A Peruvian woman who was on her way to New Jersey with her family from Brussels for her sister's wedding was among the 11 people killed in the blast at the airport, grieving family friends in Passaic say. 

Adelma Tapia Ruiz, who lived in Brussels, was checking in for her flight to the New York City area with her family on Tuesday morning, family friends say. Her twin daughters ran off to play, and her husband followed.

Then the blasts ripped through the airport. 

Ruiz was killed. One of her daughters was hit by shrapnel, and Ruiz's husband was also hurt. 

The family had been on their way to northern New Jersey for her sister's bridal shower and wedding. 

"She was supposed to be the chef and cook for her sister [at the shower], to do all that stuff. It's horrible," said family friend Martha Sisco at a memorial mass inside a small Passaic church Wednesday.

"The family right now, they are in breakdown," said Sisco. "The mother, they had to take her to the hospital yesterday."

"We are about to celebrate, somebody called and told us this, everyone's in shock," said family friend Liliana Delgado. 

Ruiz hadn't seen her family in New Jersey in several years, and what was supposed to be a happy reunion has turned into funeral arrangements, family friends said. 

Family members have not disclosed funeral plans, and it's not clear if the wedding will go on as scheduled after the tragedy. 

Other people with ties to the tri-state narrowly escaped injury in the airport blasts: Jason Jacques of the Upper East Side was on his way back with a friend from Brooklyn and recalled "people were running, blood was flying, ceilings were collapse, smoke was billowing everywhere." 

Ashley Bruggemann of New Jersey had just passed through the departure hall in the airport, where the explosions happened, when she suddenly saw people running toward her. 

The attacks at the airport and at a train station in Brussels killed 31 people and injured more than 200 others. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and Belgium remained on high alert Wednesday, the first of three days of mourning for the victims of the attacks. as authorities hunted for one of the suspected attackers seen on surveillance video. Two others blew themselves up, authorities said. 

Two separate shootings, including one in which police say the gunman used an assault rifle to shoot his victim at point-blank range, left one man dead and another fighting for his life in Philadelphia overnight.

In the first shooting, an assault rifle-wielding gunman fired at least five shots at a man at point-blank range near the intersection of Chew Avenue and Locust Avenue in the city's East Germantown neighborhood.

Chief Inspector Scott Small said police received several 9-1-1 calls from neighbors who heard the gunfire. When officers arrived, they found the victim lying on the sidewalk, bleeding from four gunshot wounds to his chest, stomach and back, Small said.

Police took the man to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition Thursday morning. Small said it was unclear whether he would survive the shooting, and that he remained a John Doe Thursday morning because he did not have an ID on him at the time of the shooting. Police believe he is in his 20s.

Philadelphia Police Real Time Crime Center cameras captured the shooter jumping into a blue Hyundai sedan immediately after the shooting and taking off south on Chew Avenue. Investigators continued to review that video and surveillance from area businesses later Thursday.

A short while after that shooting, police in North Philadelphia responded to another shooting, this time at Front Street and Indiana Avenue in the Fairhill neighborhood.

Police pulled up to the corner to find a man suffering from several gunshot wounds to the chest and torso about 1:30 a.m. He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead.

Investigators found 13 shell casings at the scene and said it appeared the victim was targeted.

The shooter fled the scene in a black or dark-blue hoodie, said police.

Investigators combed over surveillance video from both scenes as they searched for clues.

Anyone with information in either shooting should contact the police tip line at 215-686-8477 or text a tip to PPD TIP (773847).

The motorist who struck a father of two on a Delaware highway and left him to die on the side of the road remains free, and police are asking the public's help to track the person down.

Delaware State Police on Wednesday released surveillance images showing a dark-gray SUV captured on video traveling northbound on Lancaster Pike at the time of the deadly hit-and-run, which happened Sunday, Feb. 28 in Hockessin.

