Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Author: Robert Moran

  • Man fatally shot in West Philly

    Man fatally shot in West Philly

    A man was fatally shot in a car Friday night in West Philadelphia during a possible transaction arranged online, police said.

    The shooting happened around 8:40 p.m. on the 800 block of North Palm Street, police said. The man was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

    A woman and two young children who also were in the car may have been injured by broken glass caused by the gunfire, Inspector D.F. Pace said.

    The man, who was not identified, was possibly in the area as part of a transaction arranged through Facebook Marketplace, Pace said.

    No other details about the shooting were immediately available.

  • A Philly wedding photographer was sued by the Pa. attorney general for allegedly ripping off brides

    A Philly wedding photographer was sued by the Pa. attorney general for allegedly ripping off brides

    A Philadelphia wedding photographer who has been the target of complaints from so many couples in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that they created their own Facebook group was sued on Friday by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office for allegedly ripping off her customers for at least $75,000.

    Christina Garcia, who also did business as Christina Hernandez Artistry LLC and Wandering Stardust Collective, allegedly failed to provide contracted photo and video services and refused to refund deposits, the attorney general’s office said.

    Attorney General Dave Sunday vowed in a statement Friday to make sure “this photographer never again conduct[s] business in the Commonwealth.”

    Sunday said in his statement: “A wedding day is one of the most precious and cherished moments in the lives of a couple, and this business darkened those days by neglecting appointments, then refusing to refund customers.”

    Garcia has been the focus of reports from the Washington Post, NJ.com, and CBS New York.

    She could not be reached for comment Friday. Her Instagram account and business website are now set on private.

    Edward S. Robson, who was described as Garcia’s lawyer in a Washington Post story published in March 2025, also could not be reached for comment.

    In that Post story, Robson said it was “an unfortunate situation” where Garcia faced a “perfect storm that included a health emergency regarding her husband, significant technological issues, and becoming so sought after that there were not enough hours in the day for her to finish her work as promptly as she would have liked.” Robson said Garcia was trying to “do right by her clients.”

    The Post reported that nearly 50 unhappy customers were part of a private Facebook group called “Brides Wronged by WSC.” It was unclear on Friday if the group still exists.

    A customer posted on Reddit about Garcia last June and said she was a member of the Facebook group. The customer said Garcia, with the help of a lawyer, supposedly was trying to deliver some of her contracted photos and videos. It was unclear what happened after that Reddit post.

    The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office alleged that Garcia had represented that she would personally photograph their weddings. Instead, Garcia allegedly double- or triple-booked herself on wedding dates and canceled at the last minute, sending replacement photographers instead.

    Customers who believe they were victimized by Garcia were urged to contact the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office to file an online complaint.

  • Body recovered of swimmer who disappeared in water along Ocean City

    Body recovered of swimmer who disappeared in water along Ocean City

    The body of a swimmer who went missing last month in the water along Ocean City has been recovered near Sea Isle City, police said Tuesday.

    The man, described as a 20-year-old from Exton who was a student at Hofstra University, according to 6ABC, disappeared late in the afternoon on May 18 near the 10th Street Beach.

    On Friday, a body was recovered about 10 miles away and later identified as the missing swimmer, police said.

    The man was not publicly identified and the Ocean City Police Department said the family has asked for privacy.

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  • Man fatally shot while driving in Northeast Philly

    Man fatally shot while driving in Northeast Philly

    A man was fatally shot while driving a car Tuesday afternoon in Northeast Philadelphia, police said.

    Just after 3:50 p.m., police responded to reports of gunfire on the 9000 block of Frankford Avenue and found the victim in a Honda Accord crashed outside an AutoZone store at Frankford and Academy Road.

    The man, who had been shot in the face and shoulder, was transported by medics to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:22 p.m.

    The shots were fired from a tan-colored SUV that fled on Interstate 95.

    Police found spent shell casings on Frankford Avenue in front of a 7-Eleven across the street from the AutoZone.

    No other information was released.

  • Pa. State Police investigating death of dialysis patient in Chester County

    Pa. State Police investigating death of dialysis patient in Chester County

    The Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the death last week of a person in Chester County whose connection to a dialysis machine apparently had been “cut.”

    On June 16, troopers from the Embreevile Station were called to the 400 block of Glen Run Drive in Atglen Borough, where paramedics responded to a hemorraging incident but was unable to save the person’s life, the state police said Tuesday.

    The preliminary investigation “determined the hemorrhaging was the result of a dialysis port being cut,” the state police said.

    The state police are investigating in coordination with the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.

    No other information about the deceased person were released.

  • A South Philly woman shot and killed her sister and granddaughter in murder-suicide, authorities say

    A South Philly woman shot and killed her sister and granddaughter in murder-suicide, authorities say

    A South Philadelphia woman shot and killed her sister and granddaughter before turning the gun on herself Monday in what police described as a double murder and suicide.

