Manchester man pleads guilty to federal hate crimes against Orthodox Jewish community
TRENTON – A Manchester man pleaded guilty Thursday to a series of violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish community in and around Lakewood, said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Dion Marsh, 29, faces life in federal prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton on June 11.
Last week, Marsh pleaded guilty to terrorism in state Superior Court in Toms River after being charged separately under New Jersey law and where he faces up to 30 years in state prison.
In federal court, Marsh was charged with five counts of violating the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and one count of carjacking. He was accused of willfully causing bodily injury to five victims, and attempting to kill and cause injuries with dangerous weapons to four of them, because they were Jewish, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“This defendant violently attacked five men, driving a car into four of them, stabbing one of them in the chest, and attempting to kill them, simply because they were visibly identifiable as Orthodox Jews,” Sellinger said. “Today, he pleaded guilty to these hate crimes and a carjacking, and my office will ask the judge to impose a sentence that holds Marsh accountable for his brutal and hate-filled rampage.”
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Clarke added, h“Hate-filled acts of violence, intended to harm, intimidate and isolate communities, have no place in our society. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic violence across our country.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark said the bureau has been investigating “a significant rise in hate crimes.”
“Personal beliefs don’t give someone the right to attack and attempt to kill another human being because they may not ascribe to a similar religion or way of life,” Dennehy said. “We have a clear message for the communities we serve in New Jersey, if you are a victim of a hate crime or have information the FBI and our law enforcement partners should know, please report it. Silence won’t solve it, and we can’t help if we don’t know about it. You can go to tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
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In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented the timeline of Marsh’s crimes: On April 8, 2022, Marsh carried out a series of violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish community in and around Lakewood. Each of Marsh’s victims were wearing traditional clothes worn by members of the community.
At 1:18 p.m., Marsh forced a visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man out of his car in Lakewood, assaulting and injuring him. Marsh took control of the man’s car and drove away.
At 5:20 p.m., Marsh was in Lakewood driving a different car when he deliberately struck another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man with the vehicle, attempting to kill the victim.
At 6:06 p.m., Marsh used that second vehicle to deliberately strike another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man, attempting to kill the victim and causing him to suffer several broken bones.
At 6:55 p.m., Marsh, once again driving the vehicle that he had stolen from the first victim, attempted to kill another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man who was walking in Lakewood by deliberately striking him with the vehicle. Marsh got out of the vehicle and stabbed the man in the chest with a knife, causing the victim to suffer a wound and other injuries.
At 8:23 p.m., Marsh, still driving the vehicle that he had stolen from the first victim, used it to deliberately strike another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man who was walking in nearby Jackson Township, New Jersey, attempting to kill the man and causing him to suffer several broken bones and internal injuries.
The four hate crimes violations charging Marsh with attempting to kill those victims each carry a maximum term of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The hate crime violation charging Marsh with assaulting the other victim carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The carjacking charge carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, all according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Those who participated in the investigation that led to the federal prosecution of Marsh included special agents of the FBI’s Newark Division and Red Bank Resident Agency, under the direction of Dennehy; officers of the Lakewood Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Gregory H. Meyer; officers of the Jackson Township Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Matthew Kunz; officers of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy; prosecutors and detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, and officers of the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan.Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko, deputy chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division, prosecuted the case. Assistant Federal Public Defender Andrea Bergman in Trenton represented Marsh.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Manchester NJ man guilty of federal hate crimes against Orthodox Jews
