N.J. Man Jailed 8 Years for Racial Harassment That Was Caught on Video
On Friday, a white man from New Jersey was given eight years in jail for the video that went viral in 2021 showing him threatening his black neighbors and using racial slurs.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Edward C. Mathews, 47, was given a sentence of at least four years in prison before he can be released on parole.
In October, he admitted to four counts of bias harassment and having a controlled dangerous substance with the purpose to sell it.
In 2021, he was caught on camera calling his neighbors the N-word and another insulting word outside of a Mount Laurel home. This led to the charges.
A white New Jersey man who was captured on video in 2021 harassing his Black neighbors and hurling racial slurs was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison:
A white New Jersey man who was captured on video in 2021 harassing his Black neighbors and hurling racial slurs was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison. https://t.co/mrbVctYofE
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 9, 2023
LaChia L. Bradshaw, the prosecutor for Burlington County, said in a statement Friday, “Our office is committed to combatting bias crimes and sending a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated in our community,” “Nobody should have to endure what these victims experienced.”
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news statement that Mathews was accused of harassment by a resident of the area on July 2, 2021.
The report was sent to the Mount Laurel Police Department. On the same day, cops got a call about a man who needed to be taken out of the area.
When police arrived, they found Mathews “using racial slurs while engaged in a verbal altercation with four residents,” according to the charges.
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Prosecutors say that when cops searched Mathews’ home, they found a lot of psilocybin mushrooms, which are known to cause hallucinations.
Bradshaw said that Mathews often scared his Black neighbors, and that one time he even reportedly left a threatening note on one of their cars.
NBC Philadelphia reported that he was also accused of spying, putting feces on his neighbors’ windows, and damaging their cars.
He said sorry for how he behaved during his sentence.
“Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future,” he told the judge, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I want to commit to rebuild the community.”
It was his fault, and he said he was sorry for “my insensitive and disrespectful words in the past.”
The Inquirer says that Mathews, who has been in jail since his arrest, will get credit for the time he’s already spent and will be able to go on parole in about 16 months.
