Business Owner Charged with Aggravated Manslaughter Over Fatal Fire at New Jersey Waste Management Facility

Mark Cadieux is accused of illegally disposing of flammable materials that led to a deadly fire in 2022.

Mark Cadieux, a Long Island man who owns a trucking and warehouse business, is facing charges in connection with a fatal fire at a Waste Management facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey in May 2022. The fire led to the death of a facility employee. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced that a state grand jury voted to file criminal charges against Cadieux, 55, of Lynbrook, N.Y.

Cadieux has been arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter; second-degree manslaughter; second-degree violation or failure to perform a duty imposed by a law intended to protect public health and safety; second- and third-degree causing or risking widespread injury or damage; and numerous environmental hazardous waste charges. Cadieux pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on July 3. Following a detention hearing, the court ordered Cadieux to be released with conditions.

The indictment alleges that on May 10, 2022, Cadieux unlawfully disposed of over 9,000 pounds of highly flammable dry shampoo aerosol cans into a dumpster he had rented in Linden, N.J. The dumpster was later transported to the Waste Management facility on Julia Street in Elizabeth. A multi-alarm fire broke out within minutes of the aerosol cans being dumped from the dumpster at the facility, leading to the death of facility worker Czeslaw Solarz, 69, of Union Township.

According to Attorney General Platkin, the fire was like a "firebomb" that endangered the lives of workers at the facility and the firefighters who responded to the incident. The case is seen as a "stark illustration of how the irresponsible and improper disposal of hazardous waste can have a clear, devastating and immediate impact on public health and safety".

If found guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, Cadieux could face a sentence of 10 to 30 years in state prison. Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Cadieux is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.