40-year-old man allegedly shot and set on fire after woman finds him in bed with her daughter in Philadelphia



A Philadelphia woman lit a man on fire and shot by her boyfriend after he was found in bed with her daughter, according to police sources.

Pennsylvania police said they were called to the residence on Lansdowne Avenue at 10:30 a.m. on August 25 after receiving calls about a person screaming.

'Police recommended the district attorney file attempted murder and aggravated assault charges against the couple.'

When they arrived, they found a 40-year-old man with critical injuries that included burns to his body. He was transported to Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition.

Neighbors told WTAF-TV that they heard screams from a first-floor apartment and then saw a man stagger out of the building while on fire. People driving in the street stopped to aid the man.

Police said they arrested a a 35-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man at the scene.

WTAF said police sources told them the woman had found the victim in bed with her 18-year-old daughter, and her boyfriend responded by shooting the man. The woman then allegedly tossed flammable liquid on the man and lit him on fire.

Sources told WTAF that police recommended the district attorney file attempted murder and aggravated assault charges against the couple as well as numerous weapons charges. Neighbors also told them that the people in the apartment had been a source of many problems.

Investigators did not release the names of the suspects, and the investigation is ongoing.

A report by Pew Charitable Trusts in May found that violent crime had dropped in Philadelphia by 6% in 2023, but that was in line with crime rate decreases in similarly sized cities. Homicide has also dropped while property crimes have increased significantly.

A news video report from WTAF showed scenes from the neighborhood and interviews with neighbors.

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Crime is so bad in Philadelphia that a popular cheesesteak joint hired armed guards to protect customers



There is much debate on the best cheesesteak joint in Philadelphia. However, one cheesesteak shop is distancing itself from the competition as being the eatery that protects its customers the most.

Due to rampant violent crime in Philadelphia, Jim's West Steaks and Hoagies has hired armed guards to protect its patrons.

The cheesesteak joint is so popular that lines of customers can go down the block – exposing patrons to possible street violence.

Saul Landers, the chief financial officer of Jim's West, told WPVI-TV, "Our lines are down the block, so while you're standing here in line, connecting with other people you may not know, we have security right here just to keep you guys safe."

Jim's West Steaks and Hoagies co-owner Cortez Johnson told the outlet, "The violence has spiked. It goes up and down. You want people to feel safe and be safe. So when they come out and eat, they don't have to worry about no type of harm."

Kevon Darden, owner of Presidential Protection Services, has personally guarded customers outside the hoagie restaurant.

Darden said the armed agents who protect the customers are sworn and certified by the state of Pennsylvania to do security work. He added that the armed guards are former military, police, and law enforcement.

Landers said the threat of violence is so prevalent that businesses "have to spend that extra money" to keep customers and employees safe.

The Philly Voice reported, "In 2015, the West Philly Jim's location was targeted by armed robbers, who reportedly made off with $215 in cash stolen from the register and customers who were in the store at the time."

One customer said of the armed agents, "If it deters it (crime), I can't complain. I'm not a big fan of guns, but I get it."

However, another patron said an armed guard "walking around with a machine gun, it's not family-friendly."

The security guard was not armed with a machine gun, but rather an AR-15.

The violence is so overwhelming in the area that the Karco Gas Station in North Philadelphia has also hired armed guards.

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Philadelphia cheesesteak shop hires armed agents to protect customers outside www.youtube.com

'They were screaming for their lives': Shocking video shows 3 women brutally beaten in Philly during unprovoked attack



Shocking video shows the moment a man brutally assaulted three women on a Philadelphia sidewalk in an unprovoked attack. Authorities arrested a suspect who could be connected to similar violent crimes that recently occurred in Philly this week.

A homeowner's Ring doorbell camera captured the barbaric battering of three women that happened around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Video shows the three women walking on the sidewalk when a man crept up from behind and sucker-punched one of the pedestrians in her face. Then the assailant punched another woman in the head, which caused her to fall to the ground. He continued to pummel the woman while she was helpless and on the sidewalk.

When a third woman attempted to stop the man from attacking her friend, he slugged her several times until she collapsed on the ground.

After bludgeoning the women, he stomped away as witnesses arrived after hearing the women screaming.

"They were screaming so loud,” a resident told KYW-TV. "They were screaming for their lives."

Another neighbor said, "It was just ridiculous the way he was beating that young lady. And the other two ladies, they were helpless. They tried their best. Two of them jumped on him and he threw them to the ground."

