Man charged with bias in window-smashing incidents
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Left, Richard Green of New Brunswick. Right, Rutgers Hillel staff found a window smashed by a rock on the evening of Nov. 27 at the center on the university campus in New Brunswick. Photo courtesy Rutgers Hillel
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December 1, 2011
Numerous counts of bias intimidation and criminal mischief stemming from a window-smashing spree at Jewish businesses and institutions in Highland Park and New Brunswick have been lodged against a 52-year-old New Brunswick man.
The announcement was made in a Dec. 1 press release by Middlesex County prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan against Richard Green of Bayard Street after it was determined by authorities that he targeted specific businesses and religious institutions of Jewish merchants, owners, and students.
Green, who was arrested on George Street in New Brunswick at 3 p.m. on Nov. 30, has been charged with three counts of third-degree bias intimidation, said Kaplan.
Green is also being charged with five counts of criminal mischief in Highland Park and another five from incidents in New Brunswick and on the Rutgers campus, which are considered fourth-degree crimes. A related bias intimidation count was filed in New Brunswick, said that city’s police director, Anthony Caputo, and by Rutgers University Police.
Highland Park Police Chief Stephen J. Rizco additionally announced that his department had also filed one count of bias intimidation against Green.
The authorities were hesitant to give information on Nov. 30 in the hours after most of the attacks because they were following a lead. NJJN has learned that the lead came from staff at Rutgers Chabad House, located on the New Brunswick campus, one of the institutions targeted.
“We’ve met this individual,” Chabad executive director Rabbi Yosef Carlebach told NJJN. “We’ve had some recent experience with him. It’s really a very sad story of someone who appears to be mentally deranged. We communicated that to law enforcement. We left it to the police to do their work. We told anyone who called that we contacted law enforcement and have a handle on it.”
Carlebach said that the window broken on the Chabad building was fixed immediately and now that Green has been apprehended, the rabbi said, “Let’s get on with it and get back to work. It’s over.”
The first incident occurred at Rutgers Hillel in New Brunswick sometime over the Thanksgiving weekend and was discovered Sunday night, Nov. 27, by staff. Rutgers Police Lt. Paul Fischer said an object thrown through the window also damaged a computer screen.
Also in the early morning of Nov. 30 in New Brunswick, windows were smashed at the George Street Co-Op on Morris Avenue, which sells kosher food; and at an office building on Bayard Street, where the prosecutor’s office is a tenant. On the mornings of Nov. 29 and 30, windows were broken at Maoz, a kosher restaurant on George Street.
Businesses along Raritan Avenue in downtown Highland Park that had their windows smashed in the early morning of Nov. 30 were the Jewish-owned Jack’s Hardware; two kosher restaurants, Jerusalem Pizza and Park Place; and two Judaica stores, Trio Gifts and Judaica Gallery.
Additionally, at about 2 a.m. on Nov. 30, in the Dunkin Donuts on Raritan Avenue, a Rutgers student who was wearing a kipa was confronted by an individual who verbally accosted him with an anti-Semitic rant. Green has not been charged in that incident.
The damage was first noticed by an officer on patrol on Raritan Avenue. Other business owners found the damage when they arrived to open up their stores.
Comments
RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG
December 01, 2011
Not a hate crime
A mentally challenged soul
Who needs help
rabbi rosenberg
Mr. Green is a poor Jewish male with a long history of mental illness., it is a shame that his religion and his serious mental illness are not made public. He needs help and perhaps there is a mental institution where he can get help. This is the second day that the media intentionally or unintentionally misinform people by omitting critical facts from the story. CHECK THIS OUT. RABBI ROSENBERG
RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG
December 01, 2011
Unfortunately, now that he has gone ahead and committed crimes and shown himself to be unstable and destructive, he will be in the “system” for significant time. RABBI Dr. Bernhard ROSENBERG
phil goodman
December 02, 2011
Looks like Rosenberg is talking to himself again.
Surely, rabbi, you can find a way to insert yourself into this situation? I know you will.
RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG
December 04, 2011
The truth is not being told by the press. Why? I do not know this person but let the entire story be told. I was asked to become involved by people in the community.
rabbi dr. bernhard rosenberg
December 04, 2011
4. MCR wrote: from others media
Rabbi Rosenberg’s comments are accurate. According to many sources, mysteriously not being reported by the media, the person under arrest is a Jewish man who has a history of mental health problems. One of the store owners told me he knows the man, and he even shopped in his store regularly.
Nikhil Patel
December 05, 2011
If as taxpayers we can put people in prison for long periods of time why can we not fund mental hospitals to cure there illness because this is where they really belong.
Rabbi Rosenberg is right, he is absolutely right.
Where is this mans lawyer.
Simran
December 05, 2011
Finding an appropriate psychiatric program would be much more beneficial. If more attention were given to provide this person with the help he needs, these issues would be taken care of in the right way.
Highland Park Resident
December 07, 2011
The HP community was in an uproar when the so called 2nd Chrystal Nacht took place. The one who went out of his way to speak to the store owners and gather the truth was Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg. As usual he is attacked for being the outspoken courageous symbol in our community. He is the only one seeking the truth, the culprit is mentally unbalanced and a Jew, and now the story is not headlines…. The rabbi was given no credit for organizing the Edison police dept. to guard all Jewish businesses synagogues and schools in Edison. Why is his religion being swept under the carpet.
Anon
December 07, 2011
HP Resident:
His religion isn’t “being swept under the carpet” - it’s front page news on this site and also linked to this article. See above, “Prosecutors: Jewish man targeted Jewish shops”
Leanard Smith
December 07, 2011
This proves Rabbi Rosenberg was right all along! He has been saying this since day #1. Why has it been hidden and fisrt published in this edition!? Kudos to Rabbi Rosenberg of Edison for telling the truth.