Residents press Hawthorne council over long‑running junkyard; attorney says court stay limits action

Several council members and residents pressed the Borough of Hawthorne on May 7, 2025 to take stronger action against a long‑running junkyard property that neighbors say continually accumulates refuse and creates a public‑safety and quality‑of‑life problem.

Council members described repeated summonses and prior limited cleanup efforts. “We have been 30 years patient,” one council member said, summarizing widespread frustration from residents who live adjacent to the property. Multiple speakers urged the borough to seek repeated court orders to permit entry and removal of the material.

Borough Attorney Michael Pasqua told the council that the borough’s options are constrained by active litigation. He said a prior trial judge had at one point granted the borough authority to remove materials, but a superior‑court stay later halted those actions and the property owner has since filed suit seeking return of material removed during prior actions. Pasqua said discovery is ongoing and that borough officials face a court‑ordered stay that prevents unilateral entry pending further proceedings. A new trial date is scheduled in June.

Council members asked the fire inspector and property‑maintenance staff to re‑evaluate whether the current conditions rise to a life‑safety level that might permit other enforcement steps; the borough attorney said inspectors and officials would continue to document conditions and press for court relief where legally possible.

Residents at the meeting said the situation has produced public‑safety concerns for neighbors and emergency responders; the borough acknowledged continued enforcement activity (summonses) but said legal restraints limit immediate cleanup. Officials encouraged continued documentation and said they will follow up after the scheduled court date.