I-95 collapse, bad air and far too many prison escapes: The biggest news stories that hit Philly in 2023

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — 2023 solidified that Philadelphians are resilient. The region was met with a series of challenges this year, from the I-95 collapse to prison escapees in our own backyards, and a slew of sports losses — Super Bowl LVII, the Phillies’ playoff run, and the end of the Doc Rivers era.

But each time, we got through it with community spirit.

When the highway collapsed, we watched the rebuild livestream like it was the summer Olympics. When an escaped convict was caught after a 14-day manhunt — in an Eagles shirt, no less — we cheered and took selfies outside police barracks.

Philadelphians bounced back, even through some of the hardest tragedies that took place in the last year. These are some of the biggest news stories that hit the Delaware Valley in 2023.

On Aug. 31, convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante escaped from Chester County Prison just days after he was sentenced to life in prison. His crab-walk up and over prison walls went unnoticed by guards — and garnered international attention as he led authorities on a two-week manhunt across Chester County. He was finally captured on Sept. 13. Neighbors could finally breathe a sigh of relief after being on high alert, fearing a violent criminal was lurking through their yards. But Cavalcante wasn’t the only high-profile prison break in our region this year.

On May 7, Ameen Hurst and Nasir Grant escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center (PICC) — and went unnoticed for 18 hours. Authorities found Grant four days later, but it took 10 days to capture Hurst. In September, a woman tried to escape from the same prison but was stopped. Then on Nov. 30, Gino Hagenkotter was doing work in an orchard near PICC when he asked to go to the bathroom, but instead, he hopped a fence. He was found dead in an abandoned warehouse 6 miles away nearly two weeks later. PICC officials say staffing has been “obliterated by the pandemic,” with hundreds of vacancies remaining.

Look back:
— How a late-night cigarette break led authorities right to escaped prisoner Cavalcante’s hiding place
— Cavalcante capture draws selfie-seeking crowd to State Police barracks for social media moment
— The dog that caught Cavalcante can do a lot of jobs — but family pet is not one of them, experts warn

On June 11, a gasoline tanker lost control on the northbound Cottman Avenue off-ramp and burst into flames under the elevated lanes of I-95. The tanker driver, Nathaniel Moody, was killed.

Officials expected the rebuild to take several months. At first, traffic was chaotic on the local streets of Tacony as drivers tried to make do with back roads. The state created a 24/7 live feed of the rebuild process, and it oddly amassed thousands of regular viewers. However, using glass aggregate fill, PennDOT crews worked around the clock, and 12 days after the blast, six temporary lanes reopened. Traffic started running on new permanent lanes in November. The entire project, with a reconstructed northbound off-ramp, is expected to be finished and fully reopened early next year.

In June, Philadelphia experienced its worst air quality in more than 20 years because smoke funneled down from Canadian wildfires, blanketing the U.S. Northeast with hazy, sometimes orange skies and a thick feeling in the air. Many people dusted off their COVID-era N95 masks to get through the haze, though the Philadelphia Department of Public Health advised people to limit their time outdoors. Several Code Reds were issued due to the unhealthy and hazardous air quality. For 19 days over the summer, as the Canadian wildfires burned, the CDC said asthma-related ER visits across the U.S. were 17% above normal.

A massive explosion on March 24 killed seven people at the R.M. Palmer chocolate factory in West Reading, Berks County. Employees told officials they could smell gas before the blast. Despite complaints, nobody was evacuated. In April, the first of many lawsuits was filed on behalf of the family of one of the victims. In July, federal safety investigators said the explosion stemmed from a leak in defective gas fittings at the factory. In October, OSHA blamed R.M. Palmer and fined the company more than $44,000 for several violations, including failure to evacuate before the blast. The company denied it violated any workplace safety standards.

In March, a leak of a latex finishing solution from a Bucks County chemical plant prompted a public alert of a possible threat to Philadelphia’s drinking water, causing panic-buying of bottled water in the region. Philadelphia residents got the first spill alert via text — two days after the actual chemical leak. It initially said no contaminants had been found, but as a precautionary measure, Philadelphia Water Department customers were advised to drink bottled water until further notice. Stores were overwhelmed with customers, some even enforcing purchase limits. Then, a second notice clarified that tap water would be safe through the following day, but that didn’t stop the hoarding.

Malfunctioned equipment at the plant caused the chemical to leak into Otter Creek, a tributary to the Delaware River. Five days after the spill, city officials gave the all-clear. At no time were contaminants found in Philly’s drinking water. The mayor even demonstrated its safety himself — by downing a big glass of Philly tap water at a press conference.

