Chaos and a heavy police presence disrupted a scheduled funeral service at Commack Cemetery

COMMACK, NY — Chaos and a heavy police presence disrupted a scheduled funeral service at Commack Cemetery after an unauthorized lot owners meeting devolved into an aggressive confrontation, the alleged silencing of a disabled voter, and a fabricated police report.The assembly, which critics allege was an unauthorized attempt by a rogue faction of the board to rig an election cycle, took place despite an active funeral service being scheduled on the grounds. The entire volatile incident was witnessed by prominent local officials, including Suffolk County Legislator Leslie Kennedy and Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy, Jr.The confrontation began when Commack Cemetery Board Secretary Julia Minerva took the floor to formally declare the meeting null and void. Minerva stated that the meeting directly violated corporate bylaws, noting she was never properly notified of a board assembly to call a lot owners meeting. Furthermore, Minerva declared that attorney Jason P. Fenley, Esq. was not recognized as legitimate legal counsel for the Commack Cemetery Board.Tensions escalated dramatically when Board Vice President Mitchell Hirsch and Jason P. Fenley initiated a disruption that reverberated across the cemetery grounds. Hirsch reportedly attempted to signal Fenley to interrupt legal lot owner Kendrik Lau, who was attempting to speak on behalf of John E. Donegan. Donegan is currently recovering from an illness and manages a speech disability.Donegan intervened, recording the interaction on video, and openly challenged Fenley's standing, stating that the attorney is not a lot owner and holds no recognized authority in the assembly. Following the challenge, Fenley reportedly attempted to make a motion to shut down the meeting entirely, sending Hirsch into a volatile outburst directed at Donegan.The Suffolk County Police Department was called to the scene, causing further disruption near the scheduled funeral. Witnesses state that Hirsch attempted to file a false police report against Donegan. However, the immediate intervention of Legislator Kennedy and Comptroller Kennedy quickly de-escalated the situation. The county officials firmly informed responding officers that the allegations made by Hirsch were entirely fabricated.The incident marks an unprecedented escalation in the ongoing governance battle over the cemetery's leadership. Critics point out that orchestrating a volatile political corporate dispute—and triggering an emergency law enforcement response while a family was trying to lay a loved one to rest—demonstrates a severe breach of fiduciary duty and basic human decency.Representatives from the New York State Division of Cemeteries and the State Attorney General's office are expected to be briefed on the matter first thing Monday morning.

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