Investigators say they've arrested the two men responsible for tossing an explosive device from a pickup truck in Catasauqua Tuesday. One woman, who lives in Catty says hearing a loud boom is nothing that unusual in their town. "Ever since we moved in, it would happen, especially in the summer. Every couple nights, something would happen at 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am. By the time that they throw it or set it off they're already gone and there's nothing left for anybody to hold onto by the time police get there," the woman says. 56-year-old Matthew Pletz and 24-year-old Jack Pletz are accused of throwing the device from a pickup truck near the Salem United Church of Christ on Third Street. Investigators say surveillance footage showed the truck and witnesses identified the two men. Investigators say there's no indication the incident wsa related in any way to the voting going on inside the church at the time. A search of the truck revealed 18 small homemade explosive devices.
A large response was needed for an apartment fire in Allentown on Wednesday. A three-alarm blaze was called in at an apartment building on the 600 block of North 22nd Street. Fire officials said the additional alarms were to provide relief to crews battling the blaze in the high temperatures. No injuries were reported.
This week's heat has killed two Lehigh County men. The coroner says a 76-year-old man died inside his home in Allentown and a 78-year-old man died inside a home in Washington Township Tuesday from hyperthermia.
A 19-year-old Bethlehem man has died days after he was injured in a scooter crash in Allentown. Jimmy Martinez was riding a motor scooter just before 1 o'clock Sunday morning when he lost control, hit a curb and collided into multiple objects in the 800 block of South Filmore Street. Martinez died from his injuries Tuesday afternoon at the hospital.
Former Lehigh County Commissioner Percy Dougherty has died. Dougherty was on the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for 38 years and was a Lehigh County commissioner for 28 years. His obituary indicates Dougherty died after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease. Percy Dougherty was 83.
Wednesday's storm is still impacting the Lehigh Valley this morning. PPL reports more than 400 customers are still without service thanks to the storm. First Energy says more than 4000 of its customers are in the dark. Almost half of them are in Berks and Bucks counties.
At the beginning of the week, the upcoming Memorial Day weekend forecast wasn't good and Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says that hasn't changed. "It's not a good forecast if you have outdoor plans or things like that," Lundberg says. The worst weather is likely Saturday, which is being called a washout. It'll probably rain some more on Sunday and while Memorial Day Monday itself will be the best weather day of the weekend, Lundberg says it still could rain a bit that day too.
Governor Mikie Sherrill has declared a state of emergency for New Jersey farmers, who are reporting losses so far of at least 30-percent of many crops, while others are expected to be a total loss. State agriculture officials say several days of freezing temperatures late last month caused the damage. Sherrill says early estimates suggest at least 300 million dollars in total crop losses for growers and farmers. The governor's executive order declares an emergency in all 21 counties, and gives the Sherrill Administration a guide towards more funding and state support for Garden State farmers and growers.