Camden Judge Blocks EMR Scrapyard Shutdown, Orders 8 Safety Conditions

Published: July 10, 2026 12:00 AM
Last Updated: July 10, 2026 07:59 AM

A Camden County judge allowed EMR Recycling to resume shredding under eight safety conditions, one day after Camden City Council rejected a phased-reopening settlement and residents called for permanent closure. The ruling leaves three active court proceedings, 535 jobs, and 4,000 households in legal limbo until an August 17 hearing.

A Camden County Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction on July 8, ruling that the city had violated state and municipal procedural requirements in suspending a junkyard license. Judge Steven Polansky cleared the legal path for EMR Recycling to resume shredding at 1400 S. Front St. once the company demonstrates an operational fire suppression system and meets other court-ordered safety conditions. The ruling arrived one day after Camden City Council voted to reject a phased-reopening agreement. Meanwhile, three residents have filed a federal class action, case number 1:26-cv-06041, seeking to represent roughly 4,000 households near the facility.

Camden City Council rejected the proposed settlement with EMR on July 7, blocking the company's bid to resume phased operations. The agreement would have required EMR to station a Camden firefighter at the facility around the clock, strengthen its fire suppression protocols, and keep the site running continuously with regular upkeep. The company also would have had to change how it handles lithium-ion batteries, alert authorities the moment a fire breaks out, and put workers through additional safety training. Council Vice President Arthur Barclay said, "They have to do better. And they have the means."

EMR's legal team claimed the shutdown has cost the company $10 million in forgone revenue and operating costs, while court filings cited by NBC10 put the revenue loss at $4.1 million. CBS reported more than 300 layoffs. The company told WHYY it employs 535 people in Camden, including 191 city residents; its own court filing puts the number at 500, including 179 Camden residents.

The facility processes scrap metal, including material that has arrived with concealed lithium-ion batteries. On Feb. 21, 2025, a four-alarm blaze at the shredder facility burned for about six hours before crews brought it under control, according to CBS Philadelphia, though a lawsuit cited by 6ABC put the duration at 12 hours. The company blamed a lithium-ion battery hidden in scrap metal, but 6ABC reported that fire officials could not determine the cause. Smoke from the fire reached Philadelphia, and about 100 residents voluntarily evacuated their homes, according to CBS and WHYY.

WHYY also reported that a barge carrying EMR scrap metal caught fire in the Delaware Bay in March 2025, adding that the Coast Guard needed a full day to extinguish it.

The New Jersey Attorney General and Department of Environmental Protection filed a public nuisance lawsuit against EMR in January 2026, citing a dozen or more hazardous fires at the company's facilities since 2020, and amended the suit this March. That state action remains unresolved.

Flames erupted at the Camden site again on May 29, 2026. One unit of the facility's $4.5 million suppression system malfunctioned while the rest functioned as intended, according to Camden Fire Chief Jesse Flax. The company had installed the system under a memorandum of understanding signed after the February 2025 fire. EMR contradicted Flax's assessment, writing, "The newly installed fire suppression system worked."

Camden Code Enforcement Director Gabriel Camacho suspended the junkyard license on June 4, citing the fire history, and the city had posted a cease operations order days earlier citing public nuisance conditions. Camacho issued a letter on June 5 outlining permissible activities at the site while the suspension was in effect.

The June 4 order halted scrapyard and shredding operations at the property on Front Street and Atlantic Avenue, banned new material intake, and set a 30-day reassessment window. It arrived after city, county, and state officials had called on regulatory agencies to shut down the facility following the May 29 fire.

Ten people spoke during the June 11 council meeting's public comment session about EMR, according to WHYY. Four demanded the city permanently close EMR's Camden operations. Five others described the company's neighborhood impact or pressed for tighter regulation. Dwane Williams, who lives in East Camden's Stockton neighborhood, took a more neutral tone, saying, "I definitely don't believe the answer to this is shutting down EMR."

Mayor Victor Carstarphen, County Commissioner Jeffrey Nash, Council President Angel Fuentes, Council Vice President Arthur Barclay and State Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez issued a joint statement calling for closure after the May 29 blaze. Carstarphen said, "Enough is enough." Nash added, "We thought that this fire suppression system would be a meaningful response to any small fires that would occur. Today we got our answer. The answer: no. It doesn't work."

The 152-page federal suit alleges that some scrap metal piles reach 60 feet and create fire and toxic-emission risks. The plaintiffs live near the facilities in Waterfront South, a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood with a high poverty rate in a majority-minority city, according to WHYY and E&E Leader.

EMR filed its lawsuit in Camden County Superior Court on June 16, asking the court to throw out the suspension. Judge Polansky issued the preliminary injunction on July 8 halting enforcement of that suspension, and a hearing is set for August 17. No party had appealed the preliminary injunction as of Wednesday evening, according to 6ABC and CBS Philadelphia. The federal class action and the state public nuisance suit also remain active.

William Tambussi, the attorney representing the city, said, "I think it shows the city is going to fight for its residents. As the court ordered, it found that EMR was entitled for additional notice, but the city doesn't apologize for rushing its decision for trying to protect its residents."

Tambussi also said the order includes "eight specific conditions that EMR needs to make before they turn that shredder back on." City officials said in a Wednesday evening statement that they would review the order and determine next steps once they received it. Camden will also station inspectors at the facility to verify compliance.

Governor Mikie Sherrill signed a bill strengthening oversight of scrap metal facilities on Wednesday, according to CBS Philadelphia. NBC10 reported that the measure requires companies to install heat-detection equipment and limit pile heights.

For Camden, EMR may resume shredding only after satisfying the eight court-ordered conditions, and the August 17 hearing is the next scheduled court date. The federal class action and the state public nuisance suit remain active.

NJBallot

Camden Judge Blocks EMR Scrapyard Shutdown, Orders 8 Safety Conditions

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