NJ Man At Center Of Racist Rant Being Investigated Over Threats

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ — The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office is investigating accusations that a Mount Laurel man at the center of accusations of a racist rant that has been caught on tape also threatened an assemblywoman and a mayor.

State Assemblywoman Carol Murphy and Mount Laurel Mayor Stephen Steglik each said earlier this week that they have been threatened by 45-year-old Edward Cagney Matthews, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The comments are under investigation, but no charges have been filed as of Tuesday morning, a spokesman for the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office told Patch.

Murphy said she’s been receiving threats from Matthews since she had to postpone legislative hearings about homeowners’ associations due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the report.

Steglik said he was threatened by Matthews about a week before a video in which Matthews repeatedly yells racial slurs at a neighbor became public. Read more here: Mount Laurel Man's Racist Rant On Video Sparks Protest

Citing his potential flight risk and risk to the community, Superior Court Judge Terrence Cook ordered Matthews to be detained pending trial. The decision came following a hearing Wednesday morning in which prosecutors presented evidence of Matthews' harassment of members of his housing development's homeowners' association, all of whom are people of color.

"His presence is a risk to the community," Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Hutchinson said during the hearing.

He is accused of damaging and smearing feces on vehicles, sending threatening letters and emails, and visiting his targets at their home to threaten them. The harassment of four members of the association has been ongoing since January, and has resulted in one of the victims moving.

Matthews later left a note for one of the other victims that read, "one down, three to go," Hutchinson said.

Matthews has a criminal history that includes 11 indictable offenses, one simple assault and 20 total convictions, according to prosecutors. Defense attorney Anthony Rizzo had requested Matthews be released with conditions.

In the video that first came into the public spotlight on July 2, Matthews repeatedly yells racial slurs at a neighbor, calling him a "monkey" and a "n-----r." He is also seen chest-bumping a man who interceded between him and a neighbor.

The incident came after a resident filed a harassment complaint with Mount Laurel police against Matthews. Later the same day, a Mount Laurel police officer responded to a home on a report of a male needing to be removed from the area. Upon arrival, the officer found Mathews in a verbal altercation with four residents.

Mathews, who was using racial slurs, was sent to his residence in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. The ensuing investigation resulted in Mathews being charged later that night for both incidents.

Mount Laurel police requested that the charges be placed on a warrant, which would have allowed officers to take Mathews into custody and place him in jail.

However, a Mount Laurel municipal judge instead decided to place the charges on a summons, preventing Matthews from being put in jail, police said.

Police were then able to arrest Matthews following the ensuing incident. The delay sparked outrage from the community, and prompted the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office to launch an independent investigation into any and all incidents involving Mathews in Mount Laurel. Read more here: Independent Investigation Launched After NJ Man's Racist Rant

Mount Laurel Police Chief Stephen Riedner told the Burlington County Times that Matthews' racial slurs weren't enough to warrant an arrest, although he did say he understands the suffering the community has endured.

"As disgusting and reprehensible as his language was, that necessarily didn't raise to the level of an arrest in New Jersey under bias intimidation," Riedener told the newspaper. "There had to be an underlying offense."

Following his arrest, the Mount Laurel Police Department applied for an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) against Mathews, which would prohibit him from possessing any firearms, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

Authorities applied for the order after a neighbor told police she suspected Matthews used a BB gun to damage her car, police said.

As part of the application, police executed a search warrant at his home. During the search, police said they seized a slingshot and multiple ball bearings, which matched the projectiles used to damage the vehicles. They also said they seized numerous psilocybin mushrooms, which are known for their hallucinogenic effect, along with packaging materials.

Police believe Matthews fired the ball bearings at cars belonging to his neighbor and her daughter, causing $2,350 in damage. He is also accused of stalking one of the vehicle owners, police said. Read more here: NJ Man At Center Of Racist Chant Now Charged With Stalking