Firefighters are investigating the cause of a three-alarm blaze that swept through at least two houses and a church early Sunday morning in Chester Heights.
Investigators say the blaze started in a campground in the 300 block of Valleybrook Road shortly after 4:00 a.m. and spread quickly. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and the full extent of the damage has not yet been revealed.
Stay with NBCPhiladelphia.com for more on this breaking story.
A man who police say was holding a woman and her infant hostage inside a South Side apartment was tasered and then arrested Sunday morning, more than nine hours after the standoff began.
It all began with a domestic disturbance around 9:10 p.m. Saturday in the 6700 block of South Jeffrey Boulevard, according to police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro.
Inside the apartment, a man was holding a woman and baby hostage, according to police.
Police tased the man and took him into custody at 6:43 a.m., ending the incident.
The suspect was taken to Jackson Park Hospital and Medical Center where he remains in custody as of 9:10 a.m., according to Kubiak, who said the woman and child were not harmed.
Calumet Area detectives are investigating.
Authorities in northern New Jersey say a Newark police officer shot and wounded a man who allegedly drove off while the officer was hanging on the vehicle.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray says that around 10 p.m. Saturday, two Newark officers noticed a vehicle circling an area known for drug activity. The driver eventually stopped there and got out, but returned to his vehicle when he saw the officers approach.
They asked the man to stop, but he instead drove off, dragging one officer about 100 yards. The officer then shot at the driver, who was hit at least once in the shoulder, and the car struck a building.
Both the officer and the suspect, neither of whom was identified, were hospitalized Sunday with injuries that aren't considered life-threatening.
A car plowed into a Chili's restaurant in Morgan Park Saturday night, seriously injuring several people.
The building, at 1750 W. 119th St., caught fire after the crash, but the flames were quickly put out. Eight people were hurt and taken to nearby hospitals, including the driver. Of those, four were initially listed in critical condition.
"All we saw was fire," said a woman who was inside the restuarant. "People on the corner, they were really messed up because they were stuck under the table."
Police do not yet know why the woman behind the wheel crashed into the building.
Marines are known for their tough character, but one local Marine is using physical and mental strength to go above and beyond for an upcoming road race.
According to WTOP, Captain Jason "Duke" Dequenne, who is based at Quantico, plans to run 236 miles this month. He's doing it to celebrate the Marine Corps 236 birthday. Captain Dequenne also plans to dedicate each mile to a Marine killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Duke will start in Philadelphia and plans to finish his mighty feat during the Marine Crops Marathon October 30.
The stepfather of a missing Germantown boy will appear in a North Carolina court Monday to face charges in his ex-wife’s murder. Curtis Lopez is accused of beating and stabbing 51-year-old Jane McQuain to death.
Lopez was arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina last week after detectives tracked McQuain’s missing SUV to a hotel there. Meanwhile McQuain’s son, 11-year-old William McQuain is still missing.
Friends, family, classmates and teammates are gathering today to start their own search party in the Germantown neighborhood where the McQuain’s lived. Those who organized the search say they just can’t sit idly by.
“Jane would definitely be doing this for any of us if she was here,” Roger Anderson, a search organizer, told News4’s Derrick Ward. “Unfortunately since she’s not here, we are picking up that slack and doing it for her. We’re all parents, so we definitely understand.”
Come Thanksgiving, gamblers in Atlantic City won't have to be on a casino floor to gamble.
The Tropicana Casino and Resort is expanding gambling to The Quarter, its shopping and dining area across the street from the casino.
Tropicana president Tony Rodio told The Associated Press the casino got approval Friday from the state Division of Gaming Enforcement for a pilot program with 11 slot machines and two electronic table games. It hopes to eventually have 100 to 125 slots and live table games in The Quarter.
"This will be the first time ever in the history of Atlantic City that there's gaming on the city side of Pacific Avenue," he said. "It's pretty historic."
Since gambling began here in 1978, it was limited to the beachfront block along the Boardwalk. An exception was later made to allow casinos in the Marina District, where the Borgata, Harrah's and the Golden Nugget are.
Rodio said the machines are designed to give people waiting for dinner or a movie something fun to do while they're waiting.
"We'll get a lot of impulse play, from people waiting to sit down for dinner or waiting for their reservations or for a movie at the IMAX," he said. "On a unit-by-unit basis, I expect these machines will out-perform the ones in the regular casino."
He said the machines should be up and running by Thanksgiving, once installation of the hardware, electrical wiring and security cameras is completed. The pilot program will last 90 days, during which the gaming enforcement division will monitor how it is working.
"There are a bunch of families around there for the restaurants and the IMAX theater, and there is a concern about underage gambling; I'll be honest about that," Rodio said. "We'll be very vigilant about making sure that doesn't happen, and that's part of why there's a pilot program at first for this."
Assuming all goes well, Rodio said Tropicana eventually plans to have 100 to 125 slot machines added to The Quarter, along with an undetermined number of live-staffed table games such as cards, roulette and craps.
The Quarter is a 200,000-square-foot entertainment complex with 20 shops and 20 restaurants, and the IMAX theater. It opened in November 2004 and soon became one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Atlantic City.
The Tropicana has 2,078 rooms and suites, making it the third-largest casino-hotel in Atlantic City. It has 2645 slot machines and 139 table games.
