the registered and the masked man fled from the store.

Police officers at that time told NBC10 that they believe this same suspect struck the store before -- one of two suspects captured on surveillance video.

It's unclear if Monday's thief is the same person.

Three earlier thefts also featured robbers in horror masks coming in between 3 and 4 a.m. and demanding money. In an Oct. 1 incident where two masked men burst into the store and made off with cash. Then, on Nov. 4 a masked man made off with cash from the register.

Finally, on Nov. 21, a man in a "Scream" masked burst in and demanded money.

A nearby Wawa store on Krewstown Road was also held up in late December.

Wawa says it has taken measure to try and prevent thefts at its stores: "The safety and security of our associates and customers is of utmost importance to us. Our priority is always to ensure the safety and security of our associates and our customers at this store, and we have been pursuing all avenues..."

Anyone with information should contact police and/or call Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153.

Two lanes on I-78 reopened hours after a fiery crash sent smoke billowing into the air, leaving at least one person dead and at least two hurt.

Investigators say a car or SUV stopped in lane 4 of a tollbooth in the westbound lanes of I--78 near Morgan Hill Road in Williams Township, Pa. Suddenly, a ShopRite tractor-trailer crashed into the vehicle, according to officials. Parts of the wreckage slammed into the toll booth before coming to a stop several lanes over against an embankment.

The crash caused a fire to break out.

"It's a terrible sight," said Pennsylvania State Trooper Marc Allen. "We have at least one fatality."

The car driver died, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The tractor-trailer driver got out and was transported to a local hospital, according to ShopRite.

A tollbooth worker was also injured when that worker run towards the fiery crash with a fire extinguisher.

Police diverted westbound traffic and closed the tollbooths as firefighters battled the blaze. According to police, the fire was put out within an hour. But, the blaze continued to smolder for some time.

The backup spread all the way back to New Jersey where police diverted cars off the highway.

• Get the latest traffic from NBC10.com

Traffic got by in the eastbound direction.

Late Monday afternoon, two lanes on I-78 westbound reopened. Four lanes remain closed however as the investigation into the cause of the deadly wreck continues.

Investigators were able to separate the cab from the tractor trailer. They're now inspecting the wreckage underneath.

It appeared that at least one of the vehicles struck a tollbooth in the moments before the wreck. State Police were looking at surveillance video from the tolls to try and figure out what happened.

ShopRite released a brief statement that in parts read: "...Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the families of all involved in this terrible accident."

A Philadelphia charter school was evacuated this morning due to the smell of natural gas in the building.

Students were led out of the West Oak Lane Charter School at 7115 Stenton Ave. around 9:15 a.m. Monday.

There was an odor of natural gas in the building, according to firefighters.

As a precaution students -- from kindergartens through eighth graders -- were evacuated from the two-story building.

Philadelphia Gas Works was called to the scene to investigate the odor.

As SkyForce10 hovered overhead, kids could be seen going back into the school about an hour after they were evacuated.

No injuries were reported, according to authorities.

However, some students could be seen being looked it inside ambulances at the scene.

An exact cause for the fumes wasn't immediately clear.

The school didn't release any statement about the incident nor did they clarify exactly what caused the fumes.

Months of hard work finally pay off today for groups working towards transforming blight in Philadelphia.

Mayor Michael Nutter will be joined by City Council President Darrell Clarke and other city officials to celebrate the signing of the land bank bill.

"I am  pleased to see Philadelphia take this historic step forward and grateful for our partners in the Land Bank Alliance for collaborating with City Council on this legislation," said Clarke ahead of the signing. "...Getting vacant properties back online and contributing to the economy is so important to taxpayer fairness in Philadelphia as well as to our public schools."

The land bank is the city's way to deal with thousands of blighted, vacant and abandoned properties. Philly joins dozens of other jurisdictions nationwide, becoming the largest city to institute a land bank -- a type of collective that proponents say will simplify the process of purchasing and fixing blighted properties.

“You want to make it easier for responsible owners to put (land) back into use,” Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations Executive Director Rick Sauer said back in April as the bill was being discussed in City Council.

The basic idea of the land bank is that it serves as a centralized entity that can efficiently handle maintenance, sale and redevelopment of properties that were owned and managed by a slew of city agencies and private parties -- all with their own processes and expectations.

