'Fake News': Website Posts Phony Report Of Fatal Shooting In Cinnaminson

Update, Monday: A NewsBreak spokesperson told Patch that the article has been removed from the website.

"We have promptly removed the article written by NJNews, and are actively investigating the matter," the spokesperson said. "We sincerely apologize for any distress or confusion this may have caused to the Cinnaminson community. We take the accuracy of information on our site very seriously, and we will take appropriate action against any third-party content provider found to violate our standards."

CINNAMINSON, NJ — A news website's report of a fatal shooting in Cinnaminson is "fake news," police said.

NewsBreak, an online news aggregator, published an article early Friday morning claiming there was a deadly shooting Wednesday in the township.

But no such shooting occurred, according to Cinnaminson police.

NewsBreak also falsely claimed that Patch reported an investigation into the shooting death. However, the website linked to Patch's coverage of a fatal shooting in Burlington City, not Cinnaminson.

The fictitious article remains available on NewsBreak.com as of 10:30 a.m. Friday. Police have reached out to the web platform.

"The Cinnaminson Police Department would like everyone to know that this article is fake news," police said in a statement. "We have not had a shooting, let alone a fatality. If you are able to see the full article, it references a recent post on Patch.com about a fatal shooting that occurred in Burlington City, not Cinnaminson. The Police Department has reached out to Newsbreak.com to report the fictitious information."

NewsBreak gathers news coverage from different sources, organizing them geographically to create local newsfeeds. The website has been criticized for posting fake stories, including AI-generated content.

In 2023, NewsBreak falsely reported a deadly shooting in Bridgeton, Cumberland County. Bridgeton police said the story was fake and that the article seemed AI-generated.