After Son Crushed To Death At NJ Recycling Facility, Mom Seeks Answers

CLIFTON, NJ — A woman is seeking answers after her 73-year-old son was crushed to death while working at a Clifton recycling plant last November.

Jose Centeno of Elizabeth was fatally injured after being crushed by a hydraulic baling press on Nov. 12, as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) told Patch previously. He worked for Ricova USA, which has a processing facility on South Broad Street in Clifton.

His mother, Sandra Cedeno, filed a petition in December seeking access to police and Passaic County Prosecutor records related to the death investigation. This would include all reports, witness statements, body-worn camera footage, 911 calls, and other files.

Cedeno is preparing to file a civil lawsuit over Centeno's death, but attorney Matthew V. Villani wrote in the filing that she has not been able to get enough background information about the accident.

According to the filing, Cedeno had requested the file from Clifton Police and was told she needed a court order to overturn the documents.

"The investigation into the potential roles of various individuals and their potential liabilities is necessary in order to have a good faith basis to bring a civil lawsuit for the injuries sustained by both Jose Centeno and his surviving next of kin," Villani wrote.

A judge granted an order to show cause in December. Clifton Police declined to comment on any pending legal proceedings.

The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office was also named in the petition for discovery, but their Fatal Investigations Unit did not open an investigation into Centeno's death, court filings show.

OSHA is still investigating Centeno's death, which they said is believed to be accidental. The regulatory agency has six months (from the time of his death) to conduct the investigation and release its findings.