Bergen Contractor Allegedly Dumped Hazardous Chemicals, Suit Says

A lawsuit filed against the Bergen County-based contractor Joseph Sanzari alleges his company dumped contaminated materials in wetlands and streams, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

In the lawsuit filed in the Newark U.S. District Court, AMA Realty of Allendale accused Sanzari and his son-in-law, Timothy Murray, of dumping harmful materials including mercury and lead on property they leased from AMA, according to the report.

Sanzari's company also allegedly dumped materials in protected wetlands and streams that flow into the Hackensack River, according to the report.

Timothy Corriston, Sanzari's attorney, was quoted in the report calling the lawsuit "a landlord-tenant dispute that’s been overblown."

AMA's attorney, John Daniels, said they had hired environmental experts to investigate the property, which they said is now "worthless" because the dumping changed the topography to cause frequent flooding, according to the report.