    The women, identified Tuesday as Janice Picano, 67, Denise Grottini, 55, and Angelina Picano, 18, were found dead inside a home on the 2800 block of South 10th Street, according to police.

    Police responded to the residence around 5:30 p.m. and found the women with single gunshot wounds to their heads.

    They were pronounced dead at the scene by medics at 5:38 p.m., police said.

    Janice Picano, who investigators say fired the fatal shots, was Grottini’s sister and Angelina Picano’s grandmother, according to a law enforcement source.

    A gun was found at the home and was taken into evidence.

    The homicide unit continues to investigate.

  • Authorities ID 3 people killed in Maryland crash of plane from Ocean City, N.J.

    Authorities ID 3 people killed in Maryland crash of plane from Ocean City, N.J.

    Maryland State Police on Monday released the names of three young men killed when a plane that took off from Ocean City, N.J. crashed late Saturday night east of Washington D.C.

    Around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, a single-engine Piper Cherokee piloted by Yoav Bomrind, 26, of Israel, with two passengers, David Rabinovich, 19, or Israel, and Elad Naidik, 20, of Canada, crashed in a wooded area in Bowie, Md.

    Maryland State Police said Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications received an iPhone crash alert around 11:45 p.m. indicating the plane went down in the area of U.S. Routes 50 and 301 in Bowie.

    The plane was headed to the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., approximately 20 miles northwest of Bowie, apparently as part of a training flight, the state police said.

    Based on preliminary information, investigators believe the plane was owned by a flight school in Montgomery County, Maryland, the state police said.

    Multiple agencies responded to the crash area and the plane was located around 3:45 a.m. Sunday near a residential neighborhood. All three men were pronounced dead at the scene.

    No one else was injured, the state police said.

    The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

  • Ocean County College dean charged with sex assault of minor, prosecutors say

    Ocean County College dean charged with sex assault of minor, prosecutors say

    A man who recently served as a dean at Ocean County College was charged with sexually assaulting a minor, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday.

    James Hadley, of Barnegat in Ocean County, was arrested Friday when he allegedly traveled to Pleasantville in Atlantic County to meet the juvenile for a sex act, the prosecutor’s office said. Hadley was described as 66 years old, but public records indicate that he is 65.

    Earlier this year, Hadley became the dean of the School of Business and Social Sciences at Ocean County College.

    In an emailed statement Monday night, the college said it was informed by law enforcement on Friday afternoon about “the situation regarding James Hadley.”

    The statement continued: “Upon receiving this information, we took immediate action and placed Mr. Hadley on a suspension and restricted him from campus. An interim dean has been appointed.”

    Ocean County College said it has “no record of complaints or reports concerning his conduct while employed with our College. As an open active investigation is pending, the College will not be offering further comment at this time. We are fully cooperating with any police inquiry.”

    The prosecutor’s office said that based on three alleged incidents this month, Hadley was charged with second-degree sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16, second-degree luring a minor to commit a sexual act, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.

    The investigation showed Hadley had previously met the child to engage in sexual acts that he paid the child to perform, the prosecutor’s office said.

    The case, which remains open, was investigated by the Pleasantville Police Department with assistance from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit.

  • SUV passenger killed in crash with SEPTA bus in Southwest Philly

    SUV passenger killed in crash with SEPTA bus in Southwest Philly

    A passenger in an SUV was killed and the driver was critically injured when the vehicle struck a SEPTA bus late Wednesday afternoon in Southwest Philadelphia, police said.

    Just before 4:20 p.m., a 2019 Honda HR-V heading north on Island Avenue in the area of Buist Avenue hit the rear of a SEPTA bus also traveling north on Island, police said. A third vehicle then hit the rear of the Honda.

    Medics transported the two people from the Honda to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The passenger, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m. The driver was listed in critical condition.

    No other injuries were reported.

    The cause of the crash was under police investigation.

  • Man fatally shot in Northeast Philly

    Man fatally shot in Northeast Philly

    A 35-year-old man was fatally shot while trying to drive away from an altercation with another man Wednesday night in the Castor section of Northeast Philadelphia, police said.

    Just after 7:10 p.m., police were called to the area of Summerdale and Magee Avenues and found the victim lying on the ground next to an SUV with the engine still running, said Chief Inspector Scott Small.

    The man, who had at least one gunshot wound to his back, was transported to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:47 p.m., Small said.

    The SUV was parked outside a neighborhood store, and the victim and another man were inside the store when an argument occurred, Small said.

    The victim got into the driver’s seat of the SUV and the other man started shooting through the front passenger-side door, Small said.

    The shooter then ran from the scene.

    Police were told that both men were regular customers at the store, Small said.

    The victim was found lying next the front driver-side door with a handgun on the ground next to him.

    Police believe the gun belonged to the victim, Small said.

    Police recovered three spent shell casings next to the passenger door as well as three live rounds.