New Jersey Man Admits to Illegally Dumping Waste In Hudson Valley

A New Jersey man admitted that he illegally dumped over 1,000 truckloads of waste in the Hudson Valley.

On Tuesday, 50-year-old Joseph Wallace of Sussex, N.J. pleaded guilty to six counts of unlawful disposal of solid waste, for his role in causing more than 20,000 cubic yards of non-exempt construction and demolition debris to be illegally dumped at six different sites in the Town of Warwick, between January 2015 and May 2016.

It’s estimated that more than 1,000 truck-loads of construction and demolition debris were illegally dumped at those sites, officials say.

“Those of us who reside in Orange County are privileged to live in an area of unusual natural beauty, and we have a duty to preserve that environment for our children,” Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said. “Those who cause long-lasting damage to the environment by illegally bringing in waste from other counties, and dumping it here, must be prosecuted and made to clean up the sites that they have contaminated.”

In court, Wallace admitted that at each site, he knowingly tossed solid waste into the environment. The illegal dumping occurred after Wallace had contacted the property owners at five of the sites and received permission to bring in clean fill. Wallace then contacted haulers that brought in the solid waste to the sites.

In addition to containing non-exempt fill that included wood, plastics, pieces of carpeting, wiring, and other debris, coal ash was also present in the construction and demolition debris. The Coal ash contained including lead, mercury and other metals, officials say.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Wallace will be forced to pay for the cleanup of the contaminated sites. He will be sentenced to three year probation, if he establishes a New York residence before being sentenced. If he doesn’t, he’ll be sentenced to 45 days in jail.

• Hudson Valley Man Gets 25 Years to Life in Prison, Again
• Book Written By Hudson Valley Author, With Former President to Become TV Series
• Warning: Poisonous Spiders Found In New York
• Hudson Valley Resident Grabs History
• Have You Seen This Missing Hudson Valley Teen?
• Hudson Valley Woman Accused of Drunk Fatal Hit-And-Run
• Owner of Popular Hudson Valley Gym Dies

Here are this week's Top 5 news stories from the Hudson Valley