Salvatore Liguori will never get over the loss of his son Anthony, but he hopes sharing his story could lead to change. “My kid was one of a kind, he was special. He held our family together,” Liguori said. His son was diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2023. He was gone in a matter of months . “It’s just extremely scary,” his father said. For years, the family has lived near the now-defunct Aeromarine Landfill in Keyport. They’re far from the only ones in the immediate area to be touched by cancer. “Two of my uncles had cancer and they grew up in this area. I think the woman down here has cancer,” said resident Brian Hagman. As borough leadership now calls for an investigation, so too is Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. He wrote a letter to state and federal officials after a recent report by NJ.com uncovered more than 40 cancer cases locally — including 28 on one street. Pallone wants the air, soil and water to be tested. “Having cancer and not knowing the cause of it is a nightmare. So the main thing here is to check on this cancer cluster to see if whether or not there’s a link to these cancers and the landfill and toxic waste at this site in Keyport,” said Pallone, a Democrat. The site originally closed in the late 1970’s and has been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. While no definitive link has been made, families are growing increasingly concerned. While some said they love living in the area, they would rather not have anything to do with a potential cancer cluster, and have considered leaving. Families say that, if nothing else, they want answers. The Liguoris say they deserve it. “I’m not asking for anything, but I know if my son was here and we could save someone, that’s what he would want. We just want the truth,” said Salvatore. The state said that a buyer for the site had emerged just a matter of months ago, though that is now under review, but they would also like an investigation done to assess the current condition of the land. Attempts to contact the current owners of the site were unsuccessful. ...read more read less