New Jersey sues Camden scrap metal recycler over repeated fires
CAMDEN, N.J. (WPVI) -- The New Jersey Attorney General and the Department of Environmental Protection have filed a lawsuit against EMR, a major scrap metal recycler, alleging the company failed to address hazardous conditions that led to multiple fires at its Camden facilities since 2020.
The lawsuit calls the recurring fires an ongoing public nuisance that has severely harmed the health and well-being of Camden residents.
"We're taking action today to hold EMR accountable for its reprehensible conduct and to protect Camden residents," said Attorney General Matt Platkin in a news release. "Companies should never be allowed to turn a quick buck at the expense of their communities, but that's exactly what EMR has been doing for years in Camden. It's time to put an end to this unacceptable conduct."
The most extensive fire, according to the lawsuit, occurred in February 2025 at EMR's South Front Street plant. The four-alarm inferno burned for 12 hours before being fully extinguished, sent smoke and pollution 15 miles away, and forced the evacuation of 100 residents in the immediate area.
State officials said residents reported nausea, headaches, breathing issues, and eye and throat irritation as a result.
Another major fire in January 2021 hospitalized residents and firefighters and temporarily closed a nearby school.
"Neighbors of EMR should not have to live in fear of the industrial business next door to them, wondering whether the air is safe to breathe and the company values its role in the community as much as its profits," said DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.
The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring EMR to fix fire hazards immediately and implement measures to control fire risks.
When reached for comment on Monday, EMR US CEO Joseph Balzano said the company is already taking action.
"In August, after months of working cooperatively, the City of Camden and EMR entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to provide a comprehensive framework for fire suppression at our Camden shredder at a cost of $6.7 million. It appears the current attorney general is not aware of the MOU and EMR's fire suppression investments."
In response to that claim, Attorney General Platkin fired back, saying, “I am aware of the memorandum of understanding — and also aware that just a few months after EMR signed that agreement with the city, there was another fire at one of its facilities. If these steps were available, it shouldn’t have taken five years and a dozen fires to fix. And if EMR was more proactive about protecting the residents in its communities, then I wouldn’t have to sue them.”
Balzano’s statement went on to say,”We look forward to working with the State of New Jersey to address the scourge of lithium-ion battery fires plaguing recycling facilities throughout the country. More than 500 people work for EMR in Camden, including 150 Camden residents. The safety of our employees and the Camden community residents is our number one priority."
Officials initially suspected a lithium-ion battery caused the February fire, but the official report listed the cause as undetermined.
The lawsuit also alleges fires at EMR facilities in Newark and Bayonne and a fire on a barge in the Delaware Bay, but says the Camden fires have been the most severe.
State Assemblyman Bill Moen introduced a bill to restrict lithium-ion batteries at scrap yards and increase oversight following the fire last year.
"While I cannot comment on today's announcement by the New Jersey Attorney General and the Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner on the filing of a public-nuisance lawsuit against the scrap metal recycler, I am pleased with the progress we have made and will continue to fight for the residents of New Jersey," Moen said in a statement.
