Four West Philly High school students were arrested Friday, Nov. 30 for package thefts on the 4200 block of Spruce Street, according to police. Two students are 16 and two are 14. It was the first arrest for all of them.

Plainclothes officers saw six teens go onto the porches and check boxes between 43rd and 42nd streets on Spruce early Friday afternoon. When they stole one package the officers attempted to grab them but the teens ran and four of them were caught near 42nd and Chester. Two teens were able to get away.

Package thefts have been on the rise in the area in the last few weeks as is typical for the holiday season, so residents are advised to apply caution and report any suspicious behavior.

A 52-year-old woman was reportedly killed Monday night near 48th and Chester during a hit and run accident involving an SUV with heavy front-end damage and the left rear brake light out, police confirmed.

The woman was crossing Chester Avenue when she was struck. She was pronounced dead at the scene, at about 10:35 p.m.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact the Accident Investigation Division at 215-685-3180, the tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or text a tip to PPDTIP (773847).

UPDATE: Police recovered the vehicle, a silver Trailblazer, on the 4700 block of Larchwood, according to 6ABC. A police officer reportedly followed leaked fluid and scrape marks from the accident scene east on Chester Avenue. A suspect in the accident has not yet been named.

A man was shot and killed outside the Crown Fried Chicken near 52nd and Spruce early this morning. An off-duty police officer who witnessed the shooting fired at the shooter but missed, according to ABC6.

Police arrived on the scene quickly and two men were arrested in the killing, which occurred at about 2:40 a.m.. Neither the suspects nor the victim, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head, have yet been identified.

As the number of package deliveries increases before and during holidays, so does package theft. A neighbor sent this information and a warning to fellow West Philly residents to be extra careful receiving packages, especially during the holiday season.

“Today I got a call from a friendly stranger who happened to be waiting in a car across the street from my apartment to give a friend a ride. He saw four teens walking down the 4600 block of Spruce, doing what looked like checking porches for packages. When they got to my porch, they saw a package, opened it, and the friendly neighbor got out of his car to stop them, at which point they ran away with half of the contents of the box. Since my buzzer doesn’t work, my phone number is on my front door, which is how he managed to contact me. I came home and filed a police report.”

A 21-year-old man is in critical condition after he was shot in the face during an attempted robbery last night near 51st Street and Willows Avenue. He is expected to survive.

The victim told police that another man came up to him at about 9:45 p.m. and tried to rob him, then took out a handgun and shot him once in the mouth. The suspect then ran down 51st Street toward Pentridge.

Police said that they have encountered the victim before. “A neighborhood beef has not been ruled out,” said Joe Murray of the Southwest Detectives.

Teddy bears and candles remain near the spot where Zykia Sanders was killed early Saturday. (Photo by Mike Lyons)

Police are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who murdered 22-year-old student Zykia Sanders early Saturday morning at the West Park Apartments near 44th and Market streets.

Sanders was leaving a party with a small group of people at a high-rise building when two people in a four-door sedan fired at the crowd. A bullet struck Sanders in the back as she ran from the shooter.

Police believe Sanders, who lived at West Park with her grandmother, was not the intended target of the shooting. She was a student at The University of Phoenix and planned to graduate in June.

Police are urging anyone with information to call  215-686-3334 or 3335.

Zykia Sanders.