Asbury Park bias crime? Cops hunt for who fired pepper spray, ripped Pride flag at church
ASBURY PARK - A potential bias incident during an anti-racism event at Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park included attempted pepper spraying and vandalism of the church's LGBTQ+ Pride flag, and police are investigating it as a possible hate crime, according to the church.
The incident, which occurred Friday between 9 and 10:30 p.m., followed a concert being held to benefit a New Jersey-based anti-racist organization, Rev. Chase Danford said on Monday in a news release. After the event — organized by the Light Brigade Collective and spotlighting local musicians for all ages — an unidentified person attempted to pepper spray a group of people gathered outside on the lawn of the church's community building, and also threw smoke bombs outside the venue.
The assailant was not somebody who attended the event, Danford said. The person pulled up, fired off pepper spray and drove away after the incident. Pepper spray is an aerosol that can subdue victims with ingredients highly irritating to the eyes and sinuses.
Nobody was injured during the incident, according to Danford.
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The church's LGBTQ+ Pride flag was also vandalized that evening, the news release said, which has happened two other times in recent months.
The flagpole was ripped from its post, with damage primarily to the pole, he said. The flag was also torn but was not stolen.
"It was in a place that was clear it wasn't the wind that moved it," Danford said. "And also you could look at the damage and see that it was intentionally ripped."
Christian Fuscarino, executive director of Garden State Equality, issued a statement that said the symbolism and violence in this incident is alarming.
"We've seen an increase in bias incidents over the past few years and it's an unfortunate reminder that even in the Garden State, there is hate among us that must be addressed," Fuscarino said. "Nobody deserves to feel unsafe in their place of worship because of the color of their skin or because of who they love."
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The identity of the suspect or suspects, and the motivation behind the acts is still unknown, Danford said.
In the news release, the church stated that it will be reviewing security procedures to see if changes are necessary and continue to serve and be in solidarity with under-represented communities in Asbury Park.
"This is not just social justice; it is Gospel justice," read a statement in the release.
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The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release on Sunday that they — along with the Asbury Park Police Department and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office — will be working to investigate the incident. No further updates have been given.
Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Detective Brian Hammarstrom at 800-533-7443 or Asbury Park Police Detective Anthony Troublefield at 732-774-1300.
The New Jersey Department of Homeland Security urged members of the public and faith-based communities to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to local police or the New Jersey Counterterrorism Watch Desk at 866-4-SAFE-NJ (866-472-3365) or tips@njohsp.gov.
Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park NJ bias crime investigated at Trinity Episcopal Church
