Edward Mathews Video: NJ Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Racist Harassment of Neighbors
Edward C. Matthews, a 47-year-old New Jersey man, was sentenced to 8 years in prison on Friday for the racist harassment of his neighbors. Matthews had pleaded guilty in October to 4 counts of bias intimidation and 1 count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Mathews was just sentenced to 8 years in prison. https://t.co/iE0G1lFHMy
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) December 9, 2023
The charges stemmed from an incident on July 2, 2021, when Mount Laurel police responded to reports of Matthews using racial slurs during an altercation with 4 of his neighbors. Videos went viral showing Matthews repeatedly using racial epithets and appearing to spit on a Black neighbor.
Prosecutors revealed Matthews had a history of harassing and intimidating his neighbors. In addition to his verbal abuse, he was accused of stalking them, smearing feces on their cars, and using a slingshot to damage their vehicles. When police searched his home, they found psilocin mushrooms.
The sentencing comes over a year after crowds of protesters gathered outside Matthews‘ home in response to the racist videos. Matthews’ 8-year prison term serves as a consequence for his campaign of racially-motivated harassment against his neighbors.
