Three Children Die in Carjacking

In the Hunting Park/Feltonville section of Philadelphia a carjacking suspect was involved in a police chase that ended with three children dead and the suspect in police custody after he was released from Temple University Hospital. The crash happened at Third and Wingohocking streets around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

This picture on the left shows the smashed Pontiac that the suspect drove off the road, being driven away by a tow truck. It ended up crushed between a utility pole and a rowhome.

It is not confirmed how and why the suspect lost control and went up onto the sidewalk. A mother of one of the three children was standing with them at the time of the incident and she was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center in critical condition and pronounced dead early Thursday morning.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and Mayor Michael Nutter were at the scene trying to calm down the angry and tearful crowd. This picture on the right shows three officers discussing details of the incident.

The scene was very quiet with many onlookers using tissue after tissue to try to make sense of this tragic event. It was interesting for me to see so many people still standing around watching after the scene had been cleared. Clearly, the memory will not be wiped away easily, but for community members to stand in shock and watch a scene of a crime seems to show that they are waiting for something to change, whether inside themselves or to the actual scene. People might feel that if they wait long enough they will see something that will give them peace or solace during such a difficult time. Oftentimes, however, that is not the case, but these kinds of events do bring issues to the public's attention and could potentially cause someone to think before he or she acts in the future.

Andrea DeSabato - Hunting Park, Group 10