The land bank would allow anyone who wants to develop or re-purpose any of the city's 40,000 or so vacant properties or land, to deal with one strategic authority rather than many.

It used to take years to acquire land for redevelopment and to buy three or four properties next to each other you might have to go through three or four entities. The land bank should speed up the time period for land development and make it less confusing and easier because there is only be a single entity to buy the land from.

“It’s a public good,” Sauer said. “These vacant properties right now are dragging down the values of adjacent homeowners, costing the city over $20 million a year just to maintain and in most cases they’re not paying taxes so they are a drain on the city’s services and resources.”

A 2000 Brookings study found that the drain goes beyond just the vacant properties. A home within 150 feet of an abandoned home loses an estimated $7,600 in value.

Land banks can use resources -- even money -- to strategically deal with transforming properties that are currently costing the city money so that they can be usable again, maybe even made into moneymakers.

Quiñones Sanchez sponsored the bill that would create a Philly Land Bank.

“The benefit is that it allows the city to really articulate a redevelopment strategy,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez agrees that the measure also helps with Philly’s bottom line.

“If we’re doing it right, we’re re-purposing them and they become tax-producing properties,” Sanchez said. "The big winner in all this is the city of Philadelphia."

Nutter will sign the bill this afternoon.

Family and friends will gather tonight to remember a popular college freshman who died when he was struck while walking along a busy road outside of Philadelphia.

Dante Desimone died after being struck by a car after it collided with another car along the 500 block of W Baltimore Pike in Clifton Heights, Pa. around 9 p.m. Sunday.

The Upper Darby High School grad and two friends were walking on the sidewalk when the car went onto the sidewalk after being struck by another car.

Following the wreck, Desimone was rushed to Mercy-Fitzgerald Hospital where Desimone died. His friend Tim Robison, who also has ties to Upper Darby High, remained hospitalized Monday morning is serious condition at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania.

Family members say a third friend with the teens wasn't hurt.

The drivers of both cars stopped following the crash and were cooperating with the investigation. DUI wasn't suspected.

Desimone was a graduate of Upper Darby High School where he played lacrosse and hockey and began attending nearby Neumann University this past fall studying sports entertainment.

Ralph Desimone told NBC10 that his family was devastated by his son's death. He said his son overcame a bone disorder that required surgeries to become a college lacrosse player.

Friends and family turned to Twitter using the hashtag #RIPDante to remember the student athlete.

You just have to look back and cherish the moments you once had with that person #RIPDante peace be with you buddy and your family

— Nick Master (@mastynick88) January 13, 2014

The Upper Darby School District released a statement about the accident saying that the district "is deeply saddened" and that they would supply a "safe room" and grief counselors for current students.

The Desimones will take part in a candlelight vigil Monday night at 7:30 near the scene of the deadly crash. Funeral plans are pending.

Authorities are seeking a man captured on surveillance video repeatedly trying to firebomb a northeast Philadelphia home last week.

Police said a man tried to throw a Molotov cocktail into the Port Richmond home shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday.

Detectives said the device failed to ignite but broke the front window. Remains of the device were lying on the sidewalk in front of the residence.

Police said surveillance video recovered from the area "depicted an unknown male attempting to firebomb the residence unsuccessfully five times."

The suspect was wearing a hooded coat with a hooded sweat shirt underneath, sweat pants, a black hat and white shoes.



 

Dante Desimone was walking along Baltimore Pike in Clifton Heights with two friends when he was struck by a car and killed Sunday night. The car that hit Desimone collided with another car before striking him. Another one of his friends was hit and suffered serious injuries. He was doing what most kids his age do -- hanging out with friends.

Friends and the community showed an outpouring of support on social media following Desimone's sudden death. Tweets with the hashtag #RIPDante was shared along with remembrances. 

Desimone was a 2013 graduate of Upper Darby High School. He was talented hockey and lacrosse player. He began his studies at Neumann University this fall. 

Firefighters were at the scene of a 3-alarm fire in Camden.

The fire broke out at an apartment building on the 1300 block of Chase Street.

Firefighters were able to bring the flames under control. No injuries were reported.

Officials have not yet revealed the cause of the blaze.

A popular Philadelphia church will remain closed for the rest of the month due to flooding caused by busted water pipes.

