Month: April 2026

By Christine Sloan

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    KEYPORT, New Jersey (WCBS) — A New Jersey town’s residents fear cancer cases in their neighborhood could be connected after state environmental officials say they found contaminants at a former landfill nearby.

While there has been no link or cancer cluster designation in Keyport, residents and other officials are demanding an investigation.

Dozens of cancer cases Keyport is known for its views of the Raritan Bay and hometown feel, but some residents say they’re on edge over dozens of cancer cases over the years in a neighborhood near the former Aeromarine landfill.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection says the Aeromarine site closed in 1979 and that a 2010 study found contaminants above groundwater, including benzene, arsenic and PCBs.

Ginger Morris lives on First Street, where her sons created a map of cases. They marked an “X” on 28 homes where they say there has been a cancer diagnosis, including their own.

Morris’ husband is battling prostate cancer.

“We’ve been married 54 years … we have a lot going on,” she said.

The couple’s son uncovered a total of 40 cancer cases in the neighborhood, a statistic also stated by Congressman Frank Pallone, who is demanding an investigation.

“Immediate concern is to see if we can do some screening to determine if there’s a causal relationship between the cancers and the site, but then the site has to be remediated,” Pallone said.

Brian Hagman’s home is also marked with an “X.” His grandparents and aunt, who once lived there, all had cancer. Other relatives are suffering too, he says.

“Two of my uncles have cancer,” Hagman said. “It makes you wonder is it natural or is it because of the dumps?”

NJDEP looking at next steps NJDEP said it recently learned of health concerns, but that it is not aware of water supply contamination. The department said it’s committed to “the proper closure of the landfill to protect the environment and public health.”

Keyport Councilman Robert Bergen said the company that owns the land was fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for failing to properly close the landfill.

“The borough then again in 2021 took the landowner in court to try and compel the cleanup of the site and that case was dismissed, and the DEP was ordered at that time to clean it up,” Bergen said.

The DEP said it’s looking at next steps, which may include taking samples and sharing the information with the state Department of Health so it can track cases and assess any public health risks.

Keyport officials plan to hold a townwide meeting in the coming weeks.

CBS News New York was unable to reach site owners and we have not heard back from an attorney who represents them.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Nikiya Carrero

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    MIAMI, Florida (WFOR) — The Miami-Dade State Attorney has released body camera footage showing the moments officers arrived at a deadly shooting involving a locksmith.

The video shows City of Miami police officers finding 37-year-old Adrian Venereo with a gunshot wound to the head and attempting to save him by performing CPR.

Authorities warn that the footage is difficult to watch.

Audio from the body camera captures officers rushing down a hallway.

“He has a gunshot in the head,” one officer says.

“Gunshot to the head?” another responds.

“Yo! Can you hear me?” a third officer is heard saying.

The body camera footage is from Feb. 20, when officers arrived to find the locksmith lying in a hallway after being shot in the head.

One officer is heard saying, “You want to render aid? Turn him around.”

Officers performed CPR for nearly two minutes until Miami Fire Rescue arrived, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

“No pulse. We’ve been doing CPR. It seems that he’s shot in the head,” an officer says. A fire rescue worker added, “No signs of life. So you guys should all know.”

According to police, Venereo had gone to an apartment building near Southwest 8th Street and 63rd Avenue after being called to help a resident gain access to an apartment. Detectives say the resident, later identified as Luis Lemus, had requested assistance.

Video from a Ring camera shows the locksmith following Lemus down a hallway while rolling his tool bag. Authorities allege Lemus then shot Venereo as he attempted to open the apartment door.

Police say Lemus was found later that day wearing the same clothes seen in the video and in possession of the gun believed to have been used in the shooting. The trial is scheduled for November.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

WBZ

By Neal Riley, Brandon Truitt

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Two armed bank robberies in Boston Tuesday morning are believed to be connected, police say. A third bank was robbed in nearby Everett Tuesday afternoon, but police say the suspects taken into custody there are not responsible for the robberies in Boston.

