Paul Wagner joined News4 as a general assignment reporter in 2021.
Wagner was raised with his seven siblings in Glen Rock, New Jersey. His proximity to Manhattan facilitated his introduction to radio broadcasting. His first job entailed reading the news and playing records at WYCR-FM.
After graduating from Mount Saint Mary’s College, Wagner reported on traffic conditions using binoculars and a two-way radio from the top of the Washington Monument. He moved to Houston for a few years to work at KIKK-FM and KPRC-TV before returning to Washington, D.C., to cover news for WXCR-FM and XTRA-104.
In 1988, Wagner joined WTOP Radio, where he spent 11 years breaking stories and contributing to award-winning coverage, including the 1991 Mount Pleasant riots, which won the station a national Edward R. Murrow Award.
Wagner moved to television news in 1999, covering major news such as the 9/11 attacks, the Beltway sniper shootings, and hundreds of cold cases and homicides for WTTG-TV before leaving in 2020. Wagner then re-established his relationship with WTOP Radio, where he produced and hosted two podcast series on two noteworthy cold cases in the D.C. area.
Wagner won four Emmy Awards during his time at WTTG, and, since joining News4, won his latest Emmy in 2025 for his reporting on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Wagner and his family live in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The Latest
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12-year-old charged in killing says he was passing gun around before it went off
Ahmad Mims was found shot to death on a sidewalk on Rosedale Street NE in July. He was a rising eighth grader at KIPP Northeast Charter School.
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Charges reduced for 12-year-old accused of killing 13-year-old in DC home
The boy charged in the killing of 13-year-old Ahmed Mims says he was passing a gun around before it went off. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.
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SUV going wrong way crashes into gas pipeline on Ox Road in Fairfax County
An SUV going the wrong way slammed into a gas pipeline on Ox Road in Fairfax County, Virginia, Wednesday, causing a gas leak and leading to evacuations in the area, police and fire officials say. Traffic camera video shows the dark gray SUV going northbound on Ox Road near Burke Center Parkway and veering into the southbound lanes before smashing…
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Get ready for Freedom 250 Grand Prix crowds and road closures. Metro has advice.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix is almost here, and the buildout is already changing the way people get around the National Mall. The Grand Prix will take over the streets in front of the U.S. Capitol and along the National Mall during the weekend of Aug. 22-23. If you’ve been downtown, you’ve probably noticed barriers, which have made getting...
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Kentucky woman faces felony charges in WWII Memorial vandalism
Melissa Farris made a brief appearance in court Friday. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.
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Masked intruder ransacks woman's Dupont Circle home, steals Mercedes and valuables
A masked intruder ransacked a multi-million-dollar home in Dupont Circle early Thursday morning – all while the homeowner stayed locked inside her bedroom. By the time D.C. police arrived on scene, whoever was in the house made off with a number of stolen items, including a classic car, paintings and credit cards. The frightening encounter took place inside a $2.5…
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‘Stalemate continues': Trump admin's appeal to deport Abrego to Liberia denied
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government’s motion to dissolve an injunction forbidding the Trump administration from deporting to Liberia the Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador last year. The administration has insisted on deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia instead of Costa Rica, where Abrego has agreed to go. But an injunction from Judge Paula...
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Video shows barrage of bullets fired in killing of 18-year-old woman in DC
An 18-year-old was fatally shot early Sunday in D.C.’s Navy Yard neighborhood.
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Man fatally shot in Landover over apparent business dispute; suspect found dead
Witnesses told police they heard several shots fired and people screaming.
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Ex-FBI agent accused of stealing $1M in crypto could face more charges
A former FBI agent who admitted stealing almost $1 million in cryptocurrency was released to the custody of his parents Wednesday before a judge changed course.
