NJ Man Gets 40 Years for Violent Assaults on Orthodox Jews

The Department of Justice building in Washington on March 28, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

A New Jersey man was sentenced on July 23 to 40 years in prison for committing bias-motivated violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish community in and near Lakewood, New Jersey, according to the Department of Justice. Dion Marsh, 29, of Manchester, previously pleaded guilty in February for assaulting Orthodox Jews in New Jersey, admitting he willfully caused bodily injury to five victims and attempted to kill four of the victims solely because they were Jewish.

Aside from a 40-year prison sentence, Mr. Marsh will have five years of supervised release.

“Enough is enough–hate-fueled attacks on the Orthodox Jewish community are abhorrent, unlawful and contrary to our values as Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a press release.

“As we aggressively work to confront and eradicate antisemitic violence, we recognize the unique vulnerabilities faced by Orthodox Jews who are often targeted because of religious clothing and yarmulkes,” Ms. Clarke said, adding the DOJ will continue to prosecute and investigate hate crimes and protect citizens’ right to practice their religion.

According to court documents and also court statements, Mr. Marsh carried out violent assaults on Orthodox Jews on April 8, 2022. Each of the victims were dressed in traditional garments worn by Orthodox Jewish community members.

In the first attack, Mr. Marsh forced a man out of his car in Lakewood, assaulting and injuring him. He then took the victim’s car.

Nearly four hours later, Mr. Marsh, who was driving a different car, deliberately struck another Orthodox Jewish man with the vehicle in an attempt to kill him. An hour after the second attack, Mr. Marsh struck another man.

Mr. Marsh hit the fourth victim with the car he stole from the first victim, then he got out of the car and stabbed the man in the chest with a knife. He struck the fifth victim in nearby Jackson Township.

“The threat from hate-fueled violence is a sad reality that impacts far too many people across our state and our nation,” said U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger for the District of New Jersey in the press release.

“This defendant previously admitted to violently attacking 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,” Mr. Sellinger said, adding the sentence holds him accountable for his “brutal and hate-filled rampage.”

According to court documents, when Mr. Marsh was asked why he committed the acts, he replied, “it had to be done,” and that “these are the real devils.”

When Mr. Marsh was asked to whom he was referring, Mr. Marsh stated, “the Hasidic Jews.”