The armed robberies in Boston occurred at a Santander Bank on Washington Street in Roxbury at 10:11 a.m., and a TD Bank on the American Legion Highway in Roslindale at 11:56 a.m.

“Both of today’s robberies are very active investigations,” a Boston police spokesperson said in a statement to WBZ-TV. “Preliminary information gathered by detectives indicates both robberies involve the same suspects.”

In Roxbury, police said two men entered the bank and robbed tellers at gunpoint. Police described one robber as a light-skinned man, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with a medium build who was wearing a light blue Nike Tech hoodie, black pants, blue gloves and black face mask. The other robber was wearing a black Champion hoodie, with white lettering, black pants, blue gloves and a black face mask, police said.

In Roslindale, police said one of the robbers had the same black Champion hoodie, while the other wore a black hoodie with black pants, a black face mask, white and blue sneakers and blue gloves.

Radek Weirdeowski was inside the Roslindale bank at the time of the robbery. “I heard someone yelling behind me and two guys ran in,” Weirdeowski said. “One had a gun and started screaming that it was a robbery.”

He said it all happened so quickly. “While one guy was at the teller with the gun, the other guy was kind of rounding everyone else up,” he said. “And I thought we would all get robbed as well. But fortunately, they just took the bank’s money and took off.”

Police are looking for a blue Toyota RAV4 seen in both Boston robberies with license plate 4MXN78.

“Members of the public are advised to use caution, as a firearm was brandished during the incident,” Boston Police said.

Everett robbery arrests In Everett, just north of Boston, police made two arrests in another bank robbery Tuesday afternoon. The Eastern Bank at Broadway and Ferry Street was robbed at about 4:30 p.m., according to police.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Neal Riley, Brandon Truitt

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Two armed bank robberies in Boston Tuesday morning are believed to be connected, police say. A third bank was robbed in nearby Everett Tuesday afternoon, but police say the suspects taken into custody there are not responsible for the robberies in Boston.

The armed robberies in Boston occurred at a Santander Bank on Washington Street in Roxbury at 10:11 a.m., and a TD Bank on the American Legion Highway in Roslindale at 11:56 a.m.

“Both of today’s robberies are very active investigations,” a Boston police spokesperson said in a statement to WBZ-TV. “Preliminary information gathered by detectives indicates both robberies involve the same suspects.”

In Roxbury, police said two men entered the bank and robbed tellers at gunpoint. Police described one robber as a light-skinned man, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with a medium build who was wearing a light blue Nike Tech hoodie, black pants, blue gloves and black face mask. The other robber was wearing a black Champion hoodie, with white lettering, black pants, blue gloves and a black face mask, police said.

In Roslindale, police said one of the robbers had the same black Champion hoodie, while the other wore a black hoodie with black pants, a black face mask, white and blue sneakers and blue gloves.

Radek Weirdeowski was inside the Roslindale bank at the time of the robbery. “I heard someone yelling behind me and two guys ran in,” Weirdeowski said. “One had a gun and started screaming that it was a robbery.”

He said it all happened so quickly. “While one guy was at the teller with the gun, the other guy was kind of rounding everyone else up,” he said. “And I thought we would all get robbed as well. But fortunately, they just took the bank’s money and took off.”

Police are looking for a blue Toyota RAV4 seen in both Boston robberies with license plate 4MXN78.

“Members of the public are advised to use caution, as a firearm was brandished during the incident,” Boston Police said.

Everett robbery arrests In Everett, just north of Boston, police made two arrests in another bank robbery Tuesday afternoon. The Eastern Bank at Broadway and Ferry Street was robbed at about 4:30 p.m., according to police.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

WBZ

By Louisa Moller

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Massachusetts woman appeared in court on Tuesday, accused of faking her own cancer death in order to avoid having to face a judge for drunk driving and shoplifting charges.

Shannon Wilson shook her head in Plymouth District Court as prosecutors laid out the indictment against her.

“This is a defendant who was willing to fake her own death,” Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Alex Zane said.

Wilson is charged with one count each of furnishing false identifying information, obstruction of justice, forgery, uttering of a public record, and failure to appear after release on bail.

