Delaware
Today in Delaware County history, April 13
100 Years Ago, 1924: William Taylor, a visitor from Williamsport, Pa., reported to the police yesterday that he had been robbed of $65 by a colored woman in a house on Fayette Street, in the Bethel Court district. Officers accompanied the man to the place but the house was unoccupied and the woman, whose description Taylor gave, had disappeared from the district.
75 Years Ago, 1949: A Sun Oil Co. tanker which three hours earlier had discharged a cargo of crude oil at Marcus Hook, shortly after 2 a.m. today collided with another ship in foggy, darkened Delaware Bay near Cape May, N.J. Oil-fed flames immediately flared up from the forward dry cargo hold of the Pennsylvania Sun, 153,000 barrel capacity Sun Oil tanker, in which was stored cans of lubricated oil to cardboard cartons, taken aboard at Marcus Hook. Thomas W. Roberts, a seaman, of 56 Barker Ave., Sharon Hill, was knocked overboard by the impact. He was picked up however, by members of the S.S. Great Falls Victory, standing by to take off Pennsylvania Sun crew members, if necessary.
50 Years Ago, 1974: The Delaware County Republican Board of Supervisors (War Board) is bracing for perhaps its toughest primary election encounter ever, while initiating for a torrid ballot confrontation in November. The Watergate scandals, President Nixon’s possible impeachment and inflation are amongst the dilemmas the War Board had nothing to do with, but must reckon with.
25 Years Ago, 1999: Newtown Square Historical Preservation Society members say another priceless link to the township’s historic past will be severed forever if a developer goes forward today with plans to raze a barn and alter an adjacent dwelling on property with ties to the family of Revolutionary War General “”Mad” Anthony Wayne. Society President John Grant noted a person believed to be the developer’s legal counsel has informed the society, however, that a small barn on the site will remain, as well as the oldest section of the Iddings House.
10 Years Ago, 2014: It’s the place with the funny name where people hold doors open for you, the sandwiches are fresh and the coffee is warm, and on Wednesday, Wawa convenience stores will celebrate 50 years of serving up everything from hoagies and coffee to milk and cigarettes. The first Wawa convenience store opened in April 1964 on MacDade Boulevard in the Folsom section of Ridley Township, where it still stands today. Since then, more than 600 stores have been built in six states.
— COLIN AINSWORTH
A man riding motorcycle was killed in a crash in Wilmington on Saturday afternoon, Delaware State Police said.
The crash occurred at around 1 p.m. at the intersection of Limestone Road and Ocheltree Lane, police said. An investigation has found that the motorcyclist was traveling northbound on Limestone Road when he was struck by a Honda Accord that was trying to make a left turn onto Ocheltree Lane from the southbound side of Limestone Road.
The man on the motorcycle tried to avoid the crash by laying the motorcycle down on the road, but the motorcycle slid into the Honda, causing the man to be ejected from the motorcycle, police said.
The motorcyclist, who has been identified as a 38-year-old from Wilmington, was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The man’s name is being withheld at this time so next of kin can be notified, police said.
According to police, the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet and had a green light at the time of the crash. The Honda Accord, which was driven by a 77-year-old woman from Edgewood, Maryland, had a red blinking arrow light.
The woman was uninjured in the crash and police said they are still investigating the exact cause. No charges have been announced.
A fire tore through a church in Wilmington, Delaware, leaving most of the historic structure in ruins.
Battalion Chief of the Wilmington Fire Department, Robert Pryor, told NBC10 that the fire broke out around 3 a.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at the Mother African Union Church along North Franklin Street.
Pryor said the fire spread throughout the entire church, shooting flames 20 to 30 feet into the air.
It took crews over an hour to get the fire under control.
Wilmington Fire Department
Wilmington Fire Department
Wilmington Fire Department
Wilmington Fire Department
While firefighters battled the flames, they also evacuated the surrounding homes due to falling embers, according to Pryor. Those residents have since returned to their homes.
Residents in the area told NBC10 that they smelled the fire before they saw it.
“I looked up the street and the flames were higher than that steeple,” said neighbor Kathleen Brawders.
Wilmington Fire Department Wilmington Fire Department 
The building is now structurally unstable, and no one is allowed inside, Pryor shared.
The cause of the fire is now under investigation.
NEW CASTLE COUNTY, Del. – A Wilmington man was arrested and charged in connection with three armed robberies in New Castle County earlier this month, police announced.
What we know:
Michael Reynolds was charged on Friday with eight felonies, including three counts each of robbery and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, according to the Delaware State Police.
The first robbery happened on May 3, at a Shore Stop on South Old Baltimore Pike in Newark. According to police, Reynolds walked into the store around 8:15 p.m., armed with a knife and wearing a mask. He demanded money from the clerk, police said, then walked off.
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The next robbery happened less than 24 hours later. Around 7:30 p.m. Reynolds is accused of doing the same thing at a Shell gas station on New Castle Avenue in New Castle. Police say he walked in with a knife and demanded money from the cash register.
After this robbery, officers were able to identify the suspect’s car, a white Ford Taurus, and appeared to find it in Wilmington. Officers tried to chase the car, but the driver got away. Police found the car abandoned.
Reynolds was arrested shortly after that. Once in custody, police said they connected Reynolds to “additional incidents” New Castle County that are currently under investigation.
What we don’t know:
Police did not say what those other incidents were.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Delaware State Police Department.
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