Nursing Home Vowed To Pay For Resident's Burial But Never Did, Says Scrambling Funeral Home

The Bergen County nursing home where 92-year-old Carmela Polimeni died has promised to pay for a proper burial, according to the funeral home handling arrangements.

However, Eternity Funeral Service directors say they have yet to see the funds nearly a month after the former Leonia resident's death.

On Wednesday, Aug. 14, CareOne issued a statement saying they were working with Eternity to provide Polimeni with a proper burial:

CareOne at Cresskill was deeply saddened when Carmela Polimeni suddenly passed away. She has visited CareOne at Cresskill for several short stays and is loved by the community in our building. Despite extensive efforts over several weeks, we were unable to identify next of kin.

CareOne has worked with Eternity Funeral Services to arrange for a proper and respectful burial and is working with them to ensure the cost of the burial is covered.

According to Daniel Marks, an assistant at the funeral home, no one at the funeral home has gotten any form of payment as of Thursday, Aug. 15.

Daily Voice has reached out to CareOne inquiring as to why those funds have never made it to Eternity Funeral Service.

As previously reported by Daily Voice , Eternity Funeral Service in Englewood has been searching for Polimeni's next of kin since her death at CareOne at Cresskill on July 17.

The Eternity Funeral Service director, Aree Booker, previously told Daily Voice that CareOne vowed to pay for Polimeni's burial before transferring her body to them, but never came through with the funding.

In a race to find Polimeni's next of kin, Booker placed an ad seeking her family in the Bergen Record, which went viral on social media.

Booker has until Aug. 17 to find them, and if he can't find them, he'll have no choice but to contact the medical examiner, he said.