A Newark man has been put on probation for running an illegal dumping operation under highways in the city.

Abdullah Bryant, 41, was sentenced to three years of probation and 300 hours of community service by Superior Court Judge Mayra Tarantino in Essex County on Monday. Bryant had pleaded guilty in November to a charge of third-degree criminal mischief.

“We are committed to protecting New Jersey’s environment and the health of our residents using every tool at our disposal, including both civil actions and criminal prosecutions,” New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal saud. “It is especially important that we hold polluters accountable when they dump waste and hazardous materials in disadvantaged areas, believing that no one will care. We absolutely do care, and we are stepping up our environmental enforcement efforts statewide to crack down on such crimes.”

Bryant spent more than a year between January 2016 and April 2017 dumping huge amounts of solid waste in the Brick City. His largest dumping site was between Frelinghuysen Avenue and the Northeast Corridor rail line beneath the I-78 and Route 22 overpasses — the same location where a past illegal dump caught fire and shutdown the interstate in 1989. Bryant’s dump at the site was 1,000-feet long and 500 feet wide.

Bryant also dumped underneath Route 21 near Poinier Street. There, Bryant’s dump was about 1,200-feet long and up to 150-feet wide.

The solid waste at both sites included asbestos, lead paint, flammables and construction materials among other trash.

Bryant, who did business under International Rubbish Removal and other names, was not authorized by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to collect or dispose of solid waste.

When Bryant was indicted last February, he originally faced six different third-degree offenses: Illegal collection of solid waste, illegal transportation of solid waste, illegal disposal of solid waste, vandalizing railroad property and two counts of criminal mischief.

Bryant will also have to pay restitution to cover the cost of cleaning up the illegal dump. The total amount of restitution will be determined at a future court hearing, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

Both sites were cleaned up for a combined estimated cost of $1.7 million.

Glenn Cella, Bryant’s attorney, had no comment on the case when reached by NJ Advance Media.

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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