Check Pa. election results; 2 people with slashed necks found in Kensington; 5 shot in North Philly

THE RUNDOWN: 

Check 2022 Pennsylvania Primary Election Results 

1. Too close to call: Oz, McCormick still locked in high-stakes Pennsylvania GOP Senate race

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick went into Wednesday essentially tied in Pennsylvania's hotly contested Republican nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat, expected to be among the nation's most competitive races in the fall.

The contest was within a couple thousand votes overnight, out of more than 1.2 million cast. Trailing in a distant third place in the seven-person GOP primary field was conservative activist Kathy Barnette.

The Associated Press has not called the race. Some counties had yet to tabulate all of their mail-in ballots and the counting of provisional, overseas and military absentee ballots could last all week.

There is no runoff law in Pennsylvania. But the race was close enough to trigger Pennsylvania’s automatic recount law, with the separation between Oz and McCormick inside the 0.5% margin that prompts an order by the state’s top election official.

Oz and McCormick emerged at their election night watch parties after midnight to say they would have to wait for vote-counting to resume Wednesday to determine a winner, with each saying he was confident of victory. There are no plans for either candidate to make a public appearance, though former President Donald Trump has encouraged Oz to preemptively declare victory. Oz has not made any suggestion that he will do so.

The state's lieutenant governor, John Fetterman, won the Democratic nomination hours after undergoing surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator to help him recover from a stroke he suffered on Friday.

Democrats view the race to replace retiring two-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey as perhaps their best opportunity to pick up a seat in the closely divided 100-seat Senate.

Republican turnout exceeded 37%, the highest midterm primary turnout in at least two decades, juiced by more than $70 million in spending on the GOP primary alone.

Oz has been helped by an endorsement from Trump, while a super PAC backing McCormick weighed in heavily in the race, spending about $20 million, much of it to attack Oz.

Both men spent millions of their own dollars on the campaign, as well, and battled accusations of being carpetbaggers — Oz moved from a mansion in New Jersey overlooking Manhattan to run, and McCormick moved from Connecticut's ritzy Gold Coast.

Oz, best known as the host of daytime TV’s "The Dr. Oz Show," has battled misgivings among conservative groups about his positions on guns, abortion and other core conservative issues. Oz countered that Trump's endorsement guaranteed that he was a conservative.

Oz also was attacked repeatedly for his dual citizenship in Turkey, and he accused McCormick of making "bigoted attacks." If elected, Oz would be the nation’s first Muslim senator, although he has not campaigned on that milestone. Oz, who was born in the U.S., said he would renounce his dual citizenship in Turkey if he is elected.

McCormick is a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran who has strong connections to the party establishment going back to his service in President George W. Bush’s administration.

However, McCormick spent much of the campaign fending off accusations from rivals that he would be soft on China after leaving a hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, which does considerable business inside China with the blessing of the government there.

Trump had attacked McCormick repeatedly in the final two weeks of the race, calling him a liberal, a sellout to China and part of a corrosive Washington establishment that is not "America First," Trump's label for his governing philosophy.

Nevertheless, McCormick had insisted that he was the most "America First" candidate in the race and closed it by airing a TV ad showing a video clip of Trump in a private 2020 ceremony congratulating McCormick, saying "you’ve served our country well in so many different ways."

Oz and McCormick had avoided repeating Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election from him in the battleground state. But they defaulted to repeating Republican complaints about decisions by state judges and election officials in how to administer the election.

2. Teen killed while digging hole with younger sister on New Jersey beach, police say

TOMS RIVER, N.J. - A teenage boy died on a New Jersey beach when police say the hole he was digging with his sister collapsed and trapped them both. 

Emergency responders from Tom's River and neighboring areas responded to the beach entrance near Seaview Road on the barrier island around 4 p.m.

A 17-year-old girl was stuck with her head above the sand and removed by emergency responders. Her older brother, identified as 18-year-old Levi Caverley, died after EMTs say he was buried at least 8 feet beneath the sand.

It took emergency responders 45 minutes to reach Levi, and two hours to dig him out, according to authorities. In a Facebook post, Levi's father described him as quirky, religious and a tech nut. 

The family was visiting the jersey shore from Maine when the tragic accident happened.

Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill said the beach replenishment project and recent storms might have played a factor in the collapse. It's also possible that a sink hole swallowed the two teens, Hill opined.

