A New Jersey man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for setting fire to four homes and spraying antisemitic graffiti on 14 others last year in Toms River, where many Jews live, according to authorities.
Ocean County prosecutors said Ron Carr, 35, of Manchester, New Jersey was sentenced on charges including arson, bias intimidation and criminal mischief.
Prosecutors said in a statement that township police were called to the Pine Lake Park area in June 2023 and found 14 homes vandalized with Nazi symbols. The next day, the fire brigade was called to a fire, which caused very heavy damage to one house and damaged three others.
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Ron Carr was sentenced to 7 years for arson and antisemitic graffiti
(Photo: Department of Corrections - Ocean County Government)
During the interrogation, Carr made many antisemitic statements. Among other things, he told the police that he was "saving the neighborhood" and he thought that the house he set fire to would become a school or a "prayerland" the investigators' affidavit states.
His lawyer Shane Pao told the media that he hopes his client "gets the help he needs".
Local media reported that the crimes came amid legal battles and a regional conflict over the location of ultra-Orthodox synagogues and schools in the Ocean district, where many ultra-Orthodox families have moved in recent years.