tennessee. fill your car and empty the wallet. >> when would the gas station learn about it? >> they might not. >>reporter: high-tech hackers cashing in. >> and you are the target. tonight hank investigates. 7 news at 5:30 starts now. we are following breaking news. patriots tight end rob gronkowski off the field. the nfl network reporting gronkowski is having back surgery. >> with sunday's match up with the rams on sunday and play offs looming on the does this mean for the pats? >>reporter: gronkowski will be out for the final five games of this regular season. reports say the injury happened last weekend against the jets on a long incompletion in the first quarter. the injury forcing him to leave that game. gronkowski will undergo surgery in los angeles for a ruptured disc, the third back surgery of his career. the thought was that the injury came from this violent hit he took against the seahawks a few weeks back. you see it again here, slammed

injuries, having missed 21 games in his career. that number now rises to 26. former patriot steve -- was on the phone with us earlier with his thoughts on what the team needs to do to finish the season strong. >> there are very few guys in the league that are as competitive as gronkowski is and there is nobody that wants it more than him. that has to be so tough for a young man like that. josh mcdaniels is going to have to be creative with those groups. young step up, maybe mitchell like he did last week will step up and be more part of it. this isn't just one person replacing gronkowski. that is not going to happen. it is going to have to be a group of people. >> you talk about the surgery, do the math, add up the recovery. gronkowski is expected to be out for about eight weeks, bringing us to the afc championship game. we'll keep you posted. we'll continue to follow this story and bring you the latest on gronkowski's injury as we get it.

to whdh.com or download our mobile apps. police say a man was shot with a stun gun inside his home by three masked men in brockton. he was tied up with his own suspenders. >> we are live in brockton with more on what happened there. dan. >>reporter: well, this man has yet to come home from the hospital, leaving neighbors an police puzzled because they say whatever these guys were looking for, this guy didn't have. >> i'm -- that is, like, making me scared to death. >>repo: robbers tie up and taser a 71-year-old man in his home. >> well, it is bad, you know. you feel bad about it. >>reporter: brockton police say the elderly resident came home to find three masked men waiting to rob him. friends say mike is a navy vet. police say the robbers tied up mike with his own suspenders and terrorized him with a taser, repeatedly demanding gold. >> i'm stunned. i don't know.

it isn't some place you'd come to rob, as far as i can see. >>reporter: neighbors say mike hit the garage sales and collected things. >> but he doesn't have anything over there. that is what i don't understand. so unless somebody heard him talking, they got the impression that he had stuff over there. because he is a really nice guy. >>reporter: police say the robbers did get away with some old silver coins, leaving mike tied up for five hours before he could wriggle free and call for help. >> they are probably waiting at the same doughnut shot every day were glad to hear he is going to be okay. is he the kind of guy who will bounce back from this? >> yeah, i think so. yeah, he'll bounce back, but it will take him a while. >>reporter: police say they are chasing a few leads that could answer some questions in this case. they say last night they chased three suspects after a report of gunshots and say they caught up with one of the three suspects.

a teen accused of encouraging her friend to commit suicide back in court today. michelle carter is charged with involuntary manslaughter. today was a pre-trial hearing. >>reporter: as a judge tries to move motions along, pushing for a february trial, defense attorneys ask for an expert to explain the e antidepressant drug. in 2014 carter encouraged 18-year-old conrad roy of fair haven to kill himself through text messages. both she and roy were taking the drug, celexa. >> it's been proven -- this isn't speculation -- it is

that it causes increase in teen suicide. i think a jury needs to hear that information. >>reporter: but a judge disagreed. >> you have not indicated whether or not mr. roy had any trial periods, whether he complained to anyone about the effects of the drug. we don't have any of that. i am not satisfied that you have met this reasonableness. >>reporter: defense lawyers say the drug was in roy's system when he took his own life. >> conrad roy was taking it, but the judge didn't know -- so what if he was he didn't think i was clear enough as to why it was relevant to the case. and so i'll spell that out next time to try to convince the judge why i think it is so relevant. >>reporter: also today, the defense will get access to roy's facebook page. defense lawyers say he told other friends about his suicidal thoughts. also on 7, a man hunt underway after a police officer was shot in chattanooga, tennessee. investigators say the officer was shot three times while

the officer was able to drive himself to the hospital for treatment and is expected recover. >> the officer was struck multiple times. the officer came to the hospital where he is receiving fantastic care. he is being treated for the injuries. he is in as good of shape as can be expected after being shot three times by a brutal bad guy with no regard for life. >> authorities are using helicopters and drones to try to find their of killing a police officer is shot and killed in a stand off with police. police say the officer was responding to a domestic violence call last night when a man in the house shot him. the officer was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. a procession of police cars followed his body from the hospital to the medical examiner's office. after the shooting dozens of police officers were called to the scene where the man was barricaded inside. the area locked down as police tried to negotiate with the

until police were able to kill the shooter and get the children inside to safety. the police department now mourning the loss of a fallen officer. >> our sincere con dooco -- condolences go out to the officer's family, friends and the police family and the citizens of tacoma that he so proudly served over many years. >> suspect have been identified at this point. eleven people are now safe after being held hostage inside a florida bank during an armed robbery. the suspect held a gun to the head of one of the hostages, demanding money. swat teams were able to storm the bank after two hostages made run for it, distracting the gunman. >> we were able to resolve it peacefully through some really professional expertise. again, to be able to make the right decision at the right time and be able to execute that and take this individual into