A water pipe ruptured earlier this month at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on the 2800 block of W Cheltenham Avenue.

A spokesperson for the church says that all ministry meetings and activities are canceled for the month of January.

The spokesperson also says all events scheduled for the Family Life Center are canceled through January 24. A football banquet hosted by the Family Life Center will still be held on January 25.

Crews continue to clean up the damage at the church. Services are currently being held at Enon Tabernacle West on 230 West Coulter Street.

For more information on cancellations and postponements, visit the Enon Tabernacle website.

 

The fire escape that collapsed early Sunday morning, killing one man and critically injuring two women, may not have been inspected in more than 50 years.

Inspections are only required at the time of installation or when someone complains, according to a spokeswoman with Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). The accident, which happened early Sunday morning, sent the three victims, all in their twenties, plunging 35 feet to the ground.

Today L&I did complete an inspection of the entire building, the historic John C. Bell apartment building on the corner of 22nd and Locust Street.

From the post-accident inspection, L&I listed a total of five violations on its website for the property located at 2145 Locust Street. Inspectors labeled the floor and ceiling of all of the building's fire escapes, its landings and steps, and the entire fire tower as fully or partially deteriorated, and imminently dangerous. In addition, the building's annual fire alarm certification was not up to code.

L&I spokeswoman Rebecca Swanson says the department is not required to inspect the fire escapes of thousands of older buildings in the city, including the John C. Bell apartment building, unless a complaint is filed.

"The Property Maintenance Code does not require inspections of fire escapes on a building such as this; L&I inspects by complaint. We have never received a complaint about the fire escape at 2145 Locust, so it has not been inspected by our property maintenance inspectors," Swanson said.

According to Swanson, the fire escape should have been inspected at the time that it was installed and is required to be in compliance with the code that was in effect at the time that it was constructed.

"It would have been inspected at the time of its installation, which we believe is upwards of 50 years ago. This is part of the ongoing investigation," Swanson said.

The John C. Bell complex is on the city's national historic registry. It was built in 1906 for John C. Bell, who served as the attorney general of Pennsylvania. While L&I was unable to confirm when the fire escape was installed, national register documents indicate the building's structure may not have been altered since the 1940's, when the now defunct fire tower was reportedly installed.

Construction accident and personal injury attorney Robert Mongeluzzi of Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, PC, said it is simply impossible for L&I to inspect all of the city's buildings that have fire escapes.

"We have hundreds of thousands of structures in this city, many that have fire escapes," Mongeluzzi said. "It is impossible for the city to go out and inspect all of them. What it needs to do is have a set of regulations that imposes the burden on the owner to make sure the property is adequately inspected and maintained."

According to the city's Office of Property Assessment records, the building is owned by the Khorram Group LLP, who purchased the property in late 2002. The Khorram Group is responsible for maintaining the property in accordance with the Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code.

The property owners are also responsible for conducting a full engineering study of the fire escape's load-bearing capacity, to make sure it is up to code.

According to Mongeluzzi, there has been some speculation that the collapse may have been due to an overload of its weight capacity. Mongeluzzi called that idea absurd.

"A life safety fire escape has to be able to support everybody in the building," he said. "The idea that this was overloaded because three people were on it is ridiculous."

City officials are now awaiting an engineer report from the Khorram Group in order to determine their next course of action. Swanson said  the building's owners are cooperating and that the report should be completed no later than Tuesday.

According to Swanson, there have not been any other property maintenance violations in the property's 100-plus year history. L&I has also inspected the interior of the building and found it to be safe for residents to remain in the building while the collapse investigation continues. The fire escapes, however, have been closed-off since the incident.

In order to prompt better maintenance of fire escapes in the city, Mongeluzzi said the city could adopt the 2012 International Fire Code, which requires an inspection by an engineer or registered design professional every five years, or as required by the fire code official.

Police have identified the deceased victim as Albert Suh of Leonia, N.J. According to police, Suh was attending a party at the address when the collapse occurred, but that he did not live in the building. The two women who were injured in the collapse reportedly lived in the building, but their names have not yet been released.

Police are searching for a man who they say pulled a woman into a van and then attacked her.

Police say a woman was walking through the Lake Riviera section of Brick Township, New Jersey Friday morning when she was suddenly approached by a white work van with tinted windows.

