NJ Man, 24, Charged With Hate Crime In Rutgers Muslim Center Vandalism

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A local young man is charged with the April 10 break-in and vandalism of the Islamic student center on Rutgers main campus, according to New Jersey U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

Jacob Beacher, 24, is charged with one count of damage to religious property and one count of making false statements to federal authorities (lying to an FBI agent). It is considered a federal hate crime in America to intentionally obstruct a religious practice.

Police say he broke into the Islamic student center, caused $40,000 worth of damaging, including smashing two TVs, and stole a Palestinian flag. This comes as unrest and protests are taking place at college campuses across the nation over the Israel-Hamas war.

Beacher lives in North Plainfield. He is not a Rutgers student nor has he ever attended Rutgers, said a university spokeswoman. Rutgers has no record of him ever attending the school. Federal prosecutors said they could not reveal Beacher's alleged motive at this time, or why he allegedly broke into and vandalized the Muslim center.

Beacher was arrested Monday morning in North Plainfield. But police first interviewed him as a possible suspect on April 12, two days after the break-in. These are federal charges, and he remains in federal custody.

He was scheduled to appear at 1 p.m. Monday in federal court in Newark.

The FBI, NJ Attorney General and Middlesex County Prosecutor's team all helped Rutgers Police make the arrest. U.S. Attorneys say Beacher lied to an FBI agent who interviewed him in Somerset County on April 12.

Timeline of the April 10 break-in:

Police say Beacher used force to break into the Muslim student center on College Avenue at 2:41 a.m. on April 10. This was on Eid-al-Fitr, which is the end of Ramadan and is the most holy of all Muslim holidays.

Police say he damaged several religious artifacts, such as Turbah prayer stones. The criminal complaint against Beacher — made public here — said he also stole a Palestinian flag and a charity box belonging to the Islamic center.

U.S. Attorneys say they have surveillance footage that showed Beacher walking towards the Islamic student center at 2:39 a.m. that night.

"Soon after, at approximately 2:41 a.m., an intruder, later determined to be Beacher, forcibly entered the CILRU (Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University) through its back door," read the criminal complaint. "Specifically, Beacher broke a glass pane on the door, pushed through a piece of plexiglass that was affixed to the interior side of the door, and then manually opened the door from the inside by reaching through the broken glass to unlatch a deadbolt lock."

Inside the center, police say he smashed smashed two flat-screen TVs, broke a coffee pot and other objects, smashed a printer, tore artwork containing Quran verses down from the walls and broke them in half.

"A current estimate of the damage that Beacher caused is approximately $40,000," said federal prosecutors.

"At approximately 3:05 a.m., Beacher exited the CILRU using the same back door. Less than one minute later, at approximately 3:06 a.m., video surveillance captured Beacher pacing the area by the Rutgers Student Center, which is approximately 75 to 100 feet from the CILRU. Then at approximately 3:09 a.m., Beacher used his bicycle to go from the Student Center toward Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick."

The damage was discovered at 7:40 a.m. that morning by a cleaning crew, said Islamic Center director Atiya Aftab.

How Beacher was apprehended by the FBI

Four days after the break-in, on April 14, two individuals reported to law enforcement that they found the donation box on the east side of Buccleuch Park.

"Lawfully-collected historical cell-site data revealed that Beacher's cell phone was located at the east side of Buccleuch Park shortly after the break-in," read the federal complaint. "Additional video footage from on or about April 9 depicted Beacher riding a bicycle up to the same area and subsequently walking away. That is the same bicycle Beacher used when fleeing the CILRU."

"Based on a review of all pertinent video surveillance footage from approximately 2:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m., Beacher was the only person seen in the immediate vicinity of the CILRU leading up to, and then soon after, the break in," read the complaint.

But two days before the donation box was even discovered, the FBI already interviewed Beacher on April 12: On that day, Beacher voluntarily agreed to speak to law enforcement in North Plainfield.

An FBI agent told Beacher to be truthful and that lying to the FBI was a crime.

"During that interview, Beacher confirmed to law enforcement that he was the person depicted in the above-referenced video footage, as well as in the other video footage that showed him walking and biking near the Student Center on or about April 10. Beacher falsely denied, however, breaking into the CILRU."

The investigation is still active and additional state charges are pending. Rutgers Police asks that anyone with information, or who may have been in the area at the time, contact the RUPD’s Detective Bureau at 848-932-8025.

Muslim center director thanks law enforcement

Gov. Phil Murphy, AG Platkin, several NJ Congress reps and the president of Rutgers University all condemned the vandalism. Rutgers Police said at the time: "At Rutgers, hatred and bigotry have no place, nor should they have a place anywhere in the world."

"We applaud and appreciate the efforts of federal and state law enforcement who have been diligently investigating," said Aftab. "We have been kept apprised of the investigation as it took place and we express a sense of relief and safety knowing that the suspect is in custody. We look forward to the process of justice being meted out."

Aftab said ever since the break-in, there has been Rutgers Police officers or a patrol car stationed outside the Muslim student center daily. There have also been plainclothes Rutgers Police monitoring the center. She said she continues to worry about the safety of the students who go in and out of the center daily.

This video, provided by the center, shows the damage:

See all the photos from the break-in: Rutgers Center For Islamic Life Vandalized; Palestinian Flag Stolen (April 10)

"Every single room was touched. The place was ransacked," Aftab previously told Patch. "I can't even believe what kind of force it took to smash the television. We had sacred porcelain objects smashed all over the floor. It's troubling that text from our sacred Quran was smashed in half. That's obviously a message."

"We are humbled by the amazing and generous outpouring from the Rutgers community and the community at large," she added on Monday. "These acts of support from outright donations, donations in kind to replace stolen and damaged items, flowers, balloons, calls and emails have been overwhelming and heartening. We are thankful and grateful. This act of terror will not intimidate or break our community. We stand in firm faith and with resolve to redouble our efforts to the mission of our center. This incident did not occur in a vacuum. We condemn those that are stoking lies and hate on our campus and those who are engaging in doublespeak that have led to this violence, other acts of hate and bigotry on our campus and in particular against our students. Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian bigotry must be recognized and routed out and we will continue to do our part in eliminating policies, bias and language that enable it. This incident is representative of a bigger issue — the dehumanization of Palestinian lives and voices abroad and locally."