Video shows deadly midday gas station shooting; Welcome America returning to Philly; Weekend rain ahead
THE RUNDOWN:
1. 'Really gruesome': 3 killed, 1 injured when car crashes into Philadelphia SEPTA station
PHILADELPHIA - Three people are dead after a car crashed into a SEPTA station in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, authorities say.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small says the crash happened around 2:45 a.m. when an officer on detail at Kensington Avenue and Allegheny Avenue saw a car traveling at a high rate of speed.
The officer heard the vehicle first and believes it was "easily going 100 miles per hour," Small says.
Authorities say the car jumped the curb and hit a turn-style, hit three pedestrians and then struck the Allegheny Avenue SEPTA station.
Small says the crash was "really gruesome" as one of the victims was decapitated and their body was dismembered and burned due to a car fire that started after the crash.
The body of another victim believed to be a female was severely mangled and crushed, according to police.
Police say the driver of the car and two pedestrians were pronounced dead on scene and another person was transferred to Temple University Hospital.
The Medical Examiner is on scene with authorities.
2. Man killed in brazen shooting at busy Philadelphia gas station
PHILADELPHIA – Shocking surveillance video obtained by FOX 29 shows a deadly broad daylight shooting at a busy Philadelphia gas station.
According to police, 30-year-old Brandon Dixon was gunned down at the Liberty gas station on the 1000 block of East Mount Airy Avenue around 2 p.m. Monday.
Surveillance footage shows Dixon walk out of the gas station market and approach a silver SUV parked at a gas pump.
As Dixon is standing at the pump, a red sedan pulls into the gas station and two men exit the vehicle and open fire.
Dixon tries to run away from the shooters - both of whom brandished semi-automatic weapons - but police said he suffered gunshot wounds to the head and face.
Video shows the shooters haphazardly firing among other customers and gas pumps before they run back to their vehicle and drive away.
Responding officers drove Dixon to Albert Einstein Hospital where he died, according to police.
No arrests have been reported in the brazen daytime shooting.
3. Driver in Philadelphia police chase ditched car, disappeared into wooded area near Villanova
PHILADELPHIA - Authorities are searching for a driver who lead police on a high-speed chase Monday night and disappeared into a wooded area near Villanova's campus.
The Philadelphia Police Department said the pursuit began when officers tried to initiate a traffic stop near the intersection of Torresdale Avenue and Tyson Street around 8:30 p.m.
Several police cars followed the black truck as it cruised down the northbound side of Interstate 476 for over an hour, at times accelerating to dangerous speeds.
The truck's tires were also damaged during the pursuit, which caused massive sparks to shoot up.
The driver eventually exited the car and disappeared into a wooded area near Villanova's campus.
4. Police working to identify suspect wanted in connection with pattern of sexual assaults across Philadelphia
Philadelphia police are looking to identify a suspect wanted in connection with three sexual assaults in the city.
PHILADELPHIA - Police in Philadelphia are trying to identify a suspect wanted in connection with multiple sexual assaults across the city.
According to police, the first incident happened on March 15 at 5:00 a.m.
Authorities say a 35-year-old woman was walking in the area of Whitaker Avenue and Erie Avenue in North Philadelphia.
A man in a black-colored car drove the victim to a remote area, showed a handgun and then sexually assaulted her, police say.
Weeks later on April 5 at 5:15 a.m., a 28-year-old woman was leaving a convenience store at 3505 Kensington Avenue when she was approached by a man in a dark gray Dodge Charger with a covered tag, police say.
According to authorities, the suspect forced her into his car, drove to the area of 4000 Orchard Street in Frankford and sexually assaulted her before letting her out on Torresdale Avenue.
5. Jason Derulo, Ava Max to take the stage at Wawa Welcome America July 4th concert
Jason Derulo performs on stage during MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM 2021 on December 19, 2021 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Neville Hopwood/Getty Images for MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM)
PHILADELPHIA – The Fourth of July is less than two months away, and Philadelphia is ready to celebrate!
The free Wawa Welcome America festival is back on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this year after taking place at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in 2021.
The festival is also bringing back Jason Derulo to headline the 2022 celebration, along with singer-songwriter Ava Max.
Beginning June 19, the 16-day celebration will come to an end with a live concert and fireworks spectacular on July 4.
"Resident and visitors alike will get to see our city come alive and create a vibrant and exciting experience to show off Philadelphia," said Mayor Jim Kenney.
Free performances, including an African drum band and gospel singer, fireworks, complimentary museum access and more are all on the agenda.
Don't forget Wawa Hoagie Day! On June 29, Wawa will give away 30,000 hoagies on Independence Mall, and another 30,000 at 965 Wawa locations across six states.
For more information on this year's event, visit the Wawa Welcome America website.
6. Weather Authority: Pleasant spring conditions continue Wednesday, weekend rain ahead
PHILADELPHIA – Pleasant spring conditions will stick around for the next two days before another round of rain washes over the area during the weekend.
Forecasters expect temperatures to dip into the 40s and 50s across the region overnight Tuesday. More sunshine on Wednesday will help temperatures stretch back into the uppers 60s and 70s across the region.
FOX 29's Kathy Orr says high temperatures in Philadelphia and its suburbs will exceed 70 degrees on Wednesday. Trenton and interior sections of New Jersey will sit in the upper 60s, while shore towns will dip into the 50s.
A similar weather day will follow on Thursday, with clouds becoming more dense throughout the day. A southern system of rain will spin up the coast on Friday and lead to scattered showers on Saturday.
Scattered storms will continue on Sunday as high temperatures flirt with 80 degrees. Forecasters expect the threat of rain to continue into Monday when temperatures will exceed the 80s.