40+ Police Calls Made Over NJ Man In Racist Video, Report Finds

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ — While an independent investigation found no evidence that police showed favoritism to a South Jersey man who was hit with multiple charges after his racist rant was captured on video, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said they could’ve done more to bring charges against Edward Matthews earlier.

The prosecutor’s office released its report on the Mount Laurel Police Department’s investigation into the 45-year-old Matthews’ actions on Tuesday. The report showed the police department received more than 40 calls about Matthews, and that police investigated each individually.

Had Mount Laurel police investigated all complaints as a whole rather than individually, the prosecutor’s office believes police “might have been able to devise an effective solution and brought relief to the residents Mathews had victimized sooner than his July 2 arrest.”

“MLPD approached this matter primarily as a series of incidents, rather than focusing on Mathews, who was the subject of so many complaints from a small group of neighbors, and the suspect in multiple incidents of vandalism and property damage aimed at those same people,” the prosecutor’s office said in its report, noting that 39 different officers responded to incidents involving Matthews. “One would not expect every one of them to know the backstory.”

They said police rarely sought to question Mathews about the property crimes for which he was a logical suspect, or about the inflammatory racist language in some of his communications to minority members of the homeowners’ association board at Essex Place.

Matthews is accused of consistently harassing members of the community’s association, and issuing threats against State Assemblywoman Carol Murphy and Mount Laurel Mayor Stephen Steglik, over a period of 14 months. Complaints about his behavior dated to 2016, but there were 42 calls to Mount Laurel police concerning Matthews between April 2020 and July of this year.

The issue boiled over when a video showing him using racially charged words and actions against his neighbors went viral and resulted in a large protest outside his residence three days later, the same day he was arrested. Read more here: Mount Laurel Man's Racist Rant On Video Sparks Protest

The delay between these complaints and his arrest 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

But in some instances, those who filed complaints asked police not to approach Matthews about the accusations because they didn’t want to antagonize him, according to the report.

“The seriousness of the problem demanded a more assertive approach towards Mathews – a decision not to engage him because it might have further enraged him seemingly had the unintended consequence of both empowering Mathews and enabling his conduct,” the prosecutor’s office said. “Moreover, although the MLPD endeavored to funnel complaints and other information developed by patrol officers responding to Essex Place to a Lieutenant and a Sergeant specifically assigned to matters involving Mathews, there did not seem to be much communication across the department about how to address the problem.”

Residents asking police not to approach Matthews also led some others to conclude Matthews was friendly with police.

The report also addresses these allegations, calling comments captured in a 2017 cell phone video, “bravado” from Matthews.

In the video, which was posted online by a member of the community, Matthews said, “Now I am all friends with the cops . . .,” and “You are not going to get any help from the cops because they are my people.”

Police never declined to charge Matthews despite evidence, according to accusations. In some instances, Matthews was uncooperative, the report said.

Two members of the public raised an internal affairs complaint against the officer who responded to the incident captured in the July 2 video.

The essence of the complaints is that the officer was derelict in his duties by not immediately arresting Mathews, according to the report.

While Matthews didn’t arrest Matthews, he asked him to leave, so he could speak with the victims, and he showed “genuine compassion and concern” in the bodycam footage inspected by the office. He gathered evidence that ultimately helped result in Matthews’ arrest.

Also on Tuesday, the prosecutor’s office leveled additional charges against Matthews and four others in the related protest, in which they are accused of pepper spraying police and Matthews. Read more here: More Charges Filed Against NJ Man In Racist Video, 4 Others

See related: NJ Man At Center Of Racist Chant Now Charged With Stalking