Funerals set for troopers killed in I-95 crash; Deadly road rage shooting in Upper Darby; Del. gas stimulus
THE RUNDOWN:
1. Funeral details released for Pennsylvania state troopers killed in I-95 crash
Trooper Martin Mack III (L) and Trooper Branden Sisca (R) (Pennsylvania State Police)
PHILADELPHIA - Pennsylvania State Police have released details surrounding the viewings and funerals for two troopers who were killed in the line of duty Monday morning.
Troopers Martin F. Mack and Branden T. Sisca were responding to a call for a person walking in the southbound lanes of I-95 around 1 a.m. Monday morning. Authorities say the troopers were escorting that man back to their patrol vehicle when 21-year-old Jayana Tanae Webb struck all three men with her vehicle.
The third victim was later identified as 28-year-old Reyes Rivera Oliveras.
Webb faces more than a dozen charges, including three counts of third-degree murder, three counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, and two counts of second-degree manslaughter of a law enforcement officer.
A public viewing for Martin F. Mack will be held on Wednesday, March 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wade Funeral Home in Bristol.
A public funeral service for Mack will be held the following day, March 31, as St. Michael the Archangel Church in Levittown. The interment is also open to the public and a funeral procession will travel to Our Lady of Grace Cemetery in Langhorne.
Public viewings will be held for Trooper Branden T. Sisca on Friday, April 1, from 12-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. at Boyd-Horrox-Givnish Funeral Home in Norristown.
Saturday, April 2, a public funeral service will be held for Sisca at noon at Perkiomen Valley High School. The funeral procession and internment will be private.
2. Man killed in apparent road rage shooting in Upper Darby, police say
UPPER DARBY - Authorities say a suspect in a deadly road rage shooting that left a Delaware County father of four dead surrendered to police on Friday night.
Officers from the Upper Darby Police Department were called to the intersection of Lansdowne Avenue and Winding Way around 8 a.m. for reports of an unconscious man behind the wheel of a white van.
A 56-year-old man was found slumped over with an obvious gunshot wound to the head, according to police. The victim, a husband and father of four from Havertown Twp., was pronounced dead.
In a Friday afternoon update, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt told reporters that authorities were interested in speaking to the driver of a white Audi A4 that might have been at the intersection during the deadly shooting.
It's believed that the Audi sped through the red light after the shooting while surrounding traffic was unaware of what had happened.
A person behind the victim's van got out to check on the driver when he didn't move when the light turned green and found him fatally shot, investigators said.
Bernhardt said authorities have also recovered a car with a bullet hole and a firearm on Friday night.
"Very concerning, it’s disheartening, a tragic incident that occurred today. A senseless act of violence," Bernhardt said.
3. Watch: Cab driver pistol-whipped in Philadelphia carjacking caught on dashcam
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police have released video they say shows the moment a suspect carjacked a driver at gunpoint earlier this week.
Police say the driver, who was working for a private taxi company, had picked up the suspect at Jackson and Bleigh Street.
As the car approached Torresdale and Cottman, video from inside the cab shows the suspect producing a black handgun with an extended magazine. The suspect then appears to pistol-whip the driver as the car is still in motion.
The driver appears to try and grab for the suspect’s gun as police say the suspect demanded money and the car. The driver complied and exited the vehicle.
The suspect then got into the driver’s seat and drove to Cottage and Aldine streets where he abandoned the vehicle.
4. Delaware officials plan for $300 payments to taxpayers
WILMINGTON - Delaware officials say they are planning to send $300 in direct payments to taxpayers in the state.
News outlets reported Thursday that the payments are part of the state's plan for using a $1 billion budget surplus at a time when inflation is rising and gas prices also are high.
Lawmakers said they will introduce legislation within a week. A vote could happen next month.
Rep. Valerie Longhurst, the House majority leader, said it's hoped residents could receive the money before June 30.
The development comes as lawmakers around the country have sought ways to offer some relief to drivers. Some proposals include a stimulus check while others would tax oil companies.
5. Mild Friday leads into cooler weekend
PHILADELPHIA - Overnight temperatures will stay around 50 degrees then drop into the 40s and 30s in some spots. Forecasters expect nighttime clouds to roll in ahead of another round of scattered rain on Saturday.
Temperatures on Saturday will return to the 40s and 50s with scattered showers developing during the afternoon. FOX 29's Scott Williams says showers will come in two waves, but shouldn't wash out Saturday plans.
Conditions will dry out on Sunday, but a cold front with blustery winds will help push temperatures into the mid-to-low 40s. The early spring chill will bottom out on Monday with temperatures tumbling into the 30s, worsened by wind chills in the teens and single digits.
6. 2 arrested in suspected intentional dog attack of cat in Frankford, authorities say
PHILADELPHIA - Two juveniles are facing charges after authorities said they let their dogs viciously attack a cat as it was sitting on the front porch of a home in Frankford.
The Pennsylvania SPCA shared video Tuesday of two people walking their dogs past a house in Frankford when they spot a cat, later identified as Buddy, on the front porch of a home. Authorities allege the pair allowed the dogs to viciously attack Buddy.
Buddy suffered life-threatening injuries from the attack that required round the clock monitoring at the SPCA's Philadelphia headquarters, the organization said. Buddy is still in critical condition, but veterinarians are "cautiously optimistic."
The Pennsylvania SPCA on Friday said two juveniles, 12 and 17, are facing charges of animal fighting, felony aggravated animal cruelty and a conspiracy. The unnamed dogs that are believed to have attacked Buddy are also in SPCA custody.
7. Military service member identified as victim of 1978 homicide, authorities say
The remains of Kevin Alvin Jude Carroll were identified over 40 years after his murder.
Authorities in Pennsylvania have identified the remains of a 1978 homicide victim as a missing military service member.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer and Ridley Township Police Captain James Dougherty on Friday announced the identification of Kevin Alvin Jude Carroll.
Carroll's remains had been unidentified since his body was found near the Crum Creek area of Woodlyn over 40 years ago. His information was uploaded to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System after investigators could not identify his body.
Nearly half a decade after the homicide, Ridley Township Detective Tim Kearney was contacted by Amelia Pearn from the Veteran Doe Network – an organization started by volunteer military family members to bring attention missing veteran/active duty cases and unidentified person cases with possible military connections.
According to police, Carroll went missing shortly after leaving McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. He was recently discharged from military service and sent all of his belongings to his home in Oregon, but he never arrived.
Detective Kearney reviewed photos and found similarities between Carroll and the unidentified shooting victim, which lead to a multi-agency investigation that concluded the remains were that of Carroll.
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