Jeremiah McCarthy, 34, a father of two young children, was walking across Lancaster Pike (Route 41) near Ace Memorial Drive about 9:30 p.m. that night after stopping to see his father at a nearby VFW Post when the vehicle struck him.

The striking vehicle didn't stop, police said. McCarthy died at the scene.

Police said they believe the SUV that appears in the surveillance footage may be a Ford or Chevrolet, and may have damage to its front right side. Investigators are also asking that a person seen on surveillance video riding a motorcycle passing the scene of the crash shortly after it happened to come forward.

Anyone with information should call Cpl. John Forester at 302-365-8485 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Tipsters can also text 274637 a tip using the keyword "DSP."

Police in South Jersey are searching for a duo who stole nearly $6,000 in merchandise from a Target store and fled in a Mercedes with New York tags.

The shoplifters were caught on surveillance video during the March 14 incident. Police say they went into the Target on Route 73 in Marlton about 10:30 p.m. and stole $5,633 worth of merchandise. Police did not specify exactly what the men stole.

After the heist, the men fled from the parking lot in a gray Mercedes with New York license plates, according to police.

Tipsters are asked to contact Evesham Township Police at 856-983-1116. Tips can also be texted by sending ETPDTIP to 847411.

Thursday is the day to ask the age old questions like “Pat’s or Geno’s?” Chubby’s or Dalessandro’s” “Jim’s or Tony Luke’s?”

March 24 marks the annual National Cheesesteak Day celebrations and while there may not be enough time to answer questions about which haunt has the best Whiz wit, there is plenty of opportunity to chow down.

Wherever you choose to celebrate the big day, be sure to bring your appetite and possibly get a deal. Geno’s Steaks in South Philly offered $3 off from 10 a.m. to noon.

And plenty of other steak sandwich palaces from Jim’s on South Street to Tony’s Luke’s in South Philly called for people to show their cheesesteak pride on social media.

Be sure to bring a bib if you plan on celebrating.
 

An industrial accident left a worker trapped under a bail of paper at a warehouse in the shadow of Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia's Tacony section Thursday morning.

The 35-year-old worker became trapped at Newman Paperboard along Tacony Street around 11:30 a.m., said Philadelphia Philadelphia.

Philadelphia firefighters and medics worked to free the man who was listed in stable condition with a right leg injury, said police.

A short time later, SkyForce10 captured a man on a stretcher being taken from the building.

Newman & Company is a family business that has been in existence for nearly 100 years that mills nearly 70,000 tons of paperboard annually, according to its website.

A company spokesman had no comment on the incident.

A well-traveled bridge connecting both sides of the Schuylkill River will reopen Friday -- one week ahead of schedule.

The Falls Bridge over the Schuylkill River, which connects Dr. Martin Luther King Drive to Kelly Drive in East Falls, will be reopened to vehicular traffic for the Friday morning rush, the Philadelphia streets Department announced Thursday.

The project, which involved the rehabilitation and strengthening of the bridge’s steel floor beams and stringers, was scheduled to be completed by April 1. Buckley & Company, Inc. and Cornell & Company completed the work ahead of time.

The bridge remained accessible to walkers, runners and bikers during the project.

Gerber Products Company is voluntarily recalling two Organic pouch baby food products after identifying a packaging defect that may result in spoilage during transport and handling.

The recall affects Gerber Organic 2nd Foods Pouches, which are available in 3.5 ounce pouches with pears, carrots and peas, and carrots, apples and mangoes.

Gerber said in a press release, published on the Food and Drug Administration's website, that customers may notice the affected pouches are bloated and the product inside may have "an off taste or color."

The company said it is working to retrieve the four affected batches from retailers across the U.S. and online stores.