Woman accused of faking own death Prosecutors said the 45-year-old woman orchestrated the scheme to evade cases from 2022-2023. The first came in 2022 when she was arrested on a charge of operating under the influence.

“And this is when she first raises that she has terminal brain cancer,” Zane said, adding that Wilson told a Hingham judge at the time that she was dying.

They argue that she did the same thing during an arraignment for a shoplifting charge in Plymouth.

Then, prosecutors said Wilson stopped appearing in court. Defense attorneys reported that Wilson was in hospice care as her condition deteriorated.

“And ultimately, the counsel representing the defendant gives the court a screen grab or a print out of a text message that he received from that number he’s been communicating with that he believes is the defendant’s family of a death certificate from Rhode Island saying that she had passed away,” Zane said, saying the claim that Wilson died happened in May 2023.

Investigators looked at the grainy copy of the death certificate. The doctor whose signature was used, the hospice center listed, and the funeral home all had no record of Wilson’s death. Prosecutors determined the document was a fake.

Shannon Wilson charged in Massachusetts In August 2023, the person who previously posted Wilson’s $400 bail recovered the money after being informed she was dead. Several weeks later, prosecutors say Wilson showed up at the person’s house and allegedly admitted she had faked her death.

Wilson allegedly also duped her ex-fiancé, who she lived with in a Plymouth home.

“He indicated a week or so after the Hingham matter was dismissed, he actually thought that she was dead,” Zane said.

Wilson’s defense attorney argued that she was not the architect of the plan.

“She’s not the one who made these phone calls. She’s not the one who prepared the document that Mr. Zane referred to and she’s not the individual who submitted that to the court,” defense attorney Josh Werner said. Werner did not say who he believes sent in the fake death certificate.

Wilson pleaded not guilty and is being held on $50,000 bail.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Louisa Moller

Click here for updates on this story

    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Massachusetts woman appeared in court on Tuesday, accused of faking her own cancer death in order to avoid having to face a judge for drunk driving and shoplifting charges.

Shannon Wilson shook her head in Plymouth District Court as prosecutors laid out the indictment against her.

“This is a defendant who was willing to fake her own death,” Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Alex Zane said.

Wilson is charged with one count each of furnishing false identifying information, obstruction of justice, forgery, uttering of a public record, and failure to appear after release on bail.

Woman accused of faking own death Prosecutors said the 45-year-old woman orchestrated the scheme to evade cases from 2022-2023. The first came in 2022 when she was arrested on a charge of operating under the influence.

“And this is when she first raises that she has terminal brain cancer,” Zane said, adding that Wilson told a Hingham judge at the time that she was dying.

They argue that she did the same thing during an arraignment for a shoplifting charge in Plymouth.

Then, prosecutors said Wilson stopped appearing in court. Defense attorneys reported that Wilson was in hospice care as her condition deteriorated.

“And ultimately, the counsel representing the defendant gives the court a screen grab or a print out of a text message that he received from that number he’s been communicating with that he believes is the defendant’s family of a death certificate from Rhode Island saying that she had passed away,” Zane said, saying the claim that Wilson died happened in May 2023.

Investigators looked at the grainy copy of the death certificate. The doctor whose signature was used, the hospice center listed, and the funeral home all had no record of Wilson’s death. Prosecutors determined the document was a fake.

Shannon Wilson charged in Massachusetts In August 2023, the person who previously posted Wilson’s $400 bail recovered the money after being informed she was dead. Several weeks later, prosecutors say Wilson showed up at the person’s house and allegedly admitted she had faked her death.

Wilson allegedly also duped her ex-fiancé, who she lived with in a Plymouth home.

“He indicated a week or so after the Hingham matter was dismissed, he actually thought that she was dead,” Zane said.

Wilson’s defense attorney argued that she was not the architect of the plan.

“She’s not the one who made these phone calls. She’s not the one who prepared the document that Mr. Zane referred to and she’s not the individual who submitted that to the court,” defense attorney Josh Werner said. Werner did not say who he believes sent in the fake death certificate.

Wilson pleaded not guilty and is being held on $50,000 bail.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.