NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A house in Newton was at the center of an FBI search on Wednesday that kept investigators on scene for several hours and rocked a typically quiet neighborhood.
Large white tents could be seen outside of a home on Fairfield Street around 12 p.m. Overhead, SKY7-HD spotted personnel coming in and out of the address.
The tents were later taken down and the scene was clear as of 6 p.m.
An FBI spokesperson in a statement to 7NEWS confirmed personnel were performing “court-authorized law enforcement activity at that address” but declined to comment further.
Throughout the day, investigators wearing white jumpsuits were spotted searching every level of the home, including its basement and attic. At one point, investigators came out of the house carrying bags containing what appeared to be bottles.
Neighbors who spoke with 7NEWS said the family that lives at the address mostly keep to themselves. There had been a bad fire at the home years ago, according to neighbors, though, so the family was doing lots of work.
With federal agents on scene, neighbors said they were shocked by the situation.
“It’s unnerving to see so much activity without knowing what’s going on,” said neighbor Lana Bornstein. “With the tents and the dogs and the hovering helicopter, that’s a lot.”
No further information was immediately available Wednesday evening and no one answered the door when 7’s Rob Way approached the home at the center of this search after investigators left.
Two people were later seen running out the front of their home and into their car before taking off down the street.
Elsewhere in the area, some said this situation made them think of recent crimes in Newton.
“It looked like what happened with the triple murder when you see the tents,” Bornstein said, referencing a June incident that left three elderly people dead in a home on Broadway Street in Newton. “It’s just very scary and unnerving.”
“When we first saw the police presence, our concern was ‘Oh no, another tragedy,’” said neighbor Roger Lehrberg. “This seems to be a run of the mill criminal investigation. You give the benefit of the doubt to whoever lives here.”
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