Father says daughter called him from sinking van
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It can be difficult to see in contrast to the sweater it is resting on, but Snuggles' egg is a delicate shade of blue-green, characteristic of the Ameraucana breed. (Jennifer Lynn/WHYY)
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Ariadne Marg-Bracken, 13, with the chicken coop's watering trough. (Jennifer Lynn/WHYY)
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Thilo Marg-Bracken, father, and builder of the coop, made of an old dresser and recycled hardware. (Jennifer Lynn/WHYY)
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Marlena Marg-Bracken, 9, with Snuggles the chicken, who is blind in one eye and who lays beautiful bluish-green eggs. (Jennifer Lynn/WHYY)
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Marlena Marg-Bracken, 9, (left) and her sister Ariadne, 13, freshen up the hens' bedding in the coop. (Jennifer Lynnn/WHYY)
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A lone hen wanders the grounds of the Marg-Bracken flock in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.(Jennifer Lynnn/WHYY)
The husband of a New Jersey woman accused of driving their children into a river says one of the teens called him from the sinking van.
Jeffrey Smith tells The Associated Press his daughter then kicked out a window and was rescued by a good Samaritan.
Police say the passer-by, Darnell Taylor, also helped Smith’s wife and two of their sons get out of the car. Smith says the boys had called 911 from the submerged vehicle.
Smith says he was running errands with a fourth child Tuesday when his wife allegedly drove into the Delaware River in Florence Township. Joann Smith is charged with attempted murder.
Jeffrey Smith said Thursday that his wife has been battling mental illness for more than a decade.
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