2 men jailed for not following court orders to clean up property in Hillburn
The father and son are expected to be behind bars there for 90 days for not following court orders to remediate a piece of land in Hillburn near the New York/New Jersey border.
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William and Nicholas Cianciaruso have been in Rockland County Jail since June 27.
The father and son are expected to be behind bars there for 90 days for not following court orders to remediate a piece of land in Hillburn near the New York/New Jersey border.
A state Supreme Court justice’s order to have them jailed comes two years after the first remediation order was issued and a contempt order last year.
"They put it there illegally. They need to clean it up legally. So that's what the court wants. They have defied the court," said Hillburn Mayor Joseph Tursi. "I have no sympathy for the defendants. They got what they deserved."
News 12 took a look at the property where things are overgrown and untouched.
Construction materials, tires and other things are still there.
There are concerns about contaminants in the soil especially since it's close to a waterway.
The property sits near the Ramapo River.
"At this point, having them in jail is only curtailing their ability to get this remediation done," said Valerie Palma DeLuisi, the Cianciaruso's attorney.
She says the delayed cleanup is because her clients are waiting on two different engineers to give them a plan on how to get it done.
News 12 began following this issue with illegal dumping there in 2018, when Nicholas told News 12 that the former Hillburn mayor allowed it.
Mayor Tursi first took office in 2019 and says he has not stood for illegal dumping in the village since he first took the helm.
The next court proceeding is expected in August.