"Sand might’ve been soft, if you dig down too far you get to wet sand which can almost work like quick sand, or you hit the sugar sand which is very light it will pull you down," Hill said. 

Lifeguards are not on duty until Memorial Day weekend and they do not allow anyone to dig above knee-level, according to the mayor. 

3.'Unacceptable': 5 people shot blocks away from Temple University's campus, police say

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities say multiple people were shot Wednesday night in North Philadelphia, just blocks away from Temple University's campus. 

Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 1500 block of North Bouvier Street around 7:30 p.m. for reports of a shooting. 

Captain John Walker told reporters that three young women and two men were injured in the shooting. 

A 28-year-old man, who police say was shot over a dozen times, was driven to Temple University Hospital by private vehicle and placed in "extremely critical condition."

Police say two other victims, a 20-year-old woman and a 59-year-old man, were taken to the hospital by police in critical condition.

Two women, ages 19 and 21, suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds, police said. 

Two people were taken into custody, but Walker would not speculate on their possible connection to the shooting. 

Investigators were still counting spent shell casings at the scene about an hour after the shooting.

"Here we go with multiple shots fired on a beautiful day in Philadelphia which is unacceptable," Walker said. "We should not tolerate this in communities."

4. Suspicious deaths: 2 people are dead after being slashed in the neck in Kensington, police say

PHILADELPHIA - Police are investigating two "suspicious deaths" after two people were slashed in the neck Wednesday night in Kensington. 

At 7:42 p.m., on the 3000 block of Ruth Street, police say they found a man, approximately 45 years old, and a woman, approximately 30 years old, with their necks slashed. 

Authorities say both victims were pronounced on location.

Responding officers found a knife on scene. No arrest was made and police are actively investigating. 

Police are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact them.

5. Philadelphia gas station charges over $5 a gallon, prices skyrocket overnight

PHILADELPHIA - The pain at the pump just keeps getting worse across the Delaware Valley this week.

Gas prices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are even higher than Wednesday's national average of $4.56 - the first time all 50 states are paying an average of over $4 a gallon.

The Pennsylvania average is up 7 cents from Tuesday, reaching a record high of $4.74 a gallon 

In Philadelphia alone, prices hit an average of $4.86 with at least one Philadelphia gas stations charging over $5 a gallon. The Gulf at 2201 Spring Garden was seen charging $5.24 a gallon Tuesday night.

New Jersey prices stand at $4.72 a gallon, which is up 7 cents from last night and 16 cents from last week.

This most recent spike comes as New Jersey promoted self-serve at gas stations to give drivers a break at the pump.

6. Police: Allegations of 'upskirt' photos prompt investigation into Delaware County bus driver

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. - Police in Upper Providence, in Delaware County, are investigating allegations of upskirting by a bus driver in the Marple Newtown School District.

Officials say police responded to a school Tuesday and interviewed a female teen in regard to what was described as improper behavior by a bus driver.

According to authorities, a bus driver appeared to be taking photos of female students’ private areas with his cell phone.

A search warrant was obtained for the bus driver’s phone and an investigation revealed photos of a sensitive nature, confirming the allegation.

Delaware County's Special Victims Unit went on to identify three teen victims. All parents of the teens have been contacted. Officials said a forensic investigation of the phone is ongoing.

Should more victims be identified, officials will contact those parents.

The Marple Newtown School District sent a note to parents advising them of the situation and asking anyone with information to contact Detective Sgt. George Moore, with the Upper Providence Police Dept., at 610-566-8445.

Additionally, the district went on to say parents could contact individual principals if their student needed counseling.

7. Weather Authority: Overnight rain into Thursday morning ahead of 90-degree weekend

PHILADELPHIA - Monday was a picture-perfect day for most of the region, with low humidity, blue skies and light breezes.

That’s in advance of a storm system which will move through Monday overnight, bringing a soaking rain and even a rumble or two of thunder.

The rain should move in around midnight, from the north and west. Lows should dip to the mid 50s, as the rain moves through.

FOX 29’s Scott Williams says most of the rainfall should exit the Jersey shore around 8 a.m.

Looking ahead, the heat ramps up across the area, with highs Thursday in the 80s and heading into the 90s for the weekend. The humidity will be high, as well, with dew points in the upper 60s to low 70s, making it feel much more uncomfortable.