The passenger of the van allegedly exited the vehicle, grabbed the woman, and forced her inside. Once inside, the suspect allegedly struck the woman several times in the torso with what she described as a “piece of steel.”

Police say the suspect then took out a box cutter but the woman managed to escape as the van continued north on Georgia Drive. The woman ran to a nearby home, knocked on the door and then asked the resident to call police.

The woman told police that the man who grabbed and attacked her was wearing a blue navy sweatshirt and black pants. Police released a sketch of the suspect.

The woman also described the driver as a man with possibly blonde hair who was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

If you have any information on the suspects, please call Detective James Burgess of the Brick Township Police Department at 732-262-1115. You can also call the Brick Township Police Department directly at 732-262-1100. 
 
 

As police continue to search for the alleged "swiss cheese pervert," one woman, who claims she was approached by the suspect, is speaking out about her experience.

"He told me he liked to put Swiss cheese on his private area," said Priscilla, who asked that her last name be kept anonymous.

The woman said she was sitting at a light along busy Henry Avenue near Philadelphia University in the East Falls section of the city in early December when the man allegedly propositioned her.

Recording part of the incident with her smartphone, you can hear her asking the man "Why do you have Swiss cheese in your car?" She also snapped a picture of the alleged suspect -- holding up the cheese, just like in other pictures captured of him.

Priscilla, who was driving in the car with her cousins, said she thought it was a joke at first, but when they reached another light at Fox Street, the man allegedly had his pants down. Upset by the sight, she quickly drove off.

"Now I'm freaked out because I know it wasn't just a joke," she told NBC10 on Monday night.

The woman is the latest victim to come forward and detail the alleged indecent exposure by the man. Investigators say the suspect has exposed himself to women, while offering them money to watch him put Swiss cheese on his privates, in several neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Montgomery County. Neighborhoods include Port Richmond, Norristown, Mayfair and now East Falls.

The suspect is described as a heavy-set white male between the ages of 40 and 50 with a goatee. Police also say he is driving a newer model silver sedan but has also been spotted in a black colored sedan.

On Thursday, the Mayfair Town Watch posted a photo of the suspect on their Facebook page.

"Some people think this is a joke," said Milt Martelack of the Mayfair Town Watch. "But it's no laughing matter."

Martelack and the town watch are conducting their own investigation and working with police. Martelack says they've spoken to several victims.

"This is not just a Mayfair thing," Martelack said. "This gentleman has been all over the place doing this and I'd characterize his acts as very disturbing."

Priscilla agrees.

"What if he said that to a minor?" she asked. "I think he should be taken off the streets and I think they need to take it a little more seriously."

If you have any information on the suspect, please call the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251.

Also on NBC10.com:

• Ex-Pa. Official Charged With Sexual Harassment
• Man Accused of Rubbing Genitals on Bank Employee
• Man Flashes Woman While Jogging: Police

Three men stormed a city home this morning taking items and pistol whipping a resident.

The men burst into a home on the 5100 block of Arch Street in West Philadelphia sometime around 2 a.m. Tuesday and attacked the man and woman inside.

The man was pistol whipped but the woman wasn’t harmed, according to Philadelphia Police.

The men took several items from the home before fleeing.

Police spent the early morning searching for clues inside the home. It wasn’t clear if the home was specifically targeted.

Police didn’t release any descriptions of the attackers.

Click here for more news from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

It's no surprise Philadelphians have lengthy commutes to and from work (ask anyone forced to park on the Schuylkill Expressway day in and day out), but did you know we have rank among the Top 10 longest commutes in the country?

Yes, that's right, about 15-percent of Philly drivers spend more than one hour on their drive to work, according to chart put out by online statistics portal Statista. The chart pulls data from an earlier Bloomberg survey based on 2011 U.S. Census estimates.

For those of us that don't quite spend that much time behind the wheel, the average drive-time hovers around 31.5 minutes.

Philly comes in right behind Atlanta and LA. San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, D.C. and New York round out the Top 5 with the Big Apple stealing the top spot. About one-third of New Yorkers have an hour commute.

Maybe the long commute has to do with Philly's large suburban area but it also could have something to do with traffic. An earlier chart found that Philadelphians spend about 48 hours a year stuck in traffic.

You will find more statistics at Statista