Urns abandoned inside Jersey City PATH station held relatives' ashes that homeless man had grown tired of carrying around

Thursday, April 07, 2011
By RON ZEITLINGER
DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

Two silver urns abandoned inside a Jersey City PATH station two weeks ago contain the cremains of a homeless man's grandmother and aunt, The Jersey Journal has learned.

The man told Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police that he had grown tired of carrying the cremains of his dead relatives, and decided to leave them in the station, said a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to speak on the record.

The urns were found on a landing leading to a platform at the Newport PATH station in Jersey City on March 22. The next day police tracked the homeless man, who was believed to be off his medication at the time, after viewing security tapes that showed him leaving the silver jars at the station, the source said.

A Port Authority spokesman said the agency had no comment on the incident.

The urns are now being held at the Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark, the source said. It has not been determined what would become of the urns if they are not claimed.

Police brought the homeless man, whose name was not released, to the Jersey City Medical Center to be examined. The ages and identities of the man's aunt and grandmother were not released.

The man was not charged, the source said.

Two silver urns abandoned on landing at Newport PATH Station in Jersey City may contain cremated human remains

Thursday, March 24, 2011
By RON ZEITLINGER
DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

Two urns - containing what may be cremated human remains - were found on a platform at the Newport PATH station in Jersey City Tuesday night.

The silver urns were found unattended on a landing leading to Platform A at the station and reported to Port Authority police, said Justine Karp, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The P.A. police K-9 unit was then called in, she said.

When the dogs determined that the substance inside the urns was not dangerous, the urns were taken to the Northern Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark.

Karp said there has not been a determination on what the urns contain, but the Cliffview Pilot news website is reporting that the urns contained cremains.

The website cited sources with knowledge of the investigation.

The Medical Examiner's Office referred questions to the state Attorney General's Office.

The state Attorney General's Office said it did not have information on the incident.