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Mark Cadieux of Lynbrook, NY, dumped more than 9,000 pounds of aerosol cans container pressurized dry shampoo into a rented trash bin, sparking the May 2022 fire, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.
The Dumpster had been taken to the Waste Management facility on Julia Street in Elizabeth, where its highly-combustible contents ignited “within minutes” of being dumped out, the attorney general said.
“This careless action resulted in a large quantity of highly flammable materials going into the waste stream, effectively sending the workers at this facility in Elizabeth a firebomb that was waiting to go off,” Platkin said. “And when it did, it had lethal consequences.”
A resulting five-alarm fire burned through the afternoon and much of the evening, prompting evacuations of nearby homes and businesses.
Part of the building also collapsed during the fire.
Firefighters found the body of Waste Management worker Czeslaw Solarz in the rubble the next day.
Born in Poland, “Chester” Solarz emigrated to the U.S. in the late 80s and began working at the Elizabeth facility in 1989. He left behind a wife and three daughters, according to his obituary.
Cadieux is charged with manslaughter, among other offenses, in Solarz’s death. He also received several environmental violation notices, state authorities noted.
An indictment returned against Cadieux explains that his behavior constituted the disposal of hazardous waste, which was done without proper authorizations from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
A judge has allowed Cadieux to remain free pending trial or a resolution of the case.
Derek Nececkas, the interim head of the state Division of Criminal Justice, pledged to “hold polluters accountable, particularly when their disregard for dumping laws leads to an outcome as egregious as this — a fatal, massive blaze in one of New Jersey’s most populous urban areas.”
Deputy Attorneys General Frederick McDonald, Laura Magnone, and Danielle Scarduzio are prosecuting the case for the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Environmental Crimes Unit, Platkin said.
Investigating the fire was the DCJ’s Environmental Crimes Unit assisted by Detectives Brad Novik and Darrell Washington; and the Union County Arson Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the New Jersey State Fire Marshall; the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; the Elizabeth and Linden police departments and the Elizabeth Fire Department, the attorney general said.
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