Explosion kills Cumberland man working on truck in Gloucester County, police say

Carly Q. Romalino and Joseph P. Smith, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·1 min read
The Timberlane Services building on Route 322 is closed following a reported explosion Wednesday morning that killed a Cumberland County man. June 15, 2022.
The Timberlane Services building on Route 322 is closed following a reported explosion Wednesday morning that killed a Cumberland County man. June 15, 2022.

HARRISON TWP. - A Cumberland County man was killed in an explosion Wednesday morning at a local welding shop on Route 322.

Bruce A. Cheeseman, 47, was a resident of the Cedarville area of Cumberland County.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, according to a statement late Wednesday afternoon from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

Emergency responders and HAZMAT crews responded to Timberlane Services, a welding shop at 413 Swedesboro Road (Rt. 322) close to Tomlin Station Road, around 10:40 a.m., according to county Chief of Detectives Thomas Gilbert.

Harrison Township police, county fire marshals, federal officials, and the Prosecutor's Office are conducting the investigation.

Gilbert did say police believe Cheeseman was working on a truck when the explosion occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Gilbert said.

Police caution tape remained on the property Wednesday afternoon but no one was at the business. Harrison Township posted a window-mounted sticker on the building marking it as "unsafe." No damage to the building was visible.

The Timberlane Services office on Swedesboro Road near Tomlin Station Road was empty Wednesday afternoon, closed following a fatal explosion in the morning. In the window, a Harrison Township "unsafe building" notice is posted. June 15, 2022.
The Timberlane Services office on Swedesboro Road near Tomlin Station Road was empty Wednesday afternoon, closed following a fatal explosion in the morning. In the window, a Harrison Township "unsafe building" notice is posted. June 15, 2022.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the workplace death, according to OSHA Philadelphia office spokeswoman Leni Fortson. The agency has six months to investigate and deliver its findings, Fortson said.

Carly Q. Romalino is a Gloucester County native who's covered South Jersey since 2008. She's a Rowan University graduate and a six-time New Jersey Press Association award winner. 

Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Harrison Township NJ explosion: Cumberland man dies, police say