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SEPTA officer stable after shootout; 8 charged in Philly carjackings; Nurse running Boston Marathon in scrubs

Updated  April 6, 2022 10:04pm EDT
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FOX 29 Philadelphia

THE RUNDOWN: 

1. Suspect dead after shootout with police in Frankford that injured SEPTA officer

SWAT Officers converged on the property where the suspect was held up.

PHILADELPHIA –Authorities say a SEPTA police officer is in stable condition after a double shooting lead to a shootout with police at a property in Frankford Wednesday night.

Sergeant Eric Gripp told reporters that officers near the Arrott Transportation Center heard gunshot around 7 p.m. Police found two women, 57 and 42, with gunshot wounds to the hip-area near the intersection of Griscom and Arrott streets. 

Those women are expected to recover. 

Police chased the armed suspect to a property on the 4700 block of Leiper Street where he barricaded himself inside and fired at police from different floors, Gripp said.

During the gunfight, SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel told reporters that a Philadelphia police officer became pinned down behind a small wall. Nestel said a SEPTA police officer, who is also a SWAT team member, drew his assault weapon and charged at the gunman providing covering fire to free the trapped officer. 

That's when authorities said the 28-year-old, three-year member of the SEPTA police force was shot in the stomach. He was rushed to Temple University Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and is expected to be okay, according to Nestel. 

"Police officers do this stuff when their brothers and sisters are in danger. It's what it's what all of us as police leaders almost learn to expect," Nestel said. "But the heroism and courage and valor that these folks exhibit every day is humbling to civilians."

A massive law enforcement presences converged on the house, including Philadelphia police and SWAT officers. Gripp said they used technology to find out that the suspect was down near a second floor window. SWAT team members entered the property and found the suspect dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

"Here we are again on another night in our city and just this completely and totally unacceptable and reckless gun violence," Gripp said. "Nearly took three innocent people's lives, and we're so grateful that it wasn't worse than it was."

2. Federal officials charge 8 in connection with carjackings, violent crimes across Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – Federal law enforcement officials announced charges for eight people suspected of being connected to carjackings and violent crimes across Philadelphia. 

On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia released the names of six new defendants in the case who are charged with carjacking and carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Two other defendants, Alex Fernandez-Pena and Juan Jose Rodriguez, were charged in February after allegedly carjacking a rideshare vehicle earlier in 2022 in the Parkside neighborhood in Philadelphia. Authorities say the victim shot both suspected carjackers as they tried to get away. 

The arrests were made by the newly formed Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, officials say. 

"The rash of carjackings we’ve seen in and around Philadelphia is unacceptable," said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. "That’s why this task force is united in our efforts to find those responsible and get them off the street. The potential penalties for federal carjacking charges are severe, so if people want to keep committing these crimes, they should know that the carjacking task force will make it a priority to put them in cuffs and behind bars for a good long time. We simply won’t stand for criminals terrorizing innocent people like this."

Federal officials say if convicted each defendant could face a minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum life sentence. 

3. Teen girl assaulted by group who stole her phone at Broad Street Line SEPTA stop, source says

PHILADELPHIA – Authorities say a teenage girl was assaulted Monday evening at a Broad Street Line SEPTA stop by a group who stole her cell phone. 

SEPTA police said a 17-year-old girl was at the Girard Station around 5 p.m. when she was approached by three unidentified males. 

A law enforcement source told FOX 29's Jennifer Joyce that members of the group tired to talk to the victim and when she refused the stole her cellphone. 

They allegedly punched and choked the teenage victim when she would not tell them the passcode to her phone, a source said.

SEPTA shared surveillance footage of the alleged suspects.

The teenage victim did not sustain any serious injuries and is expected to be okay, according to police.

Authorities have not shared the race of the victim or suspects, but SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said "there is no indication that this was a racially-motivated attack."

4. Nurse to run Boston Marathon in scrubs to raise money for mental health resources for nurses

Sam Roecker, a nurse at Penn Medicine's Peralman Center, said she plans to run the Boston Marathon in scrubs to raise awareness for mental health resources for pandemic-weary nurses.

PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia nurse plans to run the Boston Marathon in her scrubs to raise awareness and money to support the mental wellbeing of pandemic-weary nurses. 

Combining her dedication to running and commitment to her profession, Roecker plans to run all 26-plus miles of the Boston Marathon in nursing scrubs. She hopes her endeavor calls attention to the lack of mental health resources available to nurses who have seen the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"A lot of anxiety, a lot of PTSD, there's not really a lot of resources out there," Roecker said. "I kind of saw that gap and was looking for a way to bring some kind of positivity to my co-workers and friends who have been struggling." 

With just under 2 weeks until the Boston Marathon, Roecker's fundraising campaign has hit the ground running. In true runner's fashion, she set the fundraising goal to $26.2k - a monetary representation of the length of a marathon.

All the money she raises will go to the American Nurses Foundation and its wellbeing initiatives. She plans to let the fundraising campaign go until the end of May.

5. 3 New Jersey boys honored for helping save boy who fell through ice

EDGEWATER PARK, N.J. – Three New Jersey boys were recognized Tuesday for helping rescue another boy who had fallen through an icy pond in January. 

Timothy Graf, 12, said he and his friend were walking on the frozen pond at Roosevelt Park when they heard the ice begin to crack beneath them. 

Graf said the ominous cracks finally gave way and his friend fell through the ice. When Graf tried to pull him out, he also fell into the freezing cold water.

Graf managed to climb out and two teen boys who were also on the ice heard the commotion. 

Marsh and Tristian Dehn feared that hypothermia could set in and pulled the boy out of the water after about 30 seconds. 

The boys were honored for their heroic actions Tuesday by Edgewater Park Township Mayor and the local police department who gifted them a plaque. 

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