Explosion kills one, injures nine at New Jersey metal casting plant

CARLSTADT, N.J. -- An explosion at a metal casting plant killed one worker and injured nine others Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The accident occurred at Tec-Cast, an aluminum castings company in a pocket of industrial plants and warehouses about a mile north of Giants Stadium. Workers were performing maintenance on an air pressure vat used to cast molten metals into machine parts, police said.

Workers were fixing a door on the approximately 4-foot-wide vat shortly after 8 a.m. when it exploded because of air pressure that had built up in the back, said Capt. Franklin Smith of the Carlstadt Police Department.

"I heard the explosion," said Juan Muniz, who was working in an adjacent building about 20 yards away. "My whole building was shaking. It was scary."

Mario Gomez, a 61-year-old maintenance supervisor from Jersey City, was killed when the explosion blew the door off the vat and sprayed pieces of metal that struck him and the other workers, police said. Gomez was pronounced dead at the scene.

Seven of the injured workers were taken to area hospitals. Five were at Hackensack University Medical Center, three in critical condition and two in good condition, hospital spokeswoman Peggy Schunk said. She did not give specific details on their injuries, citing hospital policy.

Two injured workers were treated and released from Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, according to hospital spokesman Craig Schmalz. Their injuries ranged from scrapes and bruises to knee and ankle injuries.

About 45 employees were in the building at the time of the explosion, Smith said.

Tec-Cast officials did not respond to telephone requests seeking comment.