Here are the products that are being recalled and should not be consumed:

GERBER® Organic 2ND FOODS® Pouches –Pears, Carrots & Peas, 3.5 ounce pouch UPC 15000074319

Best By dates/batch codes

12JUL2016 51945335XX and 13JUL2016 51955335XX

GERBER® Organic 2ND FOODS® Pouches- Carrots, Apples and Mangoes, 3.5 ounce pouch UPC 15000074395

Best By dates/batch codes

13JUL2016 51955335XX and 14JUL2016 51965335XX

Customers who have purchased one of the products may request a replacement coupon by calling the Gerber Parents Resource Center at 1-800-706-0556. The recall does not affect any other Gerber pouches or Gerber products, the company said.

Former Eagles fullback Kevin Turner died on Thursday morning at the age of 46, according to the Kevin Turner Foundation.

Turner, who played for the Eagles from 1995-99, battled with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) for the last six years.

In his five seasons with the Eagles, Turner played in 58 games and started 46. In 1999, he was a teammate of current Eagles head coach Doug Pederson. Turner played collegiately at Alabama and was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 1992 NFL Draft.

Turner was also a teammate of Donovan McNabb, when McNabb was a rookie in 1999. McNabb tweeted the following on Thursday afternoon: "Prayers and blessing go out to a former teammate of mine Kevin Turner, unfortunately he passed away. Great mentor and friend. KT we miss you."

From the time of his diagnosis in 2010, Turner turned his attention to his foundation to raise awareness to ALS and "sports-related traumatic brain injuries."

Turner was one of the faces of the group of NFL players who sued the league for healthcare costs and compensation for players who suffered brain injuries while playing in the NFL.

Turner's father, Raymond, posted the following message on Thursday: "Myra and I lost a great son today. He will be missed so much. Thanks to everyone so very much for your support and prayers during this journey. He was ready to go to Heaven, excited he said, Love y'all and God Bless."

NBC10 Investigator Mitch Blacher and photojournalist Charlie Wellock spent the last month investigating lead in our area.

Join us next week, beginning Monday, March 28, 2016, for a five-part series that reveals the most urgent lead-based problems in our region, including a law that isn't enforced, a lead remediation fund that has been raided and a state health deparment that could not access its own records because of a forgotten password.

LIVING WITH LEAD airs each weekday in the 4 p.m. news on NBC10 and here online.

Gotta have a Wawa? Or does Wawa gotta have YOU?

The beloved convenience store and gas station chain is looking to hire five thousand employees within the next three months.

Wawa is searching for both full-time and part-time employees to work for them as they continue to grow and expand.

Wawa purports to offer "excellent benefits, growth, and advancement opportunities to all members of our team," on its website.

Check out Wawa Careers here.

Credit card payments were not accepted at Philadelphia Parking Authority kiosks for part of the day Thursday.

In a statement posted to the PPA website, officials said a "temporary problem with wireless transmission of credit card payments" was at fault for the outage.

Officials confirmed the problem was resolved and kiosks were able to accept credit again around 7:30 p.m.

During the outage, those wishing to park needed to pay with cash or by using the PPA's phone app, "MeterUp."

PPA Executive Director Vince Fenerty said, "there would be a fifteeen minute grace period from the time a ticket is issued for customers to get cash to pay the kiosk." Any ticketed customer ticketed within that 15 minutes could contact customer service at sruiz@philapark.org or call the City's Parking Violations Branch at 1-888-591-3636.

“We want to apologize for any inconvenience caused by our inability to accept credit card payments. Be assured the PPA and the responsible vendors are working diligently to correct what appears to be a glitch in the data transmission process,” Fenerty said.

Michael and Angel Miller are taking it one day at a time, but things are getting better.

Michael, 22, appeared along with his mother, Angel, in Generation Addicted, NBC10's exclusive in-depth look at the heroin and opioid epidemic. Michael's story is not uncommon: At the suggestion of a friend, he started experimenting with painkillers as a young adult, and before long, he wound up hooked on pills and later, on heroin.

