Woman seeks removal of unidentified remains from cemetery in Tinton Falls
Carrie Jones, who describes the site as her family’s historic cemetery, says she is seeking to have numerous unidentified remains placed there by Louis Cicalese Cemeteries removed from the property.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Ruffin family “won the rights” to the Ruffin Cemetery property in Tinton Falls and that a judge ruled Carrie Jones had “property rights” to the land. The court did not make a determination awarding ownership of the property to Jones or her family. News 12 regrets the error.
A dispute continues over hundreds of remains buried at Ruffin Cemetery in Tinton Falls, based on statements from individuals involved and court records reviewed by News 12.
Carrie Jones, who describes the site as her family’s historic cemetery, says she is seeking to have numerous unidentified remains placed there by Louis Cicalese Cemeteries removed from the property. She claims her family has longstanding ties to the cemetery dating back to 1927 includes graves of veterans spanning from the Civil War through the Korean War. News 12 has not independently verified her claim of ownership.
Jones alleges that hundreds of remains were buried at the site since 2018 without her family’s authorization. She is calling for their removal and is seeking significant financial compensation related to what she describes as damage to the property.
An attorney representing Louis Cicalese disputes Jones’ assertion that she or her family owns the cemetery, citing previous litigation between involving Jones and Cicalese concerning Ruffin Cemetery. According to a judgment entered in August 2024 following a trial, a New Jersey Superior Court dismissed claims brought by Jones and other plaintiffs after finding they failed to provide enough evidence to establish ownership of the property. The court also expressly stated the proceeding did not resolve ownership and that any of the parties, including Jones, remained free to seek a determination of ownership in another forum.
