Contractor critically injured at EMR scrap yard in Camden, NJ

A subcontractor was critically injured on July 18 when a blowtorch handle penetrated his left biceps and torso while he was dismantling an old crane at EMR's scrap‑metal facility at 1229 South Front Street in Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood. Firefighters arrived around 11:30 p.m., finding the worker impaled on the metal and a second employee with facial cuts.

The incident follows a recent New Jersey Superior Court decision that allowed a nearby EMR metal shredder to reopen after the city sought its closure over fire‑safety concerns. EMR’s Camden sites have experienced more than a dozen fires since 2020, prompting health‑risk complaints from residents because of hazardous air pollution.

Local officials and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office have been monitoring the company's operations amid ongoing community concerns about safety and environmental impact.