When the half-hour special featuring Michael and Angel's story aired on Monday, though, Michael wasn't home to watch it with his mom in their Northeast Philadelphia apartment. He was stuck in a jail cell on State Road, locked up for four days on an old bench warrant -- an arrest his mother, who works in the medical field and helps people get into rehab, says is a symptom of a broken system that punishes people battling addiction.

"He just wasn't supposed to be there," Angel said as she sat with Michael in his bedroom on Thursday afternoon.

Michael's warrant stemmed from past drug-possession charges and missed court dates after he returned to Philadelphia from rehab in Florida last year. Both he and his mother said court notices never came in the mail to their apartment.

So when Michael was walking along the river near his family's home on Saturday afternoon and called 9-1-1 after hearing a woman screaming for help, police arrested him on his outstanding bench warrant.

Because he was arrested on a weekend, he spent four days in jail before he saw a judge on Tuesday and was released early Wednesday. Fortunately, Angel said, Michael was given some medication to ease his withdrawal symptoms while he was jailed. He takes Suboxone, a medication that prevents withdrawal and blunts opiate cravings, as part of his recovery from heroin addiction -- and being without it in jail meant withdrawal symptoms crept back.

After he appeared before a judge late Tuesday, Michael was released, court records show. He's continuing to work toward clearing up the possession case while making progress in his recovery.

Michael's been sober for about a month and a half now, is in therapy and goes to intensive outpatient treatment. NBC10 met Michael in Kensington in December in the midst of his two-year battle with heroin, after he relapsed in the fall following his stint in rehab in Florida.

In Generation Addicted, Michael spoke candidly about his addiction, explaining how he never wanted to be addicted to heroin -- and never thought he would -- but felt compelled once he became hooked. You can hear him and Angel talk about his battle with heroin here.

Now, Michael is doing better, and he and his mom are taking each day at a time as he continues to recover. He's talking about going back to college to finish his bachelor's degree and plans to meet with a counselor from the Community College of Philadelphia.

Angel said that while it broke her heart to watch the raw video of Michael in his active addiction, she's never been more proud of her son. She said she hopes sharing his story will help other people and said being a part of Generation Addicted has inspired her to get more involved like many of the other mothers of addicted children who were featured.

"I want to be involved, because that's how much I love this kid," Angel said on Wednesday. "I'm so proud of him in so many ways."

She and Michael both said they've received a lot of support from a wide network of friends, family and acquaintances after Generation Addicted. The night of the show, Michael received almost five dozen texts from old friends who saw it and reached out to him.

"People wanted to see how I was doing," Michael said Wednesday. "They all said the same thing."

Angel plans to connect with other mothers to help other families plagued by addiction.

"I somehow want to be a voice for mothers like me, to let them know it can come to your house," she said. "We have to do something, because 22-year-olds are dying."

And even though she still worries each time Michael walks out the door, she said she has faith that he'll continue to do better and better as time goes on.

The pair talked lightheartedly about his upcoming 23rd birthday and about getting him back into college classes Wednesday afternoon -- a drastic difference from the way Michael appeared two months ago while he was still using.

"There's a reason why I'm here, there's a reason he's still alive," Angel said. "He's gonna accomplish something before I die. I know that with my whole heart."

Lemurs Huey and Kaika of the Philadelphia Zoo got a special treat for the start of spring: the birth of four adorable baby lemurs on March 21st, 2016.

Huey and Kaika, along with their four little fluff balls, are black-and-white ruffed lemurs. This species is critically endangered due to poaching and habitat loss in Madagascar.

Kaika first arrived at the zoo in 2011. She is famous for being the most valuable breeding female of her species, as she has unrepresented genetics.

This litter of four weighs a combined one-third of a pound. The baby lemurs can be distinguished by their own unique marks and fur coloration.

Kaika is ecstatic to be a mom. She carries her babies by mouth from one nest box to another, as they are not yet big enough to move on their own.

The Philadelphia Zoo plans to debut the lemurs in the next few weeks.

The birth of these lemurs is vital for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan for black-and-white ruffed lemurs.