Jessica Kartalija joined the Action News team in November 2024 - the same year she was named Television Broadcaster of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters.

Jessica came to Philadelphia in 2018 from Baltimore, where the Emmy-award winning journalist anchored the 5 p.m. news. Prior to that, she worked in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Yuma, Arizona.

Although Jessica was born and raised in San Diego, her family is originally from Pennsylvania. She graduated from Penn State University, majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Spanish. While in college, she completed a semester abroad, living in Sevilla, Spain, and became fluent. She also has her Master's in Communications from The Johns Hopkins University.

Jessica is on the Dean's Advancement Council for the Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. She is also on the advisory board of Horizons Greater Philadelphia, a camp for children with cancer. She has worked with the Special Olympics, The House of Ruth Maryland, The Women's Initiative Network (WIN) at Kennedy Krieger Institute, and was on the Board of Trustees at the Irvine Nature Center.

She also teaches a Journalism and Public Speaking course at Villanova University.

Fun fact: viewers can see Jessica in the Philadelphia-based TV series "Servant," "House of Cards," and the movie "Transformers."

Jessica lives with her husband and son just outside of Philadelphia. They have two rescue dogs from the PSPCA. On weekends, you can find her on the sidelines at lacrosse games, reading, and traveling whenever she can.

Jessica's Stories
Firefighters discover illegal marijuana growing operation while responding to blaze
Cell phone video captured flames shooting from the roof of a Chester County home.
Man critically hurt in hit-and-run in Philadelphia's Kensington section
Preliminary reports indicate that a gold-colored SUV was traveling westbound on Lehigh Avenue when it struck a 26-year-old pedestrian in the roadway and fled the scene.
Lingering power outages amid extreme heat after last week's storm left major damage in Philly region
PECO said they made significant progress to restore power overnight Monday, saying all but a few hundred customers are back online.
Alumni of Woodrow Wilson High share memories as Camden school is demolished
Dr. Iris Roscoe says while it's the end of an era for alumni, the improvement is significant for the Camden community.
Police investigating deadly home invasion in Philadelphia's Tacony section
Philadelphia police are investigating a double shooting in Tacony that left one man dead and another in the hospital.
Delaware County man says he regrets trying to poison his neighbor's dogs
A Delaware County man accused of trying to silence his neighbor's dogs with poisonous meatballs is speaking out.
Family mourns 3-year-old girl's death as mother faces murder charges: 'We are just heartbroken'
"From the moment you saw her, you fell in love with her. She was special," said Velma Dinkins, the paternal grandmother of 3-year-old Nola Dinkins.
Mother of missing 3-year-old girl at center of Amber Alert in Delaware charged with murder
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Action News, Darrian Randle admitted to lying about the kidnapping of Nola Dinkins.
Family mourning loss of Camden star football player killed in shooting
Authorities say there were multiple juveniles inside the home when the gun went off.
Emotional vigil for 3 students killed in Limerick crash
Hundreds came out to say their goodbyes, including teachers and the school principal.