Philadelphia Police Department Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said, "He made some utterances, but none of them really made any sense. We're not sure what he was trying to say."

The women were taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. A 29-year-old victim suffered a broken nose. The other two women, both aged 27, were treated for swollen lips and facial lacerations, according to WTXF-TV.

Varone said a short time after the brutal assault, a woman in her 30s was knocked unconscious by an attacker, who had a similar description to the alleged suspect. The woman had been sitting on her front step when she was attacked.

Varone said Philadelphia Police are investigating a possible link between the two crimes "very strongly."

Police are also reportedly investigating whether the same man stalked a woman at her workplace, then attacked, robbed, and sexually assaulted her on Thursday.

"The woman's phone was stolen during the attack which police then tracked to Whitpane Township in Montgomery County," WTXF-TV reported. "When investigators contacted police in Whitpane, they were told that a man was recently arrested for assaulting and carjacking a woman."

Malcolm White, 36, was arrested Thursday night in Whitepane Township, according to law enforcement. White is accused of yanking a woman out of her car by her hair and then punching her in the face. The man allegedly put the woman in a chokehold, which caused her to lose consciousness.

WTXF-TV reporter Steve Keeley reported that Philadelphia Police "believe he is same man who beat up three women in South Philly."

\u201cMalcom White booking photo @FOX29philly\u201d
— Steve Keeley (@Steve Keeley) 1655496364

KYW-TV reported, "The Special Victims Unit in Philadelphia has developed enough probable cause to connect the suspect arrested in Montgomery County to the case in Roxborough."

(CAUTION: Graphic video)

3 Women Walking Down South Philadelphia Street Brutally Attacked Unprovoked By Man www.youtube.com

Philadelphia 15-year-old killed by stray bullets while retrieving case of water from his dad's car



A family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is mourning the tragic death of a 15-year-old boy who was killed by stray gunfire outside of his own home last week.

Sean Toomey quickly ran outside of the house to retrieve a case of water bottles from his dad's car on Thursday, but he never made it back. Police said Toomey was caught in the crossfire of an attempted carjacking taking place across the street.

As the boy was heading back home with the water in hand, at least two suspects were pulling on a woman's car door while she drove into her apartment complex. The woman reportedly called her boyfriend for help and when he came outside, gunfire erupted.

Toomey was struck twice by the gunfire, once in the head and once in the side. He was immediately taken to the hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries Friday afternoon.

The incident occurred in the Wissinoming neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia.

#UPDATE I just got sad news. The family of 15-year-old Sean Toomey tells me he has passed away after getting shot in the head by a stray bullet last Thursday \n@NBCPhiladelphia \nhttps://bit.ly/3NovzjY\u00a0pic.twitter.com/o15rBnNrtR
— Johnny Archer (@Johnny Archer) 1648471156

The boy's father, John Toomey, was inconsolable as he recounted the tragedy to reporters last week.

"I heard the two pops and I thought it was firecrackers," Toomey said during an interview. "But it only takes a second to grab some water and get in the house and he wasn't coming back in. So I got curious, I put my sweatshirt on, and I went outside and I saw him lying on my neighbor's lawn."

That's when he saw his son covered in blood; the case of water thrown on the ground next to him.

"There was blood on his head. I thought maybe he’d fallen on the fence or something when I first saw it. I wasn’t adding it up. No one gets shot around here," Toomey continued.

"Can’t describe it," he added. "It’s not something I want anyone, anyone to experience. I was just in the hospital. The doctor said he’s brain dead. Every time I turned away from him and saw him again I’d break down, over and over. He’s only 15! You know, the kid is in the house most of the time playing with his computer and his phone. He went out to get some water."

Would-Be Car Thief Shoots at Man, Stray Bullet Strikes Teen Bystander, Police Say www.youtube.com

As of Monday afternoon, an investigation into the incident is ongoing and police have yet to make any arrests. The suspects reportedly fled the scene immediately after the shooting.

Toomey's death comes as Philadelphia continues to grapple with a scourge of violent crime. Homicides in the city totaled 562 last year, by far the largest number ever recorded. This year, the city is on pace to beat that figure.

Armed carjacker steals minivan with mother, 3 children inside, setting off wild police chase



It all started with a phony pizza order, police said. Then a teenager armed with a semi-automatic gun carjacked a minivan with a mother and three children inside in North Philadelphia this week, setting off an intense police chase involving patrol cars and the city's aviation unit.