>> the suspect is behind bars and will likely face several charges including armed kidnapping. crews in tennessee have discovered three more bodies in the rubble of wildfires near gatlinburg, bringing the death toll to ten. drone video shows some of the damage there. shells of burned houses and scorched trees. around 14,000 people were told to leave the area monday. access to the city of gatlinburg is still blocked off. the seconds man to walk the frommed the south pole. the national science foundation says the 86-year-old's health deteriorated while he was there. he's been taken to new zealand where he is doing well and held there for observation. you wouldn't want to see this in your bathroom. a man in south africa tries to get a large cobra out from inside a toilet. oh my goodness. you can see the man gets a hold on it before it starts fighting back.

back into the sewer system. >> we run these stories an hope before they sit down what is going on. that is terrifying. >> very terrifying. can't believe that. then he touched it. here on 7 news at 5:30, are you finding suspicious charges on your credit card. thieves might be getting your information at the pump. hank investigates. at 6:00, a mother stabbed to death in brockton. her own teen son facing murder charges. >> we continue to follow the big breaking news, gronkowski operating table.

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breaking news in lawrence where a body was found near the river. you can see the fire department responded, police have responded. we have a crew on the way and will b up at 6:00 tonight. a slide and steal at the pumps where thieves are treating themselves with your credit card and you don't realize it until you get the bill. >> it is a growing problem that is difficult to investigate. >>reporter: he thought he was only buying gas at this pump, but hun this man's credit card there were charges for a tuxedo, jewelry and furniture.

listen to this. how much did they charge to your account? >> $1,000. we called the police. >>reporter: how did it happen? look here. inside the very pump that joe used, police found this computer cable. criminals had attached it to the credit card reader. that transmitted joe's credit card data to bad guys who downloaded it to their computers. >> it made me angry. >>reporter: experts showed us how criminals pry open the pumps, sometimes late at from any camera, and then they install the cables. >> you unplug it from one side or the other. plug your unit in. >>reporter: they close up the pump and wait for the next victim. >> and it will read whatever this reads and take the information. >>reporter: the gas station gets paid, but your credit card info is swiped. when would the gas station learn

>>reporter: detectives told us the computer assisted crooks are fast. >> these can be put on within minutes. >>reporter: and their schemes pay off. >> a lot of money is lost quickly before they realize it. >>reporter: we have learned this gas pump skimming is on the rise in massachusetts. >> they are really everywhere so you have to watch out. >>reporter: we found cases not only in quincy, but in westwood, westboro, bridgewater and more. now the state is pushing gas station to protect their pum with tamper resistant seals like and asking customer to watch out. >> it was surprising to me there were so many. >>reporter: if there is a seal make sure it is not broken and if you are using a credit card pay inside or use cash. coming up at 5:30, pats on the practice field, ready to run over the rams on sunday. so is your fantasy lineup set.

fantasy picks if you need it. >>reporter: how about fantasy start it all over. the team is terrible. forecast looking good. it is up next. trump traveling to indiana today, fulfilling a big campaign promise. and gronkowski sidelined for back surgery. we have team 7 coverage coming

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nice out there today, lots of sun. the breeze is back tomorrow. a dry weekend shaping up andover overall a pattern begin to establish itself as a chilly pattern. december 1 marks the first day

so when we want to look at statistics and compare winters we pick out the lee coldest months of year, which is why it is not the same as astronomical winter which is december 21. we continue to lose daylight. sun up this morning at 6:54. december 15, sunrise, 7:07. december 31, sunrise at 7:13. so it is critical to get these sunny days because there is limited daylight as there is. big storm itself across southern canada, similar to the one that did last week. there is another cold front attached to this storm which will come into new england tomorrow night. now, when it comes through it will not act like big brother. there is not another round of heavy rain on the way, although in the drought it wouldn't be bad. what it will do is knock the 50 degree weather out of new england. that doesn't show up until tomorrow night. that is why i think tomorrow we can get our numbers up close to what we have right now, upper

there is that breeze, west and northwesterly breeze at 10 to 15 miles per hour, at times adding a chill to the air. boston common tree lighting, no rain, dry tonight, breezy, crisp and cool with numbers in the upper 40s at 6:00 and middle 40 os la this evening. overnight, temps between 34 and 40. the other cold front draped across southern canada, quebec city at 32. that is the differencen their we will deal with over the weekend. tomorrow it is not too bad. 45 to 50, a little breezy. fitchburg, around 50. chatham at 54. there is the cool front through new england tomorrow night with nothing more than a few clouds. and saturday as well as sunday will feature high pressure both

