Good morning, honorable members of the Senate Law and Policy Safety Committee:
My name is Casey Bond, and I am a resident of Middletown in Monmouth County. I am unable to attend the meeting today due to work commitments, but I would like to share the story of my daughter, Henrietta, as evidence of why Bill S4008 is a critical piece of legislation for our state.
Henrietta celebrated her first birthday last week on February 5, 2025, but she doesn’t look like a typical one-year-old. That’s because she was born early at 24 weeks, weighing under two pounds with severely underdeveloped lungs. She spent 106 days in the NICU and fought through a collapsed lung, intubation, a C-PAP machine, daily respiratory distress episodes, and on several occasions having to be “bagged” — an emergency procedure that resuscitates infants when they stop breathing and can’t get enough oxygen into their blood.
As a result of everything she went through, Henrietta developed Chronic Lung Disease. However, I am so proud to say that she is currently thriving. She isn’t on oxygen, and she was able to wean off of her diuretic medicine, which was used to keep fluid out of her delicate lungs. At her last appointment at the Regional Newborn Extension Program, an early intervention program to monitor premature infants, the medical staff told us that they’ve rarely seen a baby born so early who is as advanced as Henrietta.
I attribute many of my daughter’s health improvements to the wonderful community that we call home. When Henrietta graduated from the NICU, I took her outside in our backyard every day so she could experience fresh air for the first time. My husband and I regularly take her on walks around our neighborhood, and we bring both of our daughters to Apple Brook Park as much as possible (which is easy, considering it’s directly behind our home). We feel as though we’ve hit the jackpot choosing such a safe, family-friendly neighborhood to raise our girls.
You may be aware that there is now a proposal to build a crematorium off of Oak Hill Road in Middletown, which is less than half a mile from our home. I won’t sugarcoat it: The idea of such a facility located so close to Henrietta has us paralyzed with fear. The health and safety of every child in our community would be placed at risk if this crematorium is built, whether they live locally or visit the adjacent parks. But Henrietta is far more vulnerable than other children to the air pollution that it would inflict upon our environment.
Studies show that even when advanced air filtration systems are installed, it is difficult to filter out all harmful particles released by crematoria, especially fine particulate matter that can enter people’s lungs and cause inflammation. For Henrietta, this wouldn’t just be risky; it would be devastating. Among other things, it could worsen her breathing and prevent her from developing healthy, fully-functioning lungs over time. It would put her at an increased risk of respiratory infections, which are already highly dangerous for her, as she can (and has) developed pneumonia from something as simple as the common cold. I want Henrietta to have the opportunity to live a full and vibrant life like other children her age, but this crematorium could destroy everything she has fought so hard to overcome.
If this crematorium is built, we would have no choice but to leave our home. But who would buy it? No one wants to raise a family in the shadow of an industrial body-burning factory operating for 12 hours a day, and no one should have to make that choice. That is why I am earnestly asking you to pass Bill S4008, which will ban crematoria from being built within 1,000 feet of residential areas, schools, parks, and playgrounds in our state.
Bill S4008 is an integral step to protect New Jersey and those of us who live here. This includes our environment, our wildlife, and our people, but most importantly, our children. Every child — no matter where they live in this great state — deserves to grow up in a safe, healthy community, free from the toxic veil of smoke, chemicals, and particles polluting the air that they breathe. So I ask you, honorable members of the Senate Law and Policy Safety Committee, to consider our children when making your decision. Please especially consider Henrietta, her past, and her future. She’s depending on you.
Thank you again for sharing my statement today, and for taking our concerns seriously.
Sincerely, Casey Bond
