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
Super Bowl 59: Eagles fans take flight to New Orleans
Thousands of fans are headed to the Big Easy... plane ticket, yes. Game tickets? Not yet!
Shriners Children's of Philadelphia continues mission of helping kids
A pediatric hospital patient and her mother were on their way home to Mexico when their medical transport plane crashed on Friday in Northeast Philadelphia.
Eagles fans race to book Super Bowl reservations
All-inclusive packages are going quickly too! The Green Legion is offering fans a deal that includes a charter flight, tickets to the game, and rooms on a riverboat.
Eagles fans seeking out package deals for Super Bowl LIX
Some Eagles fans are looking to book a trip to watch the Birds play the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Commanders vs. Eagles: A house divided in Delran, NJ
The Grays decided to turn their fierce Eagles-Commanders family rivalry into a way to give back.
Embattled Atlantic City mayor says he will seek re-election
The announcement comes just five days after the mayor was back in court to plead not guilty to allegations of witness tampering.
Shoppers in the Philadelphia region stock up ahead of Sunday's snow
At the Acme in Bala Cynwyd, shoppers are filling their carts with snow day essentials, like eggs, milk and bread on Friday.