State expands EMR lawsuit, citing new fires at Camden facility and Delaware Bay barge
Attorney general says years of recurring blazes show failure to fix dangerous conditions
New Jersey officials have amended their lawsuit against scrap metal company EMR, adding new claims after more fires were reported in recent weeks.
The state originally sued EMR Advanced Recycling in January, arguing the company has allowed dangerous conditions at its facilities that keep causing fires. Now, officials say two more incidents should be included: a fire at EMR’s Camden facility on Feb. 26 and another on March 10 involving burning scrap metal on a company barge in the Delaware Bay.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the new fires show the problem hasn’t been fixed.
Officials say the fires are harming nearby communities. Under the law, that can be considered a public nuisance. They say the company is creating ongoing harm that affects the public’s health and safety.
According to the lawsuit, there have been at least a dozen major fires at EMR’s Camden facilities over the past five years, along with additional fires at its other sites and on barges moving scrap metal between locations. The company processes scrap metal in multiple places, including Bayonne and Camden, and ships materials between them.
Each time a fire breaks out, nearby neighborhoods can be filled with thick smoke and pollution. Residents have reported breathing problems and chemical smells inside their homes. In some cases, residents have had to evacuate their homes.
The Camden facility is located in Waterfront South, a low-income neighborhood already dealing with high levels of pollution. State officials say that makes the repeated fires especially concerning.
The lawsuit also highlights a major fire in February 2025 that burned for hours and required a large emergency response. The state alleges that actions taken at the site made the fire worse and harder to control.
New Jersey officials are asking a judge to step in and force EMR to fix the problems and cover the costs of damages.
This week, a New Jersey Assembly committee moved forward a pair of bills that would tighten oversight of scrapyards like those operated by EMR.
Krystal Knapp is the founder, executive director, and publisher of The Jersey Vindicator and the founder of Planet Princeton. She has more than two decades of experience reporting in New Jersey, including 10 years at The Trenton Times, where she was the newsroom’s public records and computer-assisted reporting expert. Her work has been recognized by the New Jersey Press Association and the Center for Cooperative Media. You can reach her at Krystal AT jerseyvindicator.org.