Residents in Long Island hamlet fuming over alleged case of illegal dumping
SHIRLEY, N.Y. -- A homeowner says in hindsight, he made a mistake by accepting a truckload of clean, free dirt to landscape his property.
It turns out, the soil was not clean and the dumping was illegal.
So who is responsible?
Feet from the Great South Bay, homeowners doing spring landscaping in the hamlet of Shirley say they got a shock.
"This pristine piece of land -- they dumped 30-plus yards of trash on it, some potentially toxic," resident Blake Edward said.
Neighborhood cameras recorded a contractor pulling up in a dump truck offering some free dirt, so he didn't have to haul it away, he claimed.
"They lied. They said it was clean dirt, clean fill," homeowner Chris McGuire said.
READ MORE: Brookhaven town officials propose increased fines for illegal dumping
McGuire calls himself trusting, but when he glanced up to see rocks, asphalt and plastic pieces mixed within the soil he knew something was wrong.
"As soon as he started dumping I saw some stuff fall out and I said, 'Stop,' and they took off in a big hurry," McGuire said.
"They lift up the rear, then they floor it. All the dirt comes out the back of the truck, takes out the neighbor's power line," Edward added.
Neighbor John Glass was suddenly without power. The contractor's truck ripped out wires while fleeing the scene. Glass paid $5,000 for repairs last week, he said.
"In terms of what it did to our little community, I mean, we were all in kind of shock," Glass said.
Now the town of Brookhaven is investigating. State lawmakers recently passed bills that designate as felonies "illegally dumping construction debris" or "participating in a dumping scheme."
FLASHBACK: Ringleader of massive illegal dumping scheme on Long Island gets 2-4 years in prison
A residential toxic dumping story in Central Islip that CBS2 first exposed helped contribute to the new law in 2020. Prior to then, dumping was a misdemeanor.
"Warning residents of unscrupulous contractors -- contaminated soil may end up being a costly environmental cleanup," Brookhaven Councilman Daniel Panico said in a statement.
"I know that the dirt is most probably tainted," Glass said.
"It's indefensible," Edward added.
They say it's threatening not only humans but wildlife, our fragile ecosystem, and aquifer.