saturday and again on sunday. temps both weekend days, lower 40s. that is that cool air coming out of canada. and early next week a lot of clouds and still holding on to that chilly theme with temps tuesday and wednesday, low 40s. see you at 6:00. this football season has gone by fast and the play offs are right around the corner. >> with gronkowski now out, how is your fantasy team looking this week? need for a few tips? we have you covered in this week's fantasy >> hey there pats fans. welcome to fantasy fixer. we are already on week 13, which means some fantasy leagues are already on the verge of play offs. we are also talking about the patriots comeback win against the jets. that was amazing, but man, they lost gronkowski in that. >> yeah, big price to pay for fantasy owners out of the there as we wind down if you are playing a two week league, maybe a big match up for gronkowski not to have him this week. somebody will have to pick up

the rams, one of the better defenses in the league, but they are not consistent enough in stopping the run. not a good match up last week against if jets. exact opposite this week. >> let's talk about the super bowl rematch from 2001. the pats honoring the bunch from the first championship. pretty cool there. i guess if you could rewind time the rams would probably want some of that offense back. >> their offense is abysmal. one of the greatest offenses in close to the case. rookie quarterback, 31st in the like in offense, scored ten or fewer points in four of the last fivegames. austin, really dynamic guy in the past, not quite the same. >> and afc west may be the best division in football right now, but one team getting a break this week. >> would have to be the chargers. good match up playing williams,

good quarterback, something you want to look for. e three straight games with fantasy touchdown. >> all right even, go set your lineup. next year on seven news at 5:30, a dog found three years after it vanished and you won't believe how far this little guy got. 7 news continues to follow breaking news at 6:00. rob gronkowski is out. the pats tight end set for back surgery tomorrow. we'll bring you team 7 cov a body found near the river up in lawrence. an investigation is underway right now. >> plus, man facing charges for murdering his own mother. there was some drama in the courtroom today. >> we have those stories and a lot more coming your way next on

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this after disappearing three years ago. she was found 1200 miles away from home. >> no one knows how she made it so far on those little legs. >>reporter: bill learned his lesson the hard way. from now on he won't let bella out of his sight. four years a guy he let bella outside and got distracted. >> we searched, put up signs, we wrapped this place up until 2:00 in the morning. >>reporter: bella was gone.

he lost hope. that was until tuesday when he got an e-mail from new jersey that had bella. >> i booked a flight on spirit within ten minutes, my wife drove me to the airport and i was on my way. >>reporter: luckily she had a micro chip that guaranteed this reunion with family on video. >> she was shaking uncontrollably for about ten minutes. i think she was in shock, just couldn't believe that we were reunited. reporter: she knows a family in the past nine months before she ran away and ended up at the shlter. they have no idea how she wound up in new jersey to begin with. >> i wish they talk or was wearing a gopro or something like that because she has some story to tell. >> he and his wife called the reunion a thanksgiving miracle, a story they'll be telling around the dinner table for years to come. it is amazing. >> it sure is. there is another 30 minutes of 7 news ahead.

now. breaking news at 6:00, gronkowski gone for a bunch of games. patriots star, rob gronkowski set for surgery. we hear from the team, a doctor and fans. complete team 7 coverage. a man accused of stabbing his mother to death faces a judge today. and there was some drama in the courtroom. >> we reached the 50s today. cooler weather heading this way. >> and a winter wond city hall plaza is about to get real festive. >> 7 news at 6:00starts now. right out the gate, breaking at 6:00, devastating news for patriots fans star tight end rob gronkowski is set for back surgery tomorrow. he will misa bunch of games an possibly all the play offs, too. >> this stemming from an injury he suffered against the jets on sunday. we are covering every angle of this breaking story. let's get started with the

>>reporter: over the course of the last 14 months the patriots have suffered setbacks to top play makers like deon lewis and edelman, but there is a strong argument to be made that outside of maybe tom brady, there is no player that impacts the way this offense functions like rob gronkowski, who now, with impending back surgery, is set to be out for eight weeks. >> last year there were a lot of injuries, this year not so many is that something you guys have worked on or just the of the draw? >> i don't even want to talk about it. >>reporter: it was nearly a month ago when rob gronkowski laughed off questions about the health of the patriots, something that hardly seems funny now that the all pro tight end is set for surgery. >> gronkowski is being taken into the locker room. you wonder if he irritated something. >>reporter: he suffered a herniated disc against the jets, which will require a third back surgery since his time in

of action for eight weeks. >> gronkowski can't make the grab. he was hit and he is injured. >>reporter: it is familiar territory for the greatest tight end in nfl history whose medical file is equal to his talent. >> rob gronkowski is hurt. >>reporter: gronkowski has had surgeries on his knee, forearm, ankle and back during his pro career and has played a full 16 games just twice in his seven nfl seasons. so the injury believed to be up to eight weeks. now, if we look at the timetable, the patriots have five games remaining, then two weeks in the play offs. the eighth game would fall on the afc championship. to be more realistic, best case scenario for gronkowski's return would be the super bowl if the patriots can even manage to get there. >> funny you mention the super bowl because how will the surgery impact the patriot's super bowl hopes. let's get to jonathan hall live at the stadium with more on the impact for this team. john.