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What became a rampage over roughly seven hours began when Dion Marsh, 29, of Manchester, dragged a "visibly identifiable" Orthodox Jew out of his car, beat him and sped off in the victim's vehicle on April 8, 2022, authorities said.
Marsh was driving a different car in the heavily Orthodox community hours later when he ran down victims in three separate incidents, attempting to kill each of them, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said.
All of Marsh's victims were "equally dressed in traditional garments of their faith," the federal prosecutors said in a joint announcement following the Feb. 1 plea hearing in Trenton.
After hitting the third pedestrian, March got out of the vehicle and stabbed the man in the chest with a knife, they said.
Marsh went on to hit another "visibly identifiable" Orthodox Jewish pedestrian in nearby Jackson Township, Sellinger and Clarke said.
March took a deal from the government rather than risk the potential prison term that would follow a guilty verdict at a trial.
He pleaded guilty in federal court in Trenton on Thursday to five hate crimes, as well as to carjacking and multiple counts of attempting to kill and injure victims with dangerous weapons because of their faith.
U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi scheduled sentencing for June 11 in Trenton.
"The threat from hate-fueled violence is a sad reality across our state and our nation -- that hate is not who we are," Sellinger said Thursday. "We are stronger as a people because no matter what you look like, how you worship, where you come from, or who you love, your civil rights must be respected and protected."
"Hating someone isn’t a crime, but hating someone and then attacking them based on that hate is a violation of federal law,” FBI–Newark Special-Agent-in-Charge James E. Dennehy added.
Sellinger credited Dennehy's agents, the Lakewood and Jackson Township police departments, the Ocean County sheriff's and prosecutor's officers and New Jersey State Police with the investigation leading to the charges and plea, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko, who's deputy chief of his Civil Rights Division.
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