Cherelle Parker will become Philadelphia’s first female mayor on Jan. 2. She was officially elected in November but became the de facto next mayor in the May Democratic primary. The former City Council member and state representative beat out eight other candidates in the primary, stunning even her own staff with a 10-point margin of victory — quite a turnaround for someone considered an underdog.

Parker was unable to savor her primary victory, though, as she was in the hospital with a dental abscess, which she’d put off getting treated in the heat of the campaign. On Nov. 7, Parker won in an expected landslide. This time, she made it to the party.

“I’m Philly born, I’m Philly bred and I’ll be a Philadelphian till I’m dead,” she said. “I love you, Philly. We’re going to do this together.”

In March, after leading Temple University for less than two years, Jason Wingard resigned as president. He was facing an impending no-confidence vote by Temple faculty, a strike by grad students, and a rash of violent crimes around campus, including the shooting death of a Temple police officer. JoAnne Epps, former Temple Law School dean and provost, was named the school’s acting president, but on Sept. 19, she collapsed during a memorial service on campus and died. She was 72. Temple tapped Richard Englert to serve as president for the rest of this academic year. The school is still searching for a permanent leader.

Campus life at the University of Pennsylvania has been tumultuous, to say the least. Even before the Israel-Hamas war, there were tensions on campus between Jewish and Palestinian groups when students and faculty hosted a Palestine Writes festival on campus. Organizers said it intended to promote Palestinian literature and culture, but Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, condemned Penn for allowing speakers who they said espoused antisemitism. Penn President Liz Magill allowed the event to take place on campus, citing free speech. Students cited safety concerns, which were amplified during protests that erupted after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

The situation only escalated at a congressional hearing about antisemitism on college campuses, where Magill was repeatedly asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews constitutes bullying or harassment. “It is a context-dependent decision,” she replied. Seventy-four members of Congress called for Magill’s resignation, two students filed a lawsuit against Penn, and prominent donors halted millions of dollars of contributions to the school. Less than a week later, Magill resigned.

A flash flood washed away dozens of cars and killed seven people in July in Washington Crossing, Bucks County. Katie Seley, her husband and their three kids came from South Carolina to visit family in the area when their car got stuck in the flash flood. The father grabbed their 4-year-old son and survived, along with the kids’ grandmother. Five bodies were found soon after, including Seley’s, but her two other children were still missing. The body of 2-year-old Mattie Sheils was discovered almost a week later. She was pulled from the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The search for her baby brother, 9-month-old Conrad Sheils, was suspended after about 10 days. His body was never recovered.

Protests over Irizarry police shooting

The lives of Mark Dial and Eddie Irizarry intersected on Aug. 14, leading to a ping-pong court drama that prompted protests and looting. It all started as a typical day on patrol for Officer Dial and his partner when they noticed a small car drive through a red light. Surveillance video shows the car driving down the street and coming to a stop. Dial and his partner pulled up right next to it, and within seconds, the driver, Irizarry, was dead. Police initially gave a version of the story that did not align with what family and neighbors said happened. Dial was charged with murder, then those charges were dismissed — and then reinstated again. Protests and looting followed.

Officers killed on duty

This year was devastating for Philadelphia law enforcement. Two of their own were shot and killed in the line of duty. On Feb. 18, Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald stopped three males while on foot patrol and got into a brawl with one of them — Miles Pfeffer — who then pulled the trigger on Fitzgerald. The 31-year-old was the son of a former Philly police commander. Months later, on Oct. 12, Officer Richard Mendez was fatally shot in an airport parking garage. Mendez and his partner interrupted an attempted carjacking, and one of the suspects opened fire.

In South Jersey, the Deptford Township Police Department lost Officer Bobby Shisler. He was shot during a foot pursuit and shootout in March and died at the hospital almost two months later due to an infection. Thousands of residents and police officers from all over the country attended his funeral.

Kingsessing mass shooting

As most Philadelphians were getting ready for the Fourth of July, Kingsessing residents were reeling from a mass shooting just outside their doors. Five people were killed, including a 15-year-old boy. Several others were injured, including twin 2-year-olds. Kimbrady Carriker, armed with two guns, including an AR-15, walked through the area of 56th Street and Chester Avenue, shooting at cars driving by and people in the neighborhood. About a week later, police discovered the first victim was killed about 44 hours before the others. A dispatching issue had sent police to the wrong address.