What happened?

According to WPVI-TV, Philadelphia police responded to the 2700 block of Warnock Street Tuesday evening after a pizza delivery driver called 911 to report that an armed carjacker had made off with his car.

The delivery driver added that his girlfriend and their three children — an 8-year-old boy, a 6-year-old girl, and a 2-year-old boy — were still inside the blue Chevrolet minivan.

The driver was reportedly conducting a delivery when the incident occurred and said he had just stepped out of his vehicle when the suspect jumped into the passenger seat and drove away. Police said the delivery location turned out to be a vacant lot, confirming the carjacking was not a real delivery — but a setup.

After the driver provided police with a description of the vehicle and its license plate number, officers immediately set off in search of the suspect, later identified as 18-year-old Shaun Triplett. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the department's helicopter had already been sent up in the air.

In the meantime, the driver's girlfriend was doing her best to defend herself and her children. She reportedly got into a physical struggle with the teen suspect.

"While she was trying to take the mask off his face, she was actually punching the individual because he was taking the vehicle. That's when, according to her, the 17-year-old started to threaten to kill her," Small said.

During the altercation, she allegedly jumped out of the vehicle, injuring her foot. A block further, her 8-year-old son was let out of the car and was reunited with his parents. But the couple's 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son remained asleep in the backseat of the vehicle as Triplett continued driving.

Family kidnapped after armed teen carjacks minivan in North Philadelphia, police say www.youtube.com

What else?

WCAU-TV reported that officers in the helicopter later spotted Triplett jumping out of the driver's seat of the minivan and getting into a white sedan, which sped off.

The police helicopter reportedly continued to follow the white sedan until patrol officers on the ground were able to catch up to the vehicle.

At that point, Triplett swung open the passenger's door of the white sedan and started running. Officers exited their vehicles and chased the suspect on foot, eventually catching him and placing him under arrest.

Police are expected to charge the 18-year-old with carjacking, kidnapping, and weapons violations, along with other related counts.

Amazingly, the delivery driver, his girlfriend, and their three children avoided serious injuries in the incident. According to police, they were able to positively identify Triplett after his arrest.

Authorities also reportedly confirmed with the owner of Campus Pizza that the delivery driver uses his minivan to make deliveries and frequently brings his family with him.

No details were provided about the driver of the white sedan. An investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

Man allegedly brutally rapes woman on train as passengers stand by and do nothing at all



Passengers stood by and watched as a suspect raped a female passenger on a Philadelphia-area train, according to reports, and did nothing to stop the heinous act.

What are the details?

According to a Sunday report from the New York Times, the alleged attack took place on Wednesday night when a male suspect approached a female passenger on a train and was reported to have touched her several times.

Though the woman reportedly attempted to stop the man from touching her, he tore off her clothing and raped her on the train, officials said. The alleged assault, according to reports, played out over a period of eight minutes.

The purported attack took place on a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train on the Market-Frankfort line, a spokesperson for SEPTA told the outlet, calling the incident a "horrendous criminal act."

One of its employees, the transit authority spokesperson noted, immediately phoned authorities to report the crime.

“The assault was observed by a SEPTA employee, who called 911, enabling SEPTA officers to respond immediately and apprehend the suspect in the act," a portion of the statement read. "There were other people on the train who witnessed this horrific act, and it may have been stopped sooner if a rider called 911."

Upper Darby Township police arrested the suspect — 35-year-old Fiston Ngoy, a homeless man — on charges of aggravated indecent assault without consent and rape and sexual assault. He is being held in the Delaware County Jail in lieu of $180,009 bail and did not have a lawyer as of Sunday afternoon, the outlet reported.

In a statement on the incident, Timothy Bernhardt, superintendent of the Upper Darby Township Police Department, said that there were enough passengers present to stop the incident from taking place.

Bernhardt added that anyone on the train who failed to intervene could be criminally charged in connection with the incident if they recorded the attack.

Upper Darby Township Police are working with the SEPTA Transit Police on the investigation.

“I'm appalled by those who did nothing to help this woman," Bernhardt said. “Anybody that was on that train has to look in the mirror and ask why they didn't intervene or why they didn't do something."

The unnamed victim was transported to a local hospital. She is expected to recover.

Bernhardt added, "What this woman endured at the hands of this guy, what she's been able to provide for us, it's been unbelievable."